The New Testament tells us about Jesus. But what about those different letters and the book of Revelation? This episode will help you get to know ALL of this half of the Bible: and how to read different books…differently.
0:00 – INTRO
1:03 – WHAT IS THE NEW TESTAMENT? 27 books (second half of Bible). 9 authors, writing in Greek. Written A.D. 40s-90s.
2:14 – WHAT IS A GENRE? “Genre”: a kind of writing with a certain form & content
3:09 – 4 GENRES OF NT
- GOSPELS
- ACTS
- LETTERS (OR EPISTLES)
- APOCALYPTIC
3:33 – 1. GOSPELS: TELL ABOUT JESUS’ LIFE (Matthew-John)
4:46 – 2. ACTS: TELLS ABOUT THE CONTINUED EFFECTS OF JESUS’ LIFE. Second of 2-volume work (Luke, Acts). Preface, speeches, voyages, episodes, OT quotes, divine commission narratives, parallels with Gospel genre. How God worked to spread Jesus’ salvation to the world! Acts begins with Jesus ascending to Heaven.
9:27 – 3. LETTERS (OR EPISTLES): WRITTEN TO CHURCHES OR INDIVIDUALS (Romans-Jude). Greeting, thanksgiving prayer, main points, farewell. How read? Find the main point (Romans 1-11), then the application (Romans 12-16).
12:13 – 4. APOCALYPTIC: PROPHETIC WRITING USING SYMBOLS & IMAGERY (Revelation). Reveals the future, delivers to an author, in visions and symbols. There’s gonna be a final triumph of God over evil, and he will establish his new heaven and new earth.
13:51 – SO WHAT? Genre matters. You need to know it to inform your reading of that book.
14:25 – WHAT’S YOUR NEXT STEP? READ ACTS
15:53 – THANK YOU & WRAP UP
