New Testament letter composed under the guise of a presumably lost letter of the Apostle Paul, the Epistle to the Laodiceans. The books of the New Testament were all or nearly all written by Jewish Christians—that is, Jewish disciples of Christ, who lived in the Roman Empire, and under Roman occupation. Luke, who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, is frequently thought of as an exception; scholars are divided as to whether Luke was a Gentile or a Hellenistic Jew. A few scholars identify the author of the Gospel of Mark as probably a Gentile, and similarly for
Matthew 27 ("Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit"), and , ("It is finished"). Further differences can be found in the Gospels as to whether Jesus carried his own cross or not. In the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and Mark, Jesus receives assistance from Simon of Cyrene, whereas in the Gospel of John Jesus carries the cross by himself. Matthew 27 Matthew 27 is the 27th chapter in the Gospel of Matthew, part of the New Testament. It can be divided into the following subsections: Matthew describes the trial, crucifixion and burial of Jesus. Jesus is taken to Pontius Pilate, the