Genres and Styles of the New Testament

Genres and Styles of the New Testament

The reading of the Bible is a practice many people apply. Some people may prefer the Old Testament, while others may have a preference for the New Testament. This bias stems from their reasons for reading the Bible, especially the New Testament, which may include understanding the beginning of religion as a source of encouragement or motivation. Accordingly, to have these influences on individuals, the writers of the New Testament applied various literary forms in the different books. These books are categorized into three major sections depending on the literary forms applied in the books, including the Gospel books, letters, and Apocalypse. The Gospel books include Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each of these books is characterized by various literal forms. Hire our assignment writing services in case your assignment is devastating you.

Define and describe the major literary forms (genres) contained in the New Testament. Which part of the New Testament was written first? Who was the author, and when did he write?

Various literary forms are evident in the New Testament. The literary forms vary between the different categories. Accordingly, the Gospel books comprise literary styles, including parables, aphorisms, stories, argumentation, and apocalyptic language (Bailey & Broek, 1993). The Gospel genre is an Evangelion written by an evangelist, which focuses on the life of Jesus Christ (Harris, 2015). Subsequently, the writers use the Evangelion to proclaim their messages; in some instances, the message concerns salvation, and in other cases, the message concerns the teachings of Jesus.  In some cases, the Gospels are considered biographies of Jesus Christ due to the focus on his life and death (Bailey & Broek, 1993). Also, it illustrates the history of Bible stories due to the focus on the beginning and foundation of Christianity.

Life after the death of Jesus Christ is the basis of all books following the Gospel books. Consequently, the second genre is accounts of the Church, beginning in Acts. The third genre is the Letters, which mainly constitute letters linked to Paul, referred to as Pauline Letters. These letters are both formal and informal as Paul interacts with different people. In addition, other letters are written by leaders of that period. The last genre is the Apocalypse, which is Revelation (Harris, 2015). This book focuses its content on the end times (eschatology) illustrated through visions. Subsequently, the book’s message calls for steadfast faith in Jesus as the end approaches.

Further, the Gospels are not organized in order of the first to be written but in literary forms. Therefore, the first to be written was the Pauline Letters, which were retrieved before the Gospel books. Pauline Letters were written by and to Paul for personal and professional reasons. It also focuses on setbacks to unified Christianity with interactions with the Greeks (Harris, 2015).

Discuss Jewish relations with Rome. What led to the Jewish Revolt of 66-73 CE, and what were its consequences for the Jewish people?

Romans conquered the lands where the Jews lived, establishing a Roman Empire. Subsequently, the Romans ruled over the Jews, which was a peaceful organization until the Romans began intruding on the religion of the Jews. This intrusion is illustrated by placing the statue of Gaius Caligula in the Jerusalem Temple (Goodman, 2011). These actions angered the Jews; also, when Claudia took the position of Emperor, He made Agrippa king over the Jews, which was short-lived. Accordingly, the Jews’ lives were chaotic with increased violence, especially regarding attitudes between Jews and Gentiles who lived in the Roman Empire (Goodman, 2011). Accordingly, the resistance of the Jews led to war, which led to the revolt. This revolt led to the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem and Jerusalem itself beyond repair.

Therefore, the Jews were conquered by the Romans, who established Roman rule over them. This power led to the desire for more power among Roman leaders, which led to the intrusion of the Jewish faith. This action angered the Jews, creating the basis for the revolt. Angered Jews turned to violence, especially against Gentiles, resulting in resistance against the ruling body. Accordingly, this resistance was the revolt caused by the terrorization of Jews by Romans and the violent and chaotic lives of the Jews and Gentiles. The results of the revolt were the eruption of war, which lasted for a long period, and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Temple (Goodman, 2011). The end of the war occurred due to the retreating of the Romans. However, the damages incurred in Jerusalem were unsalvageable.

Additionally, the revolt illustrated the desire of the Jews to create leadership amongst them. This desire for leadership is illustrated in the revolt and implemented with the establishment of Israel. Also, the end of the war resulted in changes in religion following the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, which showed a waiver. Subsequently, it created room for the development and growth of Christianity on the basis of the teachings of Jesus. This action was a result of a reaction to the results of the war and the unsuccessful revolt that led to more damage than benefits for the Jews.

Why are Matthew, Mark, and Luke called the Synoptic Gospels? Define Synoptic and explain its application to the first three Gospels.

Synoptic Gospels are the three initial books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The term Synoptic stems from the similarity among these three books, whereby they give accounts from similar points of view (Harris, 2015).  The similarity is brought about by the similarities in the narrations about Jesus, which include his birth, life, and death. The narration of the baptism, ministry, miracles, and arrest and crucifixion in Jerusalem occur in chronological order in each of these books, and thus, the chapters of these books can be categorized together. The only difference is evident in Luke, where it is made apparent that the accounts presented are based on accounts of multiple writers. Therefore, Luke illustrates that He did not have a face-to-face encounter with Jesus Christ but rather uses other writings of the past as a basis for the Book of Luke (Harris, 2015). This confession implies that Luke was not a part of Jesus’ generation but a later one.

Furthermore, Luke focuses on Jesus Christ’s life and the life of Jesus Christ’s disciples following his demise, indicating their accomplishments. Also, Luke uses his writings to convert some Gentiles following an interaction between the Jews and the Gentiles who practised differing religions at the time (Harris, 2015). This aspect of the book is seen in its arrangement of accounts, with a mention of Jesus Christ and prophets of the Old Testament who performed miracles for Gentiles and other people who weren’t Jews (Harris, 2015). The similarity among the Synoptic Gospels is also illustrated in Jesus Christ’s ministry, which involves accounts of how Jesus Christ taught using stories and parables, aphorisms, speeches, and stories characterized by metaphors, captivating features, and their realism, which related to their lives during that period (Harris, 2015). An example of a parable is the Wedding ceremony, illustrating the nature of the relationship between God and the Church.  Accordingly, these characteristics illustrate the similarities among these books, leading to their definition as Synoptic Gospels.

According to the Synoptic accounts, what were Jesus’ characteristic modes of teaching?

According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus had a specific method, including stories, parables, aphorisms, and dialogues. Aphorism involves Jesus Christ’s brief sayings that had an impact on his listeners and followers (Bailey & Broek, 1993). This impact stems from the specific address of the sayings that targeted a specific person or group. In most cases, aphorism focuses on attribution as questions or statements. An example of an aphorism as a question is “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” in Mark 8: 36. An example of an aphorism is a statement in Mark 2: 27, which says, “The Sabbath was made for the sake of man and not man for the Sabbath” (Harris, 2015). Consequently, aphorisms are not proverbs, but some sayings are considered aphorisms. An example is the statement, “A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house” in Mark 6: 4 (Bailey & Broek, 1993).

The other characteristic of Jesus Christ’s teachings is parables. Parables are fictional figurative narrations (Harris, 2015). Accordingly, parables relate real lives with fictional stories using metaphors. In most cases, Jesus used parables in reference to the Kingdom of Heaven and God the Father. An excellent example is the parable of the mustard seeds.

The other characteristic of Jesus Christ’s teachings is stories(Bailey & Broek, 1993). Stories are narrations, which were used in parables since parables are fictional stories. Also, the teachings involved dialogues, as Jesus Christ conversed with his listeners as they asked him questions (Bailey & Broek, 1993). Dialogue is illustrated in aphorisms, which are brief saying, statements or questions, of Jesus in response to his listeners.

In conclusion, the New Testament is comprised of various categories of books. These books are categorized based on their literary forms, which are the genres of the book. Accordingly, the genres include the Gospel Books, Accounts of the early Church, Letters, mainly made up of Pauline letters, and the Apocalypse. Accordingly, the Gospel books create the basis of Christianity, focusing on the life and death of Jesus Christ. The first three, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, account for similar information, making them the Synoptic Gospels. Accordingly, in the life of Jesus Christ, his ministry and teachings indicate various characteristics, including parables, aphorisms, stories, and dialogues.

References

Bailey, J., & Broek, L. (1993). Literary Forms in the New Testament: A Handbook. Theology Today, 50(1), 146-148. Retrieved 24 August 2021, from.

Goodman, M. (2011). Ruling Class of Judaea. Cambridge University Press.

Harris, S. (2015). The New Testament: A Student’s Introduction (2015, McGraw-Hill Education

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Discuss the following in an essay format

Define and describe the major literary forms (genres) contained in the New Testament. Which part of the New Testament was written first? Who was the author, and when did he write?

Discuss Jewish relations with Rome. What led to the Jewish Revolt of 66-73 CE, and what were its consequences for the Jewish people?
Why are Matthew, Mark, and Luke called the Synoptic Gospels? Define Synoptic and explain its application to the first three Gospels.
According to the Synoptic accounts, what were Jesus’ characteristic modes of teaching?