Practice Flashcards: Reinventing Jesus - The Gospel Behind the Gospels

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the concepts of source criticism, oral tradition theories, and the criteria of authenticity used in the study of the historical Jesus.

Synoptic Gospels

The Gospels of $Matthew$, $Mark$, and $Luke$, which take a similar point of view and feature significant overlap in wording and arrangement.

Source Criticism

The scholarly research or critical assessment regarding the specific written sources used by the Evangelists when writing their Gospels.

Redaction Criticism

The scholarly examination of how Evangelists selected, arranged, and edited their material to define their own theological contributions.

Markan Priority

The majority scholarly view that the Gospel of $Mark$ was written first and that $Matthew$ and $Luke$ independently used it as a source.

Matthean Priority

A vocal minority scholarly view that $Matthew$ wrote first, followed by $Luke$, and then $Mark$ utilized both to write his Gospel.

Four-source Hypothesis

The theory that $Matthew$ and $Luke$ utilized four distinct sources to write their Gospels, designated as $Mark$, $Q$, $M$, and $L$.

Q

A hypothesized written or oral source (or a combination of both) containing the teachings and life of $Jesus$ that is no longer extant.

M

Material that is unique to the Gospel of $Matthew$.

L

Material that is unique to the Gospel of $Luke$.

Oral Tradition

The period of oral proclamation addressed as 'the gospel behind the Gospels,' involving the verbal transmission of the words and deeds of $Jesus$ before they were written down.

Informal Controlled Oral Tradition

A model developed by $Kenneth \, Bailey$ arguing that while there was flexibility in retelling stories, a stable core was invariably repeated exactly.

Criteria of Authenticity

Specific tools used by critical scholars to determine if a saying recorded in the Gospels was actually uttered by $Jesus$.

Criterion of Dissimilarity

The principle that if a saying attributed to $Jesus$ differs from both the $Judaism$ of his day and the later teachings of the early church, it is likely authentic.

Criterion of Multiple Attestation

The principle that a saying is likely authentic if it appears in multiple independent sources ($M$, $L$, $Q$, $Mark$) or in multiple literary forms.

Criterion of Coherence

The argument that discovered details about $Jesus$ should conform to the established historical picture painted of him by other authentic data.

Criterion of Embarrassment

The principle that accounts containing details perceived as embarrassing to the disciples, the early church, or $Jesus$ himself are likely authentic.

The Jesus Seminar

A group of scholars, including $Robert \, W. \, Funk$ and $John \, Dominic \, Crossan$, who use colored beads to vote on the historical authenticity of $Jesus$' sayings.

Son of Man

The favorite self-designation of $Jesus$, which is rarely found in ancient $Jewish$ or early $Christian$ literature except on his own lips in the Gospels.

Olivet Discourse

Found in $Mark \, 13$, this is the passage where $Jesus$ predicts the destruction of $Jerusalem$.

Dethronement of Memory

A term for the pedagogical revolution in education where memorization has been de-emphasized due to the availability of the printed page and modern technology.