New Testament Introduction: Analysis of Letters and Themes

This assignment offers an in-depth exploration of the New Testament, covering various aspects of its contents. It begins by categorizing the letters found within the New Testament, distinguishing between Pauline and personal letters, and then delves into specific questions about Christianity, the problems addressed in Paul's letters to the Corinthians, and the purpose behind his letter to the Galatians. The assignment then explores themes in the letters of James, the similarities between John's Gospel and the letters of John, and the purpose of the New Testament in the lives of Christians. It also examines the authenticity of Pauline letters, the key themes in Paul's letter to the Romans, and the character of God as revealed in scripture. Finally, it discusses the concept of Jesus as the pre-existent glory of God. The assignment provides a comprehensive overview of the New Testament's key components.

Running head: INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
Introduction to The New Testament
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Task – 1
Question – 1.1
Ans: The letters that an individual can find in The New Testament can be divided into two
of the following categories. These two categories are as follows:
1. The Pauline letters which were written by Paul to the various churches during his lifetime.
2. The Personal letters which are found in The New Testament which were addressed to
Timothy, Titus and Philemon.
Question – 1.2
Ans: What is Christianity?
Question – 1.3
Ans: In the letter, which Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth, he had mentioned about
seven problems. These seven problems are as follows:
1. The problems of division and conflict within the church.
2. The problems related to the matters of immortality in which Paul had also shared his
opinions about marriage.
3. The problems relating to the food being offered to the idols.
4. The problems of position and inequality around the Table of the Lord.
5. Problems of division and spirituality caused by the individuals, who felt themselves to be
superior as they spoke in tongues.
6. Paul also wanted to correct the misunderstandings and the confusion related to the
resurrection.

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7. Paul also used the letters to get the support for his assistance of the poor Jews of Jerusalem.
Question – 1. 4
Ans: Paul had written a letter to the Church at Galatia in defence of his apostles against the
people who were criticizing his methods. Another reason why Paul wrote a letter to Galatia is
to defend his followers from the restrictions placed on them by the Judaizers. He also stated
the fact that Christians are saved from various kinds of problems by their faith in Jesus Christ
and not by the means of law. He also had provided his own opinions and views on the subject
matter of The New Testament.
Question – 1. 5
Ans: There is some debate about the actual writer of the Paul’s letter to the Colossians.
Some experts stated that if the letter was written by Paul himself, then the recipients of the
letter would have been the Church at Colossae.
On the other hand, if the letter was actually written by a disciple of Paul himself, then
the recipient of the letter would have been the hypothetical issues which faced the churches at
Colossae. It also tells the readers of The New Testament about the various opinions of Paul
on the various matters mentioned in the letter in The New Testament.
Question – 1.6
Ans: An individual can a find a number of important themes in the letters of James, which
helps the readers to explain the subject matters presented by James. Three of the most
important themes in the letters can be given below as follows:
1. The first important theme is the theme of dealings with the trials and temptations as well as
the sufferings of the individuals themselves.

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2. The second important theme is the theme of the relation between faith and the deeds and
also of the relation between listening and doing.
3. The third important theme in James letters provides warnings against “worldliness” and
other themes like controlling of the tongue, worldly wisdom, slander as well as boasting
about tomorrow.
Question – 1.7
Ans: The main similarities between 1 2 and 3 John and the Gospel of John is that the
similarities can be found in the language and in the vocabulary which are found by the
readers in The Gospel of John itself. Moreover, other features like that of the similarities in
the eternal life, truth, Jesus as the son of God, the relationship between the Father and the
child as well as abiding by the commandments of Jesus Christ as well as the hostile world
and the new commandments are all found to be in similarity with the Gospel of John itself.

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Task – 2
Question – 2.1
Ans: As it is seen in The New Testament, there are mainly two types of letters which could
be found by the readers in The New Testament. These two types of letters will be as follows:
The Pauline Letters
The Pauline Letters were written by Paul to the various churches and the individuals
whom he came across in The New Testament itself. These letters mainly served the purpose
of Paul providing solutions to the various problems which are found in the letters itself.
Hence, these letters were known as the Pauline Letters and epistles.
The other type of the letters which an individual might find in the New Testament is
the Personal Letters which were sent by Paul to his disciples. In these letters, Paul answers
the various questions which had been asked to him by his followers by the names of Timothy,
Titus and Philomen. These are the two types of letters which an individual can find in The
New Testament itself.

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Question -2.2
Ans: The New Testament has a very important purpose not only in the lives of the
Christians all over the world but also in the lives of the people of the world. This is because
The New Testament serves to preach to the people of the world about the teachings of Jesus
Christ himself and at the same time to protect and preserve the name of Christianity and Jesus
Christ in the world itself. Moreover, it is the purpose of The New Testament to also teach the
followers of Christianity about the various ways in which they should behave. Finally, The
New Testament also tells the readers about the various values and the knowledge which the
New Testament provides to the readers themselves.
Question - 2.3
Ans: The New Testament Letters hold a very important and relevant in the lives of the
human beings in the modern world. This is because the letters in The New Testament consists
of the instructions and advices imparted by Paul to the churches as well as the other
instructions regarding the life of the individuals and how they should behave with other.
Those same values of The New Testament are important in the present times because
of the values and the instructions which it preaches to the human beings. It is said that if the
human beings accurately follow the instruction s as had been mentioned to them in The New
Testament itself, they will be able to live a happy life and they will be able to fulfil all their
dreams themselves. Moreover, the reading of The New Testament will help the people of the
word in the teachings of Jesus Christ himself.
This is because of the fact that the more the people would start believing in the power
if Jesus Christ, the more they would be able to perform the right deeds by themselves. Hence,
it is said by the followers of The New Testament itself. That is why, it is being said by the

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experts that the teachings of The New Testament are of immense value to the people in the
modern world.

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Task – 3
Question – 3.1
Ans: Of all the epistles, which were written by Paul, it is believed by the scholars
themselves that there are four epistles which are authentic Pauline letters as these letters were
written by Paul himself. These four epistles are considered to be the leers which was written
by Paul to the Church at Corinth, as well as the letters written by Paul to the letters to the
Romans and the letters written by Paul to the church at Galatea.
The authenticity of the letters is proved by the fact that these letter s have been used to
respond to the problems genuinely. The letters written by Paul gave a distinct writing style
which tells the readers about the authenticity of the letters which were written by him.
Moreover, these letters tell the followers of the letter about the various important problems
which the church of those times were facing. However, it is the way that these letters were
written which tells the readers of the fact that the letters were authentic in nature and those
were written by Paul himself.
Question – 3.2
Ans – a: The letter which was written by Paul to the Romans had a number of themes
which can be considered to be important by the readers of the New Testament. However, the
three most important themes of the letters are as follows:
Missionary Purpose
The missionary purpose of Paul states the readers of the various ways in which he had
defended his own views of the religion of Christianity itself. In the letter , he stated his goal
was to build a strong relationship with the church in Rome so that he could gain support for
his mission to Spain.

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To Win the Confidence of the Christians in Rome
Another purpose of Paul’s letter to the Romans was to strengthen the relationship
between him and that of Rome itself. Paul was aware about the criticisms which his theology
has faced in the country of Rome. He therefore countered the criticisms by writing a letter in
which he explained to the Romans about his own views and the beliefs which he preached in
the other areas of Rome itself.
Pastoral Purpose
The Pastoral Purpose is the third important purpose of Paul’s letter to the Romans. In
this case. Paul highlighted the problems between the Jewish as well as the Gentile Christians.
Paul in his letter to the Romans mentioned how he believed the Jewish as well as the Gentile
Christians would fit into God and his plans for the purpose of the salvation of the people.
Ans – b: Romans 1:18 – 4:25 mentions three important themes which is mentioned in
The New Testament itself. These three different themes follow:
All humans under the power of sin
This theme states the fact that the human beings are themselves consumed by the
power of sin itself. Paul states the equality of the human beings in the fact that all of them are
sinners and all of them are in need of the grace and the blessing of God himself.
God’s wrath
Paul in this section tells the followers about the anger and the wrath of God himself
and how God punishes the sinners. In this section, he tells the readers the fact that God
punishes the individuals by letting them face the consequences of their own sins themselves.
General Revelations
In this theme, Paul tells the human beings of the fact that God has always been
present with the human beings. He further states that there are also truths in various other

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religions and by mentioning about the Greek religious scholars and their own opinions
religion and the religious nature of the people belonging to these different religions
themselves.
Ans – c:
Character of God Scriptures
Divinity of Principle and the giver of life Romans 8:1-39
God treats all human beings as his sons
and daughters.
Romans 8:1-39
God is present among all the human
beings in the form of The Holy Spirit
Romans 8:1-39
God loves human beings which makes the
confidence among God greater among the
human beings.
Romans 8:1-39.

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Task – 4
Question -4
Ans – Jesus as the Pre-Existent Glory of God
There are evidences in The Bible which states the story of Jesus Christ as the pre-existent
glory of God himself. This is supported to the readers of The Bible in the section of John 1:1-
18m, which asserts on the pre-existent divine hypostasis which is known as the Vogos or the
word. This doctrine refers to the concept of the father loving the world before the coming of
Christ himself.
Experts believe that the concept of the pre-existent of Jesus Christ is considered to be one of
the central beliefs of Christianity itself. According to some Protestant theologians, God the
Son had emptied himself of all his divine qualities in order to become human. It is with this
belief that the pre-existent beliefs of God is widely believed in the religion of Christianity
itself. That is why it is being said in the religion of Christianity that Jesus Christ is the pre-
existent glory of God himself.
Jesus as Melchizedek
Jesus as Melchizedek refers to the concept of Melchizedek who was well known as the king
of Salem and also the priest of El Lyon. It was known to the readers that Melchizedek was
capable of bringing out bread and wind and blessing Abram as well as EL Lyon (Introduction
to The New Testament, 2017).
In the concept of Christianity, it is known to the readers that Jesus Christ has been considered
to have assumed the position of the high priest of God forever. Many experts are of the
opinion that the name of Melchizedek provides validity to the concept of the priesthood that

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is associated with the Second Temple itself (Introduction to The New Testament, 2017). The
name of Melchizedek had been mentioned in the Hebrew Bible twice. One would find the
name of Melchizedek mentioned in the Genesis as well as in the Psalms. It is because of the
various miracles which have been performed by Jesus Christ that he had been mentioned as
Melchizedek. It is because of this reason that Jesus is compared to that of Melchizedek in The
Bible itself for the readers themselves (Introduction to The New Testament, 2017).

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Task – 5
Question – 5.1
Ans – a: The theory of authorship of Jude focuses on the author Jude who claimed
himself to be a servant of Christ and also the brother of James, who was Christ’s brother
himself. The controversy is that this would make him Christ’s brother although this is never
mentioned in the letter which he had written. Many scholars state the opinion that Jude is an
pseudonymous name itself and that the original person must have been a Jew due to his
knowledge about the Jewish writings (Introduction to The New Testament, 2017).
Ans – b: The first readers of the theory of authorship of Jude were the members of the
Qumran Community who were familiar with the writings of Jude himself.
From the writings of Jude, it can be stated by the readers that the author of the article
was mainly addressing to the Christians of the Jewish descent. The author of the letter warns
the community against the heretics and emphasized the importance of faith, hope, lobe and
the willingness to serve God himself (Introduction to The New Testament, 2017).
Ans – c: Three important themes which are found in the Book of Jude by the readers
are as follows:
God: Father, Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit
In this theme, the author focuses on the importance of Jesus Christ as the Father, the
Son and also The Holy Spirit itself.
Judgement
This theme sees Jude stating about the judgement of God on the false preachers and
the teachings which they impart.

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Angels
In this section, the author has focused on the type of angels and also differentiated
between the good and the bad angels.
Apocryphal Writings
In this case, the author has used an inspiration from the Book of Enoch which tells the
legends and the teachings of Moses.
Faith
In this section, it is seen that the author has focused on the importance of faith on the
religion of Christianity and warns the individual who goes against God’s wishes.
Question – 5. 2
Ans – a: The Book of Revelations is considered to be the final book of The New
Testament. The book occupies a very important part in the religion of Christianity as it is the
final part of the Holy Bible. The author of the text identifies himself; as John. The content of
the book tells the readers about the various apocalyptic prophecies which have been
mentioned in the Bible itself. The revelation consists of various forms which are found to be
in twenty-one forms (Introduction to The New Testament, 2017).
The conventional aims of The Book of Revelations was to tell the Christians about the
various ways in which the apocalyptic prophecies which have been mentioned in the book
itself. Another purpose of The Book of Revelations is the fact that it tells the readers to stand
determined even in the face of execution and persecution. The book also states to the readers
that in the world of God, the unjust and the oppressive kingdom like that of Rome will be
destroyed and governments which are based on the injustice or the oppressions of the people
will not last in any form other (Introduction to The New Testament, 2017).

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In the end of the Book of Revelations, it is mentioned to the readers that Jesus Christ
is the one and the only saviour of the people of the world. Thus, it is the book of the
Revelations which informs the people about the subject matter of the revelation as had been
mentioned to the readers of The Holy Bible and The New Testament itself. It is this
information which helps the followers of The Bible to understand the subject matter of the
Book of Revelations itself for both the Christians as well as the non-Christians as well
(Introduction to The New Testament, 2017).
Ans – b:
To
Newspaper Name
Place
Date
Sir/Madam
It is with utmost respect to you that I would like to bring you attention to the subject
matter of the revelations which a pastor form our community has used to predict the end of
the world. I would like to state here that the claims which have been made by the pastor is
illogical, as the Book of Revelations. I would like to state in this matter that The Book of
Revelations is about the providing courage to the Christians when they were facing
persecution form the Romans themselves.
It is in this context where I would like to state the fact that the end of the world cannot
be predicted by anybody. The world would automatically end when the time of the end of the
world is near. That does not mean the fact that someone would cause confusion in the society
by making rumours about the subject matter of the end of the world.

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Sir/Madam, it is my earnest request that you would spread the message in the society
so that the people of the society would not get confused about the Book of Revelations in the
society.
Thanking You
Yours Sincerely.
Name of the Student
Date

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Reference List
Introduction to The New Testament. (2017). Turffontein, South Africa: Theological
Education by Extension College.