NT 1- Synoptic Gospels (Spellman)

Key concept in Matthew 13:52-53

A scribe who has become a disciple

-Scribe = trained in interpretation of texts

-disciple = someone who follows someone else

what is apostolic kerygma

The message preached by the apostles

What is the gospel?

-an OT word and concept

According to Isaiah 40 & 61

-comfort and deliverance, redemption from sin

-the presence of God who is coming

-the good news of Yahweh's sovereign presence

-Herald = proclaimer of a message (40:9) *verbal announcement*

-a presence of the sovereign Lord (judgment and salvation)

-the day of the Lord is awesome and terrible (like a police siren, either help or judgment)

Key points of our "gospel" discussion

- the gospel is the whole proclaimed message rather than just one part of it

- the sovereign plan of God, kingdom, repentance, forgiveness of sins...etc.

- the gospel is proclaimed about Christ by Christ

- a story that takes 2 testaments to tell

What is a gospel?

Genre classification

"biblical narrative"

-the gospels share some similarities to greco-roman biographies, but are most similar to the narratives of the Hebrew Bible

-the gospel writers have strategically selected both what to include and what to omit

What is a gospel?

Key distinctions

-proclaimed biographies of Jesus that call for a response of faith (comprehensive and prescriptive)

-not freestanding biographies

- historical, and primary purpose is literary and theological

Genre signals in the fourfold gospels:

Matthew = book

mark = gospel

Luke = narrative account

John = theological interpretation

the focus of the gospels

- the person and work of Jesus, who is the Christ, in relation to OT texts, history, and theology

-the beginning of a new era

what is a 4fold gospel corpus

-the oral proclamation of the gospel was intimately connected to the written composition of the gospels

-Jesus proclaimed the gospel, mark proclaimed Jesus proclaiming the gospel

-INTENDED AND HERMENEUTICALLY SIGNIFICANT grouping, ordering is stable

what is a codex

the book form (vs a scroll)

-its price suggests its value

-codex form = christian text

what is a corpus

a grouping of a collection of texts

what is a canon

an authoritative collection of authoritative texts

1. Gospel Harmony

-Texts from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are blended together to create a smooth, continuous story of Jesus's life. Gospel harmonists aim to resolve apparent contradictions and fill in narrative gaps by combining elements from different gospel accounts.

- Critique: The objection is that this method erases the unique theological perspective and literary artistry of each individual gospel writer. Each gospel writer selected and arranged material for a specific purpose, audience, and message. By combining them, the distinctiveness of each is lost, and a new, never-intended gospel is created.

-Tatian's Diatessaron (through the four)

2. A Single Gospel

This alternative argues that one gospel is sufficient and superior to the others. It essentially involves picking a single gospel—such as Mark, which some scholars believe to be the earliest—and disregarding the rest.

The critique: This approach is seen by critics as ignoring the full witness of the canonical corpus. While each gospel offers a unique perspective, their placement together in the canon affirms the value of hearing four different, complementary "sermons" on the life of Jesus.

Marcion chose Luke

3. A sea of Gospels and "Gospel-Like" literature

This perspective proposes that the four canonical gospels should be read alongside a much broader collection of early Christian literature, including apocryphal gospels.Rather than stopping at the four gospels chosen by the early church, this view opens the floodgates to a vast "sea" of gospels and other texts, most of which were written in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Examples include the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Peter, and the Gospel of Judas.

The critique: Many of these apocryphal works reflect theological viewpoints (like Gnosticism) that were rejected as heretical by the early church and do not align with the historical reliability or theological substance of the canonical texts. The canonical texts were intended and hermeneutically significant

4. An Oral Gospel of Continuing Revelation

This alternative suggests that the true "gospel" is not a fixed, written text but an ongoing, dynamic revelation mediated through inspired individuals. This impulse is associated with groups like the Gnostics and Montanists, who claimed to receive new divine revelation that superseded or reinterpreted the established teachings of the church. For these groups, the "gospel" was not confined to a finished book but was a living message delivered by contemporary prophets.

The critique: Christianity has historically rejected this view, affirming the apostolic writings as the authoritative witness to Jesus. By claiming new, ongoing revelation, this approach can undermine the final authority of the New Testament canon. The early church established a fixed canon to combat this very issue and provide a standard for Christian belief.

5. A Deconstructed and Reconstructed Account of the Jesus Tradition

This approach seeks to go behind the written texts to reconstruct what the historical Jesus "really" said and did. Modern historical-critical scholarship uses methods like "source criticism" and "form criticism" to strip away layers of interpretation added by early Christian communities. The goal is to separate the "historical Jesus" from the "Christ of faith" presented in the gospels.

The critique: This view is inherently limited, as it relies on fragmentary evidence and often dismisses the gospel tradition based on speculation. The resulting "reconstructed Jesus" is often a reflection of the scholar's own presuppositions, and it ignores the theological purpose and context of the gospels as they were originally written.

Where is the fourfold gospel corpus located?

The 4F gospel corpus represents the continuation of the OT and generates the NT storyline

-It gives shape to the already/not yet view of redemptive history

-network of intertextual connections backwards and forwards

-shapes our understanding of redemptive history

how is the 4F gospel a continuation?

How do they represent a continuation of the OT and generate a storyline of the NT

they continue the story of the OT, fulfill prophecies in OT, set up the basis for what the rest of NT is written for.

What does unity/diversity mean and how is it helpful?

the gospels are unified (telling the same story) yet different (different accounts, different things they want to highlight) and it helps us see how they all have interpretive goals of their own to contribute to the same story of Jesus' life, death, burial, and resurrection.

What do the gospels focus on

Jesus as ruler in and of history

genre signals of 4f gospel openings

matt = book

mark = gospel

Luke = narrative account

John = theological interpretation

how does the 4f gospel corpus function within the shape of the NT canon?

-represents the continuation of the OT and generates the NT storyline

-gives shape to the already/not yet view of redemptive history

how does each gospel begin

matt- Jesus’s birth

mark- Jesus as an adult

Luke- johns birth

John- eternity past

t/f if we didn't have criticism of the 4f gospels, we wouldn't have to deal with the synoptic problem

false

types of agreement in synoptics

quadruple- all four (feeding of 5000, John the Baptist and Jesus' baptism)

triple- synoptics have (sower parable)

double (Matthew and Luke, not mark) (who struck you?)

distinctive material

blatant contradiction or maximal harmonization

blatant contradiction = any difference in text is a blatant contradiction

maximal harmonization = if there is difference in account, it is 4 different accounts

pursue reasoned harmonization

what is reading horizontally and vertically?

reading horizontally = seeing how the whole bible presents this story, different accounts

reading vertically = read each book from beginning to end to understand overarching theme in light of book level meaning

date of Matthew

late 60s

key passages and significance of Matthew

1:1- Messianic king who fulfills the Scriptures, Christ’s identity as Davidic king and a blessing to all nations

13:52- scribe who has become a disciple

28:18-20- master teacher and last words of resurrected Christ

purpose of Matthews prologue

recap the flow of Israels history, the scope of the Hebrew bible, and the story of the covenants

genealogies have:

patterns and deviations

-imbedded to how the author tells a story

-deviations in Matthew include all the women mentioned: Tamar, rehab, ruth, wife of uriah, and Mary

themes in the introduction to Matthew

1. Jesus is the jewish messiah and the resurrected king

2. Jesus is the descendant of Abraham

how to tell apart gospels and non canonical texts

dating (gospels written before 70ad)

means of evaluation (rule of faith)

preached word=

1. Jesus is Christ

2. his death was effective

3. he was raised from the dead

4. according to the scriptures

gospel of Thomas

-collection of sayings

- mid 2nd century

-emphasis on Jesus' revelation rather than saving work

-has heretical gnostic ideas

-genre, dating, circulation, and content say that this isn't a gospel

gospel of Judas

-mid 2nd century

- dialogue gospel

-reveals secret conversation between Jesus and Judas and Jesus gives Judas revelation on hidden meaning of the incarnation

-Jesus directs Judas to betray him

-gnostic theology

gospel of Peter

-late 2nd century

-fragments, only has death and resurrection scenes

-promotes docetic christology (Jesus' deity leaves him before he dies)

-Jesus comes up out of the tomb as a giant, the cross follows him and speaks

-Serapion of Antioch rejected

Irenaeus of Lyons

-held to closed canon of gospels

-articulated rule of faith, refuted gnostic false teaching

what does synoptic mean

viewing together (when viewed)

how significant is the issue of the synoptic puzzle

literary landscape

levels of literary overlap

literary landscape

verbal wording

narrative sequence

editorial commentary

biblical quotations

use of sources

levels of literary overlap

quadruple agreement

triple agreement

double agreement

distinctive material

biggest pieces of the synoptic puzzle

1.literary inter-dependence among the synoptic gospels

2. markan priority

3. evangelists wrote with an awareness of each other and the broader christian community

4. the evangelists used a variety of sources as they composed their narrative

joy and angst of a 4f gospel

acknowledge that this issue is a textual phenomenon prompted by our acceptance of four different but authoritative accounts in the 4f gospel canon

examples of reasoned harmonization

rich young ruler(Luke = rich ruler, Matthew = rich young ruler)

who is barabbas?(Matt = rebel, Mk and Lk = murderer, jn = robber)

arrest account

horizontal or vertical reading?

4f commits us to horizontal, but don't forget vertical

dates to know in NT

4bc-3ad = Jesus birth

30-33 ad = crucifixion

62- Paul in rome under house arrest

64-65 = Peter and pauls death

60-70ad = most of NT written

70 ad - destruction of temple

90ad- John at Patmos (revelation)

what is Matthews distinctive structure?

5 movements (kingdom oriented)

themes on Matthews call narrative

-theme of reversal (who is outside and who is inside (sinners vs righteous))

- position - a tax collecting traitor

-response: obedience and commitment

-lesson:spiritual and physical, health and sickness

outline of Matthews gospel

1:1-2:23- intro (book and birth of Jesus, the Christ)

MOVEMENT ONE

3:1-4:25- Ministry of Jesus

5:1-7:29- Demands of the kingdom (sermon on the mount)

MOVEMENT TWO

8:1-9:34- Miracles of Jesus (Galilee)

9:35-11:1- Proclamation of the Kingdom (instruction to his disciples)

MOVEMENT THREE

11:2-12:50- growing tensions in Galilee

13:1-52- Parables of the Kingdom

MOVEMENT FOUR

13:53-17:27- the Christ and his people (Judea)

18:1-35- Community in the Kingdom (the church, relationships)

MOVEMENT FIVE

19:1-22:46- Son of David enters Jerusalem

23:1-25:46- Judgment in the Kingdom (coming of future kingdom)

Closing section:

Climactic narrative: 26-28- death and resurrection

Climactic discourse: 28:18-20- The great commission

Matthew includes Jesus' _______ and _______

word, deed

Implications of Matthews textual strategy

1. helps us discern book-level meaning

2. helps us make textual connections we may have missed w/o book level framework

3. guides christological reflection on person and work of Jesus as the Christ

4. further implication: the task of close reading of OT and NT is a core feature of understanding the gospel and fulfilling the great commission

what is the kingdom of heaven according to Matthew

Gods people in Gods place under Gods rule and blessing

Matthews contribution: Gods saving reign that is realized in Christ, which restores God's people, place, and blessing

Summary statement:

The gospel of the kingdom (4:23) is displayed by the proclamation and power of Jesus (also in 9:35)

flow of Matthew 1-9

ch 1- genealogy and birth

5-7- sermon on the mount

8-9 sequence of miracles

Matthews genealogy has an emphasis on ______ and a reminder of the _______ and the __________

David (name repeated, title given, connected to covenant)

exile (anticipates mention of sin and salvation)

abrahamic covenant (inclusion of the nations)

Description of the biggest pieces of the synoptic puzzle

1. Literary Inter-dependence among the synoptic Gospels The textual evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of direct dependence "Synoptic problem solutions" argue for the direction of dependence

2. Markan Priority- The contention that Mark was the first Gospel written Strong consensus among NT scholars (critical & confessional) One of the easiest ways to understand the macrostructural differences between the synoptics (typically addition rather than omission). Makes sense of many changes at the granular level as well (clarification, smoothing grammar, theological implications, etc).

3. The evangelists wrote with an awareness of each other and the broaderChristian community. These texts were not written in isolated communities but rather within theEarly Christian "Internet" (should inform claims about a given Gospel's "audience") Social memory of Jesus (strong & extensive) Communal reading events (frequent & widespread)

4. The evangelists used a variety of sources as they composed their narrative texts (Lk 1:1-4; Jn 20:30-31).

➢ For example: oral tradition (sayings or doings), eye-witness testimony, smaller written sources ('notebook theory'), apostolic epistles, other authoritativeGospel narratives (Mark!)

How to grapple with the "Synoptic Puzzle" as Evangelicals:

• Acknowledge that this issue is a textual phenomenon prompted by our acceptance of four different but authoritative accounts in the fourfold Gospel canon

➢ A question discussed in every era including the earliest churches: e.g., Tatian's Diatesseron, Augustine's apologetic defense of the Gospels, Eusebius's "Canon Tables"; the modern era's "synoptic problem" and source-critical solutions

• Pursue reasoned harmonization Versus "blatant contradiction" or "maximal harmonization"

• Recognize the itinerant nature of Jesus' ministry (likely repeated teachings indifferent places w/ different words)

• Understand the relation between the "very voice" of Jesus (ipsissima vox) and the"very words" of Jesus (ipsissima verba)

➢ In giving the "very voice" of Jesus, the Gospel writers accurately report (rather thancreate) Jesus's words and deeds. This includes direct speech of Jesus ("very words"), butalso summary, paraphrase, and topical (rather than strictly chronological) arrangement ofwords and deeds.

• Discern the interlocking relationship between the Synoptics and John

• Guard the unity & diversity that are a feature of a fourfold Gospel canon

➢ Maintain thoughtful awareness of "reading horizontally" (in light of the 4G)w/ a focus on "reading vertically" (in light of book-level meaning)