VATICAN 1972 - International Year of the Book

Anno internazionale del libro

30L             S.Matteo, Vangelo - St. Matthew, Gospel

50L             S.Luca, Vangelo - St. Luke, the Gospel

90L             S.Giovanni, seconda lettera - St. John, the second letter

100L           S.Giovanni, Apocalisse - St. John, Revelation

130L           Lettera di S.Paolo - Letter of St. Paul

infos:

a)The Gospel of Matthew is the opening book of the New Testament of the Bible, and the first of the Four Gospels.

The Gospel of Matthew is especially important for it is one of the two Gospels originally written by an Apostle (the other being the Gospel of John). The Gospel of Matthew was possibly written in Antioch, an early home of Christianity. Indeed the followers of Jesus were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26). 

Matthew's Gospel is directed to an audience steeped in Hebrew tradition. The Gospel of Matthew stressed that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold in Hebrew Scripture, our Old Testament, and that the Kingdom of the Messiah is the Kingdom of Heaven. He was named "Jesus because he will save his people from their sins" (1:21). The name Yeshua - in Hebrew יֵשׁוּאַ - means "the Lord saves." Jesus is called the Son of David nine times in the Gospel of Matthew. Just as the twelve sons of Jacob were the origin of the twelve tribes of Israel, Jesus as the Messiah chose Twelve Apostles to inaugurate the Kingdom of Heaven. 

 The Gospel begins with the geneology of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham (1:1). Matthew names five women in the Geneology: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, the wife of Uriah (Bathsheba), and Mary, the mother of Jesus. The genealogy regularly notes the male who fathers a child, but Matthew delivers an exact statement when he reaches Joseph, "the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born." The relative pronoun "of whom" in Greek is ῆς, which clearly refers to Mary, for it is specific to the feminine gender! And the passive voice of the verb ἐγεννήθη - "was born" - is the only passive among the forty occurrences of γεννάω in the genealogy, which prepares the way for the divine conception and natural birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, in 1:18-25. 

St. Matthew records five major speeches of Christ Jesus: the Sermon on the Mount (5-7); the Apostolic Discourse (10); the Parables (13); the Discourse on the Church (18); and his eschatological speech on the End Times (24-25). The Catholic Church references Matthew 16:18-19 for Peter's leadership role in the Church of Jesus Christ. The name Peter in 16:18 is the same as the word for rock - כֵּיפָא - kepha in Aramaic. The 'keys to the kingdom of heaven' in 16:19 recalls Isaiah 22:15-25 and indicates the rite of succession to the Steward of the Kingdom.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels, as they follow a similar pattern in describing the Life of Jesus and his teachings. Characteristic of all three are the Parables of Jesus. Matthew relates ten Parables on the Kingdom of Heaven, seven of which occur in Chapter 13 and are central to his Gospel. 

b)Luke was born in Antioch and was one of the earliest converts to Christianity. St. Luke, well-educated in classical Greek and noted for his literary talent, wrote this Gospel and a sequel, the Acts of the Apostles. Luke is unique in that he was the only Gentile to compose a New Testament Book. Luke was a physician (Colossians 4:10-14) and accompanied Paul on three of four journeys as described in Acts (the "we" passages from Acts 16:1 to Acts 28:16). 

It is believed that the date of composition of Luke's Gospel was before 70 AD. According to the introduction of Acts, the Gospel of Luke was written first. It is noted that the Acts of the Apostles ends abruptly with St. Paul under house arrest around 62 AD, with no mention of his trial or his subsequent activities; he does not mention the Roman persecution of Christians in the mid 60s, nor the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, the leading figures in Acts. And there is no mention of the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.

Luke believed that the message of Jesus Christ was universal for all of mankind, applying to more than just Jew and Gentile. His Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles were key to the mission and history of the early Church.

The first two chapters of Luke are known as the Infancy Narrative, for it is the only Gospel to describe in great detail the conception and childhood of Jesus, often through the eyes of his mother Mary. The only time that Jesus speaks as a child in the New Testament is recorded in Luke's Gospel (2:49). Several of our Marian beliefs are based on the Infancy Narrative of Luke. The Gospel is the only one to include the Parables of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), the Prodigal Son (15:11-32), and Lazarus and the Rich Man (16:19-31). Luke is the only one to describe the appearance of Jesus on the Road to Emmaus (24:13-35).

Luke places great emphasis on prayer. The noun for prayer - προσευχή and the verb I pray - προσεύχομαι occur 43 times in his writings. Luke portrays Jesus as one who prays. He considers prayer to be among the more important elements of discipleship. Luke shows that prayer is the means by which God has guided his people throughout history.

The concepts of discipleship and mission in Luke are conveyed through the verbs I send out - ἀποστέλλω and I follow - ἀκολουθέω. To be sent by God means to execute a prophetic mission. Discipleship in Luke and the Acts of the Apostles often takes the form of a journey. The Gospel of Luke is considered one of the three Synoptic Gospels, as the three describe the life of Jesus, and Luke appears to share some material with the Gospels of Matthew and Mark.

The climax of Luke's narrative Gospel occurs in Luke 24:44-49, where Luke gives a Christologic sense to Isaiah's suffering servant, as Jesus comments that the "Messiah must suffer," and then commissions the Apostles to preach the Word to all nations, and promises the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The following Scripture is from the Revised Standard Version, and the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible, now in the public domain. Chapters 1-3 are from the Revised Standard Version, and Chapters 4-24 are from the original King James Bible. Permission to publish Scripture quotations from the Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible (copyright 1946, 1952, and 1971), has been granted by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ. Used by permission. All rights reserved. King James l commissioned a group of Biblical scholars in 1604 to establish an authoritative translation of the Bible from the ancient languages and other translations at the time, and the work was completed in 1611. The original King James Bible included the Apocrypha but in a separate section. A literary masterpiece of the English language, the original King James Bible is still in use today.
c)The Second Letter of John is one of seven catholic or universal letters of the New Testament of the Bible, along with the Letters of James, the First and Second Letters of St. Peter, the First and Third Letters of John, and Jude. These letters are so called because they are addressed to the universal Church in general, and not to a specific community such as, for example, the Philippians. 
The Second Letter of St. John is similar in style and content as the Gospel of John and 1st John, which attests to its authenticity. 3rd John shows the inner workings of the Church during its difficult beginning.

The term "elect lady" refers to a specific Church community. John, "the ancient," encourages the members of the church community to show their Christianity by adhering to the commandment of mutual love and the historical truth about Jesus, namely, that He is the Word made Flesh.

As First John, he calls those who do not acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh "the deceitful one and the antichrist (2 John 7)."

d)The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians follows his Letter to the Romans in the New Testament of the Bible. 

St. Paul established a Christian community in Corinth, a seaport in Greece, about the year 51 AD, on his second missionary journey from Antioch, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles (15:36-18:22). While Paul was on his third journey (Acts 19:1-20), he learned that the community had become divided , as members began identifying themselves with different religious leaders. Thus this letter, written in about 56 AD, opens with a plea for Christian unity, and is written in response to various issues raised by the Corinthians. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians provides us with the best insight into the church life of an early Christian community in the middle of the first century AD. Paul wrote the Second Letter to the Corinthians, again in response to issues that arose with time.

The First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians is one of the most quoted of his Epistles, and, and in fact, one of the most quoted books of the Bible, particularly the passage on love. The book is rich in content, as it includes key passages on the Eucharist (Chapter 11), the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit (Chapter 12), on love (Chapter 13), and on the Resurrection of the Body (Chapter 15). In addition, 1 Corinthians 1:18 speaks of the message of the cross; 2:10 on the relation of God and the Holy Spirit; 3:8 on labor and wages, and 3:11-15 is considered a reference for the existence of Purgatory. In I Corinthians 6:19 Paul calls our bodies temples of the Holy Spirit, and in 8:6 he expresses an essential tenet of our Christian faith. One of the more comforting quotes is 10:13, which assures us that God will not let us be tested beyond our strength.