In the last issue of this article, the Gospel of Matthew has a particular fivefold structure to its narrative that is similar to the five books of the Torah, the Pentateuch. The theme expressed in this structure also shows up … Continue reading
Category Archives: A Look at the New Testament
In the last issue of the article, I began sharing information about the Gospel of Matthew which is typically placed first in the sequence of Gospels even though it is not the first one to have been written. As I … Continue reading
We continue to look at the books of the New Testament (NT) in the chronological order in which they were written. The next book we must consider is the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew was written a decade or two after … Continue reading
In the last issue of this article, we began looking at the Letter to the Colossians. One of the letter’s most striking passages speaks of the cosmic Christ; that is, its language about the status and significance of Jesus transcends … Continue reading
You will recall that in considering the chronological development of the New Testament (NT), we have looked at the documents in this order: 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philemon, Philippians, Romans and the Gospel of Mark. We now … Continue reading
In the last several issues of this article I have begun sharing thoughts about the Letter of St. James, considered to be the Brother of the Lord and the First Bishop of Jerusalem. This letter, which is the only one … Continue reading
It is the letter of James that states that the gathering of a Christian group is referred to as an assembly – the Greek word for assembly is the one from which we derive synagogue. There is little in this … Continue reading
Drawing upon the scholarship of Marcus Borg, I have shared with you that when you consider the chronological order of the books of the New Testament (NT) seven of Paul’s Letters were written before the Gospel of Mark. Mark was … Continue reading
As I suggested in the last issue, it is critical that we consider the context in which the Gospel of Mark was written. One of the evident themes in Mark’s Gospel is the Second Coming of Christ. For Mark and … Continue reading
In the last issue of this article, I began sharing with you the context in which the Gospel of Mark was written. The year was 70 CE. The war, with its climax in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, … Continue reading