The four Gospels
Four complementary accounts of the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Books: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
The main groups of books
Acts
The story of the earliest Christian communities and their spread.
Books: Acts of the Apostles
Letters of Paul
Letters to particular churches and people facing real problems.
Books: Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
General letters
Letters addressing endurance, practical faith, love and false teaching.
Books: Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2 & 3 John, Jude
Apocalyptic
Symbolic visions written to communities under pressure.
Books: Revelation
Recurring themes
Grace
Acceptance that is given rather than earned, especially to people others had written off.
The kingdom of God
A different way of ordering life, where the last are treated as though they matter first.
Community
Ordinary households sharing food, money and risk with each other.
Endurance
Letters written to people under pressure, urging patience without pretending things are fine.
Justice and generosity
Repeated instruction to care for the poor, the widow, the prisoner and the stranger.
Hope
A conviction that suffering and death are not the final word.
A gentle place to begin
Luke is often the easiest entry point: it pays close attention to poor people, women, outsiders and the sick. Then read Acts, which continues the same author's story.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.”
— Luke 4:18 (KJV) (KJV)