This class is an “introduction” to the New Testament. It is not designed to make us experts in the twenty seven books it contains, but rather to provide a foundation from which we can engage in further, more detailed study of them.

The class will be divided into three major sections. In the first, we will look at the context of the New Testament. It is set within the Roman culture of the first century and its documents were produced by citizens of that culture. For us to truly understand what God is communicating to us through the pages of the New Testament, we must first understand what he was communicating to them.

The second section will examine the New Testament documents themselves; not from the perspective of what they say, but rather from the perspective of what they are, how they were produced and transmitted to us, and how we can be sure that they are reliable.

Finally, we will look briefly at the content of the books of the New Testament recognizing that a thorough study of them is well beyond the intent of this class. We will look at them as groups of writings that contain many literary similarities. We will pay close attention to their genres as a key to understanding the intent of the author, and thus, the meaning for us.