Old Testament Introduction
How Do We Read History? Historiography
Pentateuch
Historical Books Part 1
Historical Books Part 2
Wisdom/Poetry Books
Letter of Jude Introduction
Introduction to Jude
Jude writes to a community that needs to take a stand for the truth. A group of false teachers has entered the church. Through false revelations, they are prompting believers to use the grace of God as license for immorality, especially of the sexual kind. Jude warns against compromising with evil. He points out that the false teachers, in their selfish actions, have rejected the authentic Jesus. Jude challenges Christians to remain firm in the faith that leads to eternal life. He encourages Christians to live as people empowered by the Holy Spirit, standing in the love of God (Jude 17–21).
Background
The letter identifies Jude as a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James (1). In the early church, the most well-known James was the brother of Jesus (Gal 1:19)—so Jude (also called Judas) often has been understood to be another of Jesus’ brothers, even though the letter does not state this (compare Matt 13:55; Mark 6:3).
It is not possible to know for certain when Jude was written. If the author was indeed a brother of Jesus, the letter probably was in circulation before the end of the first century. Jude has a literary relationship to 2 Peter, which could be used to help date Jude more accurately, but the date of 2 Peter also is unknown.
Jude warns against a heresy that in some ways resembles what later became Gnosticism, a philosophy that regarded physical matter as evil and spirit as good. This way of understanding the world often encouraged people to do whatever they wished with their physical body. In addition, the false teachers whom Jude addresses apparently were guilty of rebellion against authority, presumptuous speech, and sexual immorality. Jude rebukes them for deceiving unstable believers and corrupting the Lord’s Supper. Although the date and author of Jude is uncertain, the social situation is obvious: A group of false teachers are wreaking havoc in the congregation, and this must be stopped.
Barry, J.D. et al. (2012, 2016) Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Letter of Jude Timeline
Epistle of James Synopsis
JAMES, LETTER OF The first of the Catholic (“general”) Letters in the New Testament canon, attributed to James.
Introduction
Throughout the history of the Christian Church, the Letter of James has not received the same attention or proven as influential as many of Paul’s letters. Writing in the early fourth century (ca. AD 312–324), Eusebius noted that its canonical status (i.e. its acknowledged status as Scripture) was debated in some areas of the early church. Eusebius included James among “the disputed books” (τὰ ἀντιλεγόμενα, ta antilegomena) along with Jude, 2 Peter, 2 John and 3 John (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.25.3; NPNF 2, 1:156).
In the Reformation period, Martin Luther (AD 1483–1546) found James lacking in gospel clarity. In his 1522 preface to the New Testament, Luther maintained that John, 1 John, Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, and 1 Peter are “the books that show you Christ and teach you all that is necessary and salvatory for you to know, even if you were never to see or hear any other book or doctrine.” In comparison, James “has nothing of the nature of the gospel about it.” That is why he characterized it as “an epistle of straw” (Luther, Works, 35:362). Not all of Luther’s comments were equally negative. He also acknowledged that James was “a good book” (Luther, Works, 35:395) and contained “many good sayings” (Luther, Works 35:397). John Calvin (AD 1509–1564) exhibited a more favorable view of James. He wrote a commentary on it (compare Calvin, Commentaries) and referenced it frequently in his Institutes (e.g., I.13.8; II.2.10, 21; II.8.26 et al).
James presents Jesus as the “Lord Jesus Christ” (Jas 1:1), the object of faith (Jas 2:1), the Lord of glory (Jas 2:1). He calls his recipients to patience in view of His coming (Jas 5:7–8), and calls the elders among his recipients to anoint the sick in His name (Jas 5:14–15). Additionally, Jesus’ teaching as preserved in the Synoptic Gospels (esp. Matthew and Luke) is strongly echoed in James (e.g., Jas 1:9; 2:5, 13; 3:10–12; 5:2–3, 12). James also exhibits what can be called a structure of salvation.
Sweeney, J.P. (2016) “James, Letter of,” The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Edited by J.D. Barry et al. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Epistle of James Outline
Outline of James
Opening Salutation (Jas 1:1)
James opens with a conventional salutation (author, recipients, and greeting). The author is “James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The recipients are designated as “the twelve tribes in the Dispersion.” A brief greeting follows.
Main Body of Exhortations, Admonitions, and Advice (Jas 1:2–5:11)
Introductory Exhortations, Admonitions, and Advice on Various Topics (Jas 1:2–27)
• 1:2–4—Joy in the midst of trials
• 1:5–8—The need of an expectant faith
• 1:9–11—Proper boasting
• 1:12–18—Enduring testing, being tempted, and the source of everything good
• 1:19–21—Receptivity to the Word
• 1:22–25—Putting it into practice
• 1:26–27—A summary reminder regarding vain vs. virtuous religion
Second Round of Exhortations, Admonitions, and Advice on the Topics of Favoritism, Love, and an Engaged Faith (Jas 2:1–26)
• 2:1–7—Avoid the sin of favoritism
• 2:1–4—Admonition against favoritism
• 2:5–7—Pointed comments regarding the poor who are rich in faith in contrast to the exploitive rich
• 2:8–13—Obeying the royal law of love and behaving in light of God’s judgment
• 2:8–9—Follow the law of love, not favoritism
• 2:10–13—Observations regarding the standard of judgment and the final judgment
• 2:14–17—Mere profession vs. an engaged faith
• 2:14—Genuine faith is more than mere profession
• 2:15–16—A hypothetical illustration about a needy believer
• 2:17—A summary application: faith without works is dead
• 2:18–26—Putting faith into action
• 2:18–19—Answers to an anticipated objection
• 2:20–25—Faith and works as attested from the Scriptures in the examples of Abraham and Rahab
• 2:26—A concluding comment: works are the necessary expression of a living faith
Third Round of Exhortations, Admonitions, and Advice on the Tongue and Wisdom (Jas 3:1–18)
• 3:1–6—Preparatory comments related to the tongue
• 3:1—Teachers are held to a higher level of accountability
• 3:2—Stumbling vs. integrity
• 3:3–6—Illustrations and application regarding horse bits, a rudder, fire, and the tongue
• 3:7–12—The nature of the tongue
• 3:7–8—The tongue is untamable and lethal
• 3:9–10—Inconsistent and unpredictable
• 3:11–12—Reflects its true source
• 3:13–18—Wisdom in action
• 3:13–16—Wisdom must be demonstrated
• 3:17–18—The qualities of the wisdom from above spelled out
Fourth Round of Exhortations, Admonitions, and Advice on Practical Daily Living (Jas 4:1–5:6)
• 4:1–10—Avoiding conflicts within, “friendship” with the world at large, and responding to God wholeheartedly
• 4:1–3—The source of conflicts amidst the members of the body
• 4:4–6—The danger of friendship with the world
• 4:7–10—Responding to God with earnestness
• 4:11–17—Admonitions against harsh judgments and presumptuousness
• 4:11–12—Guarding the tongue and avoiding harsh judgments
• 4:13–17—Avoiding the sin of presumption
• 5:1–6—Condemnation of exploitive rich landowners
• 5:1–3—The fleeting value of ill-gotten wealth in the light of the coming judgment
• 5:4–6—An admonition regarding divine retribution
Fifth Round of Exhortations, Admonitions, and Advice regarding Community Life (Jas 5:7–20)
• 5:7–11—A call to patience amidst suffering
• 5:7–8—An injunction to patience, an illustration, and application
• 5:9—An injunction against contemptuous behavior
• 5:10–11—Further illustrations of patience, suffering, and steadfastness
• 5:12—Admonition about integrity in speech
• 5:13–18—Prayer and confession
• 5:13–16—Responding to the vicissitudes of life in prayer, praise, and confession
• 5:17–18—The example of Elijah, illustrating effectiveness in prayer
• 5:19–20—A closing comment on restoring an errant believer
Sweeney, J.P. (2016) “James, Letter of,” The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Edited by J.D. Barry et al. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Epistle of James
Map & Timeline
Acts of the Apostles Overview
Acts of the Apostles Fifth book of the New Testament; likely written by Luke, a companion of the Apostle Paul and the presumed author of the Gospel of Luke. Acts records the activity of the early church as it expanded geographically from Jerusalem to Rome and demographically from predominantly Jewish members to include Gentiles. The book covers events from the ascension of Jesus (ca. ad 30) to the early ministry of Paul in Rome (ca. ad 62).
Overview
Acts bridges the canonical gap between the Gospels (the life of Christ) and the Letters (life within the Church), tracing the early development of the Church. “Acts” refers to the deeds or actions of several of the leaders of the early church, such as Peter and Paul, and the acts of God through the Holy Spirit. Leading themes of the book of Acts include:
• the power of the Holy Spirit;
• the missionary journeys of Paul;
• Jewish and Gentile reception of the gospel;
• the Church and its mission.
Acts of the Apostles Outline
Outline of Acts
Acts follows a straightforward chronological structure. The book opens with a prologue (1:1–3), in which the author connects his addressee, Theophilus, (as well as the reader) with the preceding ministry of Jesus. The text then moves into four major sections that progress from Jerusalem to Rome.
Jerusalem (Acts 1:4–5:42)
• 1:4–8—The commissioning of the apostles
• 1:9–11—The ascension of Jesus
• 1:12–26—Matthias is chosen to replace Judas
• 2:1–13—The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
• 2:14–41—Peter’s sermon and the response
• 2:42–47—Early stages of Christian community (also 5:1–11)
• 3:1–10—Early miracles by the apostles (also 5:12–16)
• 3:11–26—Peter’s sermon in Solomon’s Portico
• 4:1–22—Peter and John arrested and released
• 4:23–31—The believers pray for boldness
• 4:32–37—The believers share all things in common
• 5:1–11—Ananias and Sapphira lie to the Holy Spirit
• 5:12–16—The apostles perform signs and wonders
• 5:17–42—The apostles are arrested and tried by the Sanhedrin
Persecution and Dispersion (Acts 6:1–9:31)
• 6:1–7—The apostles appoint seven helpers
• 6:8–15—Stephen is arrested
• 7:1–53—Stephen’s speech
• 7:54–60—Stephen is killed
• 8:1–3—Saul leads a persecution of the church
• 8:4–25—Philip takes the gospel from Jerusalem into Samaria, followed by Peter and John
• 8:26–40—Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch
• 9:1–31—Saul’s conversion
The Acts of Peter (Acts 9:32–12:25)
• 9:32–35—Peter heals Aeneas
• 9:36–43—Peter raises Dorcas
• 10:1–48—Peter’s vision and visit with Cornelius reveals God’s plan for the Gentiles
• 11:1–18—Peter visits Jerusalem and affirms the Gentile believers
• 11:19–30—The gospel reaches Antioch
• 12:1–4—The martyrdom of James and imprisonment of Peter
• 12:5–19—Peter is rescued from prison
• 12:20–25—Herod’s gruesome death
The Acts of Paul (Acts 13:1–28:31)
First Missionary Journey and Jerusalem Council (Paul and Barnabas)
• 13:1–12—From Syrian Antioch to Cyprus
• 13:13–52—Pisidian Antioch
• 14:1–28—Iconium, Lystra, Derbe (and back to Syrian Antioch)
• 15:1–35—Council in Jerusalem affirms the Gentile mission
Second Missionary Journey (Paul, Silas, and Timothy)
• 15:36–41—Paul and Barnabas part ways in Syrian Antioch
• 16:1–10—Paul travels west (via Derbe, Lystra, Galatia, Phrygia) to Troas
• 16:11–40—Philippi; earthquake frees Paul and Silas from jail
• 17:1–15—Thessalonica, Berea
• 17:16–34—Athens; Paul preaches the gospel at the Areopagus
• 18:1–17—Corinth
• 18:18–22—Paul returns to Syrian Antioch (via Ephesus, Caesarea, Jerusalem)
Third Missionary Journey (Paul, Timothy)
• 18:23–19:40—From Syrian Antioch to Ephesus (via Galatia, Phrygia)
• 18:24–28—Side note about Apollos in Ephesus and Achaia
• 19:1–41—Ephesus; Paul’s preaching sparks a riot
• 20:1–6—Through Macedonia to Greece; back through Macedonia to Troas
• 20:7–12—Troas; Paul raises Eutychus from the dead
• 20:13–38—Voyage to Miletus and farewell to the Ephesian elders
• 21:1–16—Journey from Miletus to Jerusalem (via Tyre, Caesarea)
Paul Arrested in Jerusalem
• 21:17–26—Paul meets with the Jerusalem elders
• 21:27–36—Paul is arrested at the temple
• 21:37–22:22—Paul addresses the crowd
• 22:23–23:11—Paul appears before the Sanhedrin
• 23:12–23:35—Plot to kill Paul
Paul’s Trials in Caesarea and Voyage to Rome
• 24:1–27—Paul appears before Felix
• 25:1–12—Paul appears before Festus and appeals to Caesar
• 25:13–26:32—Paul addresses Festus and Agrippa
• 27:1–28:16—Paul’s voyage to Rome; shipwreck
• 28:17–31—Paul proclaims the gospel in Rome
Acts of the Apostles Overview
