the Bible – the book
II. THE NEW TESTAMENT DOCUMENTS
For those who are taking a closer look at the Bible, perhaps for the first time, we are providing here a survey of some very basic background information pertaining to the New Testament documents. When we first view the NT we see it as nothing more than a unique collection of first century documents carefully copied and passed down through the centuries. Our aim however is discover why these documents should be embraced as authentic and historically trustworthy. Then we will continue on to learn what the NT tells us about Jesus Christ.
The content and style of the NT documents will be discussed along with a brief biography of each of the authors. The fact that the authors claim to be eyewitnesses or contemporaries of the eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus will be highlighted. The surprising amount of accurately reported detail regarding the people, places, and events of this time period will be noted as the historical reliability of the NT is considered. The motives of the authors will also be examined together with the outcome of their lives to find out if there was anything evident to undermine the credibility of their reporting. We hope that any doubts regarding the reliable nature of the NT as a trustworthy historical document will be set aside when all the facts about this invaluable collection of early Christian literature are brought to light!
