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Meditations for Muslims: Twenty-two Letters in the Injil

In the Injil there are twenty-two letters. Four of them were written by John, one of the twelve Apostles. Two of them were written by Peter, one of the twelve Apostles.

Two of them were written by James and Jude, half brothers of Jesus.

The book of Hebrews does not have a known author but it was written before 70 A.D.

The rest of the letters were written by the Apostle Paul whose encounter with the risen Christ is recorded three times in the book of Acts, chapter 9, 22 and 26. Please read it.

There are five other books, four of them short biographies of Jesus and the fifth, a story of early Christians after the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Luke who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts was a physician and co-worker with the Apostle Paul. Matthew was written by one of the twelve apostles.

John was written by one of the twelve apostles. Mark was written by John Mark, one of the co-workers with Paul, Peter, and Barnabas, his cousin.

With the exception of the Gospel of John and the book of Revelation all of these 27 books were written between 50 A.D. and 70 A.D. Jesus’ death was about 30 A.D.

Here are a few quotations from Paul’s letter to Rome.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 1:1-4 (NIV)

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you. Romans 1:8-10 (NIV)

Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:11 (NIV)

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:3, 4 (NIV)

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10:9, 10 (NIV)

I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Romans 15:30 (NIV)

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