The blend of variety and unity apparent in the thought of the New Testament has been a subject for theological debate through the ages. Certain themse, teachings, and characterizations are clearly consistent, but others are perplexing in their diversity. This distinction was acknowledged by the New Testament writers themselves. For example, the author of 2 Peter looking back at the letters of "our beloved brother Paul", confesses that they contain "some things hard to understand". The author explores in detail the different aspects of variety and unity in the entire New Testament. He gives special attention to the sixteen books which fall outside the central gospels and Pauline epistles and which offer the greatest challenge to the defence of unity. These include such important writings as Revelation, 1 Peter, Hebrews, and James. He argues that, despite contemporary emphasis on the pluralism of the writings, there remains a central unifying focus: faith in Jesus as the Christ. Recent emphases on social setting, rhetoric, and narrative are shown to enrich traditional historical criticism and to open up the New Testament for readers today.
