New Testament Writings Flashcards
Be able to describe how the NT is organized, and how those categories are structured
Not chronological; Longest to Shortest
Titles don’t indicate authorship
Categories: Biography, History, Letters, Prophecy
How the books got their names, major function and descriptor of each section, etc.
Letters: based on the communities of the disciples
History: the “acts” of the early church
Letters: who the letters were written to
Prophecy: apocalypse = Revelation in Greek
What are some of the issues raised when trying to turn an oral tradition into a written one?
Mistranscriptions and differing accounts over the ages can lead to inaccuracy
Differing interpretations can lead to conflict
Incomplete sources can paint an incomplete picture of the original intentions
What is the relationship between one’s exegesis and one’s hermeneutic?
Exegesis: academic approach, scholarly study, explication of the text
Hermeneutic: philosophical reflection or interpretation
Relationship: in the study of scripture, we use hermeneutical tools in our exegesis of the text
Be prepared to describe several methods of biblical criticism and their posture toward the NT, as well as advantages and disadvantages
Sociological:
Understanding the NT through a study of the social dynamics of the time
Strengths:
Good historical context
Weaknesses:
Bias views of certain events
Who finally got the ball rolling on creating a Christian canon? What was the name of their first attempt at a statement of faith, and what were some of the challenges for this group?
Early church leaders began to collect a set list of text to read aloud
They would copy these documents and send them out; and list expands and contracts over time
Statement of faith; Nicene Creed
Belief God is 3 in 1
Challenges were that some people did not accept the widespread interpretations, and standardizations were debated
What is the general process by which the New Testament writings came to be regarded as Christian Scripture?
Canonization
What social developments made the creation of a canon a priority?
The widespread spread of Christianity beyond a fringe religion
Adoption of the official religion of the Empire
What problems arose as the early Christian church attempted to create a canon?
There were disagreements and debates on interpretation over which texts to include and what each text meant
Apocalypse
Means ‘Revelation’ in Greek
End of the world
Canon
The books accepted as standard doctrinal teaching
Legitimacy of authorship and doctrine
Apostolic tradition
Transmission of the message of Christ by means of preaching, worship, and inspired writing
Redaction
Going back and editing or taking out a piece of text or doctrine; reversal of policy
Scribe
Someone who writes things down; very hard to find literate people in the ancient world
