8. _Unity of the New Testament:_ The New Testament is a collection of twenty-seven distinct writings, from eight (or nine) different hands. Of these writers, four were Apostles--St. Matthew, St. John, St. Paul, and St. Peter; two were companions of the Apostles--St. Mark and St. Luke; two were our Lord's brothers, probably not Apostles--St. James and St. Jude. The books are usually classed as Historical (five), Didactic (twenty-one), Prophetical (one), though the writings of the first class include much more than one-half of the entire matter. The unity of the whole is remarkable; all the books find their center in Jesus Christ our Lord. The four Gospels narrate his life on earth; the fifth historical book tells how the new life, that came from Him through the Holy Spirit, passed from Jerusalem to Rome. The epistles, written by men of varied personal character and temperament, set forth the significance of the gospel facts, as revealed to them, according to our Lord's promise (John xvi: 12, 13). The single prophetical book, however it is to be interpreted, shows the Lamb as King, to become Victor on earth, where his church is preparing through conflict to share his triumph. (Bible Treasury, p 123.) 9. _Order:_ In our English Bible the order is not chronological. In ancient manuscripts there was much variation in position; the seven General Epistles were usually placed immediately after Acts, the Gospels coming first, though not always in the order now universal. The Pauline Epistles seem to have been arranged according to length, so that the earliest and the latest stand together, viz., I and II Thes. with I and II Timothy, and Titus." (Bible Treasury, p. 123.) Footnotes 1. "Pertaining to or of the nature of teaching; intended to instruct or edify." (Dictionary.) 2. The above and some of the following notes of this lesson are taken from the "International Revision Commentary," on the New Testament. The comments are based upon the revised version of the New Testament of 1881 by English and American scholars. The International Commentaries were considered necessary, owing to the Anglo-American revision of the New Testament. For this revision it is claimed that it is based upon a much older and purer text, and corrects several thousand errors and inaccuracies which mar the excellence of the version of 1611. It also claims to put "the English reader as nearly as possible into the position of the student of the Greek Testament." We shall have occasion now and then to quote this work, and it will always be done under the title, "International Commentary," and must not be confounded with the "Commentary, Critical and Explanatory," by Messrs. Jamieson-Faussett-Brown, already frequently quoted, and still to be quoted in subsequent lessons. LESSON II. SCRIPTURE READING EXERCISE. _THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT._ ANALYSIS. REFERENCES.