The New Testament

“Jesus of Nazareth, the most influential man who has ever lived, continues to be the inspiration of millions round our world. We know about him from the books of the NT (and from a few other ancient documents), and the account of his life that has probably inspired and excited more people than any other is the so-called gospel of John. 1 John's gospel contains some of the most beautiful and powerful stories we know about Jesus, such as the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, some of the best known sayings of Jesus such as 'I am the way, the truth and the life', and some of the most profound and mystical teaching that we find in the Christian Scriptures, such as the opening words of the gospel about 'the word' that became flesh. John's

This paper will discuss the role of faith for the church and the individual. The “I AM” statements of the Gospel of John speaks to the basic fundamentals of our Christian walk. The miracles of Jesus that will be covered in great detail, explain the power of Christ. I will also cover the main theme of John’s Gospel which is the belief in and the love of Christ given freely to everyone.

The author of the gospel according to John chose to incorporate a book of signs in the composition to show his readers Christ’s divinity and supernatural powers (Harris, 2014). According to various scholars, the author sought information from an older document known as the Signs Gospel, to help him illustrate Christ’s divinity and supernatural powers. The Signs Gospel did not survive as an independent account. However, it was still preserved and placed in the bible within the gospel of John composition (Harris, 2014).

In the book of John, his role as baptizer is downplayed and he is portrayed as a “Christian evangelist.” Not only does John himself ascertain his function as a witness of the Messiah, but Jesus also proclaims John’s role as an evangelist in John 5:31-5. Stanton also suggests that there is a trace of competition between Jesus and John in the fourth gospel as seen in John 3:23 and 4:1. A question of whether John baptizes Jesus in the fourth gospel is raised by Stanton, as the text does not explicitly state that this event occurred. It does, however, portray a deeper, more historically accurate representation of the relationship of John to Jesus, according to Stanton. The fourth gospel, along with the Q source, suggests that the ministries of John and Jesus overlap, and that two of Jesus’ disciples first belonged to John’s circle. Stanton contends that since these traditions are not aligned with previous traditions which separate Jesus and John, they are likely to be authentic and pass the “embarrassment test” outlined in Chapter Nine. Josephus also writes about John the Baptist and unlike the mention of Jesus in his writings, it does not appear to be a Christian interpolation. Moreover, it appears that Josephus, like the authors of the gospels, has an agenda as is indicated by the absence of reference to the eschatological qualities of Judaism. Josephus insinuates that Herod Antipas is responsible for John’s death and

With the completion of the Old Testament put a stop on the preaching and revelation of the prophets. Prophets were responsible for enlightening the Jews about the realities of life and resolved various issues that they had. The Jews were desperate to know the truth, and the teachings of the God and hence prophets aided these longings of theirs. Religious ritualism, social injustice, and idolatry were the three areas in which the prophets emphasized in their preaching and filled the hearts and minds of their believers with it. Prophets were enlightened and blessed beings that had much knowledge about the religious matters and their teachings are of still very significant and valid.

The body of Scripture within John’s Gospel is known as a “spiritual Gospel” has moved countless hearts and had a profound impact bringing many closer to Christ. There is a separation between history and theology. The “spiritual” gospel is taken as nonhistorical, however, through his narrative the evangelist uses eyewitness language to testify to these events making John grounded firmly in actual historical events. For example, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory . . .” With this separation between history and theology, the strong criticisms of John’s historical reliability has moved the book closer to myth and legend.

There are several great leaders in the Old Testament of the Bible. However, there are some that deserve additional respect, and there are others that do not even have the great appearance or qualifications of a leader. Just as there are leaders such as these, a person that is related to both of these types of leaders is our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Old Testament leaders of the Bible that deserve further respect or do not have the greatest appearances or qualifications of a leader are easily compared and contrasted to Jesus 's life and ministry.

The First sign in John’s gospel is when Jesus changed water into wine at a ceremony. Second sign will be that with a word of command Jesus cured a son of a royal. The third sign is that Jesus healed a man who was paralyzed for a long time. The fourth sign is when Jesus multiplied seven loaves and fishes to feed the people who gathered to hear his word. These signs revealed to the reader that Jesus has control over the world, nature and materialistic stuff. Jesus also has a lot of power to create and restore what was broken. Jesus to the readers appeats as loving and wise. The signs also revealed Gods power to heal and give life to those who thought there was no

All written between forty to sixty years following the death of Jesus of Nazareth, the four gospels of the New Testament – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – offer a nearly exclusive source of information in regards to the life and career of Jesus of Nazareth. As such, they occupy a critical position within both the New Testament and the Christian religion. While the multitude of accounts depicting the life of Jesus may initially appear redundant at times and contradictory at others, a closer analysis of each of the texts unravel a number of critical similarities and distinct variations between the gospels. These similarities and variations grant contemporary readers of the New Testament a glimpse into the understanding of the life of Jesus of

Prophet! What is a prophet exactly? A prophet in the Old Testament was a person from various backgrounds, who God used to communicate his message to the world. Going to church as a child I always heard that in the Old Testament all prophets were men. That isn’t exactly the case. Even though a majority of them were men, there were also women that were also prophets. The term for a female prophet is Prophetesses. God gave some women approval to speak to his people, but just like men they used their authority for good but also some evil. Five women were mentioned in the Old Testament as being Prophetesses. Mariam, Deborah, Huldah, Noadiah, and Isaiah’s wife. The Bible tells a story about each of these women.

During the first century A.D. the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and the Nationalist all lived in Palestine. Something that all these groups had in common was that they were all Jewish, however, most did not identify themselves with any of these groups. Even though all these groups were jewish, their definition and perception of the messiah were all different. Each group also dealt with Roman rule differently, which cause a lot of problems.

The Old Testament scriptures, the account of the deuteronomistic writers, and the actions of the God of the Hebrew Bible reveal to us many facets of God and the character of God. Several of the images are not images that we would like to consider when we envision the savior, the redeemer, the God who loves us and cares for us and this is difficult to reconcile with our Christian experience. In consideration of the overall image of God, Mills asserts that God’s image consists of “three elements – God the creator, God the judge, and God the redeemer.” God formed humanity in his likeness in the creation of Genesis, God judges and chastises humanity through their cycle of apostasy, and then God rescues, redeems and restores an oppressed and fallen Israel. Although at various points within the journey God was the punisher of Israel and exerted his wrath upon them, the anger was because of God 's love for Israel.

The gospel of john appeared to contain a mystical undertone to those individuals who grasp the Synoptic Gospels. It holds the mysteries, usually written as illustrations which helps the reader understand whom the creator is. The creator is the Godhead. Jesus, the Son, which is the second person, enlightens man’s understanding of the third person which is the Holy Spirit.

Prologues are found prior to certain texts, traditionally foreshadowing key ideas or themes that will be highlighted in the procession of the literature. It is as though they are metaphorical teases that permit the rest of the text to elaborate upon its themes. One of the most significant prologues in biblical history can be found among the New Testament in the Book of John. This book, in particular, differs from the other synoptic gospels due to the themes listed in the prologue, as well as in Jesus’s relationship with specific characters and testimonies of witness. Jesus’s interaction with Mary of Bethany in Chapter 11 illuminates the themes of life, witness, and belief that were first identified in the prologue of John. Jesus’s encounter with Mary also illustrates the concepts of weeping and resurrection as references first illustrated within the Old Testament.

The principles of sovereignty can be defined by the following aspects: To be sovereign is to possess supreme power and authority so that one is in complete control and can accomplish whatever he pleases. “Our God in heaven; he does whatever pleases him” (Psalms 115:3). It is God's world, his creation and He alone is sovereign over it. More so, the existence of the universe or any creation is from God and nothing or no one else. Thus, the entire