Intro to New Testament Exam 3

Dr. Champagne

What is the central theme of Acts?

Universal Salvation

What verse was Universal Salvation found in?

Acts 1:8

What book’s central theme is Universal Salvation?

Acts

Who refocuses “Kingdom” Language?

Luke

How is “kingdom” language refocused by Luke in Acts?

Jesus restored Israel and preached God, Luke taught things concerning Jesus with openness, unhindered.

In what book was “kingdom” language refocused?

Acts

Who are the two central characters in Acts?

Peter and Paul

What are the four epic events in Acts?

Pentecost, Stephen, Damascus Road, Cornelius

What was the Pentecost in Acts?

An empowering church mission

What was the story of Stephen in Acts?

Transcending temple ritual. (getting stoned for reminding them that God is not supposed to only be in a temple and so He isn’t)

What is the Damascus Road story in Acts?

Revealing church destiny (a physical example of a spiritual reality). When God calls Saul/Paul to follow Him.

What is the big deal with Cornelius in Acts?

Ordaining Gentile movement. Peter preaches and Cornelius’ whole household gets saved, Cornelius is the first converted Gentile in Acts.

How do Peter’s sermons function in Acts?

As powerful evangelistic tools, foundational to the early church's message, that demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit.

What is the concluding theme of Acts?

God’s People always Resisting God’s Will

What book ends with the theme of God’s People Always Resisting God’s Will?

Acts

Who was Acts written by?

Luke

What is the theological emphasis of Acts?

Salvation History, Universal Scope, Holy Spirit, jesus Centered, Innocence

What book has the same theological emphases as the Gospel of Luke?

Acts

What is the difference between the Alexandrian and Western Texts of Acts?

They are different lengths and therefore have different words. The message is the same.

What does Universal Scope mean?

Only God, only Jesus is Sovereign

What does Jesus Centered mean?

The Gospels that are preached are the same, just contextualized differently.

What is the Alexandrian Text?

What English translations are based on

What is the Western Text

10% longer in Codex Bezae than the Alexandrian text, has narrative commentaries and provides extra psychological and theological comments.

Who was Paul?

A Roman Citizen

What was Paul’s original name?

Saul

Where was Paul from?

The tribe of Benjamin, a family of Pharisees, but also Rome.

What happened to Paul that transformed his life?

The Damascus Road Experience

What was Paul’s conversion?

From zealous defender of the law to zealous defender of the Gospel

How was Paul Called?

Set apart from his mother’s womb to preach the Gospel

How was Paul Commissioned?

Sent by Jesus as an Apostle to the Gentiles

What was Paul’s transformation?

From a Persecutor of Christians to a Persecuted Christian

How many missionary journeys did Paul complete?

Three

What church/city sent Paul out on his first two missionary journeys?

Antioch

What Church/City served as Paul’s missionary base during his third missionary journey?

Ephesus

In what city were the disciples of Jesus first called “Christians?”

Antioch

What was the major issue addressed by the Jerusalem council in Acts 15?

whether Gentile converts to Christianity needed to adhere to the Mosaic Law to be saved

What were Paul’s three core beliefs?

The oneness and unity of God, Jesus as Lord and Savior, The death and resurrection of Christ

What is the oneness and unity of God?

Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and mankind, the Holy Spirit empowers believers to fulfill God’s righteous demands

What does it mean that Jesus is Lord and Savior?

It directly challenged those who claimed that other deities and rulers of the imperial cult were lord and savior

What does the death and resurrection of Christ mean?

It was a sacrifice for the sins of humanity that fulfilled the Hebrew Scriptures and provided the hope and guarantee for the resurrection of all believers.

What were the three major implications of the Gospel for Paul?

Social, ethical, and eschatological

What does eschatological mean?

“last things”

How did the Gospel have social implications regarding Jewish and Gentile relationships?

gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc, no longer impacted fellowship

How did the Gospel have no ethical implications that had a dramatic effect in the life of believers?

Through incorporation in Christ and the empowerment of the Spirit, sin is conquered (Old nature replaced with the New)

How did the Gospel have eschatological implications that were oriented toward the future?

Christ’s resurrection provided Paul with hope for his own resurrection, Christ’s return would consummate human history

What is the difference between the Jewish eschatology and Paline eschatology?

The messiah comes twice, it is not old age, messiah, new age, but old age, messiah, now-not yet tension, messiah, new age.

What is Jewish Eschatology?

When the messiah and kingdom of God comes, the old aeon will pass away and the new aeon will come.

What is the old aeon?

Evil age of past and present

What is the new aeon?

Good age of the future

What is Pauline Eschatology?

The old aeon overlaps with the new aeon, the messiah and kingdom of God have come but nor consummated thus causing us to live in “Now-Not Yet Tension” between the ages, the Messiah will return again and fully usher in the new aeon

What is the difference between the “Old Perspective” on Paul and Judaism vs. the “New Perspective”

Paul was not counteracting Jewish legalism, but was counteracting Jewish exclusivism.

What is Paul’s Old Perspective?

They assumed Paul was counteracting Jewish legalism, works-righteousness view of salvation.

What was the new perspective?

Paul was counteracting Jewish exclusivism, dealing with how Gentiles fit into the Covenant.

How did Paul’s letters compare to normal letters written in antiquity?

Sender, Recipient, Greetings, Thanksgiving, Body, Closing

How did Paul differ in the sender aspect of writing letters?

There were multiple senders

How did Paul differ in the recipient aspect of writing letters?

He expanded with Christian elaborations

How did Paul differ in the greetings aspect of writing letters?

He did plays on words, like saying grace instead of greetings

How did Paul differ in the thanksgiving aspect of writing letters?

He provides the main themes of the letter in his

How did Paul differ in the body aspect of writing letters?

it substitues for Paul’s personal presence, it was highly rhetorical

How did Paul differ in the closing aspect of writing letters?

It may have had a commendation of letter carrier, greetings from associates, grace benediction, or a personal signature

Why did paul provide a commendation of his letter carrier?

They were an authoritative interpreter

Why did Paul provide greetings from associates?

He provides details of his mission

Why does Paul write a grace benediction?

He ends like he begins

Why does Paul provide a personal signature?

It authenticates his apostolic authority

How was Paul’s length of his letters different?

Most private letters were short (around 100-200 words), but Paul’s letters were exceptionally long (around 1300 words)

How was Paul’s content of his letters different?

He was breaking new ground with combination of personal letter with literary epistle.

What is an amanuensis?

A professional scribe

How are Paul’s letters ordered in the New Testament canon?

Based on length for letters written to churches and individuals

What is the Hauptbriefe?

The only four considered authentic, “main letters”

What does the Hauptbriefe include?

Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians

What do the eschatological epistles emphasize?

The 2nd coming of Christ

What do the soteriological epistles emphasize?

The content of the Gospel, also called Paul’s “central letters”

What do the prison epistles emphasize?

Unity and the identity of Christ

What are the Eschatological Epistles?

1&2 Thessalonians

What are the Soteriological Epistles?

Galatians, 1&2 Corinthians, Romans

What do the pastoral epistles emphasize?

The church administration and false teaching

What are the prison Epistles?

Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon

What are the Pastoral Epistles?

1&2 Timothy, Titus

On what missionary journey did Paul plant the Galatian churches?

The first one

What is the best theory concerning the date of the Galatian letter?

AD 49

What is the best theory concerning the audience of the letter?

South Galatia

What is the occasion of the Galatians letter?

“agitators” were encouraging his Galatian Gentile converts to Judaize

Who were the agitators in Galatians?

Most likely Jewish Christians

What are the issues at stake in Galatians?

The relationship of Gentiles to the Covenant, if Gentile believers should observe Jewish law.

What is the nature of the conflict in Galatians?

Paul’s Christ centered gospel vs. Agitators’ Law centered gospel, a salvation or identity issue?

What was Paul’s purpose for writing Galatians?

To defend the True Gospel against the False Gospel of the Agitators

What were Paul’s opponents in Galatians teaching?

That the true gospel came from the Jerusalem church, is law centered, by Jewish works.

What was the main issue of Galatians?

The true gospel comes directly from God through Christ, is Christ centered, and you are saved by faith through the Spirit

What letter has no Thanksgiving section?

Galatians

What does Galatians not include?

A Thanksgiving Section

What are the theological emphases of the Galatians letter?

The true Gospel, faith vs. works of the law, the spirit vs. the flesh, new Israel of God

On what missionary journey did Paul plant the Thessalonian church?

Second missionary journey

What is the best option concerning the order of Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians?

Traditional order (1st before 2nd)

When did Paul write the letters to the Thessalonians?

AD 51-52

From where did Paul write the letters to the Thessalonians?

Corinth, maybe Athens

What type of similarities are there between the Thessalonians that provide evidence for authentic Pauline authorship and pseudonymous authorship of 2 thessalonians?

verbal

There are verbal similarities between what book that provide evidence for authentic Pauline authorship and psendonymous authorship

1st and 2nd Thesselonians

There are many verbal similarities between the Thessalonians that provide evidence for what?

Both authentic Pauline authorship and pseudonymous authorship

Why did Paul write the Thessalonian letters?

Opponents of Paul infiltrated the church and forged a letter as though from Paul with the hopes of dislodging the faith of the Thessalonians, telling them Jesus left them behind

What similar issues does Paul address in both Thessalonian letters?

Believers were still being persecuted, opponents had grossly misled the Church concerning the second coming of Jesus, some believers continued to live idly and not pull their weight