Tag: Book Overviews

Author Paul is the undisputed author of this letter. Some scholars hold that 6:14-7:1 is a post-Pauline insertion into the letter. Historical Setting Corinth was a big city crossroads with lots of ethnicities and religions – a melting pot. There was a high population of freed slaves who came to make their fortune and they READ MORE

Matthew commentary Author Most likely an anonymous Jew. Matthew the tax collector may have been the first missionary to the author’s community. It’s hard to say exactly why the book gained its name. Date Most scholars date this gospel between 85 and 95 AD. By then, the gospel of Mark was in wide circulation, and READ MORE

Author During the first two centuries of Christianity, the “Johannine Epistles” (1, 2, and 3 John) were probably not a part of the canon of scripture. When they began to be accepted as authoritative, they were often attributed to the same author as the Gospel of John. Textual evidence indicates that, although there are similar READ MORE

Acts commentary Author Luke was a physician and an artist from Syria. He was highly educated, well-versed in Greco-Roman style. He has the finest Greek writing in the New Testament. He was not an eyewitness to the events but he interviewed eyewitnesses and drew from the oral collections. He was also not very familiar with READ MORE

Author This is an undisputed letter, meaning that it’s universally accepted that Paul wrote it. It’s also certain that he wrote it from prison but what’s not certain is which prison. Most scholars think it was written at Ephesus. Date Because of the uncertainty over where Paul was when he wrote it, it’s difficult to READ MORE

Hebrews commentary Features Author Authorship of this book is highly contested and often debated. Eusebius in the second century attributed it to Paul. The earliest codex (a manuscript in book format) from around 200AD placed it right after Romans, implying Pauline authorship. In the early 200s, Origin taught that the Greek in this book was READ MORE

I like the prophet Jeremiah. All the prophets wrote about the despair they sometimes felt in living out their mission but Jeremiah takes it to a whole new level. His despair is liberally sprinkled throughout this book and he also wrote the book of Lamentations. Jeremiah doesn’t shrink away from confronting the bad in life READ MORE

Ephesians commentary Author Ephesians was most likely written by a later disciple in the spirit of Paul. This disciple might have taken the core of something Paul had written but never sent, and then he expanded on it. Date Generally dated between 80-100AD Purpose To bolster the faith of the community and correct errors. General READ MORE

The name of these books is a misnomer – it’s not really “chronicles” in terms of a linear history. Rather, it’s a theological exploration of the history from Adam to King Cyrus with a particular focus on sin and the consequences of sin. Author and Date Basically, there are multiple authors and the writing is READ MORE

This book is part of the Torah – the first 5 books of the Bible. Date The oral tradition of this material is ancient, but it probably wasn’t compiled into written form until the exile or the return. Overview Exodus is not an independent book but is an integral part of the Torah, which narrates READ MORE