In: Psychology
Define and describe the major literary forms (genres) contained in the New Testament.
The Bible is a collection of books. The New Testament talks about the life of Jesus Christ during his lifespan and of his followers after his death. They are divided into four genres the gospels, historical, letters, and apocalyptic - based on their author and subject matter. The first genre, the gospels, is evident in the first four books of the Bible. They give an account of the life of Jesus Christ. The gospels comprise subjective perspectives on the life of Jesus. Other books, for instance, the book of Acts with Luke’s historical account of the church and its activities during early Christianity, are considered historical texts. Other books were letters or epistles, the most prominent being Paul’s letters, pertaining to issues of conduct or sin within the Church, or praise. Another genre comprises the apocalyptic writings regarding the end of days. For instance, the book of revelations tells of trying to understand God’s role in humanity and how through human loyalty, obedience and suffering, God will redeem his people (Harris, 2014). It could be said that there is something for everyone in the New Testament. Scholars have spent a millennium chronicling and interpreting the books of the Bible. So, it goes to say, that there are ways to reference and parallel actions of today with those of Jesus in his time
References Harris, S. L. (2014). The New Testament: A Student's Introduction (8th ed.). Retrieved from https://www.betheluniversityonline.net/cps/default.aspx?SectionID=5037&tabid=154#1