New Testament crossword puzzle: Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, and Thessalonians
TL;DR:
Solve a crossword puzzle about Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Based on Discovering the Bible, its clues highlight the audiences and themes of these six letters of Paul. A map shows Galatia in what is now Turkey. Bible readings, book overviews, and related puzzles offer further study.
Galatia is shown in red in what is now Turkey |
Image Source
Word puzzle from Sacred Scripture
Draws on material covered in chapters 24, 25, and 27 of Discovering the Bible, edited by Alex Varughese, a textbook for Introduction to Biblical Literature.
Challenge: Can you solve this puzzle even if you do not have the book by Varughese?
Across
2 -- Believers to whom letters were written about the Second Coming of Christ
4 -- A letter explaining that Gentile believers did not need to be circumcised to belong to Christ
Down
1 -- Two letters were written to these believers who had become very divided and
disorderly as a congregation
3 -- A letter to believers in a church Paul had not founded, in which he presents the gospel of grace and faith
Bible reading for this assignment: 1 Thessalonians 1-5; Galatians 1-6; Romans 3-8; 1 Corinthians 1, 5-15; 2 Corinthians 1-2
See the syllabus for Bible and textbook reading for this assignment.
This crossword puzzle was created for use in the course Introduction to Biblical Literature. The words and clues come from the textbook Discovering the Bible: Story and Faith of the Biblical Communities, edited by Alex Varughese and published by what is now The Foundry
Publishing.
What do Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, and Thessalonians Share?
The Bible books of Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians share several characteristics:
Authorship: All these books are epistles (letters) written by the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote these letters to various early Christian communities in different cities and regions.
New Testament: They are all part of the New Testament canon and are classified as Pauline epistles, meaning Paul wrote them.
Audience: Each letter is written to a specific Christian community or church. For example:
Romans: Written to Christians in Rome.
1 and 2 Corinthians: Written to the church in Corinth.
Galatians: Addressed to the churches in the region of Galatia in modern-day Turkey.
1 and 2 Thessalonians: Written to the church in Thessalonica.
Themes: These letters deal with theological, doctrinal, and ethical issues faced by the early Christian communities. Those include:
Justification by faith (especially in Romans and Galatians).
Christian unity and resolving divisions (especially in Corinthians).
The role of the Holy Spirit in believers' lives.
Ethical living in light of the gospel.
The return of Christ and eschatology (especially prominent in Thessalonians).
Encouragement and correction: Paul wrote these letters to build up believers in their faith, challenge errors, and offer guidance for Christian living. In Galatians, he challenges the demand that Gentile believers be circumcised. In the two Thessalonian letters, he addresses questions about the return of Christ.
