Salvation History

The Gospels

the heart of the Scriptures.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

4 gospels

The Gospels

the main source of information about the life and teachings of Jesus

The Gospels

God's Revelation

Synoptic Gospels

Matthew, Mark, and Luke

Synoptic

comes from a Greek word meaning "seeing the whole together."

Quelle

second source

Matthew

· Jewish Christian well versed in the Hebrew Scriptures

Matthew

Intended Audience: Mixed community of Jewish Christians and Gentiles

Matthew

wanted his Jewish Christian readers to know that believing in Jesus was a continuation of their tradition.

Matthew

highlights Jesus as the fulfillment of many Old Testament hopes and prophecies.

Mark

·Gentile Christian who may have been a disciple of Peter

Mark

Intended Audience: Non-Jewish Christians

Mark

includes an aura of secrecy in this Gospel known as the messianic secret.

Mark

Those who should recognize Jesus as the Messiah fail to do so.

Mark

Central to his Christology is the image of Jesus as the Suffering Servant.

Mark

base from him true discipleship must imitate Jesus in both his ministry and his suffering.

Luke

Gentile convert to Christianity, and the author who wrote the Acts of the Apostles

Luke

·The audience of this Gospel is identified as Theophilus, meaning "lover of God."

Luke

paints a picture of Jesus as the compassionate Savior who welcomes all

Luke

emphasizes the presence of women in the ministry of Jesus.

John

This Gospel is not one of the synoptic Gospels.

Synoptic Gospel

emphasize the humanity of Jesus.

The Gospel of John

emphasizes the divinity of Jesus.

high Christology

a term used to describe how John proclaims from the very beginning that Jesus is God, the Eternal Word of the Father.

Two-Source Theory

a theory held by most present scholars which state that Matthew and Luke were written using two main sources

Mark

the oldest written Gospel

Quelle

a hypothetical written source

PHARISEES

group of influential Jews active in Palestine

PHARISEES

they advocate and adhere to strict observance of the Sabbath rest, purity rituals, tithing, and food restrictions based on the Hebrew Scriptures and later traditions

PHARISEES

means "separated ones" in Hebrew, referring to their strict observance of the laws and traditions

PHARISEES

long-time political and religious rivals of the Sadducees

Pharisees

Some of Jesus' harshest speeches are directed against the "hypocrisy" and blindness of this group

SADDUCEES

prominent group of Jewish in Palestine; they were probably a smaller "elite" group, but even more influential than the Pharisees

SADDUCEES

they followed the laws of the Jewish Bible the Torah, but rejected newer traditions.

SADDUCEES

righteous ones

SADDUCEES

They are considered as the longtime political and religious rivals of the Pharisees, although their influence was more with the wealthy ruling elites.

SADDUCEES

do not believe in life after death

ZEALOTS

one of the several different revolutionary groups who opposed the Roman occupation of Israel

ZEALOTS

They were formed because of one goal and it is to take a nationalistic revolutionary to oppose the Romans

Simon

One of Jesus' apostles is called the Zealot. He may have belonged to a revolutionary group before joining Jesus, but more likely was "zealous" in the older sense.

Levites

They were members of the tribe of Levi who were responsible for the temple and its sacrifices, and thus were the religious and social leaders of the Jewish People

Levites

(members of the tribe of Levi who were not priests) assisted in the practical operation of the temple as guards, musicians, etc.

The High Priests and the Chief Priests

they were in charge of the Temple in Jerusalem and thus were the most important religious leaders in ancient Israel.

SCRIBES

men specially trained in writing and thus influential as interpreters and teachers of the Law.

SCRIBES

Most of their duties involved writing like producing legal documents, recording deeds, copying scriptures, teaching people, etc.

SCRIBES

they specialized in the interpretation of the Jewish law (Torah)

SCRIBES

sometimes translated and regarded as Lawyers. In the Gospels, they are portrayed (along with the Chief Priests, elders, and or Pharisees) as opponents of Jesus who actively sought his death.

DISCIPLES OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

some of them became Christians, but the others maintained that John was earlier and more important than Jesus

John the Baptist

recognized as a great preacher and prophet

FOLLOWERS OF JESUS NAZARETH

started with small numbers of Jews in Galilee and Judea during his lifetime