introduction to the writings ofthe New Testament

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1、CopyrightedMaterialAugsburgFortressPublishersIntroductionthisbookservesasanintroductiontothewritingsoftheNewTestament(NT).ItssubjectisasetofwritingsordinarilyfoundwithanothercollectioninthelargeanthologycalledtheBible.Thesewritingscametobirthinaspecifictim

2、eandplaceandweregeneratedbyspecificcauses.Itmayseemoddtothinkofthe“birth”ofliter-ature,butthewordisareminderthatwhatthereadernowmeetsasanancienttextbeganasalivingexpressionoflivingexperience,andenteredtheworldwithastillvis-ibleparentage.Thetwenty-sevencomp

3、ositionsintheNTarenot,atfirstsight,terriblyimpressive.TherearefournarrativesaboutJesuscalled“Gospels,”andoneabouthisfollowersentitled“TheActsoftheApostles,”someoccasionalcorrespondencebyoneapostle(Paul),ahandfuloflettersbyothermoreorlessanonymousleaders,an

4、dastrangeapocalypticvision.Theyclaimnogreatliterarymerit.Nonedirectlyclaimsinspirationforitself.Buttheirimpacthasbeendisproportionatetotheirsizeorclaims.FortwothousandyearstheyhavebeenregardedbymuchofthewesternworldasinspiredbyGod,partofarevelationthatwas

5、recognizedasthedefinitivenormbywhichlife’smeaningistobemeasured.Suchdisparitybetweencauseandeffectjustifiesthestudyofthesespecificwritingsanddemandsthatfundamentalquestionsbeputtothem.Itissurprisingthatsuchquestionsaresoseldomexplicitlyasked.Thefirstquestioni

6、swhythesewritingsshouldexistatall.Thequestionofsheerexistenceisonenaturaltopoetsandphilosophers,whofirstallowthemselvestobestunnedbytherealizationthattherearesuchthingsastreesandflowersbeforetheytrytodescribeandexplainthem.Theexistentialquestionpertainstoth

7、eNTinafairlyobviousway.Itisnotatallnecessarythatreligiousmovementsproducewritings,stilllessthattheyinashortperiodoftimecertifythosewritingsassacredtexts.Noteveryfailedmessianicfiguregeneratesaliteraturethatinsistsheisstillalive,andapparentlymakesthisabsurd

8、claimplausibletoothers.Notallcommunitiesexpectingtheimmi-nentendoftheworldproducedocumentsremarkablyunconcernedwithtimetablesfordemolitionandmoreconcernedwithinterpretingthepastthanpredictingthefuture.Theproductiono