Book Review: The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles-KJV (Ep.22)

Are you a Christian who has read the New Testament dozens of times? Or are you a somebody who just enjoys reading? Regardless of where you are religiously, this episode can provide everyone with something to learn and hopefully enjoy.

EDIT: I also did not include the G-R rating for these books out of respect for the community and books themselves, sorry for not including that!

Works Cited: 

• https://www.college.columbia.edu/core/content/new-testament/context
• https://www.thebiblejourney.org/biblejourney1/1-the-world-of-the-new-testament-journeys-b/who-wrote-the-gospels/
• https://thekingsbible.com/Library/BibleHistory

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Music: On Hold for You by Kevin MacLeod | https://incompetech.com/
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Creative Commons Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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Transcript

Hello everyone, this is your host Josh, welcome to the Revitalized Reading Podcast. Today’s episode is a first, as I will be covering part of the most printed and purchased book in the history of the world, the Bible. This review will cover The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and the Acts of the Apostles. Because I’ll be covering something that is considered to be scripture by millions of people, including myself, I will be going about this review a little different than most. For one, I won’t include Goodreads reviews or peer reviews, and I also won’t be giving scripture of any kind an overall score, I’m doing this to respect the holy texts of any and all religions I will be reading and reviewing going forward. 

The edition of the Bible I used for this review, was the King James Version, so I’ll give a brief backstory as to how and why the King James, or KJV version of the Bible came to be. Without diving into an endless rabbit hole, I’ll try to give the simplest and shortest history I can. In the opening years of the 17th century, the Protestant Reformation had transformed much of Europe rapidly. King James the 6th, of Scotland (later King James the 1st of England) who was a protestant himself, wanted there to be a single standard edition of the bible that could be easily and quickly spread throughout the Protestant world. 

In 1604, King James authorized the creation of a new translation of the Bible. The journey between translation, writing, and editing the Bible would take 54 scholars and linguists 7 years to complete. In 1611, the the King James version of the Bible was finished, and began to be printed en masse. Since that time, the KJV remains one of the most widely used and respected translations of the Bible in the world.

Now that we have the backstory on the translation I’m using, who is the Author of the The Gospels, and the Acts of the Apostles? Unfortunately, we don’t really know, and this topic is still widely debated today. Up until relatively recently, it was believed that the books were written by their name sakes, and that the Acts of the Apostles was written by Luke. This still might be true, but more recent evidence points to the possibility of numerous authors, or authors that aren’t associated with the books names. 

Before I dive into the books themselves, let me give a brief explanation of each book’s intended audience, and purpose. The Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel of Matthew is often seen as directed toward a Jewish-Christian audience. It emphasizes Jesus’s fulfillment of Jewish prophecies and presents him as the long-awaited Messiah. The Gospel includes numerous references to Jewish customs, traditions, and the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament). It’s genealogy of Jesus traces his lineage back to Abraham, reinforcing his connection to the Jewish people. The Gospel of Matthew’s year of origin is unclear, but most scholars put its creation at some time between 60-85 A.D. 

The Gospel of Mark: The Gospel of Mark is considered to have a broader audience, including both Jewish and Gentile (non-Jewish) readers. It is known for its fast paced and concise style, focusing on action and miracles rather than lengthy discourses. Some scholars suggest that Mark wrote for a primarily Gentile audience, possibly in Rome, where he provides explanations for Jewish customs and translates Aramaic terms for readers unfamiliar with them. The Gospel of Mark is suspected to have been written between 60-75 A.D. 

The Gospel of Luke: The Gospel of Luke is often regarded as having a Gentile audience in mind. The author, traditionally attributed to Luke, who was a gentile himself, presents Jesus as the Universal savior and emphasizes the inclusion of Gentiles in God’s plan of salvation. Luke’s Gospel includes narratives and teachings that highlight the compassion of Jesus toward outcast’s and marginalized individuals, which may have resonated with Gentile readers. The Gospel of Luke is speculated to have been writted sometime between 70-89 A.D.

The Gospel of John: The Gospel of John has a more theological and reflective approach compared to the synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It presents Jesus as the divine word (logos) incarnate and emphasizes the significance of faith. The intended audience of John’s Gospel is often seen as a mixed group of Jewish and Gentile believers, possibly within a Johannine community influenced by Hellenistic (Greek) thought. The Gospel of John was potentially written as early as 80 A.D. but potentially as late as 110 A.D.

The Acts of the Apostles: Commonly referred to as the Acts, this book is believed to have been written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke, traditionally attributed to Luke, a companion of the Apostle Paul. The intended audience of Acts likely encompassed both believers and those curious about the new movement. The book aimed to provide historical context, inspire faith, and offer a narrative of the early Christian community’s origins and growth. It emphasizes themes such as the work of the Holy Spirit, the spread of the gospel, the fulfillment of prophecies, and the endurance of believers in the face of persecution. The Acts was most likely written between 70-99 A.D.

Now I want to do what is very hard to do, summarize the events of the Gosepls, and the Acts, in a few minutes, I’ll shall try nonetheless. The Gospels each tell a slightly different version of the story, but here is the general summary of them all. The birth of Christ, and the story surrounding it is touched on in detail. We are then introduced to John the Baptist or baptizer, who is teaching the people of the coming of the Messiah, and is baptizing many in the Jordan River. Jesus, now a grown man, comes to John the Baptist who is his cousin by the way, and wishes to be baptized by him. John, hesitant at first, does so, and the Holy Ghost descends on Jesus in the form of a dove. After this, Christ begins to call his disciples to follow him. Christ begins to teach and preach to the people across the land. Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus perform many miracles for the physically, mentally, and spiritually afflicted people of Israel. While performing many of these miracles, Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees and Saducees, the Jewish leadership who despises Christ and his teachings, seeing them as a direct challenge to the Law of Moses, and their authority. Throughout this time, Christ teaches and corrects his inexperienced and overwhelmed apostles, especially Simon Peter. Eventually, Christ is arrested and brought before both Jewish and Roman leaders to determine his guilt for sedition, heresy, and treason. Pilate, the Roman Governor of the region was reluctant to have Christ crucified, but fearing the people who shout for his death, he agrees. Christ is tortured, mocked, and then crucified on Friday, doing so for the sins of all mankind. His apostles and many disciples are dejected and lost without him, but on Sunday, Christ reveals his resurrected self, and commands his apostles to go and preach to the people of him, otherwise known as the Great Commission. 

The Acts of the Apostles begins with Jesus’ final appearance to his disciples and his ascension into heaven. Following this, the Holy Spirit descends upon the believers on the day of Pentecost, empowering them to Proclaim the Gospel, or good news of Jesus Christ. The Early believers form a tight and unified community, especially in Jerusalem, devoting themselves to prayer, fasting, and fellowship. Peter, the head of the Church under Christ, preachers powerful sermons that convert thousands more. Miraculous healings and other incredible instances become hallmarks of the early Christian church. The Gospel quickly begins to spread beyond the Walls of Jerusalem. Peter, on his way to visit the Centurion Cornelius, has a vision from the Lord, revealing to him that the Gospel should be preached to both Jew and Gentile, and God is no respecter of persons. The Apostle Philip preaches in Samaria, and helps many convert to Christianity, including an Ethiopian Eunuch. Saul, a determined and constant persecutor of the Christians, has a transformative encounter with Christ in a vision on the Road to Damascus. After this vision, Saul becomes Paul, and exerts his energy to preaching Christ to all he comes across. Paul, now an apostles, becomes the focus of the Acts. As Paul goes about preaching, he begins to run into trouble with Jewish and Roman leaders alike, nearly being killed and arrested many times. Exercising his right as a Roman citizen, Paul appeals to Caesar, his request is granted. Caesar Agrippa, or King Agrippa was nearly converted by Paul, but continues to keep him in prison. From here the New Testament transitions into the many Epistles (letters) of Paul to the many Christians throughout the Roman empire.

Before I get on to scoring these books for Comprehension and Engagement, I want to share my favorite verses from each book, starting with the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew chapter 11, verses 28-30, it says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

For the Gospel of Mark, I chose chapter 5 verse 36, “As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.” 

In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 4 verse 18 stuck out to me, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” 

For the Gospel of John, I chose chapter 14: 14-18, which says, “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments, And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” 

Lastly, for the Acts of the Apostles, I really like 17:24-30, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”

Now it’s time for the comprehension and engagement score for the Gospels and the Acts. For Comprehension I give these books an 8/10. The King James Version of the Bible is not always the simplest to read and understand, the New Testament is generally a little easier to understand than the Old Testament. As for Engagement, I give these books a 9.5/10. There are a few short sequences that can be a little slow and feel longer to get throughout, but there aren’t many of these present in the books. 

Final thoughts: 12 time reading these books. Every time I read it, I read something I don’t remember reading the first time. Why the KJV is my preferred version. I suggest if for the wisdom and poetry, not just the Christian aspect. 

Thank you for joining me for today’s episode, I hope you were able to not only enjoy the time you spent with me today, but hopefully learn something new. I hope you’ll join me next time for my review of the Science/Technology book, “Mining the Moon” by David Dietzler. We’re getting closer and closer to the Zoom get together to celebrate the podcasts one year anniversary, so if you haven’t already, join the podcasts social media pages below to keep up with the latest news. I hope you all have a great week, stay safe, and as always, keep reading. Thanks everyone!