Bible & Christianity › The apostles & the New Testament
The New Testament
27 books, written c. AD 50–120· Book of the Bible· Books & writings
Mostly agreed by scholarsMost historians agree; some details uncertain.
The second part of the Christian Bible: 27 books in Greek about Jesus and the first churches, written about AD 50–120.
See it on the Bible & Christianity map →What it is
It holds the four Gospels on Jesus, Acts on the early church, 21 letters (13 bearing Paul's name, plus Hebrews, James, 1–2 Peter, 1–3 John and Jude) and Revelation. All were written in everyday Greek, the common language of the eastern Roman Empire. The books circulated separately, and churches gradually agreed which were scripture. A list matching today's 27 first appears in Athanasius's Easter letter of 367.
Why it matters
It defines Christian belief, and Christians read the Hebrew Bible through it as an 'Old' Testament fulfilled in Jesus. Catholic, Protestant and most Orthodox Bibles share the same 27 books.
Sources and history
Over 5,800 Greek manuscripts survive, far more than for any other ancient text. The oldest, a scrap of John (P52), is usually dated to the 100s; complete Bibles such as Codex Sinaiticus date from the 300s.
Questions and debates
Who wrote several books, such as Hebrews, 2 Peter and the letters to Timothy, and exactly when, is still debated.
Inside this (4)
Connections (6)
▸Septuagint: the Greek Old Testament was the Bible quoted by The New TestamentHistorical record
The connection
Most early Christians spoke Greek, so their Bible was the Septuagint, translated in Alexandria from about 280 BC. Most Old Testament quotations in the New Testament follow its wording. A famous case: Matthew 1:23 quotes its Isaiah 7:14, 'a virgin shall conceive', where the Hebrew says 'young woman'.
When and where
Throughout the New Testament, written about AD 50–120, especially Paul's letters, Matthew, Luke-Acts and Hebrews, for Greek-speaking churches around the eastern Mediterranean.
Historical evidence
Comparing the quotations with the Hebrew and Greek texts shows the dependence clearly; Hebrews relies on the Septuagint almost entirely.
Questions and debates
Some quotations match neither the standard Hebrew nor the Greek, suggesting other versions or quoting from memory. The Dead Sea Scrolls show some Septuagint readings reflect older Hebrew texts.
▸The New Testament opens with The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)Historical record
The connection
The New Testament puts the four Gospels first, telling Jesus' story before Acts and the letters that followed. Matthew leads because the early church thought it the oldest, and it opens with a family tree linking Jesus to Abraham and David, a bridge from the Old Testament.
When and where
The order Matthew, Mark, Luke, John was standard by the 300s, as in Athanasius's list of 367 and Jerome's Latin Vulgate.
Historical evidence
Early manuscripts and lists confirm it, though some, such as Codex Bezae (about 400), use the order Matthew, John, Luke, Mark.
Questions and debates
Most scholars now think Mark, not Matthew, was written first, so the traditional order no longer reflects the order of writing.
▸The New Testament closes with Book of RevelationHistorical record
The connection
Revelation stands last because it tells how history ends. Its closing chapters echo Genesis: a new heaven and earth, the tree of life restored (Revelation 22:2), God dwelling with humanity. The Christian Bible thus runs from 'In the beginning' to 'Come, Lord Jesus!' (22:20).
When and where
Placed last in 4th-century lists such as Athanasius's (367) and in later Bibles; written around AD 95.
Historical evidence
Canon lists and manuscripts show the order, but Revelation's place was long contested; the church historian Eusebius (c. 325) listed it as both accepted and doubted.
Questions and debates
Eastern churches doubted it longest, and Orthodox services still never read it aloud. Luther questioned it in 1522; Calvin wrote no commentary on it.
▸Letters of Paul (epistles) make up nearly half of The New TestamentHistorical record
The connection
Thirteen of the New Testament's 27 books bear Paul's name, fourteen if Hebrews is counted, as it long was. By length they are only about a quarter of the text, but their ideas on grace, faith and the church shape the whole.
When and where
Collected by about AD 100: 2 Peter 3:16 refers to 'all his letters', and Marcion's scripture (about 140) included ten of them.
Historical evidence
Early manuscripts such as P46 (about AD 200) contain the letters together, showing they circulated as a set.
Questions and debates
Who first collected Paul's letters, and when, is unknown; one theory credits Onesimus, the runaway slave of Philemon, possibly later bishop of Ephesus.
▸The New Testament was fixed at 27 books by The biblical canon: the agreed list of booksHistorical record
The connection
The 27 books were written separately (about AD 50–120) and circulated on their own. Churches gradually agreed on the core, then argued over the edges: Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2–3 John, Jude and Revelation. Athanasius's list (367) and the African councils (393, 397) settled on the 27 that Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Bibles all share.
When and where
Across the Mediterranean, 2nd–4th centuries; key moments at Alexandria (367), Hippo (393) and Carthage (397).
Historical evidence
Surviving lists show the process: the Muratorian Fragment, Origen's views reported by Eusebius, Eusebius's own sorting (c. 325), Athanasius's Festal Letter and the council canons.
Questions and debates
Syriac churches long used a 22-book New Testament without 2 Peter, 2–3 John, Jude or Revelation; why some books like the Shepherd of Hermas dropped out is debated.
▸The New Testament was first put into Korean in First Korean Bible translationsHistorical record
The connection
The New Testament reached Korean first, book by book: Luke and John (1882), the complete Ross New Testament (1887), then the missionaries' official version (1900). Translators chose 'Hananim' (하나님), drawn from the native Korean word for the lord of heaven, as the name for God, rooting the Bible in familiar Korean religious language.
When and where
Mukden (now Shenyang), Manchuria, 1882–1887, by John Ross with Korean translators; the official Seoul version followed in 1900.
Historical evidence
Copies of the 1882 Luke and the 1887 New Testament survive in Korean libraries, with Ross's reports to the National Bible Society of Scotland.
Questions and debates
Whether 'Hananim' means 'the One' (hana) or 'Lord of Heaven' (haneul) was argued; Protestants say Hananim, Catholics today Haneunim, a split visible in every Korean Bible.