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Charting the New Testament

John W. Welch and John F. Hall, Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research & Mormon Studies (FARMS), 8.5x11" softbound, 2002. ISBN: 0934893640

This new book offers a world of information about the New Testament and its background. Charting the New Testament contains scores of charts, tables, and graphs, each with in-depth explanation and introductory material in a reader-friendly format. Covering a wide array of topics -- from the ancient jewish setting of the new Testament and the world of the Greeks and Romans in which the activities of Jesus and his apostles took place to detailed analysis of the scriptural text itself -- the book offers an extensive overview of matters doctrinal, literary, and historical. A companion volume to Charting the Book of Mormon, this handy resource is designed with both the student and the teacher in mind.

Review Excerpt:

"The short form of this review is as follows:

Buy this book!

I suspect you want a bit more...

Charting the New Testament follows Charting the Book of Mormon as a large volume of study aids for students and teachers of the scriptures. When I first saw the Book of Mormon volume, I thought it was enormously helpful and has a place in my permanent library. The New Testament volume surpasses the earlier effort and is highly recommended.

Scripture study, as a rule, has been something of a linear practice in official Church publications. The presentation is familiar -- cite the scripture, tell us what the General Authorities have had to say about it, then apply it to our daily lives. Quite apart from the desireablity of this approach is the limited appeal it has to serious scripture scholars. A more analytic approach often yields added insights and opportunities for growth.

Charting the New Testament offers this very approach (much as the Book of Mormon volume did for that work of scripture). A few random examples should suffice.

One chart is titled "Witnesses to the Resurrection." The chart lists their names, and then in columns, the appropriate scriptural reference, the day or time of the witness, the place of the witness, what transpired, and other items of interest.

An entire section details "Jewish Cultural and Literary Backgrounds," essential for understanding the New Testament documents in their own cultural setting. Included is a very helpful chart comparing and contrasting the beliefs of the three main Jewish sects mentioned in the New Testament -- the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. This is followed by a section filled with information new to me -- "Legal Views of the Pharisees and Sadducees." What did they believe about capital punishment? What were their beliefs about the angels, about fate? This is an excellent summary of this topic.

We all know that heavenly beings appeared often in the New Testament. But can you name *all* of these appearances? This book lays it out for you, giving scripture references and other details of the visitations.

"The Lives of Joseph and Jesus" is a terrific addition to this volume. Here we have analyzed the parallels between the two men, showing an amazing congruence that is worthy of study.

And moving beyond the New Testament period, we have a comparative chart of the historic creeds of the Christian Church. You can easily compare the creeds and see how the different ideas are expressed therein.

Enough of the detail. A few words about the general approach.

First, let's say this. Given the time, money and motivation, you could probably save the twenty five bucks and flesh this out by yourself. You could probably also spend the next few years designing handouts for your classes with that information.

Or, you could buy this book. You can reproduce any of the charts for teaching purposes, giving you a tremendous leg up on the task of producing interesting and innovative lessons.

And that, I think, is the key. The Church has always been faithful in its production of lesson manuals for the various teaching levels. Those who observe such things cannot help but notice that the manuals are getting smaller. More is being left up to the teacher to make the lesson interesting and provocative. This isn't always an easy task.

Charting the New Testament injects into the teaching curriculum an exciting, and in my opinion unmissable, addition to the resources available to educators. And it is presented in a concise, easily-understood format that will appeal to teachers and students alike.

Another thought -- I found myself thinking how much non-Mormon Bible students and teachers would appreciate this book. There is some Mormon content -- for example, a study of Joseph Smith's understanding of Revelation as contained in the D&C -- but the vast majority of the book is solidly biblicist. I hereby declare this book to be an excellent Christmas gift for non-member friends who are Bible believers!

I can't wait to see the Old Testament volume; I can only assume one is forthcoming.

I highly recommend this book. All teachers and students of the scriptures will find something to celebrate in this series." --Jeffrey Needle, Reviewer, The Association of Mormon Letters

John W. Welch, professor of law, and John F. Hall, professor of classical languages and ancient history, teach courses about the New Testament at BYU. They serve on the board of the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts and direct the FARMS Early Christianity Initiative.

Title: Charting the New Testament

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