Comprehensive Study Guide to the Books and Timeline of the New Testament

$3-5\,BC$ : This period marks the birth of Jesus.
$27-30\,AD$ : This timeframe encompasses the death and resurrection of Jesus.
$46-65\,AD$ : This period covers the journeys and ministry of St Paul, as well as the writing of his letters. This era is characterized by several major developments:
- It was a period of oral tradition and some writing about Jesus occurring between his death and the composition of the first gospels.
- The headquarters of the Church moved from Jerusalem to Rome.
$49\,AD$ : The Council of Jerusalem took place. The core decision was that discipleship of Jesus would be open to Gentiles as well as Jews without the requirement of circumcision.
$50-67\,AD$ : The writing of Mark’s gospel took place, alongside other early gospel material.
$64-67\,AD$ : $1$ Peter was written in Rome. At approximately this same time, St Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome.
$62-65\,AD$ : The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles were written.
$75-90\,AD$ : The Gospel of Matthew was written or completed.
$81-96\,AD$ : The Book of Revelation was written.
$85-100\,AD$ : This period saw the writing or completion of the Gospel of John and the writing of the Epistle of Jude.
$125-350\,AD$ : This was the period of Christianity during which the Bible was assembled.

The four Gospels offer unique perspectives on the life and ministry of Jesus by employing various literary forms. These include parables, miracle accounts, and narratives detailing Jesus' birth, passion, death, and Resurrection.
Matthew (The Promised Messiah): This gospel presents Jesus as the King who fulfills Old Testament prophecy and establishes the "kingdom of heaven."
Mark (The Suffering Servant): This gospel portrays Jesus as the Son of God who sacrifices His life as a ransom for humanity.
Luke (The Saviour): This gospel depicts Jesus as the compassionate Saviour who brings salvation to all people, regardless of their background.
John (The Eternal Son of God): This gospel focuses on Jesus as the eternal, incarnate Word who offers eternal life and a personal relationship to believers.
Methodology and Purpose of Gospel Authorship:
- While the Gospels provide many historical details regarding Jesus' life and ministry, the authors utilized this material in different ways and in varying orders.
- The Gospels are not orderly, chronological biographies (writing week by week or year by year). Instead, they are rich and varied accounts written by people who believed in Jesus.
- The primary intent of the authors was to demonstrate and explain their belief that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God.

The letter (or epistle) is the most common literary form found in the New Testament.
The letters in the New Testament are considered "real letters" in that they were written to specific individuals or communities.
The purpose of these letters was to address particular problems or issues occurring within the early Christian communities.
Pauline Letters:
- St Paul wrote a significant number of the letters found in the New Testament.
- Other letters named after St Paul are specifically described as "Pauline."

Apocalyptic writing is a style found in both the Old and New Testaments.
The primary function of this literary style is to use a symbolic storyline to help readers understand a crisis they are currently experiencing.
The Book of Revelation contains the only apocalyptic literature in the New Testament.
Characteristics of the Book of Revelation:
- The author employs symbolic language to communicate visions received from either an angel or from Jesus Christ.
- These visions describe the life that is to come.
- The visions detail the judgement that will occur at the end of time.
- The writing describes the eventual appearance of a new heaven and earth.