The New Testament

The New Testament is the second part of the Christian Bible. It comes after the Old Testament and tells us the story of Jesus Christ and His teachings in a series of books (the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, etc.), as well as episodes from the early days of the Church. What exactly can you find in this part of the Bible? What books does it contain, and who wrote them? Learn more about the sacred texts of the founders of Christianity. 

What Is the New Testament About?

This part of the Bible follows the Old Testament, and it teaches us about the new covenant between God and men, established through Jesus Christ, His Son, the Messiah. This new covenant shows us the merciful side of God, who came to meet humans, and share their experience before saving them. 

The New Testament reveals to us the Good News: God, in His infinite love for us, sent His own Son to save us. By accepting to die on the Cross, Jesus opened the path of salvation to mankind. When He resurrected, He defeated death. Thanks to Him, eternal life is offered to us. 

Jesus tells us about the Kingdom of God, and shows us the path to it.  “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) He left us a great message of love and hope, the core of the New Testament. 

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12).

The 27 Books of the New Testament

Like the Old Testament, the New Testament is a collection of texts and books attributed to different authors: the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and other disciples of the Lord, such as Paul the Apostle. These texts are part of the Holy Scriptures, as the faithful believe they were inspired by the Holy Spirit and reveal the Word of God. 

The 27 “canonical” books have been part of the New Testament since the Council of Rome which took place in the 4th century, and they are:

• The four Gospels (the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Luke, and the Gospel of John), which recount the life of Jesus and His many teachings; from His birth to His ascension to Heaven, exploring His baptism by John the Baptist, His death and His resurrection. The words and acts of Jesus as they are told in the New Testament are essentially related to His “public life”, when He was between 30 and 33 years old. 
• The Acts of the Apostles are texts about the early Christian communities and the disciples’ evangelical missions to spread the Good News to everyone, Jews and Pagans alike. 
• The Letters - or Epistles - written by disciples, addressed to the various developing Christian communities to guide, teach and encourage them. The most famous ones are the Pauline Epistles, but there are many others (John, James, Peter, Jude)
• The Book of Revelation is the last book of the New Testament: it narrates symbolically the End Times after a prophecy by the Apostle John.  

The Main Biblical Figures of the New Testament

Naturally, the central figure of the New Testament is Jesus Christ.

• His life (but also His death and Resurrection)
• His teachings (His parables, the sermon on the Mount…)
• His actions (His compassionate gestures and the miracles He performed)

Were means through which the Love of God was revealed. 

In the Gospels, we are acquainted with the many people who were touched by Jesus: Zacchaeus, the Samaritan woman, Mary-Magdalene...The texts reveal to us how much their life was transformed. Others were too conected with worldly things, and refused to allow Him to love them: Judas, who betrayed Jesus, Pontius Pilate, who ‘washed his hands’ of His trial...

Jesus was followed by the Apostles, who were His first disciples. We encounter other disciples of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles, such as Stephen and Timothy. These texts contributed to sharing the Good News and establishing the first Christian communities.