Rather than reading the Catholic Epistles in isolation from each other - understanding their individual historical situations as the single, determinative context for their interpretation - this study argues that a proper understanding of these seven letters must equally attend to their collection and placement within the New Testament canon. Resisting the judgment of much of historical-critical analysis of the New Testament, namely that the concept of canon actually obscures the meaning of these texts, it is the canonical process by which the texts were composed, redacted, collected, arranged, and fixed in a final canonical form that constitutes a necessary interpretive context for these seven letters. This study argues that through reception history and paratextual and compositional evidence one can discern a collection consciousness within the Catholic Epistles such that they should be read and interpreted as an intentional, discrete canonical sub-collection set within the New Testament. Furthermore, the work argues that such collection consciousness, though not necessarily in the preview of the original authors (being perhaps unforeseen, yet not unintended), is neither anachronistic to the meaning of the letters nor antagonistic to their composition.

The Catholic Epistles often get short shrift. But Darian Lockett contends that these seven letters provide a unique window into early Christian theology and practice. Emphasizing the epistles' interconnected vision, each chapter in this refreshing resource outlines one of the letters, traces its flow of thought, and explores shared themes with the other Catholic Epistles.

Peterson focuses on how Luke framed his narrative and speeches as well as his theology, demonstrating that Acts was written for Christian edification and to encourage mission.

Many introductions to the New Testament focus on historical-critical issues with only cursory discussions of the text. In Engaging the New Testament, Miguel Echevarría overviews the New Testament writings in their canonical order, showing how each book has a purposeful function within the larger context of Scripture. He provides streamlined and accessible background discussions related to the New Testament writings to enable students to focus on interpretive issues. The book is informed by the latest scholarship yet accessible to those with no prior theological education. This concise introduction to the New Testament is well-suited to one-semester survey courses. It addresses the needs and questions of students in multicultural classrooms who are studying for ministry. Sidebars encourage readers to think about applying the Bible to various ministry contexts, such as the pastorate, missions, and counseling.

Jesus Tradition – early Christian traditions from and about Jesus – plays an important role in New Testament letters, not only in the Gospels and Corpus Paulinum, but also in the seven Catholic Epistles (the epistles of James, I and II Peter, I John, and Jude, which are addressed to the universal Church rather than to an individual or a particular church). This dissertation revolves around the relationship between the Catholic Epistles and the traditions about Jesus that have informed the Gospels. Based on the research, two important observations can be made. First of all, there is a fundamental unity in the witness of the Catholic Epistles regarding their reliance upon and appropriation of Jesus Tradition. The same Jesus can be recognized throughout all Catholic Epistles (with the possible exception of Jude, since its brevity does not supply enough information for clarity about its relation to Jesus Tradition), and this Jesus is not merely a theological construct, but a historical person, very much in line with the Jesus from historical Jesus research. Second, a fundamental unity is observable between the canonical Gospels, Corpus Paulinum and the Catholic Epistles. All three corpora are consciously witnessing to Jesus. Each corpus has its own distinct way of doing this, and the Catholic Epistles can be seen as witnessing Jesus from an apostolic perspective.