Topic 6 Gospels: Introduction and Context

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Topic 6 Gospels Introduction and Context

• Introduction to the Gospels
• The World of Jesus and the NT

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I. Introduction to the Gospels

• Overview of the NT
• Chronology
• Jesus (c. 6 BC c. 30 AD)
• 27 NT books (c. 50-150)
• Writing the NT books
• Gospels (65-100) Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
  accounts of Jesus ministry
• History (c. 90) Acts rise and growth of
  Christian church
• Letters
• Pauline Letters (c. 50-64) 13 Romans-Philemon
• General Epistles (c. 65-150) 8 Hebrews-Jude
• Apocalypse (c. 95) Revelation
• Canonization (gathering into a collection BPJM,
  139-40)
• 100 Pauls letters being collected
• 140 Marcions canon Luke 10 letters of Paul
• 200 core canon taking shape similar to ours
• 367 earliest list of exactly our 27

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I. Introduction to the Gospels

• Origin of the Gospels
• Oral tradition (30 65 AD and beyond)
• Gospel good news.
• Gospel was proclaimed orally for 3-4 decades
  before written gospels appeared.
• Written gospels (65 100 AD)
• Passing of eyewitness generation spread of
  church to new lands.
• Need for written accounts emerges.
• Synoptic Problem
• Matthew, Mark, Luke are called Synoptic Gospels
  because of many similarities of content, order,
  wording (synoptic viewed together).
• John stands apart as different in many ways.
• Synoptic Problem Why 3 similar gospels and one
  different?
• Solution
• Mk. was written first then it was used by Mt.
  Lk.
• Q a written collection of sayings of Jesus
  was also used by Mt. and Lk.
• Mt. and Lk. supplemented with their own special
  materials M and L.
• John written independently of Synoptics.

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The Two-Source Theory
This theory, first put forward in 1863, is held
by a broad majority of NT scholars today.
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I. Introduction to the Gospels

• B. Origin of the Gospels (cont.)
• Authorship - uncertain
• Gospels were originally anonymous.
• Titles reflect 2nd-cent. traditions which may or
  may not be accurate.
• Character of the gospels
• Not intended as objective biographies or
  eyewitness documentaries.
• Faith witnesses to Jesus.
• Evangelists want to preach the gospel to their
  readers not just recalling bare facts but
  interpreting meaning of Jesus story for faith.
• Each has edited the sources/traditions to shape a
  theological message for their readers.

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I. Introduction to the Gospels

• Four Portraits of Jesus Each Gospel paints a
  distinctive portrait of Jesus for its particular
  readers.
• Mark Suffering Messiah
• Written c. 65-70 earliest, shortest gospel.
• Tradition Mark, disciple of Peter.
• Addresses church under persecution.
• Highlights Jesus suffering and death.
• Calls readers to suffering discipleship.
• Matthew Teaching Messiah
• Written c. 75-90 based on Mk., Q, and M.
• Tradition Matthew the tax collector.
• Marks story plus 5 blocks of teaching (Q, M).
• Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7).
• Addresses Jewish audience.
• Jesus fulfills OT prophecies.
• Reveals true meaning of Law.

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I. Introduction to the Gospels

• Luke Inclusive Messiah
• Written c. 75-90 based on Mk., Q, and L.
• Tradition Luke the physician.
• Addresses Gentile readers.
• Inclusiveness of the gospel sinners, outcasts,
  women, foreigners.
• Continued in Acts churchs mission to whole
  world.
• John Eternal Word of God
• Written c. 90-100 latest of the canonical
  gospels.
• Tradition John ben Zebedee.
• Jesus is heavenly Son of God who comes to reveal
  Gods love.
• Invitation to believe and find life.
• Spiritual gospel reads theology of church back
  into the story.

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II. The World of Jesus and the NT

• The Political Situation
• Roman Empire dominated Mediterranean world.
• Roman occupation of Palestine 63 BC
• Some Jewish autonomy
• Jewish king or governor appointed by Rome
• Sanhedrin Jewish ruling council high priest
  appt. by Rome
• Roman taxes heavy resented tax collectors
  were despised.
• The Herods Jewish rulers clients of Rome
• Herod the Great (37-4 BC)
• King of the Jews
• Great building program rebuilt Temple
• Ruthless, brutal tyrant
• Birth of Jesus c. 6 BC (Mt. 2)
• Herod Antipas (4 BC-39 AD) Galilee and Perea
• Imprisoned, then beheaded John the Baptist
• Governed Galilee during Jesus ministry
  suspicious of Jesus
• Capital at Sepphoris, 4 miles from Nazareth!

Herodian Palestine
Sepphoris
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II. The World of Jesus and the NT

• Philip (4 BC-34 AD) NE districts
• Archelaus (4 BC-6 AD) Judea and Samaria so
  brutal that he was soon removed, replaced
• Procurators (prefects) Roman governors
  beginning in 6 AD.
• Direct Roman rule new tax census.
• Provoked unrest uprising of Judas the Galilean
  2,000 crucified.
• Period of procurators was time of seething
  resentment and sporadic rebellions.
• Fifth procurator was Pontius Pilate (26-36)
  crucified Jesus c. 30 AD as suspected rebel.
• Jewish War (66-70 AD)
• Major Jewish revolt against Rome.
• 70 AD Jerusalem sacked Temple destroyed.
• Cataclysmic event for both Jews and Christians.

Map
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II. The World of Jesus and the NT

• Religious Situation many different Jewish
  parties
• Pharisees (separated ones)
• Devoted to keeping written and oral law.
• Growing body of interpretations by scribes and
  rabbis.
• Meticulous rules for Sabbath, tithing, ritual
  purity, fasting, etc.
• Believed in doctrines of resurrection final
  judgment rewards and punishments in afterlife.
• Nurtured hope for Messiah.
• Challenged Jesus view of Law.
• Sadducees (Zadokites)
• Chief priests and other wealthy aristocrats.
• Controlled Temple and Sanhedrin.
• Cooperated with Rome to stay in power.
• Accepted only written Torah.
• Rejected doctrines of resurrection and afterlife.
• Opposed Jesus as potential troublemaker.

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II. The World of Jesus and the NT

• Essenes (pious/holy ones?)
• Sectarian group not mentioned in NT but
  described by several ancient writers.
• Probably associated with Dead Sea Scrolls and
  commune at Qumran.
• Originated c. 150 BC out of temple protest
  withdrew to wilderness Teacher of
  Righteousness organized into community claiming
  to be the true Israel..
• Awaited 2 messiahs final battle between Sons of
  Light and Sons of Darkness.
• Strict discipline and ritual purity daily baths
  of purification sacred meals.
• Many parallels with NT theory that John the
  Baptist may have come out of this group.
• Zealots
• Militant revolutionaries freedom fighters.
• Zeal for God and Torah motivated violence against
  pagan domination (and against compromise of
  Jewish law).
• Many around Jesus wished him to lead rebellion.

Qumran
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II. The World of Jesus and the NT

• Jewish Future Hopes (Eschatology)
• Eschatology doctrine of last things or of
  the end time.
• Two main types
• Hope for a Messiah
• Messiah anointed one comes out of OT royal
  ideology kings were anointed to designate as
  Gods chosen rulers.
• Hope for a new king, descended from David who
  would liberate and restore Israel many notions
  of how this would play out.
• Christ Greek for anointed one NT claims Jesus
  fulfills hope but in unexpected ways.
• Apocalypticism
• More radical hope, looking not for restoration of
  nation but for cataclysmic end of world and
  creation of another.
• God intervenes to defeat powers of evil
  resurrection of dead final judgment rewards and
  punishments glorious new age.
• These themes pervade the NT.

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II. The World of Jesus and the NT

• Diaspora Judaism
• Diaspora refers to the scattering or
  dispersion of Jews outside Palestine about 3
  times as many Jews lived in Diaspora as in
  homeland.
• Tended to be Greek-speaking read scripture in
  Septuagint version, a Greek translation produced
  in Alexandria 250-100 BC.
• Synagogues Jewish places of study and worship
  probably originated in Diaspora (by NT times,
  synagogues existed throughout Palestine as well).
  Synagogues differed from the temple in 2 main
  ways
• There was only 1 temple (in Jerusalem)
  synagogues were found everywhere Jews lived in
  sufficient numbers they were very local.
• No animal sacrifices were performed in
  synagogues synagogue worship revolved around
  reading/interpreting scripture and reciting
  prayers influenced early Christian worship.
• Proselytes and God-fearers
• Proselytes Gentiles who converted to Judaism
  required circumcision, baptism, sacrifice in
  temple.
• God-fearers Gentiles who drew near but did not
  convert Cornelius, the Roman centurion converted
  by Peter in Acts 10, was a God-fearer.
• Diaspora Judaism provided a natural network for
  spread of early Christianity.

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II. The World of Jesus and the NT

• Larger Greco-Roman World
• Prevailing culture of Roman Empire was
  Hellenistic Greek was most widely spoken
  language early church was mostly Greek-speaking.
• Empire was filled with many new religions
  oriented towards personal salvation of
  individuals.
• Popular philosophies like Platonism, Stoicism,
  and Cynicism were preached in marketplaces by
  wandering teachers.
• Mystery religions were a category of cults
  devoted to various deities (Demeter, Isis,
  Dionysus, Mithras, etc.).
• Often featured myth of a dying and rising god.
• Through secret rituals, initiate experiences
  death/rebirth of god becomes immortal, divine
  like the god.
• Christians adopted similar pattern, language.
• Gnosticism was a philosophical religion of
  salvation by knowledge.
• Based on dualism considering spirit to be good
  and matter to be evil.
• Human being is good spirit imprisoned in evil,
  material body/world.
• Salvation comes by knowledge (gnosis) which
  illuminates/liberates spirit.
• Fully developed Gnosticism was 2nd-cent.
  Christian heresy early Gnostic thought
  influenced Christianity in NT period.

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Map of Herodian Palestine
Caesarea Philippi
NE Districts
(Philip)
(Antipas)
Sepphoris
Nazareth
(Antipas)
(Archelaus)
Bethlehem