Psalm 45 Publications

Author: the apostle Matthew (Levi)
Place of writing: possibly the city of Syrian Antioch
Time of writing: unknown: perhaps between 60 and 65 A.D.

Although it is very difficult to determine the precise time and place in which Matthew wrote his gospel, it is most likely that he composed it for an audience of Greek-speaking Jewish believers in Christ, living in Syrian Antioch, some thirty years after Jesus’ death and resurrection. This would explain Matthew’s style of writing, and his emphasis on proving that the Church is not altogether different from the Jewish religion, but is instead the very fulfillment of the Jewish scriptures and prophecies. There is, therefore, perhaps no better book to turn to for an understanding of the relationship between the Old and New Testament scriptures, and the central position that Jesus the Messiah occupies in the history of God’s people, throughout all of time. Continue Reading

Author: John Mark, in association with the apostle Peter
Place of writing: likely the city of Rome
Time of writing: unknown: perhaps between 60 and 65 A.D.

John Mark, who recorded this gospel account, was a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul, who had at one time fallen out of his favor, but was later received by him again as a trusted co-worker (see Acts 15:36-39; Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11). Mark eventually moved to Rome, to help the apostle Peter in his ministry to the Roman church. There, he compiled and recorded Peter’s accounts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in what we have today as the most concise and fast-paced narrative of Jesus’ life and ministry, the Gospel according to Mark. Continue Reading

Author: Luke, physician and traveling companion of the apostle Paul
Place of writing: unknown
Time of writing: unknown: perhaps 58-62 A.D.

Luke, the author of this gospel account, was a faithful traveling companion and co-worker of the apostle Paul, who remained with him even when everyone else had deserted him (cf. 2 Timothy 4:9-11); he was also a very well-educated medical doctor (cf. Colossians 4:14), and likely a Gentile by birth. Luke was very careful in compiling his data, and diligently researched every account, collecting many eye-witness testimonies, before he composed the most extensive and comprehensive gospel narrative that we possess. It is likely that Theophilus, a wealthy gentleman, financed Luke’s research and writing, and oversaw the distribution of the completed work. This was a common practice in the first-century Roman world, and would explain Luke’s dedicatory prologue. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle John
Place of writing: probably the city of Ephesus
Time of writing: approximately 90 A.D.

When one begins to read the gospel of John, after he has read Matthew, Mark, and Luke, he quickly realizes that this gospel is, in several ways, different from the other three. The synoptics emphasize Christ’s Galileean ministry, but John talks mostly of his time in Jerusalem. The synoptics emphasize Christ’s parables, his teaching on the Kingdom of Heaven, and his end-times discourses, but John emphasizes his teaching about his own person, and the related sign-miracles which demonstrate his claims about who he is. In fact, most of the miracles and discourses that John includes are not found in Matthew, Mark, or Luke. Continue Reading

Author: Luke, physician and traveling companion of the apostle Paul
Place of writing: unknown
Time of writing: 65-70 A.D.

“The Acts of the Apostles,” written by the physician Luke, Paul’s traveling companion and fellow-worker, is the sequel to “The Gospel According to Luke”. In his gospel, Luke gives a careful and accurate account of Jesus’ words and actions in his life on earth, and ends with his ascension. Now, in this account, he is going to take up the story where he left off, and, beginning with his ascension, give an account of how the reigning Lord Jesus caused his church to spread throughout the earth, through the Spirit-empowered ministry of his apostles. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle Paul
Place of writing: the city of Corinth
Time of writing: approximately 57 A.D.

Throughout Church history, Paul’s letter to the Romans has been recognized as one of the most important and thorough explanations of the gospel in all the scriptures. Paul wrote this letter near the end of his third missionary journey, and he was already planning to make another missionary journey, this time to Spain; and, even though he had never been there, he hoped that the church in Rome would help him along the way (15:22-29). This explains why Paul gives such a systematic presentation of the gospel: he is laying out the foundations of the faith for a church that might not have had any official apostolic instruction yet, and he is letting them know the content of the message that he wants to bring to Spain, so that they will be motivated to help him. Paul is also aware of the specific needs of the church in Rome, which seems to have been divided over the relationship between Jewish and Gentile believers in the church; and so he devotes considerable space to addressing that issue as well. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle Paul
Place of writing: the city of Ephesus
Time of writing: probably 56 A.D.

When Paul was on his second missionary journey, he planted a church in the city of Corinth, the most important commercial city in Greece, and also considered to be the most immoral; and he remained there two years to teach and instruct the Corinthian believers (see Acts 18:1-8). However, almost as soon as he had left, he began to hear of many problems that had already arisen, as certain members of Chloe’s household brought him news (1:11); and furthermore, the Corinthian believers themselves displayed many errors and wrong ways of thinking in a letter that they wrote to Paul, questioning him on various matters (7:1). In response to these troubling reports and questions, Paul is writing a letter to correct their wrong teachings and practices. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle Paul
Place of writing: probably the city of Philippi
Time of writing: approximately 56 A.D.

Although Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian believers was well-received, and effected commendable changes within the church, a new kind of problem began to surface almost immediately afterwards. Apparently, there had arisen false apostles within the church who denied Paul’s apostolic authority, and used the fact that he had changed his original plans to visit Corinth to suggest that he did not care for the believers there, and that his word could not be trusted. Therefore, the majority of Paul’s second letter is very personal and apologetic, as he defends his ministry against these false charges, and assures the Corinthian believers of his ongoing love for them. This letter was likely written near the end of Paul’s third missionary journey, when he was in Macedonia (see 2:13; 7:5), not too long after he had written the first. Continue Reading

Author: the Apostle Paul
Place of writing: unknown
Time of writing: probably 48 or 49 A.D.

During Paul’s first missionary journey, he planted several churches in the Roman province of Galatia (cf. Acts 13:14-14:23); but shortly after he had left, certain Jews who had believed in Christ arrived at the churches in the region, and were teaching the believers there that obedience to the laws and prescriptions in the Torah (most notably, circumcision) was necessary for justification. Paul’s immediate response is that this teaching is a perversion of the gospel and an utter denial of God’s grace. He strongly condemns anyone who would dare to make any work a condition for justification, and passionately exhorts the churches to stand fast in the freedom which Jesus has given to them. This is likely the first canonical letter that Paul wrote, and one of the first New Testament books written. It is also one of the clearest explanations and defenses of the central truth of the gospel: a man is justified by faith alone, apart from the works of the law (2:16). Continue Reading

Author: the apostle Paul
Place of writing: probably Rome
Time of writing: 60 or 61 A.D.

Although Paul’s time in Ephesus, on his third missionary journey, presented him with some of the fiercest opposition that he encountered anywhere (see Acts 19:2-40), the church that he planted there soon began to thrive. In fact, when he writes this letter to the Ephesian believers, while under confinement in Rome, he does not address any problems within the church, as he does in so many of his other letters. Instead, he seeks to give the Ephesians a better understanding of the eternal wisdom of God, which he displayed in the gospel, so that they might continue to grow in their knowledge of the Savior. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle Paul
Place of writing: Rome
Time of writing: 60 or 61 A.D.

When Paul wrote this letter to the Philippian church, in part to thank them for their financial support (4:10-19), his situation seemed to leave no reason for joy or hope. He was in prison at Rome, and to compound the problem, insincere brothers in Christ were attempting to increase his affliction (1:17); but in reality, Paul had every reason for joy, because of the gift of the gospel, and the fellowship that he was able to have with Jesus and with all his fellow-believers; and he had every reason to believe that the gospel would continue to advance in spite of all hindrances. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle Paul
Place of writing: Rome
Time of writing: 60 or 61 A.D.

During the time when Paul was under confinement in Rome, he received a report from Epaphras, a leader in the church in Colossae – a church which, as far as we know, Paul had never visited (1:7-8). His report was so troubling that Paul wrote this letter to the believers there, exhorting them not to be led astray by a false teaching that had infiltrated the church. Although Paul does not describe it in detail, it apparently involved a diminished view of the nature of Christ, denying that he was truly God; it also contained elements of asceticism, angel-worship, and seeking righteousness on the basis of works. Paul’s letter in response is a resounding cry for the Colossian believers to hold fast to the truth about Jesus, “in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (2:9), and to beware of the empty deceitfulness of the traditions of men (2:8). Continue Reading

Author: the apostle Paul
Place of writing: the city of Corinth
Time of writing: 50 or 51 A. D.

When Paul arrived at the city of Thessalonica, on his second missionary journey, he was only able to stay there for three weeks, before fierce persecution caused him to flee (Acts 17:1-10). Because he had not had time to give this brand new church sufficient teaching, and because he knew that it was undergoing much persecution, Paul could not bear to be without news of the believers’ welfare, and so he sent Timothy from Athens, to see if their faith was steadfast in the midst of suffering (3:5). Timothy’s encouraging report brought great joy to Paul, and he wrote this letter in response, to encourage them to continue steadfast in the faith, and to comfort them with teachings that he had not yet been able to share. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle Paul
Place of writing: the city of Corinth
Time of writing: 51 A.D.

Although the Thessalonian believers had been comforted by Paul’s first letter, in which he taught them about the day of Jesus’ return, there soon arose certain related teachings and practices within the church, which Paul did not at all approve of. When he heard of these false teachings and letters spuriously attributed to him (2:1-3), he wrote this second letter, to correct the misunderstandings about the return of the Lord which had developed among the believers, and to give them further comfort in the midst of persecution. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle Paul
Place of writing: unknown, possibly the Roman province of Macedonia
Time of writing: approximately 64 A.D.

Throughout the course of his ministry, one of Paul’s most trusted fellow-workers was Timothy, the recipient of this letter. He had worked with Paul to establish the church in Ephesus, on his third missionary journey (cf. Acts 19); and now, many years later, Paul had left him in Ephesus again, to care for the church as he went on to Macedonia (1:3). Since he is not sure how quickly he will be able to return to Ephesus, Paul is writing this letter to Timothy, so he might know how to conduct himself in his new ministry, if Paul should be delayed (3:14-15). Because this letter is written to Timothy, one of Paul’s beloved “children” in the faith (1:18), and not to the church as a whole, it has a very intimate and personal demeanor throughout. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle Paul
Place of writing: Rome
Time of writing: 66 or 67 A.D.

A few years after Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy, he ended up in a Roman prison once again (2:8-9); this time, he would not be released, but would soon die in bonds, at the hands of Emperor Nero. Paul recognized that his life was almost over (4:6-8), and so he wrote this second letter to Timothy, encouraging him to stand fast in the truth, and not to be ashamed to testify about Jesus, even when persecution is the result (1:8). Another reason that he wrote was to ask Timothy to come visit him, along with Mark, and to bring copies of the scriptures, as well as a cloak to fight off the cold of the damp Roman dungeon; everyone but Luke had forsaken him, and he longed for more fellowship in the gospel (4:9-15). But in spite of everything, he was filled with hope as he considered the heveanly Kingdom, and the power of the Lord to keep him until the end (4:18). Continue Reading

Author: the apostle Paul
Place of writing: unknown
Time of writing: 65 A.D.

Titus, the recipient of this letter, was one of Paul’s early converts, and subsequently became a close friend and trusted helper throughout the course of his ministry (1:4; cf. also Galatians 2:1-5). After Paul’s release from imprisonment in Rome, he worked with Titus on the Mediterranean island of Crete; and when he left, he commissioned Titus to stay behind and organize the church. Paul is writing to instruct Titus how to carry out his duties, until Paul sends a replacement so that Titus can rejoin him (3:12). Continue Reading

Author: the apostle Paul
Place of writing: Rome
Time of Writing: 60 or 61 A.D.

Philemon, the recipient of this letter, was a Colossian believer in Christ, as well as a slave-owner. When Onesimus, one of his slaves, ran away to Rome, he encountered Paul in prison, and there became a believer. Paul sent him back to Philemon carrying the letter to the Colossian church (cf. Colossians 4:9), as well as this letter, in which Paul pleads for Onesimus’ freedom. Continue Reading

Author: unknown
Place of writing: unknown
Time of writing: 60-70 A.D.

Although the author of this letter is unknown today, it is obvious that he was well-known and respected in the early church, and he speaks with truth and authority. The tone of his writing is very stern and solemn, for his recipients seem to be in danger of apostasy (2:1; 3:12). They are plagued by immaturity and unbelief (5:11-6:12), and appear to be on the verge of rejecting the sacrificial death of Jesus, and so putting the blood of his cross to an open shame (10:26-29). This letter is a resounding cry not to turn away from God, but to remember instead the excellence and all-sufficiency of his Son, Jesus Christ. Continue Reading

Author: James, the brother of Jesus Christ
Place of writing: unknown
Time of writing: probably no later than 45-48 A.D.

James, the brother of Jesus, was a well-known and highly-respected leader of the early Church (see Acts 15:13; 1 Corinthians 15:7; Galatians 1:19; 2:9); as well as the brother of Jude, who was also a New Testament author (Jude 1). His letter is addressed to Jewish believers who have been scattered, perhaps in the persecution following the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 8:1); as such, it is one of the earliest New Testament books ever written. This early date explains much of its character: the style of writing is very Jewish, even resembling the Old Testament book of Proverbs; and this is probably because the Church was composed mostly of Jews at this time, and still had a strong Jewish flavor. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle Peter
Place of writing: presumably, Rome
Time of writing: 63 or 64 A.D.

Peter’s first letter, addressed to believers scattered throughout the region of Asia Minor (in present-day Turkey), was likely written during the time of Nero’s persecution of the Church. This would explain why these believers have been scattered abroad, and it would also account for the strong emphasis on suffering and persecution throughout the letter. Although Peter sends his greetings from “Babylon” (5:13), there is a very early tradition that he was writing from Rome, and using the name Babylon symbolically, as the apostle John did in Revelation 17. Peter also tells us that he is writing “through Silas” (5:12), which may explain why this letter is written in much more polished Greek than his second letter. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle Peter
Place of writing: presumably, Rome
Time of writing: 66 A.D.

When Peter wrote his second letter to the followers of Jesus, he knew that his earthly life was almost over (1:14); and in fact, he was martyred by Emperor Nero soon after that. His goal, then, was to give the believers something to help them remember the certainty of the gospel and of Jesus’ coming return to earth, so that they would continue steadfast after he was gone. This was especially vital since many false teachers would soon arise, and attempt to lead believers astray. Peter’s warning against these false teachers has many similarities to the letter of Jude, and he may have been borrowing material from him, as it touched upon his own purpose in writing. He would certainly not have been opposed to this, since he had a high respect for the writings of other New Testament authors, as we may see by his commendation of Paul’s letters in 3:15-16. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle John
Place of Writing: presumably, the city of Ephesus
Time of writing: approximately 85-90 A.D.

The first letter written by the Apostle John is unusual in that it is not addressed to any specific group of believers. This may indicate that John is addressing issues and confronting problems that concern all believers everywhere, not just believers in Ephesus, where he was probably writing. It certainly does not indicate that John does not have a personal concern for his audience: the letter bears a very personal character; in it, John, already an old man, affectionately refers to the readers as his “children,” giving them encouragement and instruction on how to overcome the obstacles to their faith, which by this time had arisen among believers. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle John
Place of writing: presumably, the city of Ephesus
Time of writing: approximately 90 A.D.

John probably wrote his second letter from Ephesus, not too long after he had written his first. Unlike the first letter, John addresses this one to a specific church (which he calls, symbolically, “elect lady”), most likely one of the churches he had intended to read his first letter. Even though the church faces the same problems that it had at the time when the first letter was written, John has been encouraged to hear that the believers there are still walking in the truth. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle John
Place of writing: presumably, the city of Ephesus
Time of writing: approximately 90 A.D.

John’s third letter, just as his first two, was probably written from Ephesus, at about the same time that his second letter was written. This letter is not addressed to believers in general (as his first), nor to a specific church (as his second), but instead to a specific believer named Gaius. Just as John was overjoyed to hear of the church walking in truth, in his second letter, he is now overjoyed to hear of Gaius walking in the truth. Continue Reading

Author: Jude, the brother of James and of Jesus Christ
Place of writing: unknown
Time of writing: 65-70 A.D.

In his letter, Jude calls himself the brother of James, who was the brother of Jesus (see Galatians 1:19). Of course, this would make Jude the brother of Jesus as well, even as we read in Mark 6:3. Jude addresses the letter to believers, but emphasizes that it is only for genuine believers, who have been loved and called by God and are being kept by him; this is likely because of the rise of many false teachers in the church who claimed to be believers but were only imposters. It is difficult to determine the precise time and place that Jude wrote his letter; but if Peter made use of it in his second letter, as many believe, then it cannot have been later than 66 A.D. – and in any case, it must not have been much after that. Continue Reading

Author: the apostle John
Place of writing: the isle of Patmos
Time of writing: presumably 90-96 A.D.

When the apostle John received the visions recorded in the book of Revelation, he was the last of the apostles still alive, and he was growing very old. In the meantime, the fiercest persecution that the Church had yet seen was beginning to arise, as the cruel Emperor Domitian sought to enforce emperor-worship and to exterminate Christianity. Would God’s Church survive the most heated assaults of the enemy, even after the apostles and eye-witnesses of Christ were gone from the scene? The book of Revelation cries out, “Yes! The Lamb of God will be eternally triumphant, and he will deliver all who belong to him from the clutches of the Devil!” This apocalyptic letter, the final book of the sacred scriptures, is one of the most comforting and reassuring to all the persecuted and struggling believers in Christ, from any time or place on the earth. Continue Reading