New Testament Essentials Study Notes

Introduction to the New Testament

  • Core Definitions:

    • Inspired: God-breathed; God guided the human authors to write the Scriptures.

    • Inerrant: The Bible contains no mistakes.

  • Primary Perspectives / Main Messages of the Bible:

    • A myth

    • A great literary work

  • Three Central Questions Answered by the New Testament:

    • Who is Jesus?

    • What has He done?

    • What effect should that have on us?

  • Key Characteristics of the New Testament:

    • Christocentric: Christ-centered.

    • Soteriological: Focused on the main message of salvation through Jesus.

  • The Biblical Metanarrative:

    • Metanarrative: A big, overarching story (conceptually analogous to an overarching narrative structure like Harry Potter); the central metanarrative of the Bible is salvation.

    • Four Major Movements in the Biblical Metanarrative:

    1. Creation

    2. Fall

    3. Redemption

    4. Restoration

  • Relationship Between Testaments and Prophetic Fulfillment:

    • Inter-Testamental Relationship: The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed; the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.

    • Prophetic Fulfillment: Jesus fulfilled at least 300300 Old Testament prophecies.

The World of the New Testament

  • The Intertestamental Period:

    • Definition: The roughly 400400 years between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament.

    • Chronological Historical Periods:

    • Persian Period

    • Greek Period

    • Hasmonean Period

    • Roman Period

  • Results and Cultural Impact of the Intertestamental Period:

    • Created a strong expectation for the Messiah to be a military leader.

    • Created a strong emphasis on obedience to the Old Testament law in order to usher in God's kingdom.

Key Religious and Political Groups of the New Testament

  • Pharisees:

    • Defined as "separated ones."

    • Recognized as experts in the Old Testament law and oral tradition.

  • Sadducees:

    • Belonged to the aristocracy.

    • Accepted only the Torah as authoritative Scripture.

  • Essenes:

    • Separatists who rejected the Jewish establishment.

  • Zealots:

    • Extreme Jewish nationalists.

Gospel Structure, Profiles, and Purpose

  • Gospel Overview:

    • Etymology: Derived from the Greek word evangelion, meaning "good news."

    • Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

    • Rationale for Four Gospels: Four distinct Gospel accounts exist because each author offers a unique perspective on the life of Jesus.

  • Distinct Characteristics of Each Gospel:

    • Matthew:

    • Characterized by careful structure.

    • Focuses on Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament.

    • Focuses heavily on Jesus' teaching, organized around five discourses.

    • Mark:

    • The shortest of all Gospels.

    • Action-focused narrative style.

    • Focuses on Jesus' servant leadership and suffering.

    • Luke:

    • Written by Luke, a physician, who also wrote the Book of Acts.

    • Focuses on salvation for outsiders (exemplified by Mary's Song).

    • John:

    • Features a simple writing style and vocabulary paired with profound theology.

    • Contains 90%90\% unique (non-synoptic) material.

    • Features $7$ "I am" statements.

    • Features $7$ signs and miracles.

  • Purpose of the Gospels:

    • Specific Biblical Purpose (referencing John 20:30-31): Provides an explicit account so that readers may believe and receive salvation.

    • Ultimate Focus: The Gospels are entirely focused on individual salvation through Jesus Christ.