The Traditions of Jesus in Their Greco-Roman Context

1
The Traditions of Jesus in Their Greco-Roman
Context
2
Where to start?

• First book of the NT is Gospel of Matthew, but it
  was not the first book written
• 1 Thessalonians is probably the first written
• Many courses begin with the letters of Paul (like
  Thessalonians) b/c these were the first documents
  of the NT written
• What of the historical context?

3
Sketch of 1st Century life in Mediterranean World

• 1/3 Slaves (in urban areas)
• 90 could not read
• High infant mortality
• Little movement between classes
• Little travel (but more in that time than
  typical)
• Polytheism predominated, except for Jews

4
Pagan

• This term can have pejorative meaning today
• For historians it has technical meaningsimply
  designates the multiplicity of pre-Christian
  polytheistic religions
• Pagan derived from Latin term meaning country
  dweller pagani
• Used by early Christians to designate people in
  rural backwaters who were still polytheists

5
Sons of God in the Ancient World

• Apollonius of Tyana, one of many great religious
  figures described by the term son of God
• Julius Caesar was divinized by Senate
• His adopted son Octavian (Augustus) also claimed
  the title (c. 27 BCE)
• Many emperors made similar claims

6
The Greco-Roman World

• Alexander the Great 356 BCE
• Spread Greek city life through E. Mediterranean
• Gymnasiums, theatres, public bathsHellenization
  
• Cosmopolitanism a citizen of the world
• 149-146 Rome conquers Greece begins process of
  taking over and integrating Greek World

7
Religions in the Ancient World

• Lacked
• Organization and structure
• Doctrinal statements
• Ethical codes
• Religious writings
• Beliefs about the afterlife
• Separation of Church and State
• Exclusivism

8
Monotheism

• Monotheism belief that there is only one true
  God
• Judaism and Zoroastrianism were distinct in their
  assertion of this belief
• Judaism developed its monotheism slowly from a
  notion of exclusive worship of Yahweh, to a
  notion of Yahweh as the only God

9
Polytheism
10
Ancient Greek Philosophy

• Socrates (Know Thyself Gnothi Seauton)
• Plato (student of Socrates) teaches about the
  superiority of intellect over the body (the
  divided line) and the immortality of the soul
  (totally separate from body)
• Knowledge (Gnosis) critical category for Greek
  intellectual life
• Neo-Platonism, Stoicism very influential tell 2nd
  c.

11
Gnostics

• Groups of early Christian deeply influenced by
  Greek philosophical categories
• Generally believed that mind was inherently
  good, matter or body was inherently bad
• Emphasized the teachings (Gnosis) of Jesus
• Felt the incarnation did not really occur