Bible basic lesson for teens new testament organization part 2. The new testament, as usually received in the christian churches, is made up of twentyseven different books attributed to eight different authors, six of whom are numbered among the apostles matthew, john, paul, james, peter, jude and two among their immediate disciples mark, luke. Wasnt the new testament written hundreds of years after. Pauls last will and testament, written while he was on death row in rome. The new testament books fall into five general categories. Much of the new testament is made up of his letters to some of those churches.
If in fact he did, that would bring to 14 the total number of books of the new testament written by this great soldier of the cross. Written from rome it is believed by many that paul wrote the book of hebrews. These are the first four books of the new testament and. Thirteen of the twentyseven books in the new testament have traditionally been attributed to paul. Each of the writers has a different perspective to offer, and each wrote with a. Gospels matthew, mark, luke and john history acts correspondence the letters of paul and the others. Scholars have debated whether or not hebrews was written by paul. Which books of the bible did paul write and what makes. The books of the new testament are not arranged in chronological order, but. Matthew, mark, luke and john, the four gospels, occupy half the pages in the new testament. The epistle of paul to the colossians, or simply colossians, is the twelfth book of the new testament.
Watch the video above and talk about it with a group or mentor. Overview of the pauline epistles of the new testament. Thought to address universal problems experienced by christians everywhere, as opposed to paul s letters, which have been thought to address specific congregations about specific problems. Lets take a quick tour of how these books are grouped together in our bibles. This list is about 10 of the most interesting books not included in the new testament.
The earliest known complete list of the 27 books of the new testament is found in a letter written by athanasius, a 4thcentury bishop of alexandria, dated to 367 ad. The following books of the new testament were written by the apostle paul over a period of several years, and from several different locations. But the list of 27 books we know today as the new testament came together gradually through a series councils and general usage until the 27 books became the standard for most of christianity. This book may be the greatest theological book in the entire bible. Epistles literally means letter and as far as the new testament is concerned, all of the books written by paul as well as the first part of. An account of jesus life, death, and resurrection that stresses he is the jewish messiah sent from the jewish god to the jewish people in fulfillment of the prophecies of the jewish. With acts and revelation you are up to three quarters.
If so, that would be the 14th book he contributed to the bible. We know for certain that paul wrote at least thirteen letters that are included in the new testament. The apostle paul wrote thirteen books of the new testament. Paul ties in the old testament and old covenant into the new covenant. The revelation of jesus christ is the only book of prophecy in the new testament. The new testament consists mostly of paul s letters books to be exact. It is generally accepted that paul s undisputed epistles romans, 1 corinthians, 2 corinthians, philemon, galatians, philippians and 1 thessalonians were written. The other letters pauls are more specific in nature, usually written to specific.
The new testament contains 27 books written in greek by 15 or 16 different authors. The twentyone books following acts are epistles, or letters, written from church. A biography is a bright, provocative, imaginative, and often brilliant book. His writings occupy nearly onefourth of the whole book. Apostle paul wrote books of the new testament see the list of books in the bible written by paul the book of romans was written by paul the book of 1 corinthians was written by paul the book of 2 corinthians was written by paul the book of galatians was written by paul the. The gospel coalition paul is a compelling modern biography that reveals the apostles greater role in christian historyas an inventor of new paradigms for how we understand jesus and what he accomplishedand celebrates his stature as one of the. The apostle paul was the most prolific writer in the new testament. Surprisingly, the general categories of the books of the new testament can be related directly to their old testament counterparts as they appear, left to.
His new testament consisted of a modified gospel of luke which he believed was written by paul, galatians, corinthians treated as one epistle, romans, thessalonians as one epistle, lacodiceans his name for. Pauls epistles come first, right after the book of acts. A synopsis of each new testament book the bart ehrman blog. The pauline epistles, also called epistles of paul or letters of paul, are the thirteen books of the new testament attributed to paul the apostle, although the authorship of some is in dispute. Apostle paul wrote books of the new testament see the list of books in the bible written by paul the book of romans was written by paul the book of 1 corinthians. Paul explains the organization of the church that will lead to maturity. These books are known as pauline epistles, epistles of paul, or letters of paul. Prophetic books revelation written by john ad 90s is actually the revelation of jesus christ in church history through to eternity.
The book of romans this book may be the greatest theological. These nine books romans through 2 thessalonians consist of letters written by paul to various. Paul is believed to have written his undisputed epistles romans, 1 corinthians, 2 corinthians, philemon, galatians, philippians and 1 thessalonians in the fifties and early sixties of the first century, although it is possible they were somewhat earlier than this. Here are the books in the bible penned or dictated by paul. Nearly all the greek manuscripts place the epistles of paul at the end of the new testament, but modern editions place them between the acts of the apostles and the general.
But some argue that he really only wrote seven books, a. Written by john, it contains a prophetic picture of the church, victorious and saved in heaven, despite hardships and persecutions. The apostle paul was actually the first person to write a book of the new testament 1 thessalonians and later the rest of the letters to the churches. The following chart provides the dates when the new testament books were written. The letter of paul to the galatians, the ninth book of the new testament, was authored by st. Paul wrote thirteen letters to churches that are included in the new testament. Understanding the structure of the bible helps christians understand the concepts and.
Wasnt the new testament written hundreds of years after christ. John the apostle had the distinguished role of collecting all the books extant and completing the canonization of the bible somewhere between 96 to 99 a. Romans, written by paul, appears before philippians, also written by paul. Merging with that are elements of spiritual autobiography and a defense of the authors life. Pauls contributions to the new testament britannica. The first attempt at creating a canon of christian scriptures was made by marcion circa 140 ce.
Some hold to the 90s and it is the last book written in the new testament. Scholars have debated whether he authored the book of hebrews as well. Among these letters are some of the earliest extant christian documents. These four books 1 timothy through philemon consist of letters written by paul to. Written by paul, during his third missionary journey, from philippi during his travel immediately after leaving ephesus.
This is a chronological list of the letters that paul wrote in the new testament. The division of books in the new testament is as follows. Written from ephesus second roman imprisonment 68 a. They are not printed in the order in which they were written. The new testament books, as they appear in the bible, were grouped according to the author, not according to when they were written.
The new testament consists of four classes of literature. Its well known that the apostle paul wrote much of the new testament. List of books in the bible written by apostle paul. The word epistles literally just means letters, and the name paul is used as an adjective to describe the letters. Structure of the new testament for christians learn religions. Seven of the pauline epistles are undisputed by scholars as being authentic, with varying degrees of argument about the remainder. In the cases in which historians disagree on the date, we have identified the prominent historians who support the earliest and lastest possible dates. Some scholars believe it is actually fourteen letters because there is some debate regarding the true author of hebrews. The first fourteen of these letters are called the epistles of paul and are. The new testament was written by, or its writing was supervised by, the chosen disciples of jesus christ.
The new testament is a collection of christian texts originally written in the. The book of romans one of the longest epistles, paul wrote this letter to the growing church in rome as a way of expressing his enthusiasm for their success and his desire to visit them personally. The churchs organizational structure is quite consistent with pauls. The 27book new testament was first formally canonized during the councils of hippo 393 and carthage 397 in. In greek, however, its obvious that the new testament is an anthology of documents written by several people. The new testament has the distinction of being the volume of scripture that. It was written, according to the text, by paul the apostle and timothy to the church in colossae, a small phrygian city near laodicea and approximately 100 miles 160 km from ephesus in asia minor. Pauline epistles new testament letters written by paul the majority of the letters of the new testament were written by paul, which are called the pauline epistles. A new testament church is a church which is structured and governed in accordance with new testament principles and practices. The remaining quarter of the new testament consists of 21 letters written by five church leaders, 14 of them by paul.
What every book of the new testament is about crossway articles. The new testament consists mostly of pauls letters books to be exact. Here are a list of books or letters epistles written by the paul. Philemon is the last book of the new testament that we are certain paul wrote. He paul was a free mannot locked into patterns and structures, either in communication or in organization and administration. Paul was not only the greatest of the apostles in the extent of his labors and his sufferings, but he was the most voluminous of all the writers of the new testament. While following the usual format of new testament epistles, it is also dominated by the genre known as the farewell discourse. Paul s last will and testament, written while he was on death row in rome. I will list the new testament books in approximate chronological order, but alter this when necessary for clarity. Apocalyptic revelation the books of the new testament are not arranged in chronological order, but rather in terms of importance. The new testament is the second part of the christian biblical canon, the first being the old. The books in the new testament that have pauls name as the first word were written by the apostle paul. The new testament is a collection of twentyseven books centered on the figure of.
The new testament was written from approximately a. In what order were the books in the new testament written. Gospels, actshistory, pauline epistles written by paul, general epistles, and prophecy. What every book of the new testament is about crossway. The order and descriptions of the new testament books of the bible from 1.