New Testament

Light iron-age reading
The Bible

Gabbin' with God

* Old / New Testament
* Apocrypha
* Annotated Bible

Analysis

* Biblical sexism
* Q gospel
* Genealogy of Jesus

Woo

* Roman Piso
* Solfeggio frequencies
* Ezekiel's wheel

Figures

* Mary Magdalene
* Baal
* Jesus

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“”The contradictions and illiteracies of the New Testament have filled up many books by eminent scholars, and have never been explained by any Christian authority except in the feeblest terms of "metaphor" and "a Christ of faith." This feebleness derives from the fact that until recently, Christians could simply burn or silence anybody who asked any inconvenient questions.

—Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything[1]

The New Testament refers to the canonical Christian texts that were written after the death of Jesus of Nazareth. They consist of four (sometimes conflicting or divergent) accounts of the life of Jesus; the doings of his disciples after the resurrection; and the letters of itinerant preacher Paul to early Christian Churches. Paul manages to demonstrate the rare skill of totally changing his literary style for some 6 of those letters; 6 letters that oddly support Church dogma that did not yet exist, and would not for another 50-100 years. What a clever man. The collection is rounded out by letters written in the names of certain original disciples to a general audience, and the Book of Revelation.

Harold Bloom considers it a great work of literature and considers Jesus one of the greatest literary characters ever invented. Many scholars do not believe those that wrote it had ever met any historical Jesus, or that the character of Jesus is closely based on the historical Jesus or any other real person. Incidentally the New Testament was originally written in Koine Greek while people close to events in first century CE Palestine would more likely have used Aramaic or Hebrew.

Muslims believe that the New Testament was superseded by the Final Testament, the Qur'an.[2]

## Contents

* 1 Canonization
* 2 Books of the New Testament
* 2.1 Gospels
* 2.2 Acts
* 2.3 Pauline Epistles
* 2.3.1 Authentic Epistles written by Paul
* 2.3.2 Anonymous Epistles attributed to Paul
* 2.4 General epistles
* 2.5 Apocalyptic texts
* 3 Preservation of the New Testament
* 4 See also
* 5 External links
* 6 References

## Canonization[edit]

“”The simple fact is that the New Testament, as we know it, is a helter-skelter accumulation of more or less discordant documents, some of them probably of respectable origin but others palpably apocryphal, and that most of them, the good along with the bad, show unmistakable signs of having been tampered with.

—H. L. Mencken, Treatise on the Gods

The dictionary definition of "canon" is "an authoritative list of accepted books."

Ever since the first Christian texts were completed, bishops and other church officials have voiced their opinions about which texts merited inclusion in the New Testament, the opinion generally being a reflection of one's theological outlook. Gradually Bibles were assembled by tradition, and occasionally by decree, most from similar lists of accepted books.

The Western New Testament Canon was finally ratified by the Catholic Pope in 1443 and made an unconditional article of faith in 1546, although to this day there are Eastern canons that differ significantly.

## Books of the New Testament[edit]

### Gospels[edit]

* Gospel of Matthew
* Gospel of Mark
* Gospel of Luke
* Gospel of John

### Acts[edit]

* Acts of the Apostles

### Pauline Epistles[edit]

#### Authentic Epistles written by Paul[edit]

* Epistle to the Romans
* First Epistle to the Corinthians
* Second Epistle to the Corinthians
* Epistle to the Galatians
* Epistle to the Philippians
* First Epistle to the Thessalonians

#### Anonymous Epistles attributed to Paul[edit]

* Epistle to the Colossians
* Epistle to the Ephesians
* Second Epistle to the Thessalonians
* First Epistle to Timothy
* Second Epistle to Timothy
* Epistle to Titus
* Epistle to Philemon
* Epistle to the Hebrews

### General epistles[edit]

* Epistle of James
* First Epistle of Peter
* Second Epistle of Peter
* First Epistle of John
* Second Epistle of John
* Third Epistle of John
* Epistle of Jude

### Apocalyptic texts[edit]

* Book of Revelation

## Preservation of the New Testament[edit]

Some Christian apologists like to cite the presence of incredibly large numbers of New Testament manuscripts (5,800 in Greek) as evidence that it has been preserved well. In reality, such inflated numbers include texts going all the way up to the Middle Ages[3]—by which time the texts are no more relevant to the credibility of the New Testament than your local motel's Gideon Bible is.

## See also[edit]

* Authorship of the New Testament
* But that was the Old Testament
* Q gospel — a hypothesized antecedent to the Gospels

## External links[edit]

* The Formation of the New Testament Canon, Richard Carrier
* Greek New Testament \- an ongoing Online Project that aims to present the reading of all extant manuscripts of the Greek New Testament in parallel.

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, p. 115.
2. ↑ Understanding Christian-Muslim Relations: Past and Present, page 52, Clinton Bennett — 2008
3. ↑ https://www.richardcarrier.info/archives/11209

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Articles about the Bible

Old Testament: |  Goliath • Tamar • Tower of Babel • Abel • Joseph (Old Testament) • Firmament • Baal • Noah • Isaac • Ishmael • Amalekites • Curse of Ham • Jacob • Sodom and Gomorrah • Ezekiel's wheel • Lot • Nephilim • G'Tach • Joseph was Imhotep • Moses • Global flood • Cain • Gibeah • Abraham • Old Testament • Incubus and succubus myths • King David • Serpent seed doctrine • Leviathan • Messiah • Mark of Cain • Asherah • Nimrod • Sirach • Jezebel • Adam and Eve • Moloch • Book of Joel • Garden of Eden • Satan • List of actions prohibited by the Bible •
| Torah: |  Torah • Book of Exodus • Book of Genesis • Book of Leviticus • Book of Numbers • Book of Zechariah • Book of Deuteronomy •
| Old Testament History: |  Book of Esther • Book of Ezra • Book of Judges • Book of Ruth • Books of Chronicles • Books of Kings • Books of Samuel • Book of Joshua •
| Old Testament Wisdom: |  Ecclesiastes • Song of Solomon • Book of Job • Book of Proverbs • Book of Psalms •
| Major and Minor Prophets: |  Book of Daniel • Book of Ezekiel • Book of Isaiah • Book of Lamentations • Book of Jeremiah •
New Testament: |  Mary Magdalene • Mary (mother of Jesus) • Joseph of Arimathea • Paul of Tarsus • Good Samaritan • Authorship of the New Testament • Magi • John the Baptist • Principalities and powers • Joseph (husband of Mary) • Nag Hammadi library • Messiah • Jesus • Gospel of Barnabas • Peter the Apostle • Pontius Pilate • Judas Iscariot • Book of Revelation •
| Gospels and Acts: |  Acts of the Apostles • Gospels • Q gospel • Gospel of John • Gospel of Mark • Gospel of Luke • Gospel of Matthew •
| Pauline Epistles: |  Corinthians • Galatians • Ephesians • Colossians • Epistle to the Philippians • Epistle to Philemon • Epistle to the Romans • Epistle to Titus • First Epistle to the Thessalonians • Second Epistle to the Thessalonians • Second Epistle to Timothy • First Epistle to Timothy •
| General Epistles: |  Epistle of Jude • Epistle of James • Epistle to the Hebrews • First Epistle of John • First Epistle of Peter • Second Epistle of John • Second Epistle of Peter • Third Epistle of John •
Bible analysis: |  Apocalyptic literature • Authorship of the New Testament • Bible interpolation • Biblical sexism • Bibliolatry • Documentary hypothesis • Evidence for the Exodus • Gospels • Horizontal reading • King James Only • Pesher • Q gospel • Septuagint • Skeptic's Annotated Bible • Ten Commandments • Torah • Bible translation • Word of God • Biblical literalism • Biblical contradictions • List of mistakes made by God • Abomination • Firmament • G'Tach • Arsenokoites • Genealogy of Jesus • Nag Hammadi library • Noah's Ark • Annotated Bible • Slavery in the Bible • Examples of God personally killing people • Herod • The Brick Testament • Evidence against a recent creation • EvilBible.com • List of actions prohibited by the Bible • Biblical scientific errors •
| Bible translations: |  Cockney Bible • Douay-Rheims • Jefferson Bible • King James Only • Septuagint • Vetus Latina • Bible translation • Annotated Bible •
| Apocrypha: |  Didache • Apocrypha • Nag Hammadi library • Book of Judith • 2 Maccabees • 3 Maccabees • 4 Maccabees • Books of Enoch • Books of the Maccabees • Gospel of Judas • Gospel of Mary • Gospel of Philip • Gospel of Thomas • Infancy Gospel of James • Infancy Gospel of Thomas • 1 Maccabees •
Biblical figures: |  Abel • Cain • Ishmael • Jacob • Joseph of Arimathea • Joseph (Old Testament) • Mary (mother of Jesus) • Noah • Paul of Tarsus • Mary Magdalene • Lot • Goliath • Nephilim • Moses • YHWH • Amalekites • Baal • King David • Joseph (husband of Mary) • God • Jesus • Asherah • Nimrod • Habakkuk • Adam and Eve • Herod • Pontius Pilate • Jezebel • Tamar • Judas Iscariot • Satan •
Bible woo: |  Jesus diet • Name it and claim it • Snake handling • Speaking in tongues • Spiritual warfare • The Bible Code • Gematria • Stigmata • Biblical longevity • Hanzi of Genesis • Dr. Bronner's Soap • Presidential Prayer Team • Trinity Broadcasting Network • Zecharia Sitchin • James Ussher • Creation Week • Zion Oil and Gas • The Drama of the Lost Disciples • Roman Piso • Jose Luis de Jesús • Prayer • Black Hebrew Israelites • Jonathan Otto • Benny Hinn • Presents Of God Ministry • Solfeggio frequencies • Ken Ham • Harold Camping • Institute for Creation Research • Steve Quayle • Kabbalah Center • Acharya S • Christian Identity • Peter J. Peters • Ezekiel's wheel • Creation Research • Biblical scientific foreknowledge • British Israelism •
| Scientific foreknowledge: |  Gaps between Science and the Bible • Scientific Facts in the Bible: 100 Reasons to Believe the Bible is Supernatural in Origin • Science Confirms the Bible • Eternal Productions: 101 Scientific Facts and Foreknowledge • Modern Science in the Bible • Biblical scientific foreknowledge •

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Articles about apologetics and counter-apologetics

Apologetics and counter-apologetics: |  Question Evolution • Christianity is not a religion • Proof the Bible is True • Proof God is Always Right • Russell's Teapot • New Apologetics • Apologetics • Zeal of the convert • Statements that are wrong on the level of a Young Earth • Evidence for God from Science • Free will • Atheists hate god • Torah Philosophy • Answering Islam • ProphecyFilm.com • Atheist professor myth • Marian apparition • Minimal facts argument • FAQ for the Newly Deconverted • Nahom • Kuzari principle • Richard Dawkins - God Hater • God • Mara bar Serapion •
| Existence of gods: |  Religious scientists • Omnipotence paradox • Ontological argument • Presuppositionalism • Problem of evil • Transcendental argument for God • Oenological argument • God of the gaps • Evidence for God's existence • Argument from morality • Argument from molarity • Argument from first cause • Argument from fine tuning • Argument from design • Argument from beauty • Lewis Trilemma • Magic sandwich • Evil is the absence of God • Kissing Hank's Ass • The Dragon in My Garage • Intelligent design • Argument from desire • Arguments against the existence of God •
| Belief in gods: |  Pascal's wager • Spanish Inquisition • List of gods that theists don't believe in •
| Science and religion: |  Fideism • God of the gaps • Intelligent falling • Non-Overlapping Magisteria • Faith • Creation science • Accommodationism • Burwell v. Hobby Lobby • Louis Pasteur • Science and religion •
| Morality and religion: |  Just world fallacy • Divine command theory • Euthyphro dilemma • Birth as a Grave Misfortune • Responding to Sam Burke's Argument That Christianity Entails Anti-Natalism •
Scriptures: |  Book of Mormon • Dianetics • Talmud • Q gospel • Book of Mormon • Septuagint • Essene Gospel of Peace • Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ • Torah • Qur'an • Tao Te Ching • The Urantia Book • Old Testament • Kutub al-Sittah • Holy book • Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures • Avenue Q gospel • Oahspe • A Course in Miracles • Doctrine and Covenants • Books of Enoch • Pearl of Great Price • Hadith • Bible • List of Hindu texts •
| Bible analysis: |  Apocalyptic literature • Authorship of the New Testament • Bible interpolation • Biblical sexism • Bibliolatry • Documentary hypothesis • Evidence for the Exodus • Gospels • Horizontal reading • King James Only • Pesher • Q gospel • Septuagint • Skeptic's Annotated Bible • Ten Commandments • Torah • Bible translation • Word of God • Biblical literalism • Biblical contradictions • List of mistakes made by God • Abomination • Firmament • G'Tach • Arsenokoites • Genealogy of Jesus • Nag Hammadi library • Noah's Ark • Slavery in the Bible • Examples of God personally killing people • Herod • The Brick Testament • Evidence against a recent creation • EvilBible.com • List of actions prohibited by the Bible • Biblical scientific errors •
| Qur'an analysis: |  List of actions prohibited by the Qur'an • Qur'anic scientific foreknowledge • Qur'anic scientific errors • Qur'anic contradictions • Dhu al-Qarnayn •
Apologists and counter-apologists: |  Matt Dillahunty • TheraminTrees • Hemant Mehta • Charles Templeton • Edward Current • Armoured Skeptic • DarkMatter2525 • Peter Kreeft •
| Christian apologists: |  C. S. Lewis • Jack Chick • Anselm of Canterbury • Kirk Cameron • Ray Comfort • Jonathan Sarfati • Henry Morris • Duane Gish • Andrew Snelling • Ravi Zacharias • Lee Strobel • Patrick Glynn • David Ray Griffin • R. J. Rushdoony • Gary North • Chuck Baldwin • Brian Thomas • Apologetics Press • Gary Habermas • J. P. Holding • Herb Titus • Jeffrey Tomkins • Lawrence Ford • Nathaniel Jeanson • John Morris • Tim Todd • Sye Ten Bruggencate • Randal Rauser • Timothy LaHaye • Ben Hobrink • Bible Issues • WallBuilders • L. Brent Bozell III • Rush Limbaugh • Alister McGrath • Buddy Davis • William Lane Craig • Ross Douthat • Norman Geisler • Ted Cruz • Ben Carson • Rick Perry • Pat Robertson • Joseph Farah • Theodore Beale • Mike Huckabee • One America News Network • David Wood • Edward Feser • Encyclopedia of American Loons • Got Questions • Dinesh D'Souza • Computing Forever • Eric Hovind • Cornelius Van Til • Frank Turek • Brittany Sellner • Ken Ham • Augustine of Hippo • Alvin Plantinga • Jair Bolsonaro • Thomas Aquinas • George Galloway • Laura Ingraham • E. Calvin Beisner • Bill Muehlenberg • Thomas Malthus • Josh McDowell • Mark Cahill • Ayaan Hirsi Ali • Kent Hovind • Creation Ministries International • Jordan Peterson • Steve Turley • G. K. Chesterton • Creation Research • Redeemed Zoomer • Walter Veith • Mike Pence •
| Muslim apologists: |  Harun Yahya • Dawah Man • Hamza Tzortzis • Zakir Naik •