Date post: | 18-Jan-2016 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | nelson-ramsey |
View: | 218 times |
Download: | 0 times |
CHAPTER 3SURVEYING THE BOOKS
OF THE BIBLE
“Why did Jesus live? What, in other words, about the bit between the stable and the cross?
There were, after all, Christmas carols and other hymns that took Jesus straight “from his poor manger to his bitter cross.” Did it matter that, according to the four gospels, he had a short period of intense and exciting public
activity at the latter end of his life? What truth could we learn from it? Why did it have to be like that? Does it matter that he did all those things, that he said all those things, that he
was all those things? Would it have made any difference if, as the virgin-born son of God, he
had been plucked from total obscurity and crucified, dying for our sins, without any of
that happening? If not, why not?”
Excerpt From: N. T. Wright. “How God Became King.”
Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom, lofty origin of all being, graciously let a ray of Thy brilliance penetrate into the darkness of my
understanding and take from me the double darkness in which I have been
conceived, an obscurity of both sin and ignorance.
Give me a sharp sense of understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally. Grant
me the talent of being exact in my explanations, and the ability to express
myself with thoroughness and with charm.Point out the beginning, direct the
progress, and help in the completion; through Christ Our Lord,
Amen.
ObjectivesWriting of the New TestamentSurvey of the New Testament
The Pauline Epistles
Survey of the Old Testament
The Prophetic Books:
MAJOR PROPHETS:Isaiah
JeremiahEzekielDaniel
Survey of the Old Testament
The Prophetic Books:
MINOR PROPHETS:HoseaJoel
AmosObadiah
JonahMicahNahum
HabakkukZephaniah
HaggaiZechariahMalachi
Survey of the New Testament
What does a Biography tell?
The Who
The What
The When
The Where
Survey of the New Testament
He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure
village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. Then for three years or so he was an
itinerant preacher. He never had a family or owned a home. He never traveled more than two hundred miles from the place he was born. He never wrote a book or held an office. He did none of the things that usually
accompany greatness. While he was still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His
friends deserted him. He was turned over to his enemies, and went through the mockery of a trial. He was executed like a common criminal. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for the only piece of property he had—his coat. When he was dead, he was
buried in a borrowed grave. Twenty centuries have come and gone. Today he is the central figure for much of the human race. All the armies that ever
marched, and all the navies that ever sailed, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that
ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of humankind upon this earth as powerfully as this one
solitary life.-Anonymous
Survey of the New Testament
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 1: The Historical Jesus
Jesus lived a typical life of a Jewish boy
Began his public ministry c. 28 AD
Taught, healed, and proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God
Crucified by Pontius Pilate c. 30 AD
Rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion
Survey of the New TestamentStage 2: Oral Tradition
--Understanding Oral Traditions--1. Selective Traditions- Choosing events
that matter. Ex: George Washington, chops down a cherry tree. “I cannot tell a lie.”
2. Shaped by the current experiences and knowledge
3. Transmitted by non eye-witnessesSome events that there were no eye
witness
Most people did not learn about Jesus from the Disciples (Learned through networks
and friends)
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 2: Oral Tradition
“Go out to the whole world; proclaim the gospel to all creation”
KERYGMA—preaching to unbelieversDIDACHE—teaching, further catechesis
LITURGY—worship of the Christians
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 2: Oral TraditionWhy commit the Oral Tradition to writing?
The end of the world was not coming as quickly as the early Christians at first thought it would
Distortions to the Gospel were occurring
More instruction was needed
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 2: Oral Tradition
Written Collections (50-65 AD)
Once a story gets written down and saturated throughout a common place they become
standardized.
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 3: The Writing of the New Testament
First written books of the New Testament were the letters of St. Paul
The four Gospels, Acts, Catholic Epistles, and Revelation were probably written in the latter
half of the 1st century
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 3: The Writing of the New Testament
The Sacred Tradition of the Church, administered by the Apostles and their
successors, determined which books were to be included in the canon and which were not
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 3: The Writing of the New TestamentGospels
The heart of the ScripturesMark (~60—75)
Matthew (~80—90)Luke (~85)
John (~80—110)
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 3: The Writing of the New Testament
Full Narratives (65-90 AD)-Shift to stories of the life of Jesus
100 years of fellowship affect on the gospels
The early church put the 4 gospels side by side:
Mark, Matthew, and Luke: Very similar called synoptic gospels
John different from other gospels, less than 10% of John appears in any other gospel,
whereas 90% of Mark appears in Matthew. John is more theologically developed and has different traditions than the other gospels.
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 3: The Writing of the New Testament
Full Narratives (65-90 AD)-Shift to stories of the life of Jesus
100 years of fellowship affect on the gospels
The early church put the 4 gospels side by side:
Mark, Matthew, and Luke: Very similar called synoptic gospels
John different from other gospels, less than 10% of John appears in any other gospel,
whereas 90% of Mark appears in Matthew. John is more theologically developed and has different traditions than the other gospels.
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 3: The Writing of the New Testament
“Synoptic Problem”:What is the relationship between Matthew,
Mark and Luke?
-There are some instances where the synoptic gospels match up word for word. Some
scholars argue that Mark was written first and Matthew and Luke borrowed from it
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 3: The Writing of the New Testament
1. Mark is always the common link between the commonalities.
2. Mark writes in a very awkward style of Greek. If he borrowed from Matthew and Luke why would he make the Greek awkward, more likely Matthew and Luke borrowed from Mark
and cleaned up the Greek.There are verses that appear in Matthew and
Luke but do not appear in Mark. German scholars credit an outside source for this commonality. Includes: temptation in the
wilderness, Lord’s Prayer, beatitudes, Parable of the mustard seed, Treasure in Heaven, Ask
seek knock.
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 3: The Writing of the New Testament
And finally:Matthew and Luke have some
commonalities that are not in Mark. How can this be?
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 3: The Writing of the New Testament
Stage 4 The Narrowing of the Gospels down to 4
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 4: The Finalization of the GospelsMarcian’s Gospel ~ 150 AD
Tatian’s Diatessaron ~ 180 AD
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 4: The Finalization of the GospelsSo brings us to the question of:
Why these 4?There are no recordings from the early
church as to why?
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 4: The Finalization of the GospelsWhy these 4?
1. Narratives that culminated with the death and resurrection of Jesus.
2. Engage the Hebrew Bible (talk about how the Hebrew bible led to Jesus)
3. Avoid Theological Extremes (Jesus as non-human or adopted by god)
4. Credible Origins Stories.
5. Acceptance by the People
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 4: The Finalization of the Gospels
By 180 AD the core of the bible had been formed. (4 gospel cannon)
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 5 Final Determination3rd century: Debates turned to the fringe books
4th century (360-390AD) Bible takes uniform modern form.
2 factors shaping fringe books: Support of important bishops, and popularity among people
Survey of the New Testament
Gospels
The heart of the ScripturesMark (~60—75)
Matthew (~80—90)Luke (~85)
John (~80—110)Four Unique Gospels
Survey of the New Testament
Gospels
Mark: (literary analysis) to discover how a suffering and crucified man can be the messiah.
Matthew: (reader analysis) To speak to Jews who
were struggling with the Torah and where Jesus fits in with that.
Luke: (reader analysis) Gentiles and Christian community to those who were struggling with
whether Jesus came for the non-Jews.
Survey of the New Testament
Gospels
KERYGMA—preaching to unbelievers
Read Acts 2:14-36
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 3: The Writing of the New TestamentActs of the Apostles
Second part of the Gospel of Luke
Acts tells the early history of the Church
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 3: The Writing of the New TestamentPauline Letters
Circulated in his name; either written by Paul himself or a disciple of Paul
1 and 2 ThessaloniansGalatians
Philippians1 and 2 Corinthians
RomansPhilemon
ColossiansEphesians
Titus1 and 2 Timothy
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 3: The Writing of the New Testament
Canon
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 3: The Writing of the New TestamentCatholic Epistles
Letters intended “for all” (Catholic means “universal)
James1 and 2 Peter
Jude1, 2 and 3 John
Survey of the New Testament
Stage 3: The Writing of the New Testament
Revelation
This highly symbolic work’s purpose was to encourage Christians who were undergoing persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ.