Embedded Files
1) Keeping alive the memory of Jesus: the disciples, the Gospels, and Letters of Paul
Jesus did not write down his teachings.
His disciples told the story of Jesus to the peoples of the Roman Empire, based on their memories of him.
During the 1st century, the Apostles wrote down these memories, which became the New Testament.
The New Testament
The New Testament has 27 books.
These books were added to books accepted by Judaism (The Tanakh) to become the Christian Bible.
The Gospels
The Gospels are stories of faith.
Each Gospel writer wrote about Jesus from a different perspective.
The Church accepted four gospels as authentic accounts of Jesus, even though each tells the story differently.
The Letters of Paul
Paul’s 13 Letters were written in the 50s CE, before the Gospels.
Paul was born as Saul of Tarsus in Asia Minor.
Saul came to Jerusalem to study Torah because, as a Pharisee, he was interested in Jewish law.
He heard about Jesus there, but never knew Jesus personally.
He found the Christian proclamation of the crucified Jesus as the Messiah offensive.
On his way to arrest Jesus’ followers in Damascus, he was surrounded by a light.
The Lord spoke to him, and Saul realized Jesus was the Lord.
Blinded by the light, he was brought to Damascus, where he was baptized and regained his sight.
Years later, Saul (known as Paul) visited Peter and James and began a life of preaching the Gospel to non-Jews.
Paul wrote letters to various churches he visited, and the letters became part of the New Testament.
Paul was martyred around 64 CE.
Page updated
Report abuse