Introduction to the New Testament

Table of Contents: Preface Prolegomena The Gospels in General The Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Mark The Gospel of Luke The Gospel of John The Acts of the Apostles The Epistles in General The Epistles of Paul The Epistle to the Romans The First Epistle to the Corinthians The Second Epistle to the Corinthians The Epistle to the Galatians The Epistle to the Ephesians The Epistle to the Philippians The Epistle to the Colossians The First Epistle to the Thessalonians The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians The Pastoral Epistles The First Epistle to Timothy The Second Epistle to Timothy The Epistle to Titus The Epistle to Philemon The Epistle to the Hebrews The General Epistle of James The First General Epistle of Peter The Second General Epistle of Peter The First General Epistle of John The Second and Third General Epistles of John The General Epistle of Jude The Revelation of John

Preface This little work on New Testament Introduction is the result of labor done in and for the classroom, and is primarily intended for my own students. It is not and does not pretend to be a work of original research, but depends in a large measure on the labors of such men as Davidson, Reuss, Weiss, Westcott, Lightfoot, Godet, Holtzmann, Julicher, Zahn, e. a. The indebtedness to these will be evident from its pages. In method of treatment I have partly gone my own way, both in virtue of principles that are not generally recognized in works of Introduction and for practical considerations. As far as the limits of the work allowed, the directions given by Dr. Kuyper in his Encyclopaedia of Sacred Theology have been followed; not only the human but also the divine side of the Sacred Scriptures has been treated. It has been my constant endeavor in writing this book to make it a work that would introduce the students to the books of the New Testament, as they have in fact been transmitted to the Church, and not as some critic or other would have them be. Hence critical questions, though not disregarded, do not loom as large on its pages as they often do in works on Introduction; the positive constructive element has a decided precedence over the apologetic; and the human factor that operated in the origin and composition of the Scriptures, is not studied to the neglect of the divine. A limited number of copies was printed, partly in deference to the expressed wish of some of my present and past students, and partly because I desire to use it as a text-book in the future, there being none of the smaller works on Introduction, such as those of Dods, Pullan, Kerr, Barth, Peake e. a., however excellent some of them may be in their own way, that gave me what I desired. If the book may in some small measure be instrumental in leading others to a greater appreciation and an ever better understanding of the New Testament writings, I shall be very grateful indeed.