As I ended this article in the last issue, in the 90’s, but drawing on an earlier tradition related to John, a disciple of John produced a Gospel somewhat different from the three synoptic gospels. On the one hand, in … Continue reading
Category Archives: A Look at the New Testament
As I shared in the last issue of this article, the Pauline letter were written before the Gospels. It is difficult to be certain when the earliest pre-Gospel traditions were written down. It seems reasonable to place in the 50’s … Continue reading
In the last issue of this article, I introduced that the idea of the “works” of Paul” were the first to make up what is now called the New Testament (NT). There are, however, a number of difficulties about the … Continue reading
In the last issue of this article, I began sharing the “criteria” for not only the preservation of early writings but also the acceptance of these writings as inspired and part of the canon of the New Testament (NT). I … Continue reading
The existence of eye-witnesses to Jesus marked the first years of Christianity. As the apostles dispersed, and after their death, the preservation of the memory of Jesus’ deeds and words became a problem. Moreover, catechetical needs required the organization of … Continue reading
Today, Roman Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants all accept the same canon of 27 New Testament (NT) books. The theory that these books were accepted from the first days of Christianity and that doubts arose only subsequently is untenable; once again … Continue reading
After having shared thoughts about the Gospel of St. Mark, I’ve decided that I would share just some general thoughts about the NEW TESTAMENT (NT) which is our Sacred Book. The book known as the NT is a collection of … Continue reading
I have been sharing information about the Gospel of Mark in order to provide my readers with an understanding of the four Gospels in general. Too frequently people expect the Gospels to be pure history, only presenting the events in … Continue reading
Prior to the Holy Days that we just celebrated, I shared some of the key words that St. Mark embedded in his narrative. They were deliberately used by Mark to make a point. Mark also uses patterns and design to … Continue reading
In the last issue I shared that Mark used the word straightway numerous times. In the passion narrative of the Gospel, however, Mark uses the word sparsely and ironically. Judas arrives to betray Jesus straightway and approaches his with a … Continue reading