We tend to assume that because we read passages from the New Testament Sunday by Sunday in our churches, and because we’re familiar with the stories about Jesus from the gospels that the New Testament is easier to access than the Old Testament. And in some ways that’s true. But as soon as we start to read it more deeply we find it to be just as challenging – and often difficult to understand.
Rather like the Old Testament it is the narrative passages which are easiest to follow – the stories of Jesus’ birth, suffering and death; the accounts of Paul’s journeys and the experiences of the other disciples in the Acts of the Apostles. But when we get to Paul’s letters, or the Revelation we find that things get tougher to understand. And even some of Jesus’ parables can be tricky for the modern reader to immediately relate to.
On the face of it the New Testament tells the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and relates the events leading to the birth of the Christian Church. It also includes advice and encouragement in letters written by Paul and other Christians.
But when we read it questions arise. Why are there four gospels? And do they all tell the same story? Why does Paul make everything sound so complicated? And why does he seem to be so obsessed with circumcision, with Jews and Gentiles and with food sacrificed to idols? And how does all this apply to us today? How did the New Testament come to be the way it is, and who decided which documents should be included?
In these few pages I will not answer all of these questions but will try to unpack the context in which these writings were produced. I will give a little basic introduction to these books. It will not be particularly theological nor, I hope, complicated.
Bible study notes, such as those produced by the BRF are helpful. There are many useful commentaries available including those by Tom Wright.
exultemus 