God Reveals Himself

1. Creation - Nature signs, the world, and everything in it are natural signs of God

2. In Scripture, through salvation history - biblical signs (God revealed himself in stages, in the old and new testament)

The New Testament has Four parts

1. The Gospels - Greek Evangelion ev = good ; angelion = news / message "

   “message of salvation” or “good news of salvation”

2. Acts of the Apostles

3. Epistles (Pauline and Catholic)

4. Revelation

3 Elements of how the Gospels were formed

1. Outlook on Christ - Who is Jesus and what image of Him that the evangelist wanted his readers to see; who is Jesus based on the author’s personal experience and encounter with Him

2. Audience - The kind of readers the evangelist targets to write; considering their context/situation and cultural background

3. Life of Jesus as preached by the Apostles (Luke with Paul and Mark with Peter are not direct direct disciples of Jesus)

Stages on how the Gospels were written

1. Life and work of Jesus Christ - First stage “The Historical Jesus”, Pascal mystery; a journey from Earth to Heaven and Heaven to Earth.

2. Oral Tradition - Second stage, oral preaching of the Church; spread the good news of Jesus.

3. Written Tradition - Third stage, The Written Gospels - the first generation of Christians eventually wrote down the Gospel, the good news of Jesus.

A short background of the Gospels

1. St. Mark

   • Profile: Secretary of Peter

   • Date of Composition: 64 A.D.

   • Place of Composition: Rome/Syria

   • Intended Audience: Persecuted Christians of Rome

   • Purpose: To present Jesus as the Suffering Servant of God who will lay down His life to save people from their sins.

   • Symbol: Lion: Jesus’ Kingship

2. St. Matthew

   • Profile: Tax Collector

   • Date of Composition: 70-75 A.D.

   • Place of Composition: Syria

   • Intended Audience: Jewish Christians

   • Purpose: To present Jesus as the fulfillment of the promises in the Old Testament Jesus as the New Moses

   • Symbol: Winged Human: Jesus’ Humanity

3. St. Luke

   • Profile: Beloved Physician

   • Date of Composition: 80-85 A.D.

   • Place of Composition: Greece/Rome

   • Intended Audience: Gentile Christians

   • Purpose: To present Jesus as the universal Savor

   • Symbol: Bull: Jesus’ Sacrifice

4. St. John

   • Profile: Beloved Disciple

   • Date of Composition: 90-100 A.D.

   • Place of Composition: Ephesus

   • Intended Audience: First-century Christian Churches established around the Roman Temple

   • Purpose: To present Jesus as the Incarnate Word of God

   • Symbol: Eagle: Jesus’ Divinity

Criteria in the Authenticity

1. Criterion of Embarrassment - stories about Jesus that may sound embarrassing for the early Christians e.g. Jesus uses saliva/spit to heal a blind man (Mk. 8:22-26)

2. Criterion of Discontinuity - teachings or actions of Jesus which oppose traditions or teachings coming from the Old Testament

3. Multiple Attestation - when a particular detail or story in the Bible appears in different Gospels

4. The criterion of Coherence - when a certain story that is not multiply attested is still consistent with the values taught by Jesus

5. Rejection and Execution - when a particular story depicts that Jesus is being rejected by His people

Synoptic Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke (to see with the same eyes)

Palestine is a name given by the Greeks. At the cultural level, the enemies were the Greeks, which made them undermine their ancient traditions. At the socio-political level, the enemies were the Romans who occupied Palestine.

Major Places

When King Herod died in 4BC his kingdom was divided to his sons.

1. Herod Philip

   • built the city of Bethsaida and Panias which he renamed “Cesarea Philippi”

2. Herod Antipas

   • built the new city of Tiberias

3. Archelaus

   • The 5th procurator could not keep order in his territory. He was known to be ruthless, his repression, and to slaughter his opponents. He was deposed by Rome and banished to Gaul and a Roman procurator was appointed to rule Jerusalem and Judea. At the same time as Jesus, Pontius Pilate was already the fifth procurator.

JUDEA (South)

a. Inhabitants

• mainly exiles coming from the tribe of Judah who returned from Babylonian captivity. They’re called Jews and their land is Judea

b. Jerusalem

• where most of the population was concentrated. This place became the seat of religion because all religious classes had settled here.

C. Other important places:

• Jericho

• Bethlehem, where Jesus was born

GALILEE (North)

a. Inhabitants

• was more cosmopolitan with many non-Jews

b. Capital: Tiberias

• luxurious and productive, more prosperous than Judea

c. Other important places:

• Nazareth where Jesus grew

• Capernaum, Jesus’ center of public ministry

• Cana where Jesus did his first miracle on a Wedding Feast

SAMARIA (between Judea and Galilee)

was once the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel

a. Inhabitants: Samaritans, a hybrid population

Samaritans’ ancestors were Jews who intermarried with colonists from Assyria. The Samaritans offered their help in rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, but the Jews rejected their offer and built their temple on Mt. Gerizim.

PURITY

Leviticus - gives a long list of people who are considered unclean

1. and eating forbidden food (Lv. 11:1-8)

2. touching of dead bodies (Lv. 11:24-28)

3. women’s periods (Lv. 12:1-8)

4. having leprosy (Lv. 13:1-3)

5. childbirth. The mother should go to the Temple 40 days after giving birth and undergo a purification ceremony. offer a sacrifice of a lamb and a pigeon, or in the case of the poor, 2 turtle doves.

6. Unclean/impure are not allowed to join in worshipping God and cannot enter the temple because God is holy and so must they.

Jews need to take a ritual bath

• total immersion of the body with running water or rainwater, found in private homes and also in the temple

Rituals to say “Thank you” and “I’m Sorry”

Priests are considered representatives of the people of God.

d. Scribes

emerged as the interpreter of the Law in the period after the exile

• professional scholars trained in the preservation

• “master of the Torah”, teachers of Law, Rabbi/Rabbomi

e. Essenes

• seceded from the Sadducees

• The Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls

• system of discipline in the community avoiding Hellenistic corruption

• rejected animal sacrifice

The Incarnation of Jesus

The Jewish Religious and Political Groups

Sadducees, a social class which was closely associated with Zadok, belonged to the wealthy priestly and influential families occupying political positions. From their circle, the high priests were chosen. The Sadducees were very conservative in religious matters (they accepted only the Torah) but liberal in politics (they were willing to compromise with people holding power in order to preserve their status). They strictly observed temple worship during the Sabbath and rejected the oral tradition, denied the existence of angels and devils, as well as the resurrection of the dead, personal immortality and recompense beyond the grave.

Pharisees, a religious sect which probably originated from the Hasidim group, were known as “the separated ones” (Hebrew: p’rushim) due to their exact and detailed knowledge of the Mosaic Law (both written and oral). Their members came from the middle class: the scribes and devout laymen. They were considered as champions of the Torah due to their withdrawal from political activity. They were conservative in politics (no compromise with people in power) and progressive in religious matters (created an extensive oral commentary on the Law for the people to live it more fully). They saved Judaism from extinction by restructuring it after the destruction of the Temple and its cult. They took pride in their knowledge and observance of the law which oftentimes led them to self-righteousness. Among others, they believed in the resurrection of the dead, the judgment after death, the existence of spirits and angels; furthermore, they stressed God’s providence and human freedom.

Zealots, an anti-Roman party, were Jewish fanatics who combined religion and nationalism. Being extremely nationalistic, they fought against foreign oppressors, opposed census and taxes, assassinated the Romans and punished Jewish collaborators. For them, Jewish independence would only be possible through a military overthrow of their oppressors, the Romans.

Essenes, an offshoot of Hasidim whose name means ‘’the pious ones,” lived with great respect for the Torah (living in extreme exactness the demands of the Law); they separated themselves from Jewish societies in order to maintain their strict religious practices. Though they rejected Temple sacrifice, they also sent offerings to the Temple. They lived a celibate, poor and obedient life and condemned the Roman power. They believed in the immortality of the soul, the illegitimacy of the high priest in Jerusalem, and in the dictum: “Love one’s members, hate outsiders.”

Scribes, a group of Jewish intellects, appeared in Israel at the advent of the monarchy; They (Hebrew, sopher) held one of the principal offices in the list of the officials of David’s royal administration (2 Sam 8:17; 20:25) and that of Solomon (1 Kgs 4:3). They were known as educated servants, writers and interpreters of the Law of Moses; they were guardians of the historical, judicial, wisdom and prophetic patrimony of Israel. They were considered doctors of the Law of Moses (experts in the sacred Book), as well as rabbis (if they taught in synagogues); likewise, they were moral guides and teachers of the Jewish people (they ruled on matters of the Law). They considered themselves as legitimate authorities in the interpretation of the Law of Moses and the oral tradition of Israel. They were inclined to Phariseism and their position as teachers of the people greatly increased the influence of the Pharisees.

Priests, a group originating as far back as Moses’ time, were guardians of worship and go-betweens or intermediaries between God and people in offering sacrifices in the temple. One could be a qualified candidate if he possessed the following qualifications: coming from a certain tribe, chosen by the Sanhedrin and being respectable, although respectability often went along with wealth and social prestige

The High Priest was the head of the priestly class and the president of the Sanhedrin. Appointed by the political leaders of the country (sometimes money entered to the selection) and anointed like a king, the high priest lived in a grand palace and dressed in very colorful and recognizable clothing. He was considered as a spiritual leader of his people and held a very special kind of authority and great influence among the people.

Sanhedrin was a body whose beginning as well as original composition was not clear but which, under the Roman procurators, had assumed a precise form and character. This body was the senate of priests and laymen, composed of 70 members plus the president and was represented by the head of priestly families, the elders (representing the lay aristocrats) and the scribes (some were Pharisaic in spirit and others were Sadducees). The Sanhedrin was considered as the official religious, political and judicial body of Jews that was recognized by the Romans. It condemned and punished criminals, although not with capital punishment which needed ratification by the Roman procurator (cf. Jn 18:31)

Jews of Diaspora referred to the Jews living outside Palestine during and after the Babylonian exile.

Outcasts comprised of the Samaritans (half-Jews), Publicans (tax collectors), prostitutes, criminals, sinners, robbers and the lepers (the worst ones).