Gospels and Acts Midterm

Question 1

Name the 4 promises God made to Abraham in the Abrahamic covenant.

Answer 1

1. The promise of a seed which ultimately points to Christ (Gen. 22:18, Gal. 3:16)
2. The promise of a land which ultimately points to the new earth (Gen. 17:8, Rom. 4:13, 8:19-23, 2 Peter 3:13, Rev. 21:1-3)
3. The promise of a special relationship between God and the seed of Abraham which ultimately points to the salvation of the spiritual seed of Abraham (Gen. 17:7, Gal. 3:29)
4. The promise of dominion which ultimately points to the triumph of Christ’s kingdom (Gen. 22:17, Dan. 2:36-45, Matt. 13:31-33, 1 Cor. 15:23-27)

Question 2

Explain the metaphor of the oak tree with regard to the Abrahamic covenant.

Answer 2

The rest of Scripture is an unfolding of the Abrahamic Covenant which is an unfolding of the gospel. The gospel demonstrates an organic development in the Bible. When an acorn is planted in the soil, it contains an oak tree. The acorn sprouts, pushes through the soil, sends out branches and leaves, and continues to grow into a mighty tree. Throughout the growth process the oak is the same oak. In the same way, the gospel as it unfolds in the Scripture remains the same gospel.

Question 3

What are the two aspects of the covenant of grace?

Answer 3

Eternal (laid out in eternity, before the creation of the world) “Covenant of Redemption” entered into with His only begotten Son

and historical (carried out in time, revealed after Adam sinned) “Covenant of Grace”

NOT two distinct covenants made by God with different parties

Question 4

Why is a correct understanding of the covenant of grace important?

Answer 4

The correct understanding of the Covenant of Grace makes the sovereign grace of God much more prominent. It is this one covenant in its historical aspect that unites the Old and New Testament Scriptures (Is. 42:6-7; Gal. 3:16, John 6:37-40; 17:2, 6)

Question 5

Create the comparison of the covenants chart.

Answer 5

in pics on phone

Question 6

What are the five arguments Charles Hodge gives for the second person of the trinity as the manifested Jehovah of the OT in his Systematic Theology?

Answer 6

1. pervading representation of the Bible
2. terms not applied to one and then another angel indiscriminately, but to one particular angel
3. the person so designated is also called the Son of God, the Mighty God
4. the work attributed to him is elsewhere attributed to God himself
5. in the NT, this manifested Jehovah, who led his people under the OT economy, is declared to be the Son of God, the logos, who was manifested in the flesh,

it becomes certain that by the angel of Jehovah in the early books of Scripture, we are to understand a divine person, distinct from the Father

Question 7

Name 4 scriptural proofs of Jesus as the manifested Jehovah of the OT

Answer 7

1. Peter declares that Jesus poured out the Spirit on the day of Pentecost in fulfillment of Joel 2:27-28. Joel 2:27 shows that Jehovah said He would pour out His Spirit
2. John (Jn. 1:3) and Paul (Col. 1:16) declare Christ to be the Creator and Moses (Ex. 31:17), Isaiah (40:28), and Jonah (1:9) declare Jehovah to be the Creator.
3. John declares that Isaiah saw Christ’s glory (12:39-40) and Isaiah says that he saw Jehovah (6:1-5)
4. John’s statement that no one has seen God the Father (1:18, cf. 6:46) shows that the One who appeared as Jehovah to men in the OT must have been the Second Person of the Trinity
   Jehovah appeared to Abraham (Gen. 18:1-2, 10, 13), Isaac (Gen. 26:1-5), Jacob (Gen. 28:10-15), and Moses (Ex. 3:2, 4, 16, 18-23)

Question 8

Name 3 scriptural proofs that the Yahweh/Jehovah does not always refer to the Second Person of the Trinity

Answer 8

1. In Psalm 110:1, Jehovah speaks to the Messiah, thus Jehovah here must refer to God the Father
2. In Isaiah 61:1 it is said that Jehovah will anoint the Messiah
3. In Zechariah 2:10-11, one Jehovah is presented as sending another Jehovah (see also Ps 16:5-10 and Is 48:13-16)

Question 9

What does A.A. Hodge correctly affirm about Jehovah and what is its significance?

Answer 9

A.A. Hodge correctly affirms that “the Jehovah who manifested himself as the God of the Jews under the old economy was the second person of the Trinity, who became incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth.” It is the Son of God as the manifested Jehovah which distinguishes Him from the Father who also bears the same name. Thus, “the Church is one under all dispensations, and Jesus from the beginning is the Redeemer and Head of the Church.”

Question 10

What does Shearer state about Jehovah?

Answer 10

“the Lord God, Jehovah, the Second Person of the Trinity, was the civil head of the Hebrew commonwealth.”

Question 11

What does Herman Witsius, referring to Zanchius, claim about the fathers?

Answer 11

most of the fathers were of the opinion, that Adam, seeing he was such, and so great a friend of God before his fall, had sometimes seen God in a bodily appearance. And heard him speak: and adds ‘but this was always the Son of God.’ And a little after, ‘Christ therefore is the Jehovah, who brought Adam and placed him in Paradise, and spoke with him.’ Thus, the ancients believed, that the Son of God did then also reveal himself to Adam, and conversed with him.”

Question 12

Name the Bible’s three unifying elements.

Answer 12

A Central Person: Christ
A Central Plan: Redemption (The fulfillment of the Covenant of Grace)
A Central Program: The Kingdom

Question 13

How does Dr. Dyer describe the Old Testament on his outline of the Bible?

Answer 13

The Administration of the Covenant of Grace Through Jehovah’s Redemptive Kingdom

Question 14

Name and describe the four parts of the Old Testament on Dr. Dyer’s outline of the Bible.

Answer 14

A. The Pentateuch: The Foundation and Constitution of the Kingdom
B. The Historical Books: The Progression and Suspension of the Kingdom
C. The Poetic Books: The Veneration and Adoration of the King
D. The Prophetic Books: The Prediction and Expectation of the Coming King and His Kingdom

Question 15

How does Dr. Dyer describe the New Testament on his outline of the Bible?

Answer 15

The Administration of the Covenant of Grace Through Jesus’ Redemptive Kingdom

Question 16

Name and describe the four parts of the New Testament on Dr. Dyer’s outline of the Bible.

Answer 16

A. The Gospels: The Proclamation and Description of the King and His Kingdom
B. The Book of Acts: The Multiplication and Expansion of the kingdom
C. The Epistles: The Interpretation and Application of the King
D. The Book of Revelation: The Dominion of the King and the Consummation of the Kingdom

Question 17

This outline primarily presents… What lies behind His redemptive work…

Answer 17

the King and His kingdom. Our King redeems His people through His kingdom program. What lies behind His redemptive work is the covenant between Him and His Father in which the Father gave His Son a people and the Son agreed to redeem them (Jn. 6:37-40).

Question 18

What are 3 primary characteristics of the first copies of the New Testament books?

Answer 18

1. all capital letters
2. no spacing between words
3. little or no punctuation

Question 19

What is external evidence?

Answer 19

which readings are supported by which manuscripts

Question 20

What is internal evidence? (Name two kinds of internal evidence)

Answer 20

which arguments from the text can defend a reading (intrinsic probability and transcriptional probability)

Question 21

What is intrinsic probability?

Answer 21

what an author is likely to have written

Question 22

What is transcriptional probability?

Answer 22

what copyists are likely to have put down

Question 23

Name and define three kinds of textual critics.

Answer 23

1. eclecticism - choose reading based on carefully evaluated best fit
2. “received text” - either from Elzevir brothers or at least the “majority text” reading supported by greatest number of manuscripts
3. “thoroughgoing eclecticism” - discount external evidence (so they don’t think any consideration should be given to arguments regarding which manuscripts or groups of manuscripts support any reading)- all that matters is the intrinsic probability and the transcriptional probability - so only what an author and scribe are likely to have written

Question 24

Luke tells Theophilus that he is writing so that the latter “may know the certainty of the things [he has] been taught” (Luke 1:3-4). Sometimes the knowledge in view is _______ (e.g. _________; sometimes it is _______ (e.g.________); sometimes it is __________ (e.g. ________)

Answer 24

personal (e.g. Phil. 3:10, “I want to know Christ.”
experiential (e.g. Phil. 3:10, “I want to know… the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings”)
propositional (e.g., John 8:32, “you will know the truth”)

Question 25

first Greek Bible on printing press (year?) first printed a ________

Answer 25

Complutension Polyglot Bible, v. 5 (1514) first printed Greek glossary

Question 26

first Greek NT printed and published (year?) based on _________

Answer 26

Erasmus’ Greek NT (1516) based on 2 inferior 12th-century manuscripts from Basel monastery

Question 27

All early editions of the Greek New Testament were copies of what?

Answer 27

Erasmus’ Greek NT

Question 28

After consulting the ______, Erasmus created the ______ edition of his NT which included

Answer 28

Complutension, 4th

included Greek, Vulgate, and his own Latin translation

Question 29

Erasmus’ 5th edition abandoned what?

Answer 29

the Vulgate

Question 30

Name 3 early editions of the Greek New Testament which relied on Erasmus.

Answer 30

1. Robert Etienne (Stephanus) - first 2 editions mix of Erasmikan and Complutension - 3rd included Critical/textual apparatus (variant readings) and had an asonishing influence - reprinted in Geneva in 1553 by Jean Crispin with only half dozen changes
2. Beza (successor to Calvin) published 9 editions with some new textual evidence
3. Elzevir brothers published a compact edition in Leiden in 1624 - the 1633 2nd edition is “received text” behind all English translations until 1881 (it was a composite of the texts of Stephanus and Beza - which differed very little from each other)

Question 31

Which text did the translators of the KJV make extensive use of?

Answer 31

Beza’s 1588-9 and 1598 editions of the Greek NT.

Question 32

The Textus Receptus in England was which text? What was the Textus Receptus on the continent?

Answer 32

the third edition of Stephanus (1550) in England

the second edition of the Elzevir Brothers

Question 33

Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton J.A. Hort separated manuscripts into which four types of texts in the 1800s? Which did they consider freest from corruption? Which did they consider closest to the originals?

Answer 33

1. Alexandrian
2. Western
3. Syrian
4. Neutral (including the Codex Vaticanus (B) and Codex Sinaiticus as freest from corruption and the Codex Vaticanus (B) as closest to the originals)

Question 34

Name the contemporary of Westcott and Hort who was critical of their views. What were his 6 arguments?

Answer 34

John 2. Burgon

1. inspiration demanded that the purity of the text be providentially preserved
2. the long use of the Textus Receptus was proof of its purity
3. the Textus Receptus is older than and theologically superior to the Alexandrian texts
4. it is absurd to prefer a few manuscripts over the overwhelming majority
5. the minority manuscripts frequently contradict each other and the majority
6. the Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus are the most corrupt

Question 35

Name 4 other defenders of the majority text.

Answer 35

Wilbur N. Pickering, Zane C. Hodges, Harry A. Sturtz, and Maurice Robinson

Question 36

What does the two-sourced hypothesis hold?

Answer 36

Matthew and Luke independently used Mark and “Q”

Question 37

Where does “Q” come from? What is it used to designate?

Answer 37

the German word quelle meaning “source”

“a lost collection of Jesus’ sayings”

Question 38

The form critic was concerned with the church’s Sitz im Leben Kirche, that is…

Answer 38

…the life situation in the early church - the communal setting and needs - that gave birth to the gospel tradition. And some of the more more conservative form critics have sought to determine at certain points in the tradition the earlier Sitz im Leben Jesu, “an actual situation of the life of Jesus” himself in which a saying was uttered.

Question 39

Name 4 basic differences between Form Criticism and Redaction Criticism.

Answer 39

Form Criticism

1. Studies individual literary units
2. Focuses on the common material
3. Seeks the theology of the Church
4. Views the Evangelist as a compiler

Redaction Criticism

1. Studies each Gospel as a whole
2. Focuses on the distinct material
3. Seeks the theology of the Evangelist
4. Views the Evangelist as a theologian

Question 40

In an essay written almost a century after Kant’s death, Ernst Troeltsch provided a definitive summary of the three primary principles that have guided the historical criticism spawned by the Enlightenment:

Answer 40

1. The principle of methodological doubt. (All historical judgments - including those made concerning the events reported in the Bible - can only be statements of probability, which are always open to revision. They can never be regarded as absolutely true.
2. The principle of analogy. (All historical events are, in principle (in “quality”) similar. Thus, “present experience and occurrence become the criteria of probability in the past.” The result with regard to our judgments regarding the factuality of miracles recorded in the Bible, when “Jewish and Christian history are thus made analogous to all other history,” is obvious. In our present experience, ax heads do not float, nor do five loaves and two fish suffice to feed five thousand people.
3. The principle of correlation. (All historical phenomena exist in a chain of cause and effect, and therefore are mutually interrelated and interdependent. There is no effect without an adequate and sufficient cause.)

Question 41

What is the difference between a radical and a liberal?

Answer 41

A radical believes the church is the originator of Christianity. He would say the church put words in Jesus’ mouth. The Christian community is the creative force. (the church is looked upon as virtually creating the Christianity we know today by creating the myths concerning Jesus Christ)

A theological liberal believes Christ is the originator of Christianity. He still wants a historical Jesus. the creative force of Jesus, his personality, life, and teaching (Theological liberals have been distinguished by their keen interest in the historical Jesus and the high religious value that they place upon him and his teachings)

Question 42

Give 8 evidences that Jesus primarily preached and taught in Aramaic.

Answer 42

1. verbal differences in the synoptics (Jairus: Matthew - just died, Mark - at the point of death, Luke - dying) can be explained by translation
2. evidence that Aramaic was the primary language of the Jews (Josephus wrote his first edition in Aramaic and also acknowledged that it took a great deal of effort for him to learn Greek and that since he was accustomed to Aramaic, Greek pronunciation was difficult for him)
3. Jesus spoke to Saul on the road to Damascus in “the Hebrew language.” This only makes sense if Jesus was accustomed to speak Aramaic as we know Paul spoke Greek.
4. Aramaic words recorded from Jesus (raca in Matthew 5:22; Ephphatha - be opened; talitha cumi, little girl, arise; Mammon - wealth and everything coming under the heading worldly goods)
5. salt losing its taste - this is the only use of the Greek word in this way - it makes more sense in Aramaic where the root tpl can mean either “to be foolish” or “to be saltless, dull, or unspired”
6. many names with Aramaic and Greek equivalents where the Aramaic version was clearly commonly used (Simon Bar-Jonah, Bar is Aramaic for son; Boanerges, Aramic for sons of thunder; Andrew and Philip are the only disciples with Greek names; Thomas/Didymus; Cephas/Peter; Tabitha/Docrcas - Peter clearly used Tabitha
7. Jesus’ cry from the cross: “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani” points to Ps. 22:1 but is not quoting Hebrew scripture. The cry was in Aramaic.
8. Mary’s cry of Rabboni

Question 43

Give 8 evidences that Matthew composed his gospel for Jews

Answer 43

1. Ancient witnesses (Papias, Irenaeus, Eusebius) point to the fact that Matthew composed his gospel in the Hebrew tongue first most likely in Aramaic prior to his departure and intended for the use of the Jews there
2. Jesus’ genealogy at the beginning would be of particular interest to Jews
3. He gives no explanation for ceremonial washings
4. There is an emphasis on the kingdom in Matthew
5. He is called the “Son of David” 9 times in contrast to 3 times each in Mark and Luke and 0 times in John
6. He quotes or alludes to the Old Testament about 65 times
7. The Gospel shows his primary intent was to prove that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah
8. It parallels the book of Exodus

Question 44

The two Greek words translated “temple” in the New Testament are

The first word refers to…

The other word refers to…

Answer 44

ἱερόν and ναόσ

ἱερόν - the building and the temple area.

ναόσ - the inner sanctuary of the temple.

Question 45

Give 4 examples of the use of the word ναόσ in the New Testament.

Answer 45

1. Matthew 21:12 - “Jesus went into the temple of God”
2. Luke 1:9 - Zacharias entering the temple
3. Matthew 23:16 - Jesus teaches about swearing by the gold of the temple (inner sanctuary in which was the golden lampstand and other furnishings overlaid with gold)
4. Matthew 27:5 - Judas threw thirty pieces down into the temple and departed - blood money into the inner sanctuary. The ESV translated the word with “temple.” The NAS correctly translated it with “sanctuary.”

Question 46

Which two types of forgiveness does Dr. Dyer compare on his chart?

Answer 46

Judicial Forgiveness vs. Paternal Forgiveness

Question 47

Give the first 4 comparisons on Dr. Dyer’s forgiveness chart.

Answer 47

Judicial

1. Given by God as our Judge (Heb. 12:23)
2. Based on the sacrifice of Jesus (Rom. 3:24)
3. Not repeated (Ps. 103:12)
4. Appropriated by faith (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 5:1)

Paternal

1. Given by God as our Father (Lk. 11:2, 4)
2. Based on the sacrifice of Jesus (1 Jn. 1:7-9)
3. Repeated (1 Jn. 1:9-10)
4. Appropriated by confession (Lev. 5:5; 1 Jn. 1:9)

Question 48

Give the last 4 comparisons on Dr. Dyer’s forgiveness chart.

Answer 48

Judicial

5. Not achieved by animal sacrifices (Heb. 10:4)
6. Brings us into fellowship with God (Rom. 5:1-2)
7. Keeps us from being separated from God in Hell (Rev. 20:11-15)
8. Related to justification (being declared righteous)

Paternal

5. Achieved by animal sacrifices (Lev. 5:5, 10; 16:21)
6. Restores us to fellowship with God (1 Jn. 1:3-9)
7. Keeps us from being separated from God on earth (Ps. 66:18)
8. Related to sanctification (being made righteous)

Question 49

Failure to recognize the existence of judicial and paternal forgiveness can result in ___________. If a Christian recognizes paternal forgivenss but fails to recognize judicial forgiveness he may… If a Christian recognizes judicial forgiveness but fails to recognize paternal forgiveness hey may… It is essential for believers to…

Answer 49

serious error

paternal w/o judicial: believe that if he dies with un-confessed sin he will go to Hell.

judicial w/o paternal: believe that it does not matter how he lives because his sins have been judicially forgiven

essential for believers to recognize both types of forgiveness in order to fully experience the benefits of the Christian life.

Question 50

Give the first 3 parallels between Exodus and Matthew

Answer 50

Exodus

1. The king of Egypt threatened the deliverer’s life (Ex. 1:8-22)
2. Moses returned to his native country after the death of a hostile king (Ex. 2:23-4:20, 19)
3. Moses and Israel were called out of Egypt

Matthew

1. The king of Israel threatened the Deliverer’s life (Mt. 2:13-18)
2. Jesus returned to His native country after the death of a hostile king (Mt. 2:19-22, 20)
3. Jesus was called out of Egypt (Mt. 2:15; Hos. 11:1)

Question 51

Give the last 3 parallels between Exodus and Matthew.

Answer 51

Exodus

4. Moses and Israel passed through the Red Sea (Ex. 14:22-29, 1 Cor. 10:1-2)
5. Moses and Israel were in the wilderness forty years
6. God’s law was given through Moses (Ex. 20)

Matthew

4. Jesus was baptized by John (Mt. 3:13-17)
5. Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days (Mt.4:1-11_
6. God’s law was expounded by Jesus (Mt. 5:17-48)

Question 52

Be prepared to present Ridderbos’ understanding of the fourth Beatitude, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”

Answer 52

How does Ridderbos understand the phrase, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness?”

Ridderbos first sets this passage in context and discusses each of the parts

Matthew 5:3-6 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Blessed are the poor in spirit… those who mourn… the meek…

To determine the meaning of the phrase, “Poor in spirit,” he says we need to realize the specific, historically determined meaning and from this standpoint study the character and contents of the gospel of the kingdom.

He begins by considering the Old Testament background. In comparing with Hebrew words and their Old Testament usage, he concludes that the phrases “poor” or “poor in spirit” (meek) occur again and again and represent the socially oppressed, those who suffer from the power of injustice and are harassed by those who consider their own advantage and influence.

At the same time, they are those who remain faithful to God and expect their salvation from his kingdom alone. They form the true people of God. They are those who are comforted with the promise of the coming salvation of the Lord and the manifestation of his kingly redemption.

Ridderbos also considers later, pre-Christian scriptures of the Jews and notes a consistency in meaning as God’s people are scattered amid the heathen, the pious and wicked intermingled together. For the “poor,” their hope is on the salvation of Israel as God’s people.

These “poor” and “meek persons” have been the bearers of the promise of salvation from olden times in a special sense, because they are the true people of God.

In this context comes the phrase in Matthew, “those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.” The popular understanding is often one of personal righteousness, but Ridderbos demonstrates that the context is clearly set in this longing for deliverance seen among the “poor in spirit” throughout the Old Testament.

To further his argument, Ridderbos points out that the Greek definite article already suggests that the expression refers to something supra-personal, to righteousness “in the full sense of the word,” divine righteousness.

Ridderbos concludes that the meaning of the phrase “those who hunger and thirst after righteousness” is not a Pauline sense of imputed forensic righteousness, but as the kingly justice which will be brought to light one day for the salvation of the oppressed and the outcasts, and which will be executed especially by the Messiah. It is to this justice which “the poor in spirit” and “the meek” look forward to in the Sermon on the Mount.

The metaphor is one of a life hungering for justice. The justice mentioned here is nothing but the deliverance from oppression to which God’s elect may lay claim as the salvation promised them by their king. And it is this salvation which is proclaimed as “the gospel of the poor” in Jesus’ preaching of the kingdom.

Question 53

What is the main theme of Matthew?

What are the five main headings (and references) which further this theme?

Answer 53

The main theme of Matthew is the presentation of Jesus who was born King of the Jews and became the King of the universe.

1. Matthew Establishes that Jesus Was Born King of the Jews (ch 1-2)
2. Matthew Presents Jesus’ Royal Authority (ch. 3-10)
3. Matthew Presents the Opposition to Jesus’ Royal Authority (ch. 11-22)
4. Matthew Presents the Mutual Rejection of Jesus and Israel (ch. 23-27)
5. Matthew Presents Jesus’ Exaltation to Universal Dominion (ch. 28)

Question 54

How does Matthew Establish that Jesus was born king of the Jews? (4 things)

Answer 54

His Genealogy, the use of Jesus Christ as title for the Messiah, the worship of the magi, the opposition of Herod the Great

Question 55

How does Matthew Present Jesus’ Royal Authority? (5 things)

Answer 55

testimony of John the Baptist, his authority over the devil in the wilderness, Jesus’ authoritative teaching, His authority over the four realms of disease, demons, nature, and death, His authority to forgive sins

Question 56

How does Matthew present the opposition to Jesus’ Royal Authority?

Answer 56

opposition or lack of belief among many groups including John the Baptist, Pharisees, multitudes, Galilean cities, this generation, The nararethites, Herod the king, Jerusalem scribes, Sadduccees. All negative responses with the exception of a single Gentile woman and the Twelve

Question 57

How does Matthew present the mutual rejection of Jesus and Israel? (3 things)

Answer 57

woes pronounced on pharisees and scribes, the plot to kill Jesus, the trial and death of Jesus

Question 58

What are the four major themes which are paralleled in the beginning and ending of Matthew?

Answer 58

1. Jesus’ Messianic Authority
2. Jesus’ Redemptive Kingdom
3. Jesus’ Inclusion of the Gentiles into His Kingdom
4. Jesus is God with Us

Question 59

How is Jesus’ Messianic Authority presented at the beginning and the end?

Answer 59

B: identified as Son of David, called the Christ, Magi call Him King of the Jews
E: declares He has all authority, Disciples are to obey Jesus’ commands

Question 60

How is Jesus’ Redemptive Kingdom presented at the beginning and the end?

Answer 60

B: He will be called Jesus because He will save His people from their sins
E: The Apostles are to make disciples, baptizing and teaching them.

Question 61

How is Jesus’ Inclusion of the Gentiles into His kingdom presented at the beginning and the end?

Answer 61

B: Jesus is called the son of Abraham, Gentile women are listed in the genealogy, the magi seek for and worship Jesus
E: The Apostles are to make disciples of all nations

Question 62

How is the presentation of Jesus as God with Us shown in the beginning and the ending?

Answer 62

B: Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Jesus was named Immanuel
E: Jesus promised to be with His disciples to the end of the age

Question 63

Present four evidences that Peter is the rock in Matthew 16.

Answer 63

1. the emphatic language in the text (including 3 places with extra pronouns which convey emphasis - one translation could be, “And I Myself also say to you that you yourself are Peter.”
2. The play on words in the text. Peter means rock. Reading it in Greek or Aramaic conveys the emphasis that Jesus is saying, “You are rock and upon this rock I will build my church.”
3. The singular second person. In other places, Jesus used a plural second person to refer to all of the disciples, but here he uses a singular you and verb forms in the singular second person
4. Subsequent history. On the day of Pentecost, Peter is the one who preached about about three thousand Jews were saved. The Lord also used Peter to bring the Gospel to the gentiles officially in Acts 10.

Question 64

Name 7 characteristics of Mark.

Answer 64

1. definitely addressed to Gentiles and most likely to Romans (explains Jewish customs, interprets Aramaic phrases)
2. full of action, more of Jesus’ actions than his teachings, frequent use of the word εὐθύς, rarely used any conjunction other than καί, and used the historic present 151 times (78 in Mt, 4 in Luke)
3. emphasis on Jesus’ suffering and service
4. large proportion on Jesus’ passion than other gospels
5. special attention to Jesus’ emotions
6. refers to Peter by name where other gospels do not mention his name
7. shorter yet more detailed

Question 65

Mark’s Gospel is a presentation of Jesus as _____

Under what three headings can an argument for this be developed? (chapters)

Answer 65

the Servant of the Jehovah

1. The Service of the Servant (ch. 1-13)
2. The Suffering of the Servant (14:1-15:41)
3. The Success of the Servant (15:42-16:20)

Question 66

What arguments can be made for Mark presenting Jesus as the servant? (three)

Answer 66

1. There are many quotations from Malachi and Isaiah which point to the messiah as the suffering servant
2. Mark’s gospel presents Jesus as a man of action, constantly at work.
3. The key verse is frequently given as Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Question 67

How does Mark present the Suffering of the Servant?

Answer 67

1. Mark’s Gospel proportionately spends far more time on the passion narrative than any of the other Gospels.
2. Mark 15:28 (for which there is good evidence for its originality) creates a direction connection to Isaiah 53.

Question 68

How does Mark present the Success of the Servant?

Answer 68

1. His burial: the improbable conversion of Joseph of Arimathea; the confirmation of his death; His Jewish burial which is an implicit affirmation of His innocence
2. His exaltation at His resurrection
3. His ascension and seating at the right hand of the Father to rule and reign
4. His continuing Mission showing that His success continues to this day and will continue until He returns in glory

Question 69

What is a Markan sandwich?

Answer 69

A Markan sandwich is Mark’s technique of beginning story A, then introducing story B, and then returning to and completing story A. There are approximately 9 Markan sandwiches in the book of Mark.

Question 70

Give an example of a Markan sandwich.

Answer 70

In Mark 14:1-11, the narrative begins with the chief priests and scribes seeking how they might put Jesus to death by trickery (vs. 1-2). The narrative then moves to the anointing of Jesus by an unnamed woman with an alabaster jar at Bethany. The first story is then returned to with Judas Iscariot going to the chief priests in order to betray Jesus.

The bracketing of the woman’s devotion by the betrayal plot creates an acid contrast between her faith and Judas’s treachery. Sacrificial faith or scheming betrayal? Tender devotion or intrigue? Is not Mark saying that in Jesus’ “hour” there can be only one of two responses to him, that of the woman or that of Judas? Mark places the woman in the middle as the ideal.

Question 71

List 4 reasons to consider the long ending of Mark as original.

Answer 71

1. The Improbability that Mark would not have included resurrection appearances (all 3 other gospels contain these. It seems odd that Mark would have left resurrection appearances out since we know Peter’s preaching included resurrection appearances and Mark’s gospel was based on Peter.
2. The Improbability that a narrative work would end with γάρ (several examples from Septuagint and extra-biblical sources to show that a sentence can end with γάρ, but none in Greek literature. There’s not one example in Greek literature.
3. External evidence (Byzantine, Western, Caesarean, Alexandrian ALL contain the long ending). The vast majority of manuscripts contain the long ending.
4. Vocabulary and Style (some claim that the writing here isn’t like Mark’s other writing, but Mark’s writing is quite varies and there are many other places where uniqueness can be shown in Mark)