Gospels Q8

Judas the Maccabee

won Jewish freedom from the Greeks leading a militant rebellion. Died in battle.

"Teacher of Righteousness"

unnamed leader of a priestly group in the Judean desert at Qumran, disgruntled with Temple leadership

Judas, Matthias, and other Jewish young men

rallied a group to tear down a large golden eagle over the gate to the Jerusalem Temple, Ringleaders were arrested and burned alive

Judas the Galilean and Zadok the Pharisee

led rebellion/resistance to Roman registration and taxation

John the Baptist

urged devotion to God & justice to one another, by committing to baptism. Herod Antipas feared John's popularity and executed him at Machaerus

unnamed Samaritan

allied other Samaritans at Mt Gerizim, claiming to know where Moses' relics were buried. Pilate's army crushed the movement and executed the ringleaders

Theudas

a magician/prophet, claimed he could part the Jordan River and led a movement to there. Romans crushed that & beheaded Theudas

Egyptian impostor

claimed to be a prophet. led thousands to march from Mt of Olives towards Jerusalem, claiming to make walls fall down. Romans crushed it. 400 died, 200 imprisoned, but he escaped

unnamed imposter

promised deliverance and freedom in the wilderness (ca. 59-62 CE; Ant. 20.8.10). The Romans under Festus squashed the movement.

Jesus ben Ananias

a peasant farmer, prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem with laments of woe (War 6.5.3b). Romans scouraged him as a madman and released him. He continued prophesying for 7+ years til a catapult stone killed him

John of Gischala, Simon ben Giora, Eleazar ben Simon

leaders of the Jewish rebellion against Rome. Eventually, they were all imprisoned, enslaved or publicly executed

Jonathan

a Jewish weaver of Cyrene, rallied people into the wilderness claiming to do signs, Romans squashed it and executed him

Simon bar Kokhba

considered the messiah by some or "son of the star" (Num 24:17), led the second Jewish revolt against Rome, lost to Romans under Hadrian and was killed.

Aspects about these people

- None used the title "messiah" until Rabbi Aqiba proclaimed Simon bar Kokhba in early 130s CE

- Josephus uses term "messiah/Christ" only 2x in ref to Jesus

- Jewish personages rallied the masses around Jewish religious claims

- Usually when the leader was captured and executed, the movement dissipated... with Jesus that didn't happen...

- Rem: Jesus did attack the Temple aggressively & violently

Jesus Authority in Gospels

- Announcing and inaugurating the kingdom

- Commanding mighty deeds

- Amēn as introductory phrase for many of Jesus' statements

- Interpreting the law

- Forgiving sins

- Making accurate predictions in the narrative

"Christ"

"christos" (Greek) = "mashiach" (Hebrew) = "anointed one" (English)

- Kings, priests and prophets were all anointed

- 1 Sam 24:10, Lev 4:5, Ps 105:15

- "Christ" ends up functioning as a dominical name for Jesus in the NT

Son of God

- king ruling in Jerusalem, King Solomon, "Heavenly beings", Israel, believers, all called sons of God

- Jesus is singled out as the unique/only son of God (agapētos and monogenēs)

Lord

- (Greek, kurios)

kurios had a wise spectrum of use: "sir", master of a slave, Greek word for the name YHWH

- Psalm 110:1 = the most often quoted verse of the OT in the NT

Nazarene

unclear what "Nazarene" meant in Mark,

Maybe: "of Nazareth", "shoot/sprout/branch", "Nazarite"

"Prophet"

"prophet like Moses" in Deut 18:15-19; 34:10-12

"Word"

(λόγος/logos) in John 1:1-14... divine agent of creation in Gen 1

King of the Jews

all four Gospels state the titulus on the cross used this title, mentioned in Matt 2:2, irony is accentuated in John

Jesus' divinity in Mark

Jesus is no ordinary human bc he commands storms & seas (4:35-41) and walks on water (Mk 6:45-52)... but Jesus prays to God and there is only one God

Jesus Divinity in Matthew

emphasizes Jesus as the Son of God, who was uniquely born as such (Mt 1-2), publicly announced as such at the baptism (3:17), worshipped as such (2:11; 14:33; 28:9, 17), and named as equal to Father & Spirit

Jesus Divinity in Luke

born as Son of God. In Luke, "the Lord" is used 15x in the narrative for Jesus

Jesus Divinity in John

the highest Christology... Jesus is unmistakably divine. In John, Jesus is preexistent (Jn 1:1-2; 8:58; 17:5), Creator (1:3), one who was "with God" and "was God" (1:1), "one with the Father" (10:31; 14:9), and "Lord and God"

Entry into Jerusalem

- Public

- Purpose/Intention? - much debated..

- OT background - Zech 9:9 (donkey)... 2 Sam 15:30 (David ascending Mt of Olives)... 2 Kgs 9:13 (cloaks on the road for Jehu's anointing as king)... Ps 118:25-26 (Hosanna, etc)...

- Cursing of Fig Tree (Mk 11:12-14) is the only destructive miracle of Jesus... it's a prophetic, dramatic act depicting God's judgment on the Temple

Temple Protest

- Misnomer: It's never called a "cleansing" in the Gospels

- Timing: All four Gospels mention the event only once... but John mentions it early, and the Synoptics mention it late in the ministry of Jesus

- Clincher Episode in the Synoptics

- Intercalation of the Temple with the Fig Tree

- Violent Action - more than just attacking corrupt business practices in the Temple... In Mk 11:15-16, Jesus is expelling sellers and buyers, shutting down the whole establishment...

- Purpose/Intention? - much debated... to oppose corruption?... to condemn the Temple leaders

- OT background: Jesus quotes Isa 56:7b + Jer 7:11 in Mark 11:17//Mt 21:13//Lk 19:46

- Mark's strong critique of Jerusalem/Temple in Mk chaps 11-16 (the Jerusalem section)

Controversy in Jerusalem

-Question about Jesus' Authority for the Temple Attack

-Parable of the Wicked Tenants and Psalm 118:22-23

-Question about Roman Taxes

-Question about the Resurrection

-Question about the Greatest Commandment

-Question about David's Son

-Jesus' Denounces Scribes & Pharisees

Olivet Discourse in Mark

-biggest block of Jesus' teaching in Mark... and it's the last... In Mark, essentially functions as Jesus' Farewell Address.

- private to only Peter, Andrew, James, and John

- two big predictions: Destruction of Jerusalem and Return of son of man

Olivet Discourse in Matthew

- fifth of the five big sermons/monologues in GMatt..

- to all the disciples

- doubles the length of Mark 13

- new material: Suddenness as in Noah's Days, Suddenness as a Thief, Suddenness as a Returning Master, Parable of the Ten Maidens, Parable of the Talents, Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

Olivet Discourse in Luke

- one of six predictions of the destruction of Jerusalem

- not the "Olivet" Discourse... bc it's a public discourse situated in the Temple

- "desolating sacrilege" to be the Roman destruction of Jerusalem

- follows Mark 13 closely through Mark 13:31//Lk 21:33... but then skips Mk 13:32 (re: no one knows the day or hour) and the remainder of Mark 13:33-37