Introduction to the New Testament

RPM Volume 16, Number 48, November 23 to November 29, 2014 Introduction to the New Testament By Louis Berkhof

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

3. Leading Principles. There are certain fundamental principles that guide us in our investigation, which it is desirable to state at the outset, in order that our position may be perfectly clear. For the sake of brevity we do not seek to establish them argumentatively. 1. For us the Bible as a whole and in all its parts is the very Word of God, written by men indeed, but organically inspired by the Holy Spirit; and not the natural product of the religious development of men, not merely the expression of the subjective religious consciousness of believers. Resting, as it ultimately does, on the testimony of the Holy Spirit, no amount of historical investigation can shake this conviction. 2. This being our position, we unflinchingly accept all that the various books of the Bible tell us concerning their authorship, destination, composition, inspiration, etc. Only in cases where the text is evidently corrupt, will we hesitate to accept their dicta as final. This applies equally to all parts of the Word of God. 3. Since we do not believe that the Bible is the result of a purely natural development, but regard it as the product of supernatural revelation, a revelation that often looks beyond the immediate present, we cannot allow the so-called zeitgeschichtliche arguments the force which they are often supposed to have. 4. While it is the prevailing habit of many New Testament scholars to discredit what the early Church fathers say respecting the books of the Bible, because of the uncritical character of their work, we accept those early traditions as trustworthy until they are clearly proven unreliable. The character of those first witnesses warrants this position. 5. We regard the use of working-hypotheses as perfectly legitimate within certain limits. They may render good service, when historical evidence fails, but even then may not go contrary to the data at hand, and the problematic character of the results to which they lead must always be borne in mind. 6. It is not assumed that the problems of New Testament Introduction are insignificant, and that all the difficulties that present themselves can easily be cleared up. Whatever our standpoint, whatever our method of procedure in studying these problems, we shall sometimes have to admit our ignorance, and often find reason to confess that we know but in part.

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