Outline

I. Key topics/themes

1. General epistles portray God's revelation through Jesus as final and complete
2. Hebrews: Jesus as eternal High Priest is our mediator with God
3. Believers now to adhere to high standard of conduct

II. Introduction

1. Addressed to Christians in general and not individual congregations
2. The seven catholic (universal) epistles
1. James
2. 1 and 2 Peter
3. 1, 2, and 3 John
4. Jude

III. Authors and dates

1. Attributed to prominent Jerusalem apostles
2. Most were last books into New Testament canon

IV. The Book of Hebrews

1. Skillful weaving together of Jewish and Greek philosophical concepts
2. Interprets Jesus and Hebrew Bible using Platonic philosophy
3. Jesus as heavenly High Priest interceding for humans
4. Authorship and date
1. Once attributed to Paul
2. Author unknown

5. The writer's methods of interpretation
1. Use of Hellenistic-Jewish methods of biblical interpretation known at Alexandria
2. Resembles use of scripture in Philo of Alexandria
3. Hebrew Bible understood typologically: refers to Jesus
4. Importance of Melchizedek to author's argument

6. Purpose and organization
7. Christ's superiority to all other beings (1:5-4:16)
1. Jesus the agent of God's creative purpose
2. Jesus perfected through suffering
3. Jesus greater than Moses

7. Christ--a priest like Melchizedek (5:1-10:39)

8. Exhortation to remain faithful (11:1-13:16)
1. God's redemptive work through Christ is absolutely final
2. Faith: hopeful confidence in the reality of the unseen heavenly realities
3. Christians must maintain faith while awaiting the Day of Judgment

V. James

1. Addressed to "Twelve Tribes" of the Dispersion
2. James the brother of Jesus as the ostensible author
3. Affinities with wisdom literature of Hebrew Bible
4. Form and organization
5. Recipients and date
1. Jewish Christian congregations with both rich and poor
2. Date: likely late first century

6. Trials and temptations (1:2-27)
1. Insight granted to those who pray single-mindedly
2. Sin the source of human temptation
3. Religion defined as social generosity and personal uprightness

7. Respect for the poor (2:1-13)
1. The need to accept the poor into the Christian community
2. Concept bolstered by appeal to the Jewish Torah

8. Faith lives only through good works (2:14-26)
1. Faith without works is "dead"
2. Some see this view as rejection of Paul's notion of justification by faith
3. Other scholars: an attack on the misuse of Paul's concept of justification by faith

9. Controlling the tongue (3:1-12) as an essential component in Christian morality
10. Warnings against ambition and exploitation of the poor (4:1-5:6)
1. The New Testament's most severe attack on wealth and the wealthy
2. God will judge those who economically murder the poor

VI. 1 Peter

1. Authorship and date
1. Some scholars consider book to be authentically from Peter
2. Problems with claims of book's authenticity
3. Problems of authorship and date related
4. Scholars defending Petrine authorship: ca. 60 C.E.
5. Other scholars: early second century, at least after 70 C.E.

2. Purpose and organization
1. Readers are to live uprightly so that pagans will have no occasion to criticize
2. Sometimes seen as a baptismal sermon

3. The privileges and values of the Christian calling (1:3-2:10)
1. Christians are a "chosen race" called out by God
2. Salvation available only to those who remain faithful, even if persecution comes

4. The obligations and responsibilities of Christian life (2:11-4:11)
1. Advocates peaceful submission to governmental authorities
2. Reference to Christ's posthumous preaching in the Underworld

5. The ethical meaning of suffering as a Christian (4:12-5:11)
1. Christians should expect and accept suffering for their faith
2. All should remain vigilant to resist the devil

VII. Jude

1. A tract denouncing unnamed heretics
2. Advocates defense of doctrinal orthodoxy
3. Authorship and date
1. Ostensible author: Jude the brother of Jesus
2. Actually pseudonymous
3. Suggested date: 100-125 C.E.

4. Style and content
1. Invective: argument consisting of verbal abuse and insult
2. Little information on theology of opponents

5. Apocalyptic judgment

VIII. 2 Peter

1. Authorship and date
1. Pseudonymous
2. Author claims Peter's identity
3. Writing indicates time when church had given up on apostolic teachings about the Parousia
4. Refers to Paul's letters as "scripture"
5. Authenticity of book doubted in early church
6. Composed ca. 100-150 C.E.

2. Organization and purpose
3. The delayed Parousia
1. Skeptics should remember what happened in Noah's day
2. World to end in a fiery catastrophe
3. A "new heavens and a new earth" will replace the old
4. Peter's theodicy: Day of judgment tarries so people will have opportunity to repent
5. Refers to Paul's letters as "scripture"

4. Letters from the Johannine community

IX. The Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles)

1. Valuable source for knowledge about forms of worship in early church
2. May have been written in Antioch
3. Contents

X. Summary

1. An anthology of miscellaneous Christian writings
2. Documents attributed to various leaders in Jerusalem church
1. Johannine letters
2. 1 and 2 Peter
3. James

3. Interests
1. Defense of church order
2. Defense of various theological positions
3. Defense of traditional eschatology