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Contributions to Early Christianity

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Title: Contributions to Early Christianity


1
Contributions to Early Christianity
2
  • Greek Contributions
  • 1. Greek Culture
  • 2. Greek Language
  • 3. Greek Philosophy and Education

3
  • Jewish Contributions
  • 1. Concept of Monotheism
  • 2. The Jewish synagogue
  • 3. The Dispersion
  • 4. Scripture
  • 5. Essenes

4
  • Roman Contributions
  • 1. Law and order
  • 2. Cosmopolitan character
  • 3. Roman roads and transportation
  • 4. Roman qualities of character
  • 5. Roman Religion

5
A History of Jesus the Christ
6
A Life of Jesus I. Birth Ancestry Luke goes
back to Adam in attempt to connect Jesus to all
of humanity Matthew goes back to the Davidic
line They do not agree!
7
II. Baptism Real history begins with the
baptism Thou Art My Son--beginning of ministry
and messianic consciousness Some say the Spirit
of God came upon Jesus at this time
8
III. The Temptation Experience What kind of
ministry will Jesus have? 1. A person of
authority--messianic acts 2. He overcame disease
and the demonic 3. Authority to deal with
sinners 4. Authority to redefine the law 5.
Entering the Kingdom
9
6. Coming of the Kingdom a. Realized
Eschatology--C. H. Dodd--the kingdom is already
here--the church b. Consistent Eschatology--the
kingdom is coming in the future--Schweitzer
10
IV. The Parables of the Kingdom 1. Seed and
soil (Mt. 1318)--way Jesus words are preached
and accepted 2. Growing seed (Mark
426-29)--Gods kingdom will come without help of
humanity 3. Mustard seed (Mt. 11324-53 Mark
43-30)--begins small and becomes large
11
V. The Journey to Jerusalem John has 2
journeys-Synoptics only one--it occurs in final
week of Jesus ministry Luke 951--shows his
determination to go to Jerusalem--this passage
prepares for the climatic event of the cross
12
VI. Triumphal Entrance Using Zechariah 99 he
seems to consciously fulfills a prophecy of the
Messiah entering Jerusalem of a king
13
VIII. The Last Supper Two ways of
understanding 1. A solemn act--patterned after
Jewish Passover celebration instituted as a
memorial celebration of Jesus impending death 2.
A joyous celebration of fellowship, with focus
on the eschatological fulfillment climaxing in
the Kingdom of God
14
VII. The Temple incident This incident begins
his problems in Jerusalem--intentionally setting
himself up against the authorities he
prophesized that the temple will be destroyed
15
IX. Chronology of Holy Week Synoptics indicate
that the Last Supper took place on Thursday
evening--should have been 24 hours before the
Sabbath. John places it on the Day of
Preparation, one day before--none of the
essential elements of Passover seems to be
there--bitter herbs and recital of passover
stories
16
Titles of Christ
17
Jesus the Prophet
18
  • Threefold Ministry of ChristProphet-Priest-King
  • First found in Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs
  • Assume recognition with Calvin
  • Today terms are used to refer to the earthly and
    heavenly mission of Jesus

19
  • B. Jesus as Prophet is due to Deut 1815-19,
    which reads I will raise up for them the people
    of Israel a prophet like you from among their
    brethren, and I will put my words in his mouth,
    and he will speak to them all that I command him.
  • 1. The prophet was to be a second Moses
  • 2. Jesus seems to fulfill this role as he
    redefines the law for the new covenant
  • 3. Some see the prophet as the suffering
    servant of Isaiah
  • 4. Some see the prophet as an incarnation of
    the prophet Elijah or Enoch
  • 5. Samaritans believed it referred to the
    reincarnation of Moses

20
  • C. Some see the prophet as John the Baptist
  • D. Some contemporaries of Jesus saw him as a
    prophet
  • 1. Jesus as a prophet among many, Luke
    7finds reference to a great prophet has come
  • 2. The eschatological prophetElijah coming
    to life (Mark 615)
  • E. Acclamation of crowd on Psalm Sunday may be
    interpreted as This is Jesus, the Prophet, From
    Nazareth of Galilee (Matt. 2111)

21

  1. Concept of Jesus as prophet disappeared with the
    disappearance of Jewish Christianity
  2. We can say that Jesus was a prophet in that he
    fulfilled the role model of a prophet

22
Suffering Servant
23
  • A. Jesus never uses the term, although he
    refers to the concept in his teaching
  • B. The term is one of the oldest titles used by
    the first century Christians to define the person
    of Jesus
  • C. Title is uniquely Jewish
  • D. We find it in Isaiah, chs. 42, 49, 50, and
    52-53
  • E. Some Jews believed term referred to a person
    already deadHezekiah others see the nation of
    Israel itself

24
  • F. In later Judaism a connection was made
    between suffering servant and messiah
  • 1. Used as my servant five times in Ezekiel
  • 2. Used in some spurious works of the
    later period
  • But concept of the suffering servant had not
    yet been transferred to the glorious and
    triumphant Messiah.
  • Thus, when Jesus uses the term to refer to
    himself it is a unique interpretation

25
  • I. Writers of Gospels utilized the concept in
    relationship to the vicarious suffering and death
    of Jesus
  • J. John seems to referring to it when he used
    the words lamb of Godan Aramaic equivalent of
    the term
  • K. Book of Acts makes reference to the servant
    of Yahweh
  • L. Paul uses the motif in two instances, 1 Cor.
    153 and Romans 512 where Jesus is fulfilling
    the task of the servant of God

26
The Messiah
27
  • A. Best identified title for Jesus
  • B. A transliteration of Hebrew Mashach, which
    simply means to anoint
  • C. Term refers specifically to the king of
    Israel, the Anointed One of Yahweh
  • 1. Term is used 39 times in Hebrew Scriptures
    and designates the kings of Judah and Israel
  • 2. Messianic is connected with David 2 Sam.
    712 God promises that Davids kingdom would last
    forever

28
  • D. Since Davids kingdom was not forever in
    this life, the Jews developed an eschatological
    interpretation to the term
  • E. Biblical passages referring to the messiah
  • 1. Gen. 491-12 Until he comes
  • 2. Num. 2415-19promise of a war-like king
  • 3. Num. 2410-17the Immanuel prophecy,
    impending birth of Messiah
  • 4. Isa. 710-17messianic expectation is
    fully developed

29
  • 5. Isa. 119metaphor of the Messianic shoot
    from Davidspirit of Yahweh will abide in his as
    a permanent force
  • 6. Micah 52-5aorigin and birth of the
    Messiah
  • 7. Jeremiah 235-6righteous branch, a wise
    and just king, appointed by Yahweh he provides
    for the welfare and safety of Israel

30
  • 8. Ezekiel 3423-24 2722, 24-25promise that
    Yahweh will bring back a united people to
    Palestine and appoint the shepherd David over
    themreign does not extend beyond Israel

31
  • 9. Haggai 221Yahweh would bring about a great
    revolution in the immediate futurea son of David
    would be the messianic ruler in the last days.
  • 10. Zech. 69-14prophet, acting symbolically,
    was crowned as the coming Messiah for Zerubbabel
  • a. Branch had become a messianic name of
    honor
  • b. High priest Joshua was to receive the
    crown as a sign that the messiah would come in
    the future

32
  • 11. Intertestament Period
  • a. Concept of a coming eschatatological and
    military Messiah comes largely from the period
    between Malachi and the Gospel
  • b. Came to play an important role in the
    deliverance of Israel
  • c. Some tried to use formulas to calculate
    the time frame which would bring the Messiah

33

d. Messiah would come when the wickedness
of the world has reached its peak e. When
Messiah comes there will be woeswar,
pestilence, famine f. He will destroy the
hostile power then in force and will establish
Zion as his glorious kingdom
34
  • G. Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs
    celebrates the raising of a new priesthis star
    would rise in heaven like that of a king, he will
    bring peace on earth, knowledge will come to the
    Gentiles and sin will come to an end

35
  • 12. Contemporary with Jesus
  • a. Elijah would come
  • b. Birth-pangs usher in a new age
  • c. Complete disintegration where normal
    standards will become disorder
  • d. A time of judgment
  • e. Ingathering of the dispersion

36
  • 13. Jesus neither rejects nor accepts the
    title
  • 14. Mark 941 where word is used as a title,
    not a proper noun
  • 15. Mark 1235 where Jesus does not accept
    the title, but is asking what type of person the
    Messiah would be
  • 16. Final usage was before the high priest
    where he accepted the title, but qualified the
    idea through the use of the term Son of Man

37
Savior
38
  • A. Perhaps no title is more familiar today,
    but does not seem to have the same type of
    prominence in the NT
  • B. Never used by Jesus
  • C. Mentioned once in Luke 211 and once in
    John 442
  • D. Even in Pauline epistles it is used
    sparingly Phil 320 and Eph 523
  • E. Great change in the Pastoral and Catholic
    Epistles10 times2 Tim 110, Titus 14, Titus
    36, 2 Peter 1l, 11, 220, 32, 18 and in 1 John
    414
  • F. In these epistles God is referred to as
    savior 7 times

39
  1. In the Hebrew Scriptures, no other savior is
    mentioned besides Yahweh (Isa 4311 4521 Hosea
    1314
  2. When Messiah is mentioned, he is not savior but
    one who serves as Gods agent of salvation
  3. The Intertestamental period emphases a savior
  4. Concept of individual salvation developed along
    with concept of resurrection

40
  • K. In Enoch, Apocalypse of Baruch, and the
    Assumption of Moses we see the scene of an
    expected salvation which is laid beyond this
    world of time and history in a transcendent
    futuresalvation has become completely otherwordly

41
  • L. A look at the word savior
  • 1. In the Septuagint soter is sometimes
    applied to humanity
  • 2. Many of the judges are called saviors
    (Judges 39, 15 and Neh. 927)
  • 3. Word soteria-salvation---has a long
    history in Judaismcan mean peace, preservation
    in safety, help and assistance only later would
    come to mean rescue from sin

42
  • M. NT emphasizes that Jesus fulfills the
    concept of salvationemphasizes Gods role in
    history
  • 1. Luke writes that Jesus came to seek and to
    save the lost, Luke 1910
  • 2. This salvation is offered to sinners
    not part of rabbinic Judaism

43
Son of Man
44
  • A. One of the most popular titles Jesus used,
    yet is one of most confusing and complex in the
    NT
  • B. It has a background in Jewish apocalyptic
    literature and the motif is found in many of the
    near-eastern religons
  • C. Phrase son of man is translated from the
    Aramaic Bar Nasha and Greek uio tou anthropou
  • D. First time we see it in apocalyptic
    literature is in Daniel 713the person accepts
    the office of rule conferred to him by the
    Ancient of Days at a heavenly enthronement
    sceneemphasis is that from then on the Kingdom
    of God and his ruler will dominate in place of
    the demonic worldwide kingdoms

45
  • The term may be influenced by a a half-divine
    Urmensch (primal man)
  • Title is used frequently in Ezekiel when it
    occurs more than 90 timesconsensus is that he is
    referring to humanity and those attributes of
    humanity, contrasted with the strength and might
    of God
  • In IV Ezra 13 has a figure like a man
  • 1. It depicts a continuous series of actions
    brought to an end prior to the reign of the
    messiah

46
2. The section tells of 2 different
destructionsfirst against the cosmic power
and second against human foes 3. Son of Man
here has sovereignty, power and honorinherent
in him from the beginning and not bestowed on
him by God 4. Events take place on a
miraculously modified earth
47
  • H. In the Similtudes of I Enoch is a more
    detailed account of that man
  • 1. Book predicts the coming of an Elect or
    Chosen One in whose days righteousness shall
    prevail and in whose the righteous and elect
    will remain forever
  • 2. At the resurrection he chooses the
    righteous and holy and sits on the throne of
    God
  • 3. Book tends to identify the Son of Man with
    the Elect One

48
  • 4. The Son of Man will remove kings from
    their thrones
  • 5. Mighty will suffer travail pangs when
    they see that Son of Man sitting on the throne
    of His gloryclose parallel to Mt. 2531
  • 6. All judgment is given to the Son of Man

49
  • I. Philo attempted to correlate the Jewish Son
    of Man with a belief in the Hellenistic
    heavenly or primal man
  • 1. He saw 2 Adams being creatdGen 127 27
  • 2. The idea Heavenly Man disappeared after
    Gen. 27
  • 3. God created the second Adam who became the
    transgressor of Gods commands

50
  1. Term is used 82 in the NT, all but one in the
    Gospels and all but one it is used by Jesus to
    refer to Himself
  2. What Jesus meant by the term is open to different
    interpretations
  3. One theory suggests when he uses Son of Man he is
    referring to his human nature when he uses Son
    of God he is referring to his divine nature
  4. One scholar thinks Jesus used the term to have
    him representing the representative man

51
  • N. Another believes Jesus used the title with
    the background of Ezekiel and Psalm 8
  • 1. Ezekiel speaks of the frailty and
    humiliation of humanity
  • 2. Psalm I speaks to the divinity of humanity

52
Son of God
53
  • A. This title was central to the thought of the
    early church, Mark 11The beginning of the
    Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of
  • God
  • B. The Ethiopian in Acts confesses that I
    believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God
  • C. Gospel of John write If a man acknowledges
    that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him
    and he dwells in God

54
  • D. Origin of title came from ancient oriental
    religions
  • 1. In Egypt, Babylonia, and Assyria the kings
    were thought to be sons of God
  • 2. In the Greek world, the term represented
    anyone who was believed to possess some kind of
    divine powerall miracle workers were sons of god

55
  • E. In the Hebrew Bible, the title was used in
    three ways
  • 1. King
  • 2. Angels and Messiah
  • 3. Israel
  • 4. Job 16, 21, 387-Psalm 298, 826, 897

56
  • F. By time of Jesus it was assumed that Ps. 27
    was interpreted Messianic in some quarters
  • G. In the Gospels the term is used quite
    frequently
  • 1. In Q the title is used twice in the
    temptation story
  • 2. Jesus is seen as the Son at his baptism
    and transfiguration
  • 3. John 203Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
    God

57
  • H. Used in Mark in several ways
  • 1. God proclaims Jesus as His Son
  • 2. To be the Son of God is also to be the Son
    of Man
  • 3. Son of God is used as a title for the
    Messiah
  • 4. Son of God is the title given Jesus by
    demons and pagans
  • 5. Term suggest the filial relationship of
    Jesus who obeys God even to his death

58
  • I. Later epistles uses the term in a more
    developed way to identify Jesus with the Father

59
Lord
60
  • A. Many scholars believe that no title is more
    richer than Lord
  • B. In New Testament it is generally a divine
    title
  • C. One of the earliest titles used by early
    Christians

61
  • D. Title has background in the Hebrew Bible
  • 1. Several words can be translated Lord
  • a. Adon or adoniaused as a substitution
    for the tetragrammaton the holy name of God
  • b. Baalsometimes used in reference to
    human leaders also used for Canaanite nature
    gods
  • c. Thus, word is not used in reference to
    God

62
  • E. Greek word which translates adonai is kurios
    (kyrios)
  • F. Used for God, Jesus, and even while
    addressing an angelsometimes used as a term of
    respect
  • G. Word can also mean master, owner, workmen

63
  • H. In religious world of Jesus the term has
    special meaning
  • 1. Used in Caesar worshipused to refer to
    Ptolemy, Herod the Great, Agrippa I and II,
    Caligula, Claudius, Nero, and Domitian
  • 2. In the mystery religions it was used to
    refer to Isis, Artemis of Ephesu, and the great
    Mother, Cybele

64
  • I. One reference is found in Mark and Matthew
    where it could mean simply master
  • J. Luke uses it 15 times
  • K. John uses the title as a post-resurrection
    title
  • L. In early church the word was used quite
    frequently in combinations such as the Lord
    Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ, and Our Lord Jesus
    Christ

65
Logos
66
  • A. Used frequently by many church fathers
  • B. In the New Testament we find only in the
    Johannine literature
  • C. Term seemed to have begun with Heraclitus in
    the 6th century BCE and used extensively by
    Stoics and other Greek philosophers
  • 1. Used to refer to the divine principle that
    penetrates, creates, and governs the cosmos
  • 2. Plato used it to refer to the intelligible
    cosmos and the first creature of God
  • D. Gnostics thought that the Logos was an
    intermediary being between the divine and humanity

67
  • E. In Judaism the term had two meanings
  • 1. The latter Jewish form which conceived the
    word as a personified mediator
  • 2. Term was used in Genesis to refer to the
    word of God (debar Yahweh)
  • 3. In later Judaism there is a greater
    emphasis on the Memra, word of Godthis word
    would become a substitute for the name and
    action of God
  • 4. Concept of the Word was united with the
    concept of personified Wisdom

68
  • F. Philo helped bring the logos principle into
    Judaismhe uses it over 1200 times
  • 1. The logos is the image of God and is the
    bridge between God and humanity
  • 2. It is Gods agent of creation

69
  • G. John used the term as a means of uniting
    Jesus with various concepts
  • 1. To the rabbis the term would represent the
    agent of Gods creation
  • 2. To the Gnostics who denied a real
    creation, he emphasized that the logos became
    flesh
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