The New Testament Books
There are three categories: Events, Letters, and Prophecy.

Events:

The first four books are four versions of events in the life of Christ, written by men named Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
   Matthew and John were disciples of Jesus. Mark and Luke traveled with Paul.
  These four books are called "gospels." That word means "good news." More on Life of Jesus.

Events that happened after Jesus' death are written in the next book, called Acts. (full name: Acts of the Apostles). This book was written by Luke. The first part of the book features events in the life of Peter, a disciple of Jesus, and the last part tells events in the life of Paul, who became a believer after Jesus died, and traveled around Turkey and Greece spreading the message about Jesus. More on events in Acts

Letters:

First there are 13 letters written by Paul to various cities and people.

1. Letters written to cities:
    Romans (to believers in Rome, Italy),
    Corinthians (to people in Corinth, in Greece). Paul wrote two letters to them, called First Corinthians and Second Corinthians.
    Galatians (to believers in a region in central Turkey called "Galatia")
    Ephesians (to believers in Ephesus, a city on the west coast of Turkey)
    Philippians (to believers in Philippi, a city on the coastline between Greece and Turkey)
    Colossians (to believers in a city in central Turkey)
    Thessalonians (to believers in Thessalonica, a city in Greece). Paul wrote two, called First Thessalonians and Second Thessalonians.
              Click here for Location Map of these places

2. Letters written to people:
    To Timothy (He traveled with Paul and Luke. Paul wrote two letters to him.)
    To Titus (Paul to one of his co-workers)
    To Philemon (Paul to a friend)

Then there are 8 more letters, not written by Paul:
    Hebrews. Written to Jews who had come to believe in Jesus. Author not specified.
    James. Written by a brother of Jesus.
    Peter. Two letters written by Peter, a disciple of Jesus.
    John. Three letters written by John, a disciple of Jesus, who also wrote one of the gospels (above)
    Jude. Written by a brother of Jesus
Details about all of these letters are found at the bottom of this page.

Prophecy

There is one book of prophecy, called Revelation. It tells about the victory of God over evil.
    It is written by John, the same ,person as the John who wrote the gospel and the letters mentioned above.

Color chart of New Testament books (the right hand column).
 

On to next page (people)                                                        Return to New Testament contents

DETAILS OF THE LETTERS:

ROMANS. Paul writes a complete survey of Christian teaching, including why we need a savior and how Jesus has met that need. In the
second half, he shows the results for daily living.

CORINTHIANS (TWO LETTERS). Paul speaks to problems they are experiencing in areas of worship, divisions, and immorality.

GALATIANS. Paul writes a detailed explanation of grace alone as the way to be saved.

EPHESIANS. Paul writes about the how to play your part in the life of the church.

PHILIPPIANS. Paul, writing from prison, tells how we can live in joy despite persecutions.

COLOSSIANS. How to keep Christ as the center and deep away from false teachings.

THESSALONIANS (TWO LETTERS). Paul assures us of going to be with God at the end of the world.

TIMOTHY (TWO LETTERS) Paul gives practical advice to Timothy as a young leader in the church.

TITUS. Paul tells Titus how to keep the people of Crete focused on Christ and his grace despite difficulties.

PHILEMON. Philemon owned a slave who escaped. The slave became a Christian and was with Paul in prison. Paul sends the
    slave back to his owner, Philemon, with this letter asking that he be treated kindly.

HEBREWS. Many Jewish people had accepted Christ as savior, but were having second thoughts due to persecution. the author
    makes extensive quotes from the Old Testament to assure these Jewish believers that they are on the right track. There is
    extensive explanation of Jesus' death on the cross as a sacrifice for sin.

JAMES. Jesus' brother gives practical advice for Christian living.

PETER (TWO LETTERS). Peter gives comfort to people who are being persecuted.

JOHN (THREE LETTERS). The emphasis is on God's love, and "he who has the Son of God has eternal life."

JUDE. Another brother of Jesus warns about false teachings.

Who Selected Which Books would be in the New Testament?

Already by the end of the first century, Christian writers were quoting from most of the books in the New Testament, in a way that shows they regarded them as authoritative. Lists of books in the first few centuries shows that the gospels and the letters (epistles) of Paul were already accepted by Christians throughout the Roman Empire. There were just a few books, such as 2nd and 3rd John, that were accepted by some and not others. The date for the final authoritative list, that included 2nd and 3rd John, is the year 367.