New Testament: Exam 1

How do you grasp the New Testament?

1) Hear the Word (pinky)

2) Read the Word (ring)

3) Study the Word (middle)

4) Memorize the Word (pointer)

5) Meditate on the Word (thumb)

6 C's of Christendom

- Conversion: baptism

- Catechism: response, learning

- Consecration: becoming Holy

- Congregations: separation of beliefs

- Cloister: "I'm right and you're wrong"

- Cults: demise of theology

How did God go about writing the Bible?

1) With His own hand (10 commandments)

2) He spoke and people transcribed (Genesis)

3) He spoke and people wrote what they heard (Gospels)

4) He spoke and prophets wrote His words

5) He spoke through angels

6) He spoke through the wisdom of the learned

7) He spoke through historical events

8) He spoke through life situations

Inspiration

God guiding the human authors of the Bible using their own personalities to record

Intuition Theory

The writers of the Bible have a natural religious intuition

"God uses really good people who have a religious intuition"

Illumination Theory

The Holy Spirit works through the minds of the writers to open their eyes and work on their conscience

"God applies pressure"

Infallible View of Scripture

The Bibles never fails to accomplish God's purpose for it

How do you determine truth?

1) Scripture

2) Tradition

3) Reason

4) Experience

Revelation

Truth conveyed from God to humanity

Dictation Theory

God dictated the exact words to the authors like a stenographer

Inspired View of Scripture

The process by which God conveys truth among human authors into the written text of the Bible

Inerrant View of Scripture

The purpose of the Bible is to affirm truth, it is never in error

How many books in the Old Testament?

39

How many prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament?

400

How many books in the New Testament

27

The Law/ Torah/ Pentateuch

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Former Prophets

Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings

Latter Prophets

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, 12 minor prophets

Poetry

Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon (added later)

What was the oldest book in the Bible?

Job

What's in the New Testament?

- Biography (Gospels)

- History (Acts)

- Letters (Paul, Peter, John, etc.)

- Prophecy (Revelation)

4 Requirements to be included in New Testament

- Apostolic origin

- Universal acceptance

- Liturgical use

- Consistent message

Apostolic origin

Have to be written by one of the apostles or one of their disciples

Universal acceptance

The churches of the first century had to agree

Liturgical use

The churches had to be using the letters in church

Consistent message

Everything has to line up, consensus

Canon

The group of writings that Christians consider to be authoritative on the level of Scripture

Pseudepigrapha

Group of writings that aren't authoritative, but could be considered helpful

Apocrypha

Group of historical writings that fills the 400 year silence between OT and NT

The New Testament was written in

45-90AD

First person to narrow down list of NT books

Marcion

- heretic, began teaching incorrect things

- caused the church to make a list of correct books

Third council of Carthage

Confirmed the 27 NT books in 397

How can we trust the Council of Carthage?

Severe persecution, gave it all in faith to the Word of God

Scrolls between 100 and 300 AD

- 24,000

- Hand-written documents proving the original accuracy of the Bible

First english Bible translation

- Tyndale Bible (July 1525)

- Burned at the stake for "heresy"

- NOT KJV (1611)

What's important in picking a Bible?

- Is it accurate to the original texts?

- Does it use my vocabulary?

- What reading level is it?

- Does my church use the version?

Formal Equivalence

The attempt of a translation to stick closely to the wording and sentence structure of the original languages

Four Pillar of Judaism

- Monotheism: Yahweh is the only God

- Election: God chose Israel

- Covenant: Agreement b/t Yahweh and Israel

- Land: God gave Israel if they obeyed

How gentiles could become Jewish

- Hearers: Turn from other Gods

- Followers: Follow the Law

- Converts: Baptized and Circumcised

role of women in the first century

- birth male child

3 key elements in ancient identity

- Gender

- Genealogy

- Geography

How did a wedding work in the first century?

1) bride price

2) promise

3) preparation

4) covenant

5) celebration

Essenes

- strictest sect

- lived like priests on duty at the temple

- Predestination

- celibate

- Lived in Qumran and transcribed scripture

Essene means

Doer

Essene view of life after death

they believed in life after death

Pharisees means

- "to be seperate"

- called out

Pharisees were

upper class, wealthy, intellectuals

Pharisees and the law

- kept and found new ways to write

- believed a person could follow the law to the letter (Holy)

Pharisees and life after death

they believe in the resurrection

Pharisee schools

Shammai and Hillell

Sadducees came from

Zadok, the priest of David

Sadducees class

upper class, high priestly group

Sadducees only follow the

Torah

- don't follow oral traditions

Sadducees and life after death

- no resurrection

- no angels

- no eternity

Sadducees worked well with

people and Rome

How to get into a religious group

- Memorize Torah

- Memorize history

- Memorize prophets

- Follow Hillell or Shammai

If someone couldn't memorize the Torah, history, prophets...

they go home an apply to father's trade

Gospel

A literature where the aim is to present the Good New of Jesus Christ

Matthew

1) Audience is the Jews

2) Portrait of Jesus as the Messianic King who fulfills Old Testament prophecies

3) Key Verses: 1:1, 16:16, 20:28, 28:18-20 (Sermon on Mount)

4) Key word is fulfilled

Matthew portrays Jesus as

The Messianic King who fulfills Old Testament prophecies

- Portrays him as a person like Moses

Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am always with you, to the end of the age.

Matthew key verses

1:1, 16:16, 20:28, 28:18-20

Matthew's audience

Jews

How does Matthew begin?

- With a genealogy of Jesus

Mark audience

Romans

Mark portrait of Jesus

The authoritative Son of God

- A king who shows his kingship most powerfully when he dies for the people

Mark key verses

1:1, 8:27, 10:45, 15:39

Mark key word

Immediately

Mark 8:27-20

And Jesus went on with hid disciples to the villages of Cesarea Phillipi. And on the way he asked his disciples

Luke's audience

Hellenist

Luke portrait of Jesus

Son of Man who came to save all of humanity

- a historical figure, an accurate account

Luke key verses

3:23-28, 5:24, 14:15-24, 19:10

Luke key word

Son of Man

How does Luke begin?

Birth of Jesus

How does Mark begin?

Baptism of Jesus

John audience

Greek world

John portrait of Jesus

Fully divine Son of God

- God come down from heaven to bring eternal life

John key verses

1:1-18, 8:1-11, 14:1-6, 20:30-31

John key word

eternal life

How does John begin?

In the beginning was the Word...

Jesus comes from eternity past

Matthew's background

- Tax collector

- name was formerly Levi

Mark background

- disciple of Peter

- "ran away naked"

Luke background

- historian and doctor

- disciple of Paul

John background

- 'the one who Jesus loves'

- never refers to himself by name

Synoptic Gospels

- Matthew, Mark, Luke

- Their stories are VERY similar

Why are the synoptic Gospels so similar?

- God inspired

- They heard the same stories

- The read someone else's account

- They all had something to write their gospel from

Lost saying Gospel Q

thought to be a lost writing that the gospel authors pulled from

Two-Source Hypothesis

The hypothesis that Matthew and Luke based their gospels on two sources, Mark and Q.

Diatessaron of Tatian

the attempted combination of the 4 gospels

Mark talks more about Jesus' ____ than His ____

actions, teachings

Evidence that Mark is written to Rome

- Omits genealogy

- Omits prophesies of Jesus

- Omits the Law

- Omits Jewish customs

- Omit's Christ's sermons

Two events not included in Base Story of Mark

Walking on water and Peter being the rock

Why were the two stories not included in Mark?

- Peter didn't want his stories told

- Peter's failure caused shame

- Peter's failure caused humility

- Peter knew Matthew told the stories

- Mark did not know the stories

Mark 1:1

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Mark 8:27-30

27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"

28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."

29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

Peter answered, "You are the Messiah."

30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Cesarea Philippi

- Foothills of Mount Hermon

- Center of pagan activity

- pantheism

- cave to the underworld (brought the disciples there)

- eagerly knocking at the gates of hell

- Jesus challenges the disciples to storm the gates of hell

Mark 10:43-45

43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Outline of Mark

1:1- presentation of the servant

2:13- opposition to the servant

8:27- instruction by the servant

11:1- rejection of the servant

16:1- resurrection of the servant

Mark 15: 38-39

38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,[c] he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

Mark 16:8

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.