Back to BSN: Glossary: Bible
The Bible – divided into the Old Testament (39 writings by Israel’s prophets) and the New Testament (27 writings by Jesus’ apostles). The Old Testament promises and sets the stage for God’s Messiah. The New Testament describes how those promises were fulfilled.
The New Testament – divided into four gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and 22 epistles (letters) – the last of which is the book of Revelation.
The Four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Think of four witnesses, each standing on the four corners of an intersection, describing from their individual perspectives an auto accident in which the driver is killed…and survives. The four accounts are going to be similar but not identical, because each corner provides a different perspective on what happened.
The Gospel According to Matthew – Matthew (also known as Levi) was one of the original twelve apostles. He’d previously been a tax collector – an even more despised occupation in 1st century Israel than it is in modern times. Matthew’s gospel reads like an expanded version of Mark’s gospel, but seemingly written for a Jewish audience (while Luke seems to be written for a Gentile audience). Matthew is the first book of the New Testament and begins with a genealogy which ties it immediately to the Old Testament by reference to so many well-known Old Testament names.
The Gospel According to Mark – Mark is the shortest of the four gospels. Mark worked with Peter, Paul, and others in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel is considered by many scholars to have been the first written. The strongest traditions about it indicate that it is in large part a transcription by Mark of Peter’s memories of life with Jesus. Peter had more one-on-one time with Jesus than any other disciple. This gospel is action-oriented and succinct, not containing as many longer teachings as are found in the other three gospels.
The Gospel According to Luke – Luke is the longest of the four gospels. (It has fewer chapters than Matthew, but Luke’s chapters are longer than Matthew’s.) Luke worked with Paul in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. This gospel is Luke’s compilation of eyewitness accounts that he gathered from various sources. He explains this in the first four verses (Luke 1:1-4). He addresses the gospel to “Theophilus” – which means “lover of God.” Luke’s gospel reads like he took Mark’s gospel, supplemented it, and gave it all a Gentile orientation (meanwhile, Matthew has a Jewish orientation).
The Gospel According to John – John comes last among the four gospels and is noticeably different from the three before it. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke are structured similarly and often give parallel accounts of the same incidents, John focuses on a handful of Jesus’ miracles, deals with them one by one, and interweaves those accounts with extended discourses by Jesus. Although none of the gospels is time-stamped, it appears that John’s gospel was written last, and when John was at an advanced age. Because the other gospels were already in circulation, John could give full vent to his years of reflection on the things he’d heard Jesus say.
Related: The Synoptic Gospels
The Duty of a Man 