NEW TESTAMENT. 



33 



by ROOO British ;:nd Hessian troops, who inflicted great 

 injury on the town. The commerce then transferred 

 to New York was never regained. But the excellence 

 of the bench and harbor has made Newport a famous 

 summer resort. 



NK\V TESTAMENT. This name is applied to the 

 twenty-seven books, originally written in Greek, which 

 are recognized as authoritative among Christians. The 

 term is derived from TbtnmaUum, the Latin equiva- 

 lent for the ( i reek fiatlr/ni/. which usually means 

 "covenant," a more appropriate and significant title. 

 But usage will not now permit an alteration of the 

 name. The articles on the BITJLE in the ENCVCLO- 

 r.-KTHA BIUTAXNICA and in this Si IMM.EMKNT treat 

 with much fulness of the main questions respect- 

 ing the New Testament. The articles on the GOSI-KI.S 

 and on the respective Epistles deal with the special 

 topics connected with the separate books. But a sup- 

 plementary article is necessary: (I) There has been 

 gome addition to our knowledge of the literature of 

 the earlier Christian centuries since the article BlBI.K 

 was prepared for the BKITANNICA ; (2) The treatment 

 in that article snirL'csts doubts to an unnecessary ex- 

 tent; (3) Thescver.il books having been discussed by 

 different authors representing a variety of opinion, 

 there is a lack of unity in the other art ides referred to. 

 The point of view in the later volumes of the BRITAN- 

 NICA is more rationalistic than that taken by the 

 authors who write on the New Testament books in t la- 

 earlier volumes. 



The topics properly belonging to this article nre 

 three : I. The origin of the New Testament liooks. 

 II. The preservation of this literature. III. The col- 

 lection of it as a body of writings claimiui: authority 

 iimonir Christians. These topics are named respec- 

 tively: Higher criticism of the New Testament : Textual 

 criticism of the New Testament ; Canon of the New 

 Testament. The last has been adequately treated in 

 the art ides CANON in the BRITANMCA and this Sri-- 

 IM.KMKNT. It will only be necessary to discuss the first 

 and second. 



1. The Orirjin nf the New Trttnmnit lionl:*. ( I ) 

 After pnMneted discussion, it seems more positively 

 proven than ever before, sire the question has been 

 formally raised, that all of the books were written in 

 the first century, between A. D. 53 and 97, that each 

 one is the work of its reputed author (the case of the 

 anonymous Kpistle to the Hebrews being an isolated 

 one), that the historical books are trustworthy histories, 

 and that each presents characteristics distinguishing it. 

 from all other literature outside this collection, and 

 that taken together the collection fornis the authorita- 

 tive rule of faith for believers in Jesus Christ. The 

 Old Testament writings also constitute a part of this 

 rule of faith, but the fuller and complete revelation is 

 made in the New Testament. The unique character 

 and authority of these writings is due to inspiration, 

 which our Ix>rd expressly attributed to the Old Testa- 

 ment, and which becomes all the more necessary in 

 conncction'with the records which present to us Jesus 

 Christ himself, since he says of the Old Testament 

 Scriptures, "These are they which bear witness of 

 me (John v. 39). 



2. The earliest books written were six of the Epistles 

 of Paul, namely, 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Gulatians, 1 

 and 2 Corinthians, and Romans (A. D. 53-58). The 

 four last named are "undoubted-" no critic, however 

 destructive in his theories, has denied that they were 

 written by the apostle, and near the date given above. 

 It follows, therefore, that in A. D. 58 the belief in Jesus 

 Christ was widely extended throughout the Roman 

 Empire j that the personal object of this widely ex- 

 tended faith was held to l>e a historical person who had 

 lived and taught in Judea a short time before. It was 

 also held that he had been put to death and risen from 

 the dead on the third day, sending down the Holy 

 Spirit to work spiritual liti- in those who trusted in 

 him Tlicsc are the facts assumed throughout in the 



VOL. IV. c 



" undoubted " Pauline epistles. We nave other litera- 

 ture bearing the name of Paul, other letters purport- 

 ing to come from other apostles, and five books of a 

 historical character, telling the story of this same Jesus 

 Christ whom Paul preached, one of them narrating the 

 early efforts of the preachers. The question then 

 arises : Are these books what they purport to be ? or 

 can we account for them as forgeries or as later 

 "manipulations" of earlier (and truer) documents? 

 The latter view is suggested again and again in the 

 BuiTANNlCA ; the former has all the positive evidence 

 to support it. Moreover, when the leading Pauline 

 epistles have been accepted, the rejection of the other 

 New Testament writings cannot be readily justified. 

 (1) If any books, the Gospels for example, are objected 

 to, because they contain statements that imply the ex- 

 ercise of supernatural power by Jesus Christ and his 

 apostles, then the Pauline epistles are open to the same 

 objection. But these epistles cannot be denied ; hence 

 a book is not necessarily spurious or " manipulated " 

 if it narrates miracles. Yet many of the historico- 

 critical school argue for the later origin of the Gospels 

 on the assumption just stated. (2) Since the un- 

 doubted Pauline epistles prove the existence of a 

 widespread belief in Jesus Christ as early as A. r>. 58, 

 it is exceedingly probable that other Christian litera- 

 ture would soon be penned. The belief in Christ was 

 of such a character that it would be impossible to leave 

 the story unrecorded. (3) The only records that have 

 come down with any claim to historical accuracy are 

 those included in the New Testament. In fact there 

 is no proof that any books were written in the first 

 century, other than the lour canonical Gospels, that at- 

 tempted to narrate the history of Jesus Christ. It 

 has often been assumed and asserted that many such 

 Gospels existed, but there is no proof of it. Those who 

 believed in Jesus Christ as Paul did would desire some 

 succinct and truthful records, and when such records 

 were made they would be carefully preserved. Luke, 

 it is true, refers to " many " who had made attempts 

 to write on this subject (i. 1), but bis language does 

 not imply that these writings were full histories. He 

 rather suggests that they were unsatisfactory. At all 

 events we hurt an ni'ittriiil of any cttnxeqiietice. outside 

 the canonical New Testament respecting the history 

 of .!' MIS Christ, and no positive evidence exists that 

 any full accounts were written at the same time with 

 our canonical Gospels. It seems certain that some 

 Gospel histories would be written, since the belief in 

 Jesus Christ was so widespread. From the earliest 

 times these four canonical Gospels have been accepted 

 as veritable histories of the person in whom Christians 

 believed. (See below. ) 



3. The twenty-seven books constituting the New 

 Testament were all written in the first century, between 

 A. D. 53 and 97. The minor details of date and order 

 are open to doubt ; but the repeated attempts to prove 

 that some of the books were written in the second 

 century have utterly failed. The evidence in favor of 

 the earlier date, always strong, has been augmented 

 during this generation. The probable chronological 

 order of the books is as follows : 



A. D. 53-58 : Pauline Epistles, first group (1 and 2 

 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ro- 

 mans). 



A. D. 61-64 : Pauline Epistles, second group 

 (Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, Philippians). 



A. D. 60-70 : Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, James, 

 1 Peter. 



Uncertain date, but before A. D. 67: 1 Timothy, 

 Titus, 2 Timothy, Hebrews, 2 Peter, Jude. 



Toward the close of the century : Gospel of John, 

 Epistles of John and Revelation (an earlier date for 

 the last is assigned by many). 



The points open to discussion respecting the time 

 of composition are treated of in the articles upon the 

 several books. The genuineness of the epistles may 

 be accepted as established, since the most serious ob- 



