The Mystic Way by Jay Forrest

Dates and Authors of the New Testament Books

The following are the authors and my estimated date of their composition. All dates are C.E.

Matthew – author unknown (80)
Mark – Mark (70)
Luke – Luke (85)
John – Apostle John (95)
Acts – Luke (85)
Romans – Apostle Paul (56)
1 Corinthians – Apostle Paul (54)
2 Corinthians – Apostle Paul (57)
Galatians – Apostle.Paul (48)
Ephesians – Apostle Paul (62)
Philippians – Apostle Paul (56)
Colossians – Apostle Paul (62)
1 Thessalonians – Apostle Paul (50)
2 Thessalonians – Apostle Paul (52)
1 Timothy – pseudo Paul (100)
2 Timothy – pseudo Paul(100)
Titus – pseudo Paul (100)
Philemon – Apostle Paul (64)
Hebrews – author unknown (63)
James – elder James (60)
1 Peter – Apostle Peter (63)
2 Peter – pseudo Peter (125)
1 John – elder John (101)
2 John – elder John (101
3 John – elder John (101)
Jude – pseudo Jude (90)
Revelation – elder John (96)

Dates of the New Testament Books

The dates below include the traditional (T) date and the current scholarly (S) consensus date. All dates are C.E.

Matthew T:60 S:80-90
Mark T:50 S:70
Luke T:55-60 S:80-90
John T: 80 S:95
Acts T:60-63 S:85-100
Romans T: 57-58 S:56-57
1 Corinthians T:53-54 S:54-56
2 Corinthians T: 55-56 S:57
Galatians T:48-50 S:50-52
Ephesians T:60-62 S:70-90
Philippians T:61-63 S:56-63
Colossians T:60-62 S:70-90
1 Thessalonians T:50-51 S:49-51
2 Thessalonians T:51-52 S:70-90
1 Timothy T:63-65 S:80-120
2 Timothy T:63-65 S:80-120
Titus T:63-65 C.E. S:80-120
Philemon T:60-62 C.E. S:54-56 or 63-64
Hebrews T:63-65 S:80-90
James T:40-60 S:80-120
1 Peter. T:60-64 S:70-90
2 Peter T: 64-68 S:120-130
1 John T:85-95 S:100-110
2 John T:85-95 S:100-110
3 John T:85-95 S:100-110
Jude T:40-50 S:50-90
Revelation T:94-96 S:94-96

Source:

When Was the New Testament Written? Marko Marina.

Human Psychology

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).

“May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23).

The Apostle Paul seems to divide human psychology up into “spirit and soul and body.” Jesus divided human psychology into heart, soul, strength (body), and mind. And it appears that spirit and soul are not the same thing, since the word of God “divides soul from spirit” (Heb. 4:12).

What are all these parts and how do they fit together? Understanding that the Bible is no univocal, I still think we can make sense of the New Testament general meaning of these terms.

The body is the easiest, we all know what that means. The mind is fairly easy, it is the part of us that thinks. Now it gets harder.

The heart is the will, the center of our moral choices. It refers to the “intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12). It included our disposition, our intentions and motives, as well as the choice itself.

The soul and spirit are sometimes used to refer to the nonphysical part of us. Other times they are distinguished. When they are distinguished, the soul refers to our emotional part and the spirit refers to consciousness.

They you have the best explanation of the basic make up of our human psychology according to the New Testament. At least, I think it matches Paul’s understanding. But again, I do not insist on the univocality of the Biblical record.

Using the Prayer Rope

The prayer rope (chotki) is used as a rosary within the Easter Orthodox Church. Buy a 100 knot prayer rope. I suggest getting one with a knotted cross at the end. I use my thumb to move the knots from one to the other.

Preparation

Hold the prayer rope in your left hand, and use your right hand to do the sign of the cross over yourself, saying, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” Then say three times, “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on me.” And finally, pray the “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9-13).

The Jesus Prayer

Then begin saying the Jesus Prayer. Move the first knot with your thumb, saying, “Lord Jesus Christ.” And then move your thumb to the next knot, saying, “have mercy on me.” Repeat 100 times.

You will find three beads on the hundred knot prayer rope. I suggest that you pay them no special attention. They just break the prayer rope up into 25 knot sections. Just say the Jesus Prayer on them.

Conclusion

When you get back to the cross, hold it. And with your right hand again do the sign of the cross, saying: “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.”

At this point you may wear it around your left wrist or, if you prefer, put it in your pocket so as not to be “seen” (Matt. 6:5-6).

Please note, this is my personal practice. I am not following or representing the Eastern Orthodox practice. You should consult an Orthodox priest if you want to do it “right.’

I highly recommend seeing a spiritual director before beginning any prayer rule. You should consult your priest or pastor. I am sharing my personal practice for those without a spiritual director. Go slowly, stay humble, and be faithful to your church.

20 Minute Recollection Session

“no one can say, ‘Lord Jesus’, unless in [the power of the] Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3 Darby).

In the Christian tradition, meditation is reserved for reflective thinking. It is the pondering over the scriptures, God, or some work of God. What Buddhists call meditation, Christians call recollection.

In St. Teresa of Avila’s description, “It is called the prayer of recollection because the soul collects together all its faculties and enters within itself to be with its God.” Recollection is about becoming concentration or one pointed in attention. It is the practice of mindfulness that leads to focus.

I recommend a 20-minute recollection session. This is kind of like a meditation session. Except we’re using the Christian terminology. Sit down, relax, with your back straight. Take a deep breath, and let everything fall away.

Because the breathing will be much deeper and shallower, I don’t recommend using the full Jesus prayer, ” Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. Only use the beginning two words, “Lord Jesus.”

When you breathe in, pray mentally, “Lord,” and when you breathe out, pray mentally, “Jesus.” Don’t picture anything. Don’t try to not think Rather just focus your attention on the prayer and the feeling of your breath entering and exiting your nose.

I recommend getting a very simple meditation timer for your phone. Don’t get one with a social aspect. You’re not here to socialize but recollect. You can also use a kitchen timer.

Keep your sessions at 20 minutes. Don’t expand your time, rather add to your sessions. Start with once a day, then go to twice a day, even go to three times a day. And if you’re consistent with these, then expand the time to 25 or 30 minutes. I don’t recommend more than 45 minutes for a session.