New Testament Basics for Catholics

by John Bergsma

Award-winning author and theology professor John Bergsma follows up his popular Bible Basics for Catholics—which has sold more than 60,000 copies—with a more in-depth look at the New Testament. Using simple illustrations and the same clear, conversational style that characterized his earlier book, Bergsma introduces four of the most important writers in the New Matthew, Luke, Paul, and John. With humor and simple illustrations, theology professor John Bergsma focuses on Matthew, Luke, Paul, and John, whose writings comprise about 90 percent of the New Testament. The gospel of Matthew, written for Jewish Christians, illuminates the life and teachings of Christ as the long-promised Messiah. In Luke's gospel, readers will delve into the infancy and Triduum narratives, as well as the Acts of the Apostles and the life of the early Church. This leads the reader to discover St. Paul and his first and arguably greatest theological Romans. Finally, ";the be

Genres: Religion, Catholic, Theology, Faith, Christian, Christianity

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2015

About the author

Dr. John Bergsma is Associate Professor of Theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, in Steubenville, Ohio. He holds the M.Div. and Th.M. degrees from Calvin Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and served as a Protestant pastor for four years before entering the Catholic Church in 2001 while pursuing a Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Notre Dame. He specialized in the Old Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls, graduating with high honors in 2004. His major study of the interpretation of the Year of Jubilee in ancient times is published as The Jubilee from Leviticus to Qumran (Brill Academic, 2007). Dr. Bergsma’s articles, some co-authored with Dr. Scott Hahn, have appeared in several academic journals as well as Lay Witness, the magazine of Catholics United for the Faith. He has appeared as a guest on EWTN’s The Journey Home, Franciscan University Presents, and Relevant Radio’s Drew Mariani Show. Twice voted Faculty of the Year by graduating classes of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Dr. Bergsma is a popular teacher who inspires his students with a love of Scripture. He and his wife Dawn reside with their eight children in Steubenville, Ohio.


Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Theology - University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Indiana)
Master of Theology (Th.M.) - Calvin Theological Seminary (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Master of Divinity (M.Div.) - Calvin Theological Seminary (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Classical Languages - Calvin Theological Seminary (Grand Rapids, Michigan)

Reviews

[Christopher Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book for any church group that wants to understand God and His Holy Church. It is “dumbed” down to a level anyone can understand. I for one am no great theologian. I found this book to be eye opening and a lot of “ah-ha” and “oh duh of course” moments. I highly recommend this book

[Jorge Ulises · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha parecido una maravilla de libro. Explica muy bien el significado de los libros que componen el Nuevo Testamento: los cuatro Evangelios, los Hechos de los Apóstoles, las Cartas y el Apocalipsis. Recomiendo su lectura.

[James Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very excellent way to overview the New Testament. It shows the key themes of the NT as that of God's kingdom on Earth, the mission of the Church, the interplay of faith and love, and the Sacraments. So much of it was a reminder, and yet there were little nuggets that just made this so fascinating. This was not hard to read, an instead, I always wanted to keep reading, while also savoring it and reading it little by little. This would be a great text for an Introductory New Testament course, as well as a way to introduce oneself to reading the many books it covers, or after the fact to make sure you got the real lessons. It doesn't cover everything, but Bergsma does provide enough for you to feel confident of knowing the main message of Jesus and his followers who contributed to Sacred Scripture.

[Italo Italophiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

New Testament Basics for Catholics is an enthusiastic self-study guide written in a colloquial style. The intent of the book is to give the reader a basis on which to build more learning. This book is by the same author who produced Bible Basics for Catholics.

This book, New Testament Basics for Catholics, is a teaching guide for a self-guided study course, to use alongside a Bible, with the chapters and verses provided along the way. Through the course of the book, the author links the Bible texts to Catholic traditions such as:

The organization of the Church
Mass
Prayers
Religious Orders
Charity
Priests and Deacons
Sacraments

Because the Bible is not just a religious text, this book is not just a religious course, despite taking a strict Catholic dogmatic line. The Bible is also literature, history and philosophy. This book attempts to touch on those points too, to some extent, but I would have enjoyed more of that.

The author has selected this approach to this basic introduction to the New Testament:

"I have found that by focusing on just four authors, one can get a fairly good grasp of the New Testament. Between them, these four authors wrote around 90 percent of the New Testament. They are Matthew, Luke, Paul, and John."

All the lessons in the book are tied together with a common theme: Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand. Under that umbrella, the lessons take place, returning to the theme at the end. The author makes excellent use of memory techniques such as that, together with concise overviews, and working from broad strokes down to details.

Part of the book is a summary of the Old Testament, covering the six major covenants of God with the Jewish people. This is necessary, since the New Testament accepts Jesus as the fulfillment of Jewish prophesy of a Messiah. "God will send a Son of David who will build a better temple and restore the Kingdom of Israel."

The Catholic view is explained, that the Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ's disciples, and headed first by Peter, is the imperfect Kingdom of Heaven on earth that will exist until the Final Judgment comes, and that the Popes were given by Jesus, via Peter, the right to determine Catholic dogma.

The book is clearly written for a U.S. American Catholic audience, which was why I found it odd that the author used at times the term Christian in the misnomer sense utilized by U.S. American Protestants to refer only to Protestants, to the inexplicable exclusion of Orthodox and Catholic Christians. Actually, I found it more than odd. I found it disappointing.

The author is very knowledgeable but he presents his erudition in a folksy manner, using popular culture references and humor to bring home his meanings. The humor was not to my taste, but it may lighten the reading for some readers. I found the inclusion of definitions of words together with a pronunciation guide to be condescending, but, again, some readers may appreciate that.

See if you like this description from the book of Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and Mary, the mother of Jesus:

"Elizabeth was a wine, cheese, and 'Grey Poupon' Lady who finds her pregnant teenage "Big Mac" cousin from the north on her doorstep."

I didn't like it.

The beginning of the book seems to use a tone that is non-religious, just presenting the history of the Bible, but that non-religious, scholarly tone disappears at a certain point.
God arranged the circumstances of Jesus's birth...

Then come the arguments that are not specifically about the Bible, but are refutations, using Biblical texts, of points of view of living secular liberal philosophers and conservative Protestant theologians. I feel those are out of place in this book, which is said to be about the Bible and the Catholic interpretation of it. Just present that, then let the reader think for himself, is my view.

That is the same reason I dislike the parts of the book that lapse into interpreting the Bible in terms of present day life, which often stretch to fit the author's very dogmatic point of view. He preaches to the Catholic reader:

"We have to relearn what it means to be a citizen of the Kingdom."

"Jesus did not want to produce 'Cafeteria Catholics', those who pick and choose what they will obey among his teachings...and those of his Church."

While the explanations of the writings of Matthew, Luke, Paul and John are fascinating, I kept wanting to tell the writer to "teach, not preach". I feel all those preaching bits would be better presented in a separate book that interprets the Bible for modern living, and relates it to the lives of modern Catholics in the United States.

He could even include in his other book all the arguments from this one about why Protestantism is invalid, arguments which I found out of place in a book meant for Catholic readers, who don't need converting.

The jabs at the legitimacy of Protestant faiths, and other faiths, felt mean-spirited and out of place in this book. I can only guess that the author's own conversion from Protestantism to Catholicism created the famous convert with extreme conviction, so much so that he chose to validate his decision in this book.

I also don't like when the Biblical scholar author veers from scholasticism into suppositions and pure gut guesses about the history referenced in the Bible. The author even tries to explain away Biblical discrepancies. Why? The Bible was written by many people over much time, then translated into other languages. It would be odd if there weren't any discrepancies.

He really stretches it when he cites archaeology to support Biblical events with a tone that is deceptively confident when the links are really not that clear-cut. The parts that seeks to affirm Catholic dogma on issues such as marriage and divorce feel stretched as well, with the author making leaps in logic and interpretation that just don't hold up under greater scrutiny of the Biblical texts.

He even lectures the reader on how to dress and act in daily life with the reasoning: "Our lifestyle should encourage our fellow Christians in their faith." Maybe, but when I read a book that says it will teach me about the New Testament, I don't expect to be told how to dress and behave.

I'll leave you with a list of the seven gifts delivered by the Holy Spirit, in the hope that they will bless all of you who have been kind enough to read to the end of my review:

Wisdom
Understanding
Counsel
Fortitude
Knowledge
Piety
Fear of the Lord

Please visit my full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews. I received a review-copy of this book. This is my honest review.
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...

[Valerie Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a Bible study. If you want to understand the background and interpretation of some of the most important books in the New Testament, read this! He is very knowledgeable, and explains concepts very well making them easy to understand, especially since he uses adorable stick figure visuals.

Sometimes his arguments are a bit of a stretch, but for the most part he stays on solid ground.

This is written by a Catholic who converted from Protestantism.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read / understand. Excellent choice to increase one's knowledge of the New Testament. I've already recommended this book to several people. I think home school parents would benefit from the use of this book with their students.

[Althea Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deepens Understandings

Thoroughly researched but doesn’t have an academic feel. Contains insightful connections between Jewish and Christian traditions, in addition to the Catholic sacraments.

[Ethan DeCock · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Bergsma is masterful at taking huge topics and biblical theology and making it easy, clear and fun!

A great elementary book for people approaching the New Testament and wanting to make sense of it all in one place and theme: The Kingdom of God!

[Dcn. Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have found no better concise and memorable introduction to the New Testament. Such a treasure of a book and extremely readable and dare I say - fun! Many discoveries I’ve made to bring to meditation and prayer :)

[Sandra Kluck · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's all about the Kingdom.

[Vickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy introduction to the New Testament. Very easy read and the drawings at least make you smile.

[Mary North · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! Dr. Bergsma just knows what he is doing--praise the Lord for him!

[Argum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

John Bergsma does it again with New Testament Basics for Catholics. This book focuses on four key authors from the New Testament (Paul, Matthew, Luke and John) to tie together the whole Kingdom of God as recorded in the New Testament and foreshadowed and prophesied in the Old Testament. Using simple stick figure illustrations, some will be familiar to readers of his Bible Basics, the Bible seems approachable and yet deep truths are explained. Anyone who can draw my favorite scene from the Princess Bride into a discussion on the Bible and Ancient Jewish customs while still maintaining his teaching authority is obviously a gifted teacher. In the same way that covenants moved us through salvation history with accompanying sketches in the last book, these four authors move us through Jesus's ministry and message about the Kingdom. Parallels are drawn as are sketches to help you pick out the key elements that make the message and how that message picked up on Old Testament events that the average reader in the first century saw as obvious.

John Bergsma and his books are must read for anyone wanting a deep introduction to the Bible, not just Catholics or Bible scholars. I really can't say enough about this book or this author. This book is easy to read, has a sense of humor, but is in no way a shallow introduction. I was presented with many details that I had never noticed before or had to read heavy theological tomes to get presented previously. Fans of Scott Hahn will enjoy. This book doesn't cherry pick to make a point, but draws out exemplars in order to tell the cohesive story that Jesus left us of His mission and His Kingdom.

As with Bible Basics, the book is aimed at Catholics, but isn't trying to prove the truth of her teachings. He doesn't have to it just happens. As a cradle Catholic, I do take things for granted. As I have grown older and encountered more "Bible based" challenges to the teachings of the Church, I realize that we need to have answers to these challenging questions for both the New Evangilization and ourselves when a friend or loved one's questions sows doubt in the truth of the Church. John Bergsma makes this look easy. The most obvious example in this book is in the Sacraments, an oft challenging topic that many claim have no foundation in Scripture. The parallels in the Gospel of John show us all seven at least once. For instance, why is Jesus's garment all one piece not sewn - because it is priestly garb and that is just one example pointing to Holy Orders. John is rife with such examples of how the Sacraments as maintained through the ages in the Catholic Church are not just theologically sound, but practiced by Christ Himself. This is not to say that Bergsma is hitting you over the head with why Catholicism is the answer - he himself was once a Protestant pastor he isn't mean spirited or ham fisted he just knows the pitfalls of ignoring the plain reading to try to keep out Apostolic traditions.

Can't recommend more highly to anyone interested in the Bible especially those who are afraid to start or find it daunting.

[Patricia Mckenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this book, I want to read the previous book by Dr. Bergsma called Bible Basics for Catholics: A new Picture of Salvation History. But don't worry if you have not read it yet because the first chapter in this book gives you a quick summary of the Old Testament. One of the things that appealed to me about reading this book is an interest in understanding the overarching story of salvation history and more specifically the history of the Church founded by Christ and told in the new testament. I love the organization of the book. It simplifies the whole of the new testament by revealing the differences and similarities of the Gospels and Paul's letters. You will find shortcuts and suggestions to help you remember important points of the bible and chronological timeline. But there is also an indepth analysis of the books of Matthew, Luke, John, Acts, Hebrews and Revelation. Dr. Bergsma states "Every sacrament is rooted in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Baptism is a sharing in Jesus’ dying and rising . In Matrimony we give our body to our spouse as Jesus gave his body on the Cross. The Eucharist makes present once more the sacrifice of Christ’s crucified body . And we could go on."
It is a big help in bible study to understand the audience the author of the original bible books intended and the Greek meaning of words unpacked for the reader. But, I also think in Testament Basics the author speaks in common language we can all understand. You can read it like a novel straight through and keep it close by when studying the new testament. There is also enough catholic theology that helps in understanding the church's perspective as well. Bergsma states "We should call them “the books we read when we celebrate the New Testament,” or “the books that tell us about the New Testament,” because that’s what they really are. The New Testament itself is the Eucharist . To read the New Testament books without going to Mass is like looking at a menu without ever eating the meal, or reading about swimming without ever jumping in the pool. The Bible says the “new testament” is the Eucharist."
Dr. Bergsma is an associate professor of theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville Ohio. He is a Catholic convert as of 2001 and a Catholic Biblical Scholar and Theologian. He earned his PhD in Scripture from Notre Dame. I would definitely recommend this book to you. It was a pleasant surprise to find humor and ease of reading. I was prepared for a more professorial dry read but Basic Testament is very readable, easy to understand but gives the more experienced bible student a vast insight into scripture.

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

After tackling Bible Basics for Catholics, I turned my attention to New Testament Basics for Catholics. My first impression of the book was that it was thicker than I expected. Dr. Bergsma did a whirlwind tour of all of salvation history in 200 pages, so when I discovered that this book on the New Testament was almost 300 pages, I was a bit surprised. I then read the Table of Contents and realized that not all 27 books were covered either! So what exactly is in this book and which books will we be studying? Dr. Bergsma focuses on four authors (Matthew, Luke, Paul, and John) and gives us a brief description of them and their writings in the introduction. Don't worry! The stick figures are back and each one comes with his own stick figure. Matthew has a money bag (tax collector) and a quill (scribe). Luke has a head mirror and stethoscope (doctor) and an icon (first iconographer). Paul has a sword (the Word of God and was beheaded) and a letter (wrote a lot of epistles). Lastly, John has one hand giving a priestly blessing (was a priest) and the Eucharistic cup (taught extensively on this in John 6.)

The first chapter of the book gives us a prequel of the Old Testament and is basically a brief summary of Bible Basics for Catholics. Chapter Two is on the Gospel of Matthew. Chapters Three and Four are on the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Chapter Five is on the Letter to the Romans. And Chapters Six and Seven covers the Gospel of John and Revelation. Each chapter is a summary of each Biblical book complete with helpful illustrations for teaching/memorization purposes. I especially liked Chapter Six as I believe that Dr. Bergsma did a masterful job explaining the seven signs in the Gospel of John. I do wish that Chapter Seven had walked us through the seven seals, bowls, and trumpets more, but I did appreciate his summary of the seven churches. Also missing from this book was the study questions at the end. This was a good book, but it didn't feel as great as his first one. I'd still recommend it though as it is good for self-study or teaching.

[Nicolas Carrillo-Santarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the books of Ave Maria Press I have read have been very interesting and enriching, and "New Testament Basics for Catholics" is no exception. Being a Latin American myself, I in fact would like to see the book translated into Spanish for more people to have a change of reading it. The book basically provides an explanation of the New Testament that is very clarifying, for several reasons. Firstly, because it manages to point out what many of the connections between it and the Old Testament are, something that for instance baffled Leo Tolstoy and actually makes the reader understand the legacy and lessons of Judaism, how it sheds light on our beliefs and traditions and what we can learn from it. Additionally, the book indicates what the meaning and context of many of the parables or books in the New Testament are, permitting to truly understand its deep meaning, as happens for instance with the elements of liturgy in Revelation. Altogether, I think that the book indeed is an important contribution to better understand the New Testament and learn from its many messages, and accomplishes the task of showing why its lessons are still valid today, given the reiteration of patterns in the past, present and future that make the "Good News" as valid today as they have always been. This is a beautiful and inspiring book, which is yet simple and not excessively extensive, making it a perfect reading and accessible for many.

[Lindsay Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to a few years of Bible studies, I could easily tell you that the “plot” of the Bible is the fulfillment of the covenant between God and his people. Now I can tell you that the New Testament has its own “subplot,” so to speak.

A few summers ago, I made the trek from central Austin out to Emmaus Catholic Parish every week to participate in a Great Adventure Bible Timeline study. It permanently changed the way I see the Bible—for the better. Finally, I understood why the prophets kept talking about Israel and Judah as if they were separate places (they were.) Finally, I understood why, exactly, the story of Hanukkah is in Catholic Bibles (and I wonder why it’s not in Protestant ones). Finally, I understood why the books of the Bible are in that order!

But if you’d asked me what the story of the New Testament was, I would have only described it as one giant story of the fulfillment of the covenant. Thanks to John Bergsma’s amazing new book, New Testament Basics for Catholics, I have a much clearer picture. The New Testament is the story of the coming of the kingdom: in the person of Jesus Christ, in the Church on Earth, and in the heavenly Jerusalem.

Read the rest at Austin CNM.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the way to read the Bible. The Bible in one hand and an exegetical work like this in the other. So much of the Bible is easy to misunderstand without context. So much of the Bible is easy to misunderstand if you can’t correlate the passages in the New Testament with their precursors and parallels in the books of the law and the books of the prophets in the Old Testament.

John Bergsma does an excellent job of not only what was mentioned before, but of adding insights to where the English language doesn’t have good words to interpret the original Hebrew and Greek/Aramaic. He also can add historical and cultural insights that add whole new layers of meaning to scripture.

My only complaint is that this is an introduction and not a comprehensive work. He skips several books of the New Testament and parts of some of the books he does treat. He is clever and witty as well. His references to modern culture are good, but I hope they don’t give younger generations moments where they end up needing interpretations of his interpretations 

I normally spend just a few minutes at lunch and try to go to bed early. My lunch breaks extended to and beyond the allotted hour many days, and I have been up late as well. A very good read that I wish I’d had five years ago; maybe even twenty.

[Bernadette Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found this to be an excellent guide and reference of the New Testament that I could read alongside any guide and study. He presents the information in a straightforward and easy to understand manner that was easy to follow. I would greatly recommend it to anyone trying to deepen their faith and knowledge.

[Doreen Petersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received from Netgalley. Although I enjoyed the book I could have done with the stick figure illustrations. To me it tended to cheapen the material.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough and explained in easy to understand language.

[Kathy Lamecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A straight-forward, easy to understand, walk through the New Testament. I love the way Dr. Bergsma brings these well-known stories to life by comparing them to things we can relate to today.