BIBLE: Oral Tradition

oral tradition

for several decades, the authority of the Lord resided in

______

preferred, written gospels

Christians probably _____ the oral tradition for

decades after _____ were available"

words of Jesus, gospel

Distinction between "______" from '______', a term used in 150 AD onward

canon, not included

Many gospels were written which were _______ eventually in the ______

gospel of Thomas, Gnostics, Infancy Gospel of James about

childhood of Mary

Many gospels were written which were not included eventually in the canon:

Gospel of Thomas

[Many gospels were written which were not included eventually in the canon] Sincere attempts to record things Jesus said and did

Gnostics

[Many gospels were written which were not included eventually in the canon] Apologetics against heretics, such as the ___

Infancy Gospel of James about childhood of Mary

[Many gospels were written which were not included eventually in the canon] Fiction

Apostolic Fathers

During period of the ______, words of Jesus is still more authoritative than the written gospel

verbatim, not, parallel

In a few cases they quote one of the Gospels _____

In other cases they quote what seems to be derived from the Gospels but is ____.

Still in other cases, their quote has no ____ in any of the gospels

final form, contradicts, contested

An Emerging Problem: During the period of the

Apostolic Fathers, words of Jesus do not yet have

______, which is fine since none of the quotes

_____ the essence of the Gospel message. But

what happens when words attributed to Jesus are

_________?

Letter of Polycarp, 135 AD

oldest witness to dispute about the meaning of Jesus' words

Justin, 165 AD

is first Christian to use gospel in the plural, which for him meant 'memoirs' of the apostles. He cites Jesus' words about 60x. He may have synthesized the 3

synoptics for class use

memoirs, 3 synoptics

Justin, 165 AD: is first Christian to use gospel in the plural,

which for him meant '_______' of the apostles. He cites

Jesus' words about 60x. He may have synthesized the ______ for class use

Marcion

_____ estimated the first known canon, which contained 10 letters of Paul and only the gospel of Luke

10 letters of Paul and only the gospel of Luke

Marcion estimated the first known canon, which contained:

wrote and proclaimed, supposedly authentic words, divergent

Effect of Marcion's estimated canon: more and more people ________, citing Jesus' ______; moreover, content of those writings became more and more ____

a canon

Therefore, there's a need for fixed, written authority =

Irenaeus, 180 AD

4 gospels, no more, no less.

Tatian, Diatessaron

_____ combines the 4 gospels, using John's as framework,

into 1 narrative, which was called the _______ and

used for at least 2 centuries by the church in Syria

Gospels

making the universal message particular to local church

the Epistles

making the particular universal

forgotten, Luke writes Acts, collect

Paul's letters were _____. After _____, someone ____ Paul's letters

Gnosticism

Someone collected Paul's Letters as a defense against ____

Pauline school

A _____ preserved and edited his letters

50, 100

____ AD, only the Old Testament had manuscripts ; by _____ AD, plus a few Christian writings

To solve practical problems at the local level & To help structure their worship

Why the need for a library?

Sunday Eucharist celebrations

Paul's letters were surely read first during ____

writings

Christian communities gathered whatever _____ would help them

writings or writings attributed to them

As the first disciples died, their authority was transferred

to their ____

This letter is authoritative because an apostle, ex. Paul,

wrote it

This letter is authoritative; thus an apostle must have

written it. Ex. Letter to the Hebrews, attributed to

Paul.

Letters of the apostles were authoritative in 2 senses:

reinforced, apostles or the apostles' disciples

Eventually the authority of the 4 gospels was ____ by

attributing them to the ____

early date, liturgical use, apostolic authorship, rule of faith

Criteria for Canonicity:

New Testament, standard, universally acceptable form

A _____ emerged because the authority of Christian truth had to be fixed in a ____ and ____

Church, bishops

Who decided which books to accept into the canon?

◂ The ____ understood as a collectivity and

represented especially by the _____.

early date

[Criteria for Canonicity] Ex. Shepherd of Hermas was written too late (140-150 AD)

Liturgical use

[Criteria for Canonicity] Ex. Some bishops did not permit the reading of the Apocalypse of Peter at Mass

Apostolic authorship

[Criteria for Canonicity]

Yet, Paul's letters to the Laodicenes and to the Alexandrians were not accepted

Whereas, today we know Hebrews was not written by Paul yet is part of canon

Rule of Faith

[Criteria for Canonicity] Conclusion: ultimate criteria

◂ ______ (significance of Christ-event)

◂ Muratorian Fragment, a private list written in Rome in 180: "there may be four gospels, but their teaching is one."

◂ The one Holy Spirit guided their writing

◂ They all teach the one rule of faith: Christ's life, death and resurrection

significance of Christ-event, Muratorian Fragment, four gospels, one, Holy Spirit; Christ's life, death and resurrection

[Criteria for Canonicity] Conclusion: ultimate criteria

◂ Rule of Faith (______)

◂ _______, a private list written in Rome in 180: "there may be _____, but their teaching is _____."

◂ The one ______ guided their writing

◂ They all teach the one rule of faith: ______