Glossary

Testament (New)

1)     The Christian collection of sacred writings which have become recognised as being necessary for understanding the Christian faith. Originally these documents were not regarded as scripture. The first Christians only recognised the Old Testament as their scriptures. By the second century when the break with Judaism was complete these books were considered as ‘canonical’ in the same way as the Hebrew scripture. The New Testament is written in Greek by a number of authors, the most prolific being Luke and Paul. Jesus himself wrote nothing but he is the inspiration for everything that is written in the New Testament, which is a testimony to the centrality of faith in Christ as Lord.

Testament (Old)

1)     The Hebrew scriptures, commonly known as the Old Testament is that collection of books written in Hebrew which the Christian Church shares with the Synagogue. Traditionally it is divided into three parts, the first five books known as the ‘Law’, the Prophets which include most of the historical books and the ‘Writings’ which are books of a later date. Like the New Testament these writings are regarded as sacred and are often described as the ‘Word of God’ communicated through the words of inspired men and women.

2 Terms with 2 Definitions