ABSTRACT
The chapter represents the New Testament as a collection of early Christian writings and considers the factors contributing to the inclusion of these twenty-seven texts in that collection as well as how the whole might be understood. This is followed by a brief critical survey of the authorship and date of New Testament texts and an exploration of the themes and ideas which both comprise the common ground of these texts and reveal the distinctiveness of individual texts. The chapter closes with a reflection on the evolving significance of the New Testament and its effect within and beyond Christianity.
