The Messages of the Books

by Frederic Farrar

Publisher:

Macmillan and Co.

, 1884

Overview

“My desire,” says F. W. Farrar in the preface, is “to point out the general form, the peculiar characteristics, the special message of the Sacred Books one by one, because I had found by experience, both as a teacher and as a clergyman, that this method of studying each part of Scripture as a complete whole was mch less common than could be desired.” In The Messages of the Books, Farrar sets out to apply this book-by-book method to the New Testament. He looks at the 27 books of the New Testament one by one, giving preference to the overall structure and message of each book and to any critical issues that bear on the book as a whole. The book also includes a chapter that looks at the nature of the Gospels, a chapter that looks at the nature of the epistle as it is used in the New Testament, and a chapter that looks at specifically at St. Paul’s epistles as a group.

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Key Features

• A full chapter devoted to each book in the New Testament
• Historical background for each book
• Investigation into possible audiences
• Examination of the epistle as a literary form
• Analysis of key themes and ideas

Contents

Top Highlights

“The letters of Hebrew and Greek and Latin inscribed above the cross were the prophetic testimony of the world’s three noblest languages to the undying claims of Him who suffered to unite all nations into the one great family of God.” (Page 8)

“The rise of the Roman empire secured to the nations a social order and a political unity which protected and consolidated the growth of the new faith.” (Page 7)

“But in the New Testament itself the word Gospel always means ‘the word preached,’ and is never used for a written book.^{1” (Pages 5–6)}

“What we call the ‘New Testament’ is the book which reveals to us that fresh (καινὴ) covenant which God, in this last epoch of the world’s history, has made with man in Jesus Christ, as He had made His former covenant with Abraham and with Moses.” (Page 4)

“St. John wrote in Ephesus for all Christians. His is pre-eminently the Gospel for the Church: the Gospel of Eternity” (Page 18)

Product Details

• Title: The Messages of the Books
• Author: Frederic William Farrar
• Publisher: Macmillan and Co.
• Publication Date: 1884
• Pages: 532

About Frederic Farrar

Frederic William Farrar (August 7, 1831–March 22, 1903), an English clergyman and author, was born in Bombay, India, and educated in England. In 1876 he was installed canon of Westminster and rector of St. Margaret’s. He became archdeacon of Westminster in 1883 and in 1885 he was appointed Bampton lecturer at Oxford, and took for his subject “The History of Interpretation.” He was appointed dean of Canterbury in 1895, in which capacity he served until his death. He was influential in the spread of the “Broad Church” movement and was one of the founders of the institution known as the Anglican Brotherhood. His writings cover a wide range, from school stories to Scripture commentaries and theological studies. His Life of Christ (1874) and Eternal Hope (1878) have seen several editions.

Sample Pages from The Messages of the Books