Books of the Bible 

2 Peter

The twenty-second book of the New Testament

I. Introduction

Title, Author, and Date

Title: The epistle is named after its author and the letter itself states that it is his second letter to the recipients (3:1). The earliest existing copy of this letter dates to the third or fourth century and includes the title “The Second Epistle of Peter.” Variations of this title indicate that it was a general epistle and that it was written by the apostle Peter.

Author: The author is identified in the first two words of the letter, Simon Peter. Simon was a common name at the time, but Peter (Cephas in Aramaic) was not. The author apparently wants the reader to be certain of his identity, intentionally using the name used and apparently given to him (Mark 3:16) by Jesus as recorded in the gospels of Matthew (3 uses), Mark (2 uses), Luke (2 uses), and John (18 uses) and in Acts (6 uses). The author also states that he was an eyewitness to Jesus’ transfiguration, an event where Jesus was accompanied by only three of his disciples: Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28). These points all indicate that the author was Peter, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus.

From early times, there have been questions about the authorship of 2 Peter, mainly because the word usage, style of writing, and themes differ from those used in 1 Peter. The argument is that the two letters sound very different and therefore must be written by different authors. This does not have to be the case, however, as the intended audience and the author’s current experience can easily lead to such differences in writing. Another reason for such differences is that one or both letters could be written by a secretary, or amanuensis, who might also serve as an editor, assisting in word selection and phraseology that would best fit the intended meaning and audience. The use of an amanuensis, specifically Silas, is likely for Peter’s first epistle, as indicated in 1 Peter 5:12. 

Date: Early Christian fathers and writers are in agreement that Peter died in Rome about A.D. 65 during the time of Nero’s persecution of the Christian church, which took place from A.D. 64 until Nero’s death in A.D. 68. Peter states in 1:14 that he will soon die, knowing this because “our Lord Jesus Christ has made it clear to me.” Christian tradition dates this letter to ca. A.D. 64, shortly before Peter’s death.

II. Content and Structure

The Storyline 

Peter introduces himself as a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. His intended readers are described as those having faith in Jesus, who has brought them to salvation because of the righteous acts that He and the Father have done.

He begins the main body of the letter by calling the reader to a godly life, which is made possible by the fulfillment of “great and precious promises” made by God to enable us to overcome human desires, take on the virtues he then describes, and receive immortality when Jesus comes again. These Christian virtues begin with faith and add goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love, a list having much in common with the list of gifts of the Spirit in Galatians 5. Possessing these character traits in “increasing measure” will cause us to be effective and productive when we share our testimony about Christ, prevent us from stumbling, and ensure a “rich welcome” into heaven.

Peter then makes it known that he will die soon. This letter is his last opportunity to remind them of important truths that he wants them to remember. Foremost of these is the truth of the Second Coming of Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ does not consist of clever stories made up by the apostles, but they saw his greatness and kingly glory with their own eyes and heard God say, “This is my son” with their own ears. He then states that prophecy in scripture is “completely reliable” and worthy of our attention. None of it originated with the prophets themselves, but God spoke His messages through the prophets by the Holy Spirit. 

In the second chapter, Peter begins with a prophecy that false teachers will bring heresies to exploit the believers for their own evil purposes. This “will bring the way of truth into disrepute” and bring condemnation on these false teachers. Peter assures us that God “knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.” He gives three examples of God’s judgment from the past: evil angels banned from heaven, the flood, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He goes on to denounce the false teachers, giving details about their methods and wickedness, and compares their greed to that of Balaam. Because they prey on new believers and have themselves moved from a position of salvation to being re-entangled in evil, “it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs” on it.

In the final section of his letter, chapter 3, Peter reiterates some of what he wrote earlier. First, he counsels the reader to remember the words of the holy prophets and the words of Jesus given through the apostles. Today, he might say: “Be sure to read, understand, and remember the teachings of both the Old Testament (the prophets) and the New Testament (the words of Jesus and the apostles).” Secondly, he says that some will falsely claim that Jesus has not yet come back because he never will. They conveniently forget about God’s creative power, the judgment of the flood, and the promise of coming judgment. We may feel that Jesus’ promised coming has been delayed for too long, but to God, the passage of time is less important than patiently waiting for all who will to repent and be saved. But, rest assured, He is coming back and judgment will take place. Just as surely, God will keep his promise of our transition to heaven and a new earth, where the righteous will dwell their God.

With this promise of the salvation of the righteous, Peter brings us back to where he began, encouraging us to live godly lives. “Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace” with God. “Our Lord’s patience means salvation,” providing us with the opportunity to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Literary Structure

Second Peter is clearly a letter and is written in a style typical of the time period and quite similar to some other epistles in the Bible. It opens with the identification of the author and addresses, followed by a blessing. The intended audience is not identified precisely, but based on the statement that this is his second letter to them (3:1), the audience may be the believers in the five provinces of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) listed in 1 Peter 1:1. This would make 2 Peter a general epistle, intended to be copied and circulated among the churches in the region. Second Peter is also written as a farewell letter, written to provide the teachings, warnings, and encouragements he wants them to always remember.

Whether intentional or not, in 2 Peter we encounter for the first time in the New Testament an obvious chiastic pattern in the main topics presented, as seen in the outline of the chapter found in the Andrews Study Bible (1614), rewritten here as a chiastic structure.

A. Greeting (1:1–2)

B. An exhortation to a holy life (1:3–11)

C. Certainty of the Second Coming (1:12–21)

D. Prediction of the coming of false teachers (2:1—2:3a)

E. The certainty of judgment (2:3b–10a)

D’. Denunciation of false teachers (2:10b–22)

C’. Certainty of the Second Coming (3:1–10)

B’. An exhortation to a holy life (3:11–16)

A’. Conclusion (3:17–18)

III. Important Themes in 2 Peter

1. The certainty of the second coming of Jesus

 Among Peter’s main concerns is that his readers will know that the Second Coming of Jesus is a certainty. He feels so strongly about this that he speaks to it twice, once to build a case for the truth of His coming and again to address the claims of last-day scoffers that it is not true. 

In 2 Peter 1:16-21, he states emphatically that Jesus’ Second Coming is not a “cleverly devised story” made up by the apostles. Rather, Jesus Himself told them about His coming (Matthew 24:27, 44; John 14:1–3), as did the angels after He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:10–11). In Matthew 24, the Second Coming is described as bright like lightning (v. 27), and Peter, James, and John were eyewitnesses of a similar revelation of His glory at His transfiguration (Mark 9:1–8). They also heard the Father’s voice saying, “This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Peter knows, as a result of his own experiences, that Jesus plans to return and that He has the power and majesty to do so in the manner that the apostles have described in their writings.

In addition, Old Testament prophets wrote literally hundreds of prophecies about the coming Messiah which came true in the person of Jesus Christ. Peter knows this and, rather than mention the specific prophecies because his readers will already be familiar with many of them, he speaks to the reliability of the prophets and prophecies in scripture. The prophecies are not, he writes, “the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (1:20–21). His argument goes like this: 1) the Old Testament prophecies prove that Jesus is the Messiah, 2) the apostles firsthand experience with Jesus, His miracles, transfiguration, and resurrection, prove that He is God and has the power and majesty to come as predicted, and 3) Jesus Himself told us that he will come again. Everything else that Jesus foretold about himself, in particular His death and resurrection, happened just as He said it would and so will His Second Coming happen as he said.

Peter returns to the topic of the Second Coming in chapter 3. He reminds us of the truth spoken by the prophets and apostles, then prophesies that vocal doubters will come in the “last days” asking, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?” (v. 4). He responds to their scoffing by reminding them that God has both the power and will to create and destroy, and events such as the creation of the heavens and earth and the destruction of the earth by water did take place. The second coming, with the associated destruction of the present world and all that is evil, will also take place, but in God’s own time. He is patiently waiting with a purpose: He does not want “anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (v. 9). It will be sudden and surprising, like a thief, but it will also be “in keeping with His promise” of “a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (v. 13).

2. Purity and spiritual growth

Although he never mentions the words “purity” or “pure” in his letter, Peter is clearly concerned about purity of behavior and belief. He uses many phrases that either require purity or reflect the opposite in terms of our thoughts and behavior, including: our need of a “godly life” (1:3); escaping the corruption caused by evil desires (1:4); “eyes full of adultery” (2:14); “entangled” in the corruption of the world (2:20); and “be found spotless” and “blameless” (3:14). He also calls for purity of belief and doctrine, including these phrases: not following “cleverly devised stories” (1:16); prophecy is “completely reliable” and points us to Jesus, the Morning Star (1:19); “blaspheme in matters they do not understand” (2:12), and “they deliberately forget … God’s word” (3:5).

How does Peter suggest that we achieve such purity? Through spiritual growth, which may take place in this manner: “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, Love” (1:5–7). These are spiritual qualities that, if we possess them “in increasing measure” (v. 8), that is, if we experience spiritual growth, we will be effective and productive in our knowledge of Jesus.

3. False teachers – their claims and God’s judgment on them

Peter predicts that false teachers will come and “exploit you with fabricated stories” and that “their depraved conduct … will bring the way of truth into disrepute” (2:1–3). Peter strongly denounces their actions, responding to five objections they will make to key parts of the Gospel.

Objection #1 (2 Peter 1:16–19): They will claim that the return of Jesus Christ is fictional and is a myth made up by the apostles. Peter responds as described above in the first theme topic.

Objection #2 (2 Peter 1:19–21): They will claim that prophecy is of human, rather than divine, origin. Peter responds that prophecy found in scripture never originated as the prophet’s own interpretation or will, but came as God’s words through human writing as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the prophecy found in scripture is “completely reliable,” having been fulfilled in history and in the person of Jesus Christ. However, false prophecies and teachings will “introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord” (2:1).

Objection #3 (2 Peter 2:4–12): The false teachers will claim that there will be no judgment and we can therefore behave as we please without fear of God’s judgment on us. Peter refutes this by giving three examples of past judgment by God: evil angels were banished from heaven when they joined Satan in opposition to God, He brought the flood on the ancient world while sparing Noah and his family, and he rescued Lot while condemning Sodom and Gomorrah “as an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly.” Peter summarizes by stating that “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority,” as will the false teachers. Simply put, God cannot afford to dispense with judgment if His plan is to bring about “a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (3:13).

Objection #4 (2 Peter 3:3–10) Some will say that Jesus is not returning or that His coming is delayed. Things on earth are the same as they always have been, and they will continue uninterrupted into the future. Peter’s responds by reminding us that past judgments have taken place and that God is not limited by time as we are. To Him, a day and a thousand years are essentially the same and He is not slow to keep his promises, but does so in His perfect timing. Peter explains that God is showing patience so that all will have maximum opportunity to repent and be saved.

Objection #5 (2 Peter 3:15–17) Some will distort what is written by Paul and other authors of scripture. Notice that Peter specifically includes Paul’s letters as a part of biblical literature. He seems to be warning that Paul’s writings will be taken out of context, or perhaps the false teachers will misunderstand or purposefully distorts his writings for their own evil purposes. Paul does make arguments regarding the law and grace and freedom that are difficult to understand, in part because he sometimes presents an argument interspersed with counterarguments in “devil’s advocate” style without clearly delineating between the two. It seems likely that some of Paul’s statements regarding grace and the freedom that it brings were stretched to falsely support early gnostic or libertine views that “fulfillment of lusts or desires was now permissible in Christ” (Andrews Bible Commentary 1558). Peter is forewarning his readers to “not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position” (v. 17).

IV. Summary Statements

“As Peter’s last will and testament, 2 Peter is critical to the biblical story, declaring the certainty of the Lord’s coming and thus pointing the way toward the final book in the story, the revelation Jesus gave to John.” (Fee and Stuart 410)

“Second Peter is Peter’s last testament. In it, he warns believers about the false teachers that will come to destroy the church and exhorts them to stand firm in the faith and to ‘grow in the grace and knowledge’ of Jesus” (3:17–18). Peter also:

1. “emphasizes the need of purity both in conduct and belief so that the readers may be ready for Jesus’ Second Coming.”

2. “stresses the importance of knowledge for the Christian life. This knowledge, however, is not esoteric or purely intellectual but a knowledge of God.”

3. “exhorts the reader to ‘add’ to their faith spiritual virtues.”

4. “predicts the coming of false teachers and denounces them,” responding to the objections they would make by assuring the reader that prophecy is of God, the judgement and the second coming are true, and the second coming will take place in God’s timing. (Andrews Study Bible 1613)

“The main concern running throughout the Second Epistle of Peter is that people need to be ready to meet the Lord with joy at His coming. … such readiness comes through personally knowing Jesus Christ and the Father …. Despite the claims of false teachers to the contrary, Peter assures believers that the promise of Jesus’s coming is no myth …. The Lord will come at His appointed time, and it will be a terrifying event engulfing all wickedness in complete destruction. This truth should cause believers to soberly examine their own lives in a spirit of repentance and to urge others to do the same. However, whose who have accepted His cleansing and are diligently growing in godliness need not despair but may be at peace; they can instead look forward to a new earth, which God Himself will supply for them.” (Andrews Bible Commentary 1892)

The tone of 2 Peter feels very intense, but his passion comes from conviction that God loves this world and He is determined to rescue it through Jesus. This means that God’s love must confront and deal with the sin and injustice that ruined His beloved world. In God’s own time He will do so, opening up a new future for humanity and for the universe itself. Second Peter has a wide, expansive vision of hope for the whole world that challenges us to examine our everyday lives. (The Bible Project)

V. Outline

Part 1: Greeting (1:1–2)

Part 2: Main body of letter (1:3—3:16)

A. Advice on spiritual growth (1:3–11)

B. The certainty of prophecy and Christ’s coming (1:12–21)

C. Beware of false teachers (2:1—2:3a)

D. Evidence that God’s judgment is certain (2:3b–10a)

E. Condemnation of false teachers (2:10b–22)

F. Christ’s coming will take place in God’s perfect timing (3:1–10)

G. Live holy and godly lives (3:11–16)

Part 3: Conclusion (3:17–18)

References:

Andrews Bible Commentary

Andrews Study Bible, New International Version

Fee, Gordon D. and Douglas Stuart, “How to Read the Bible Book by Book.”

The Bible Project, “2 Peter.”

Colossians

The twelfth book of the New Testament

I. Introduction

Title, Author, and Dates

Title: Paul’s original letter had no title. The first title provided was “To the Colossians.” The Colossians are the people who lived in the city of Colossae in Asia Minor, now Turkey. Later, the originally-supplied title was expanded the to the more formal “The Epistle of Paul to the Colossians.” The current practice by most translators and publishers is to call it simply “Colossians.”

Author: The author is Paul in some form of association with Timothy (1:1). The two may have collaborated in producing the content of the letter or, more likely, Timothy served as an amanuensis or scribe, actually writing down the words from Paul’s dictation or notes. The books final verse states that Paul himself wrote “this greeting in my own hand,” which implies that the rest of the letter was written by the hand of another, likely Timothy.

Dates: Paul does not provide the reader with dates for any of his letters. He tells us that he is in prison at the time he is writing the Epistle to the Colossians (4:3, 10), which is the most concrete information that is helpful in determining the location and date of its writing. Paul was imprisoned in Philippi, Caesarea, Rome (twice), and possibly Ephesus. During his first imprisonment in Rome, Paul spent two years, likely A.D. 60–61, under house arrest and living with some degree of freedom in a house rather than a government prison. This form of imprisonment would have allowed for others to visit him and provide assistance in writing and delivering the four letters known as the Prison Epistles: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. The early Christian fathers of the second and third centuries unanimously agree that these four books were written during his first imprisonment in Rome, making the mostly likely date for this letter about A.D. 61.

Background

Colossae was once an important city in the central part of what is now Asian Turkey. It was one of three cities in the Lycus River valley known for its medicinal spas, along with Laodicea and Hierapolis. A few centuries before Paul’s day, Colossae had been the most important of the three cities, but by the time of his letter it was overshadowed by the other two. 

Phrygia

Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula, Asia Minor

Modern Turkey – Asian Turkey consisting of Anatolia and the Armenian highlands, European Turkey 

History of Phrygia – King Midas, Gordia, Alexander the Great and the Gordian Knot, Dynasties, Epaphras founding the churches in the Lycus Valley

II. Content and Structure

The Storyline 

Following a short introduction, Paul opens with two prayers for the church members at Colossae. The first is a prayer of thanks for their faithfulness and love for each other. Their faith and love are the result of their hope in heaven and the true gospel they have heard. The second prayer asks God to give them a greater knowledge of His will as the result of wisdom and spiritual understanding from the Spirit. The Colossians learned the gospel from Epaphras, who is currently visiting Paul and Timothy. Paul is writing in response to a report 

The report of Epaphras 

The Gospel – who Christ is

Paul’s turning the emphasis from the heresies mentioned to Christ in order to counter the heresy

How the Christian should live

Closing remarks and greetings

Literary Structure

 The literary style of Colossians is similar to that of other epistles in the Bible and includes a salutation followed by a greeting, a statement of thanksgiving and prayer, the body of the letter, and concluding remarks that include final exhortations and greetings. The Epistle to the Colossians has similarities to Ephesians, in particular, as both seem to have a similar pattern and several parallel sections. It is likely that both letters were written about the same time during his house arrest in Rome, with each letter being tailored to suit the needs of the intended recipients and their circumstances. Both letters were apparently carried to their recipients by Tychicus, along with additional news about Paul and how he was doing.

Fun Facts

III. Important Themes in Colossians

1. The centrality of Jesus – the absolute primacy and all-sufficiency of Christ

2. The new basis for Christian behavior p. 363

 3. The Christian Household       (see p. 363 of Fee and Stuart, What Christian life looks like.) P. 359 – “Christlike living affects relationships of all kinds”

 At a time when some commentators on society speak about the erosion of, and even outright attacks on, the traditional family, while others are demanding change in and even redefinition of the family, it is prudent that we examine what is God’s plan or design for the family. This is what Paul does in Colossians 3:18–25 and, arguably, in 4:1 as well. Christianity was developing at the intersection of the Jewish and Gentile worlds and within the greater Roman society at a time when the Roman patriarchal family was distorted to the point where the male head-of-household had absolute authority, literally holding the power of life and death over his wife, children, and slaves. God’s plan for the Christian life and family has a different look and feel, based on the character traits presented in 3:12–14: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, and “love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Fee and Stuart point out that most of these are called “fruits of the Spirit” in the list found in Galatians 5:22–23 (363), which are presented in contrast to the “acts of the flesh” as the way of Christians who “live by the Spirit” and are “in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:19, 25).

The BibleProject video on Colossians summarizes God’s plan for the family as “shaped around Jesus, who rules with self-giving love”. In this family, the husband is subject to Christ and is to love his wife as Christ loves us (see Ephesians 5:25), giving himself for her. The wife trusts her husband to become responsible for her well-being. The children are called to maturity and respect while being raised with patience and understanding. Fee and Stuart remind us that Paul’s instructions regarding Christian behavior in chapter three of Colossians “are not directed toward individual piety, but toward life in the Christian community, the basic expression of which is the Christian household” (363). 

As we hear of and experience societal pressures against the traditional nuclear family, we recognize these as attacks by the forces of evil on what God has ordained to be the heart of society. The family is to be based on Christ and His nurturing relationship with humanity and the church, His body, rather than being a product of secular society and its culture. In contrast to secular culture, the Christian community is to modelled after God’s ideal for the family, held together by love, beautified by compassion, humility, forgiveness, and the gifts of the Spirit, and spreading outward to encircle those who would benefit by joining this community.

IV. Summary Statements

“What an important part of the biblical story this letter is, by its exaltation of Christ and by reminding us that behavior counts for something—but only as a reflections of Christ’s own character and redemption.” (Fee and Stuart 363)

The message of the letter is well understood by noting each time Christ is mentioned. In Paul’s reports of his prayers and work, it is Christ who is discussed and praised (1:3—2:5). When Paul deals with the threatening heresy, his central worry is that believers will be drawn away from Christ (2:6–23). Paul discusses the heresy briefly, but uses more words talking about Jesus as the defining Person, “the head over every power and authority” (2:10). When, in the final two chapters, Paul concentrates on offering pastoral counsel, Christ remains central (3:1—4:6). Even in his conclusion, offering instructions and exchanging greetings, Paul cannot help but mention Christ again and again (4:7–18). The role and importance of Christ constitute the central theme of the letter. God has acted in Christ to redeem the believers. Christ is the active agent of both creation and redemption (1:15–20). All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are to be found in Him (2:3). As we study the letter, we must never lose sight of this theme: Colossians is all about Jesus.” (Andrews Study Bible 1541)

“In contrast to the false teachers’ interest in a variety of powers, Paul sets forth Jesus Christ as the risen, ascended, and coronated Lord of all to whom every power owes allegiance. Paul argues that true Christian faith must be judged by its relationship to Jesus: Is He all that He should be? Is He regarded as both Creator and Redeemer? Additionally, given all His cosmic significance, Christians are not to worship Jesus from afar. Instead, they are invited to personally participate in Christ and to acknowledge their identity as being bound up with His, as can be seen in how frequently the phrase “in Christ” is used in the letter.” (Andrews Bible Commentary 1741).

“In the letter to the Colossians, Paul is inviting us to see that no part of human existence remains untouched by the loving and liberating rule of the risen Jesus. Our suffering, our temptation to compromise, our moral character, the power dynamics in our homes – all of it must be re-examined and transformed. We are invited to live in the present as if the new creation really arrived when Jesus rose from the dead.” (The Bible Project)

V. Outline

Part 1: Greeting (1:1–2)

Part 2: God’s salvation offered to the believers at Colossae (1:3—2:5)

A. Paul’s thanksgiving and prayers for them (1:3–12)

B. God’s action in Christ to redeem them (1:13–23)

C. Paul’s work on their behalf (1:24—2:5)

Part 3: Counsel for the believers (2:6—4:6)

A. Continue to live as one was taught (2:6–7)

B. Warning concerning false teachings and teachers (2:8–23)

C. The old self and the new self (3:1–17)

D. Rues for the Christian household (3:18—4:1)

E. concluding exhortations (4:2–6)

Part 4: Farewell (4:7–18)

References:

Andrews Bible Commentary

Andrews Study Bible, New International Version

Fee, Gordon D. and Douglas Stuart, “How to Read the Bible Book by Book.”

The Bible Project, “Colossians.”

The Old Testament

The first 39 books of the Bible

A testament is a statement of belief. If one thing is a testament to another, it shows that the other thing exists or is true. The two Testaments of the Bible show that God exists and tell us what He has done and what He is like. The Old Testament sets up the story, beginning with the creation of the world. The New Testament is the conclusion, revealing Jesus as the Savior of the world that He created. The Old Testament is the story of a people, God’s chosen nation of Israel, and contains sacred scriptures of the Jewish and Christian faiths. The New Testament focus is on a person, the eternal Son of God, who came to save His people from their sins, and is also sacred to the Christian faith. The Old Testament shows the wrath of God against sin, with glimpses of His grace; The New Testament shows the grace of God toward sinners, with glimpses of His wrath. The Old Testament contains many prophecies that are fulfilled in the New Testament. The last events of the Old Testament, other than the later fulfillment of its prophecies, took place about 500 years before the events leading up to the birth of Jesus that begin the New Testament. Together, the Old Testament and the New Testament make up the Holy Bible.