Titus

http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/Titus110109.pdf?attredirects=0

Jonah

http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/Jonah.pdf?attredirects=0

1st and 2nd Peter

http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/1%262Peter.pdf?attredirects=0

Jude

PDF File: http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/Jude101809.pdf?attredirects=0

II Samuel

PDF File: http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/SamuelII.pdf?attredirects=0

First Samuel

PDF File: http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/Samuel.pdf?attredirects=0

Written by whom?
Unknown – Jewish tradition states that the prophet Samuel wrote the 1st 24 chapters and that the prophets Nathan and Gad finished the book. Since 1st and 2nd Samuel exceeds the lifespan of Samuel, it must have been finished by someone other than him.

Written when and where?
Sections written by Samuel – as early as 1050 BC; final compilation probably around 930 BC in the capitol city of Jerusalem

Written to whom?
To the Jewish people

What form?
1st and 2nd Samuel was originally one scroll, but was split into two books by translators in the 15th century AD. It’s a narrative form with a few sections of poetry (the song of Hannah and the song of David)

What’s it about?
The transition from Judges (Samuel was the last judge) to Monarchy (Saul and David the first kings of the Israelites)

Written for what purpose?
To record the history of the Jewish people and the first kings – to capture the transition from Theocracy to Theocratic Monarchy

Gospel of John

PDF File: http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/GospelofJohn.pdf?attredirects=0

Written by whom?
Almost certainly the Apostle John, though the writer never identifies himself. We know the writer was Jewish (he knows all the Jewish customs and the layout of Jerusalem prior to it’s destruction), he was a disciple, a member of Jesus’ inner circle, was present at the last supper and was entrusted to care for Christ’s mother Mary - and was not Peter. Every early Christian writer says it was written by John the Disciple.

Written when and where?
85-90 AD – when John was very old but still active - the last of the original twelve still alive.

Written to whom?
To Non-Jewish (Gentile) Christians

What form?
A narrative about certain extremely significant times with Jesus – but not meant to be a complete biography. It is a very structured book designed to engender belief in the reader. Seven miracles are listed specifically to illustrate attributes of Christ. Seven “I Am” statements are listed to illustrate that Jesus is God.

What’s it about?
Belief in Jesus who was the Son of God - the “Word”

Written for what purpose?
“These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (20:31)

1st and 2nd Timothy

PDF File:
http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/TimothyI,II-2007.pdf?attredirects=0

1.Written by whom?

The Apostle Paul. Early tradition says so as well as the letteritself in verse one of chapter one

2.Written when and where?

Probably between 63-65 AD, before his final imprisonment in Rome

3.Written to whom?

To his protégé, a young pastor named Timothy who Paul had left in charge of the church in Ephesus.

4.What form?

A letter to a friend and student.

5.What’s it about?

Encouragement for Timothy, giving him advice on how to care for the Ephesian church.

6.Written for what purpose?

To spur Timothy on to develop his abilities, to fight against false teachings, to give advice on how to appoint qualified church leaders. Timothy had a big problem in his church –there were competing philosophies creeping into his church -a three-way combination heresy that was equal parts of:
Gnosticism: Spirit = Good, Matter = Evil, Christ was a spirit (not human). Escape from the body (evil) is what saves, not Christ. Since the body is bad, immoral behavior doesn’t make it any worse
Decadent Judaism: ignorant teaching of Jewish laws, mythology, genealogies
Asceticism: the body is bad and must be neglected or mistreated to elevate the spirit

JUDGES

The Rise and Fall of God's People

PDF File:
http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/JudgesApril2007.pdf?attredirects=0

1.Written by whom?
•Traditionally, it’s thought that Samuel wrote the book. However, the authorship is actually uncertain. It is possible that Samuel assembled some of the accounts, and that some prophets associated with David’s court actually shaped and edited the material.
2.Written when and where?
•While it is hard to tell exactly when, it was clearly after the monarchy had been established. We can tell because of some of the phrases used, such as “In those days, Israel had no king”. There is also an observation that the Jebusites still controlled Jerusalem, so it would have been before David captured the city. This puts the timing around 1000 BC.
3.Written to whom?
•Judges appears to have been written as a history and a warning to the people of Israel in general.
4.What form?
•There are three main sections: The prologue, the main body and an epilogue. Within these sections, the prologue addresses the occupation of the promised land and a summary of the Lord’s dealings with his people. The main body is actually several cycles, each showing the sin of the people, the consequences of this sin, the distress and repentance of the people and God’s deliverance. The epilogue tells the story of two tribes and how they abandoned the nation of Israel, with the consequences this kind of abandonment incurred.
5.What’s it about?
•The book of Judges is an overview of the life of Israel in the promised land from the death of Joshua to the rise of the monarchy. On one hand, it is the story of how often they fell away from God, bringing about God’s punishment. On the other hand, it shows how God responded to their repentance (when they finally realized what they had done) by raising up leaders—the judges—to bring them back to faithfulness.
6.Written for what purpose?
•To show the importance—the absolute necessity—of acknowledging God’s lordship over Israel, and their obligation to obey him and follow his leading.

EXODUS

PDF Files:
http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/Exodus.pdf?attredirects=0

Info on the book of Exodus:
Who:
The book has several references to Moses as the author of several of the sections. Other books in the Old Testament associate Moses with the writings in this book. Also, the NT writers support Moses as the writer.
When and Where:
The book itself doesn’t give a lot of information that can be directly linked to Egyptian history. Most conservative scholars use the dates of 1580-1321 BC, during the Eighteenth Dynasty. There is no indication where it was written, but it seems possible that the stories were written during the 40 years of wandering.
To whom:
To the Hebrew people.
What form:
Historical narrative.
What’s it about:
How God reveals his name, his attributes, his redemption, his law and how he is to be worshipped.For what purpose: To help the Israelites learn and remember their history. Also, to teach God’s plan for redemption, how he wanted his people to live, and the importance of worship.

The Book of Hebrews

http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/Hebrews_Part_1.pdf?attredirects=0

1.Written by whom?There is no real agreement among scholars about who authored Hebrews. The main contenders are:A. The apostle Paul (written in Hebrew, translated into Greek by Luke)B. Barnabas (he was a Levite, and knew Timothy)The writer was very knowledgeable about Jewish rituals, including sacrifices.
2.Written when and where?•While there are no clues about where it was written, chapter 13, verse 24 says “Those from Italy send you their greetings”, so possibly there were some Italian believers present with the writer. It must have been written before AD70, because there is no mention of the fall of Jerusalem. Also, the author consistently uses the present tense when speaking of the temple activities.
3.Written to whom?•No specific group of people is mentioned. However, it was probably Jewish converts living in Rome.4.What form?•It is not a letter in the usual way letters were written. Some commentaries suggest that this book might have been a sermon, either preached earlier and written down or one being written just for his readers.5.What’s it about?•The theme of Hebrews is Jesus, and is to show that he is absolutely supreme, and that he is all that is needed for salvation. Believers must stick with what they know is true and persist in their faithfulness. The writer makes it clear: Jesus is better, in all ways, in all things.6.Written for what purpose?•It is possible that the Christians were considering merging with a Jewish cult, or were being tempted to revert back to Judaism, or to Judaize the gospel. The writer told them that there was no turning back, no continuation of the old Jewish system.

II Thessalonians Study

Paul wrote II Thessalonians about 6 months after I Thessalonians – It was an update letter to let them know how proud he was, to encourage them and to give them more details on what he saw coming.

PDF File for the Study on II Thessalonians:

http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/Second_Thess_Slides.pdf?attredirects=0

I Thessalonians Study

Paul was writing to the Thessalonian Christians:
- To encourage them
- To head off some troubling words he had gotten about them
- To tell them about the Lord's return

Some Facts about the City of Thessalonica:
- Capital of Macedonia
- It was a Free City (Romans allowed it to rule itself)
- Paul visited it on his second missionary journey
- The Jews in Thessalonica were very hostile and Paul finally left

PDF File for the Study on First Thessalonians:

http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/First_Thess_Slides.pdf?attredirects=0

Colossians Study

Colossians was written by Paul the Apostle from prison (house arrest) during the beginning of his first imprisonment in Rome 61 A.D.
- Paul was under arrest for two years in Rome with a 24 hour guard (Acts 28:16,30) and was then probably released due to his accusers having a weak case against him

Colossians was written to the Christians at the church in Colossae
- Paul had never been there and had not met many of the Christians there – this was written to nip a heresy in the bud
The letter is about: Christ is God. He is divine and before all of creation.

The letter was written
- To counteract some powerful and dangerous teachings
- To proclaim Jesus Christ as the source of all – the power behind all creation
- To urge Christians to reject any teaching that lowers Christ

PDF File for the Study on Colossians:

http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/Colossians_Slides.pdf?attredirects=0

Philippians Study

Philippians was written by Paul the Apostle - from prison (house arrest) during his first imprisonment in Rome 61 A.D.

It was written to the Christians at the church in Philippi (the church there was established in 50 A.D. – was probably the best organized of all of the early churches because they already had elders and deacons by the time Paul wrote this letter)

The letter was written:
- To thank the Philippians for their gifts
- To give a report on his circumstances in prison
- To encourage them to live lives of Joy and Faith in adversity
- To encourage them to practice unity and humility
- To warn against those that would force Jewish customs on Gentile Christians (Judaizers)
- To warn against those that say you can live however you like (Libertines or Antinomians)

PDF File for the Study on Philippians:

http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/Philippians_Slides.pdf?attredirects=0

Romans Study

Romans was written by Paul the Apostle (the author of twelve other books of the New Testament). It was written during his third missionary journey between 55-57 A.D.
From the country of Greece in or near the city of Corinth.

It was written to the Christians at the church in Rome (the capital of the Roman empire).

Romans is about
- What the gospel (the good news) is
- What God’s plan of salvation is
- How God makes all people (both Jew and Gentile) right with Him
- How Faith works in God’s plan

Romans was written
- To prepare the Christians in Rome for his coming (he intended to visit – he didn’t know he would arrive as a prisoner on his way to stand trial before Nero Caesar)
- To tell the Christians there about the Gospel and God’s plan of salvation
- To explain how Jews and Gentiles were all part of God’s plan now

PDF File for the Study on Romans:

http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/Romans.pdf?attredirects=0