CHAPTER 3 SURVEYING THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE. “Why did Jesus live? What, in other words, about the bit between the stable and the cross? There were, after.

CHAPTER 3SURVEYING THE BOOKS

OF THE BIBLE

“Why did Jesus live? What, in other words, about the bit between the stable and the cross?

There were, after all, Christmas carols and other hymns that took Jesus straight “from his poor manger to his bitter cross.” Did it matter that, according to the four gospels, he had a short period of intense and exciting public

activity at the latter end of his life? What truth could we learn from it? Why did it have to be like that? Does it matter that he did all those things, that he said all those things, that he

was all those things? Would it have made any difference if, as the virgin-born son of God, he

had been plucked from total obscurity and crucified, dying for our sins, without any of

that happening? If not, why not?”

Excerpt From: N. T. Wright. “How God Became King.”

Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom, lofty origin of all being, graciously let a ray of Thy brilliance penetrate into the darkness of my

understanding and take from me the double darkness in which I have been

conceived, an obscurity of both sin and ignorance.

Give me a sharp sense of understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally. Grant

me the talent of being exact in my explanations, and the ability to express

myself with thoroughness and with charm.Point out the beginning, direct the

progress, and help in the completion; through Christ Our Lord,

Amen.

ObjectivesWriting of the New TestamentSurvey of the New Testament

The Pauline Epistles

Survey of the Old Testament

The Prophetic Books:

MAJOR PROPHETS:Isaiah

JeremiahEzekielDaniel

Survey of the Old Testament

The Prophetic Books:

MINOR PROPHETS:HoseaJoel

AmosObadiah

JonahMicahNahum

HabakkukZephaniah

HaggaiZechariahMalachi

Survey of the New Testament

What does a Biography tell?

The Who

The What

The When

The Where


He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure

village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. Then for three years or so he was an

itinerant preacher. He never had a family or owned a home. He never traveled more than two hundred miles from the place he was born. He never wrote a book or held an office. He did none of the things that usually

accompany greatness. While he was still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His

friends deserted him. He was turned over to his enemies, and went through the mockery of a trial. He was executed like a common criminal. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for the only piece of property he had—his coat. When he was dead, he was

buried in a borrowed grave. Twenty centuries have come and gone. Today he is the central figure for much of the human race. All the armies that ever

marched, and all the navies that ever sailed, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that

ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of humankind upon this earth as powerfully as this one

solitary life.-Anonymous



Stage 1: The Historical Jesus

Jesus lived a typical life of a Jewish boy

Began his public ministry c. 28 AD

Taught, healed, and proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God

Crucified by Pontius Pilate c. 30 AD

Rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion

Survey of the New TestamentStage 2: Oral Tradition

--Understanding Oral Traditions--1. Selective Traditions- Choosing events

that matter. Ex: George Washington, chops down a cherry tree. “I cannot tell a lie.”

2. Shaped by the current experiences and knowledge

3. Transmitted by non eye-witnessesSome events that there were no eye

witness

Most people did not learn about Jesus from the Disciples (Learned through networks

and friends)


Stage 2: Oral Tradition

“Go out to the whole world; proclaim the gospel to all creation”

KERYGMA—preaching to unbelieversDIDACHE—teaching, further catechesis

LITURGY—worship of the Christians


Stage 2: Oral TraditionWhy commit the Oral Tradition to writing?

The end of the world was not coming as quickly as the early Christians at first thought it would

Distortions to the Gospel were occurring

More instruction was needed


Stage 2: Oral Tradition

Written Collections (50-65 AD)

Once a story gets written down and saturated throughout a common place they become

standardized.


Stage 3: The Writing of the New Testament

First written books of the New Testament were the letters of St. Paul

The four Gospels, Acts, Catholic Epistles, and Revelation were probably written in the latter

half of the 1st century



The Sacred Tradition of the Church, administered by the Apostles and their

successors, determined which books were to be included in the canon and which were not

under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.


Stage 3: The Writing of the New TestamentGospels

The heart of the ScripturesMark (~60—75)

Matthew (~80—90)Luke (~85)

John (~80—110)



Full Narratives (65-90 AD)-Shift to stories of the life of Jesus

100 years of fellowship affect on the gospels

The early church put the 4 gospels side by side:

Mark, Matthew, and Luke: Very similar called synoptic gospels

John different from other gospels, less than 10% of John appears in any other gospel,

whereas 90% of Mark appears in Matthew. John is more theologically developed and has different traditions than the other gospels.



Full Narratives (65-90 AD)-Shift to stories of the life of Jesus

100 years of fellowship affect on the gospels

The early church put the 4 gospels side by side:

Mark, Matthew, and Luke: Very similar called synoptic gospels

John different from other gospels, less than 10% of John appears in any other gospel,

whereas 90% of Mark appears in Matthew. John is more theologically developed and has different traditions than the other gospels.



“Synoptic Problem”:What is the relationship between Matthew,

Mark and Luke?

-There are some instances where the synoptic gospels match up word for word. Some

scholars argue that Mark was written first and Matthew and Luke borrowed from it



1. Mark is always the common link between the commonalities.

2. Mark writes in a very awkward style of Greek. If he borrowed from Matthew and Luke why would he make the Greek awkward, more likely Matthew and Luke borrowed from Mark

and cleaned up the Greek.There are verses that appear in Matthew and

Luke but do not appear in Mark. German scholars credit an outside source for this commonality. Includes: temptation in the

wilderness, Lord’s Prayer, beatitudes, Parable of the mustard seed, Treasure in Heaven, Ask

seek knock.



And finally:Matthew and Luke have some

commonalities that are not in Mark. How can this be?



Stage 4 The Narrowing of the Gospels down to 4


Stage 4: The Finalization of the GospelsMarcian’s Gospel ~ 150 AD

Tatian’s Diatessaron ~ 180 AD


Stage 4: The Finalization of the GospelsSo brings us to the question of:

Why these 4?There are no recordings from the early

church as to why?


Stage 4: The Finalization of the GospelsWhy these 4?

1. Narratives that culminated with the death and resurrection of Jesus.

2. Engage the Hebrew Bible (talk about how the Hebrew bible led to Jesus)

3. Avoid Theological Extremes (Jesus as non-human or adopted by god)

4. Credible Origins Stories.

5. Acceptance by the People


Stage 4: The Finalization of the Gospels

By 180 AD the core of the bible had been formed. (4 gospel cannon)


Stage 5 Final Determination3rd century: Debates turned to the fringe books

4th century (360-390AD) Bible takes uniform modern form.

2 factors shaping fringe books: Support of important bishops, and popularity among people


Gospels

The heart of the ScripturesMark (~60—75)

Matthew (~80—90)Luke (~85)

John (~80—110)Four Unique Gospels


Gospels

Mark: (literary analysis) to discover how a suffering and crucified man can be the messiah.

Matthew: (reader analysis) To speak to Jews who

were struggling with the Torah and where Jesus fits in with that.

Luke: (reader analysis) Gentiles and Christian community to those who were struggling with

whether Jesus came for the non-Jews.


Gospels

KERYGMA—preaching to unbelievers

Read Acts 2:14-36


Stage 3: The Writing of the New TestamentActs of the Apostles

Second part of the Gospel of Luke

Acts tells the early history of the Church


Stage 3: The Writing of the New TestamentPauline Letters

Circulated in his name; either written by Paul himself or a disciple of Paul

1 and 2 ThessaloniansGalatians

Philippians1 and 2 Corinthians

RomansPhilemon

ColossiansEphesians

Titus1 and 2 Timothy



Canon


Stage 3: The Writing of the New TestamentCatholic Epistles

Letters intended “for all” (Catholic means “universal)

James1 and 2 Peter

Jude1, 2 and 3 John



Revelation

This highly symbolic work’s purpose was to encourage Christians who were undergoing persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ.

CHAPTER 3 SURVEYING THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE. “Why did Jesus live? What, in other words, about the bit between the stable and the cross? There were, after.

Documents

new testamentsurvey

new testamentstage

new testamentwhat

new testamenthe

typical life

solitary life

life of humankind

obscure village