Source, form, redaction etc.

Question 1

Explain how interpreting the Gs from a historical perspective is a problem for scholars

Answer 1

They were written decades after JC died and in different languages to the one JC spoke in. Unlikely that they were written by eyewitnesses. Thus the texts are open to mistranslation, misinterpretation, source issues and theological bias.

Scholars are still unsure on who wrote them, when they were written and to what end

Scholars also don’t know where the Gs got their info from

Question 3

Why are the sources that they used to gain knowledge so important in terms of the historicity and reliability of the Gs

Answer 3

Because none of the Gs are thought to have been written by actual eyewitnesses

Question 4

What have biblical scholars done after comparing the differences between the Gs

Answer 4

Come up with a number of theories as to how they were constructed and what these theories would reveal about the bias and intent of the writers should they be true

Question 5

Explain the term exegesis

Answer 5

Comes from the Greek ‘to draw out’, refers to the detailed analysis and resultant interpretation of scripture

Question 6

What will an exegesis of an NT passage involve

Answer 6

Will include reference to the context in which it was written, as well as consideration of the symbolism within the text with regard to the readership the writer was writing for. This will enable a scholar to get a full understanding of the passage, which will inform further study

Question 7

Explain the Synoptic Problem

Answer 7

Refers to the interrelated nature of the first three Gs. The same stories and parables appear in all three, but each author has a slightly different theological slant or reading of the parable, for instance. The relationship between them is clear while John is more divergent

Their structure is largely the same and they share alot of parables and miracles. Why is this the case?

Question 8

Why do some scholars see the synoptics as being more historically accurate

Answer 8

Because if a story appears multiple times this would seem to make it more likely that it actually happened

Question 9

Trying to solve the synoptic problem leads to source criticism. What is source criticism

Answer 9

Seeks to identify and detail the sources used by an author of a text

Question 10

How does Raymond Brown use SC to argue for the Marcan priority

Answer 10

He says that approximately 80% of Marcan content is reproduced in Matthew and 65% in Luke

Question 11

Why is the theory of Marcan priority useful for scholars if true

Answer 11

It displays through the changes made by the writers of Matthew and Luke what their theological biases and intentions were when writing

Question 12

Make the case for the Marcan priority being true

Answer 12

The language is more plain and straightforward than Matthew and Luke. This suggests that Mark is earlier and provided the basics which were then eleborated on by Matthew and Luke.

It has been observed that the difference between Matthew/Luke and Mark can be pointed to as having likely roots in historical/political contexts, while the core structure of the gospels remain the same. For instance, both Gs appear to have taken the opening genealogy from Mark and changed it for their own ends

Question 13

What is the purpose of SC

Answer 13

By looking at texts from the time which are alternative to the Synoptics that could potentially have been used as sources for the sayings or stories within the synoptics, scholars can gain knowledge and form theories regarding why the gospels were written

Question 14

How is the Synoptic problem and example of SC

Answer 14

Because it deals with the search for the source of these texts via examining their interrelated nature

Question 15

Why can SC be seen as having its basis in the gospels themselves

Answer 15

Luke 1:1-4 - Talks about how many have tried to draw up an account of JC’s life. The writer himself says that he has examined these sources and will try and write up an orderly account. From this we know that there were other texts and sources referring to JC at the time Luke was written and the L himself referred to them when writing

Question 16

Explain FC

Answer 16

Attempts to classify and trace parts of scripture back to their original oral/written form, with the aim of discovering the original form of that part and the historical context from which it arose. Key term is German ‘sitz im leben’ meaning ‘in the situation of the story’

Question 17

Explain RC

Answer 17

The study of how the texts of the bible were arranged, edited or changed from the original by those who compiled the now accepyed order and canon. By comparing the differences between the synoptics, we can find out about the purposes and ideas of those redacting the texts. Focuses on how the author of a text may have edited it to suit their theological goals

Question 18

What two groups is RC split into?

Answer 18

Higher and lower RC

Question 19

What is higher RC

Answer 19

The quest to find out to what extent to text is genuine

Question 20

What is lower RC

Answer 20

The quest towards finding the original wording used to write the text

Question 21

What is the most common explanation for the Synoptic Problem

Answer 21

The two source theory

Question 22

Explain the two source theory

Answer 22

Many scholars believe the interrelated nature of the synoptics were caused by the consultation of two sources during the writing of Matthew and Luke. The core events of the texts are incredibly similar, as is the chronological structure of the narrative

These sources are widely believed to be Mark (Marcan Priority) and a hypothetical source termed Q

Question 23

Explain what this hypothetical Q source is

Answer 23

Seen as a now lost logica text composed of the sayings and actions of JC without a narrative structure. Source to which pieces of both Matthew and Luke are attributed that are not in Mark, but are found in both gospels. The term Q is shorthand and refers to the German word quelle, meaning source

Question 24

Who is responsible for the most widely accepted form of Q theory

Answer 24

BH Streeter

Question 25

What does his theory state

Answer 25

Posits that it was written in Koine Greek, a distinctly hellenistic dialect which is characteristic of the time period in which JC lived and the gospels were written

Question 26

What is a less popular theory regarding Q

Answer 26

That it could be considered to be a collection of multiple sources rather than a single source, which fits in with Luke’s account of having consulted multiple sources and done his research before writing the gospel

Question 27

Give an example of a scholar who has argued against Q

Answer 27

M Farrer

Question 28

In what work does he do this

Answer 28

On Dispensing with Q

Question 29

On what grounds does he reject Q

Answer 29

Makes the case for the similarities within the gospels having basis in interconnected use - this means that he believes that the reasons for similarities lies solely with Marcan priority, or intertextual access by gospel writers

Question 30

What does the theory of Marcan priority state

Answer 30

That Mark was written first and was known to Matthew and Luke and so was used a source for these gospels

Question 31

How does dating support the Marcan priority

Answer 31

Mark is thought to have been written around 60-65 CE where as Matthew and Luke are dated in the 70s and 80s

Question 32

List some of the content from Matthew and Luke that is thought to have been taken from Q

Answer 32

The tempting of JC by Satan three times

The Lord’s Prayer

The use of a Mustard Seed as an analogy of faith

Question 33

What is the Griesbach hypothesis

Answer 33

Another two source theory which is less popular than the Marcan Priority. Flips the idea of the Marcan Priority on its head, arguing that Matthew was written first, followed by Luke, with these two texts then being used to write Mark. The hypothesis is that the commonality was created by the writer of Mark finding the common themes and events in Matthew and Luke and choosing to included these

Question 34

What is the proto gospel theory

Answer 34

Explores the potential of hypothetical early gospels from which content was taken and used to compile the canonical gospels. Hypothesises that these proto gospels informed the synoptics but not John

Question 35

Give some examples of gospels that are not canonised

Answer 35

The Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Peter. They have a tendency to include more mysticism and include an instance of the physical cross speaking during the crucifixion

Question 36

What is the Gospel of Thomas

Answer 36

A collection of 114 sayings of Jesus with no narrative context

Question 37

Why is it unlikely that it was used as a source

Answer 37

It is thought to have post dated the synoptics. It references the bar kokhba revolt, which has led scholars to date the text to after 140 CE

Question 38

What does the less popular 4 source hypothesis propose

Answer 38

Refers to the idea that there are four sources for these gospels, namely Mark, Q and two other special sources specific to Matthew (special Matthew) and Luke (special Luke). These last two sources are hypothetical and would have been lost if they ever existed. Posits that M would not have been aware of special L and vice versa

Question 39

What is the 4 source hypothesis supposed to account for

Answer 39

Supposed to account for material that is found only in Matthew or LUke

Question 40

Who put it forward

Answer 40

Biblical scholar BH Streeter

Question 41

He assigned the origins of Q, special L and special M based on the tone and allusions found within them

Answer 41

Q - Anthioch

M - Jerusalem

L - Caesarea

Question 42

Why is the fact that everything we know about Jesus was written after his crucifixion significant

Answer 42

Because the gospels and epistles were written by people who believed Jesus had been resurrected. This changed their view of him from from whatever it was while he was performing his ministry

Question 43

Why didn’t early Christians write down what they had witnessed

Answer 43

Because they believed the end of the world was imminent

Question 44

Why are the Pauline epistles a poor source for identifying the historical Jesus

Answer 44

He never knew Jesus and outlines only the most basic details of his life

Question 45

Why were the gospels eventually written

Answer 45

They were written when the generation of Christians who knew Jesus personally were beginning to die. They realised that they would need a record of Jesus to pass onto future generations of Christians who had not known Jesus - possibly Christians who had never been to Galilee or Judea and knew little about Judaism.

However, they are not just biographies of Jesus, they were written to pass on beliefs about Jesus: that he is the messiah, the SoG and the saviour of the world

Question 46

What is the traditional explanation for who wrote the gospels

Answer 46

That they were written independently by people personally close to Jesus

Matthew and John were written by actual disciples, Matthew Levi the tax collector and JSZ, Matthew was perhaps written in antioch were there was a large Jewish pop and John perhaps in Ephesus (both of which are in modern Turkey)

Mark was written by the secretary of Jesus chief disciple, Peter, since Peter was executed in Rome this is thought to have been written there

Luke was written by Paul’s travelling companion, a Greek doctor and Christian convert who met with Peter and the other disciples. It is thought to have been written in Greece, where Paul founded his churches

Question 47

When were the gospels traditionally said to have been written

Answer 47

In the 60s CE, before the Jewish Revolt of 67-73 and the destruction of the temple, which Jesus is said to have predicted

Question 48

What do modern scholars think about this

Answer 48

Modern scholarship is secular and does not assume that miracles such as Jesus predicting the temple destruction can occur. They date the gospels to after the Jewish revolt, which explains why Jesus can predict the temple destruction - as it was actually in the past when the gospels were written

Question 49

Explain the reasoning behind why scholars date Mark to be somewhere between 65-70 AD

Answer 49

Mark emphasised that Christians should expect persecution by the Jewish leaders as well as ‘governors and kings’ (Mark 13:9) and this probably refers to Christians being blamed for the fire in Rome in 64 CE. There are several prophecies in Mark about the temple being destroyed, but the author doesn’t seem to know that this actually happened, which would date Mark no later than 70 CE

Question 50

Why can we conclude that Mark was probably written for gentile christians rather than jewish christians

Answer 50

As Mark explains Jewish customs for his readers in verses like 7: 3-4

Question 51

Why was Matthew presumed to have been the first gospel

Answer 51

It is a very Jewish gospel: it does not explain Jewish customs, it uses OT proof texts to prove that Jesus is the messiah and shows a good knowledge of 1st century Palestine and respect for the Jewish Law (%: 18-19)

Question 52

Why is Matthew thought to have come from Antioch

Answer 52

Because he refers to Jesus as being famous ‘throughout all Syria’ (4: 24), which means it was probably written for a group of Jewish Christians who escaped the destruction of the Jewish War and moved to Syria, probably to Antioch which had a large community of Jewish Christians

Question 53

Why can we dispute the idea that it was written by Matthew the tax collector

Answer 53

Because the author does not identify himself as Matthew or write as if he is an eyewitness to the events in Jesus life

Question 54

What is considered to have been the final of the Synoptics to have been written

Answer 54

Luke

Question 55

Who does it claim to be written by in 1: 1-4

Answer 55

Not an eyewitness account but instead a report gathered from people who were eyewitnesses

Question 56

Describe this gospel

Answer 56

Written in a good standard of Greek for an educated audience but has only a hazy understanding of the geography of Palestine. Writes about some specific details of the Roman seige of Jerusalem in 70 CE and so is dated to after this date. Strong focus on the relevance of Christianity to the gentiles and on Jesus’ moral teachings. Tries to present Jesus as a philosopher figure - someone the Roman Empire would find respectable and non threatening

Question 57

Why is John considered to be the latest gospel

Answer 57

Describes Jesus’ enemies as ‘the Jews’ and seems to come from a time where Christians were ceasing to view themselves as Jewish; it has a high christology and presents Jesus as the incarnated Logos. Refers to Christians being expelled from synagogues, which took place in the 80s and 90s. Has a backward looking style that refers to the events in Jesus life as having happened some time ago. However it has a much more accurate knowledge of the geography of pre-70 CR Jerusalem than the other gospels. This means that some parts may go back to original eyewitnesses

Question 58

Explain the significance of P52

Answer 58

The oldest example of gospel yet discovered is the Rylands Library Papyrus P52. It contains a fragment from John 18 and has been dated to the early 2nd century CE