NT Midterm Flashcards
Genre
the category in which a particular kind of writing/film is classified under/organized into
How many genres are in the NT? What are they?
4 main genres in the New Testament…
1) The Gospel Genre: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
2) Church History: Acts
3) Epistles: Pauline, Pseudo-Pauline, Non-Pauline
4) Apocalyptic Literature: Revelations
What does the Gospel Genre contain?
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
What does the Church History Genre contain?
The Acts
What does the Epistles Genre contain?
Pauline, Pseudo-Pauline and Non-Pauline Letters
What does the Apocalyptic Literature Genre contain?
The Revelations
What are the 3 worlds of a text?
They are the dimensions of a text. A text has three worlds contained in it, we must distinguish between the three levels:
World 1: the world “in” or “of” the text
World 2: the world “behind” the text
World 3: the world “in front” of the text
World 1
in or of the text
- The world in itself that the text takes place in
World 2
behind the text
- Refers to the historical circumstances in which the author (John) was situated
- It also refers to the historical circumstances of the subject of the story (Jesus)
World 3
in front of the text
- The way in which we interpret the Bible
- There are 34 000 Christian denominations, and this is primarily because of world #3
Explain the 3 worlds of a text using Harry Potter as an example
World 1: wizards exist, magic is available, school of hogwarts, quidditch
World 2: JK Rowling and all of her experiences and influences which shaped her to write down Harry Potter
World 3: the way in which we interpret the story
What is World 2 in the NT about?
Jesus but it’s also about the author and community that wrote the book
In what sense is Bible study something like a crime scene investigation?
When a crime happens and is done, what remains?
Only the crime scene remains. The investigator comes in and must examine the crime scene really well, well enough to reconstruct exactly what had happened. If the investigator does not examine the crime scene well, the reconstruction will be flawed.
World 1: Crime Scene (all that remains)
World 2: Investigator’s reconstruction based on analytical examination
What are the main parts of the Hebrew Bible?
Hebrew Bible/TaNaKh/Old Testament
Ta: Torah (Instructions), deals with Jewish law and guidelines
Na: Nevi’im (Prophet/s), deals with stories of prophets
Ketuvim (Writings),
The Purity System in Jesus Time
Priests
Levites
Full-blooded Israelite (men)
Illegal children of priests
Bastards (born of incestuous, adulterous, prostitutes, enuchs)
Eunuchs born that way, those of deformed sexual features, hermaphrodites
Persons of all other ethnic groups (Gentiles): non-Jews
What was one of the most important values of Jesus time?
Purity
What did one have to be in order to be a member of the chosen people?
Pure
What did it mean to be holy?
God to Israel: “Be holy as I am holy!”
1) be rooted in God’s covenant with Israel
2) be clean/pure and avoid all things unclean or impure
Why did ancient Jews divide everything on the basis of pure/impure or clean/unclean?
God said to Israel “Be holy as I am holy!” hence a focus and elaborate classification of purity arose
What are some examples of purity classifications in Jesus time? (other than the purity system)
There were pure animals (sheep) and impure ones (swine)
Blood issuing from a body was considered impure. Hence, men, in a sense, were more pure than women who became “impure” once a month
Touching a dead body made one impure.
(Between Galilee and Judea there was Samaria, and most did not like the Samaritans because they were a mixed race and purity was highly important for Jews, therefore Samaritans were deemed impure)
What is another good definition of “pure”?
Your worthiness to enter the temple and stand before God’s holiness
What was the temple?
In 1000 BCE: King David and King Solomon reigned and built the 1st Jewish Temple in a covenant with God (first temple period)
Romans destroyed King Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem looking for objects of wealth (gold, statues, paintings, etc.) but were shocked to find that the Jewish Temple was empty.
After fifty years of exile/diaspora in Babylon, a small group of devoted Jews returned to their holy city and land, now called Judaea
King Cyrus (of Persia) authorized the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem (second temple period)
The second temple became the central symbol to a scattered Jewish nation
In 70 CE (40 years after Jesus’ death), the second temple was destroyed by Romans and never to be rebuilt again and Jews were forced out of Israel (with no capital or administration, thousands of Jewish sages argued and discussed a guidance they could construct for Jewish people despite their location)
What does the Jewish temple signify?
The temple signifies a long Jewish history of suffering and diaspora which they survived
What languages were common in the Israel at Jesus’ time?
Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Hebrew
Aramaic and Hebrew are both semitic languages (same roots like Italian and French)
What lead to apocalyptic thought?
Pax Romana
Peace was founded on blood of others and fear of Rome’s order, but Jews accepted it
In Israel, Roman rule meant prosperity for the ruling elite (which collaborated with the Romans) but poverty and oppression for most of the populations
This lead to apocalyptic thought
Apocalyptic Thought
A heightened desire and expectation among many Jews for a direct intervention of God in history to drive out the invaders and liberate Israel.
Messiah
Hebrew for “chosen one”
“Christ” in Greek
- Someone chosen in a special way by God in order to perform a special mission
- The Messiah will establish God’s Reign in Israel and make Israel his capital where he will rule the rest of the world
- Sent by God, but not equal to God
Did Jesus think he was the Messiah?
- Some of Jesus followers began to believe that this charismatic rabbi was the MESSIAH.
- He most probably thought he was the messiah (not a unanimous conclusion of biblical scholars though).
- Thinking that you were the messiah was not a delusional attitude in 1st century Palestine.
What/when was the second temple period?
- A time period that began with the rebuilding of the temple and lasted 450 years but ended with its demolishing in 70 CE, never to be rebuilt again (40 years after Jesus)
- Jesus lived from 4 CE to 30 CE, towards end of 2nd Temple period
- The Temple was not rebuilt because Muslims built a mosque on its mound and consider it a sacred spot
- Around the time of the temple’s destruction, Mark writes his gospel to keep an account of Jesus’ life: Mark: 70 / Matthew & Luke: 85 / John: 100
What main traits characterized 2nd Temple Judaism?
- Apocalyptic Thinking
- Apocalyptic Nature
- Worldview
- 4 Main Religious Groups
2nd Temple Period
Apocalyptic Thinking
Dualistic: Since Jews were persecuted for being Jewish, many came to believe that these sufferings were caused by God’s cosmic enemies (the powers of evil) who had been given change over the Earth for some time
Pessimistic: Things can only get worse before they get better
Convinced about
Vindication: God was going to be ultimately triumphant. God would punish Israel’s enemies and make Israel glorious once gain.
Imminent: God’s victory through a messiah was going to happen soon
2nd Temple Period
Apocalyptic Nature
A contextual factor that we should not forget…
- In the case of the Jews, in the concrete, that meant:
- Instead of the Romans (or whoever was in power at the time), if God himself were the real boss (absolute authority) around here, how would the world be?
In other words: If God’s reign would be definitively established here on earth, what kind of “world order” would we have?
2nd Temple Period
Worldview
What classified a worldview?
What 4 key answers did all jews have in common?
To find out a worldview, ask the following Questions. The answers will give an indication of the responder’s worldview.
At the time of Jesus, the Jews, in spite of being divided among themselves with regard to several issues, were at the same time firmly united on the following key points about their identity as God’s chosen people…
1) Who are we? Who are we in relation to God? Who is God? (identity)
In Israel, this question was always connected with God. God is One. God is YHWH. 10 Commandments, especially the first. There is one God (YHWH). Covenant with us.
2) Where has God put us? (location)
He has placed us here on the Promised Land. The center of which is the Temple.
3) What are our main problems?
However, now the unclean gentiles (Romans) are here in God’s land, defiling it and ruling over us
4) How is the main problem to be solved?
How they differed in their answer categorized them into a Jewish group (Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots).
2nd Temple Period
Worldview
What classified a worldview?
What 4 key answers did all jews have in common?
To find out a worldview, ask the following Questions. The answers will give an indication of the responder’s worldview.
At the time of Jesus, the Jews, in spite of being divided among themselves with regard to several issues, were at the same time firmly united on the following key points about their identity as God’s chosen people…
1) Who are we? Who are we in relation to God? Who is God? (identity)
In Israel, this question was always connected with God. God is One. God is YHWH. 10 Commandments, especially the first. There is one God (YHWH). Covenant with us.
2) Where has God put us? (location)
He has placed us here on the Promised Land. The center of which is the Temple.
3) What are our main problems?
However, now the unclean gentiles (Romans) are here in God’s land, defiling it and ruling over us
4) How is the main problem to be solved?
How they differed in their answer categorized them into a Jewish group (Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots).
2nd Temple Period
Religious Groups
What were the 4 main religious groups?
The Sadducees
The Pharisees
The Essenes
Zealots
How can we classify Jesus under one of the 4 main religious groups of the 2nd Temple Period?
Through his answer to “how is the main problem to be solved? (Romans in God’s PL)”
Jesus enters this world and has his own, different version of how God and God’s Kingdom will enter this world:
- God will send the Messiah (chosen one).
- Someone chosen in a special way by God in order to perform a special mission.
- The Messiah will establish God’s Reign in Israel and make Israel his capital where he will rule the rest of the world.
2nd Temple Period
How did Jews approach the question:
What are our main problems?
However, now the unclean gentiles (Romans) are here in God’s land, defiling it and ruling over us
2nd Temple Period
How did Jews approach the question:
How is the main problem to be solved?
How they differed in their answer categorized them into a Jewish group (Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, Zealots).
Sadducees
- They were involved in the temple institution
- Connected in some way with worship in the temple, many were priests
- Accepted only the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible as canonical
- Composed of the high-priestly family and their religious political allies
Wiped out when the romans crushed the Jewish revolt
Pharisees
- Advocated Torah observance in everyday life
- Considered and respected as teachers
- Developed the Oral Torah to fence in the written Torah
- Composed of laymen throughout Palestine
- The largest Jewish group of the time, it took over the leadership of Judaism in the 2nd c CE
Essenes
- Most probably founded the Qumran community, they were rigorous keepers of the Torah outside normal social settings
- Qumran: a place outside of Jerusalem overlooking the dead sea, after WWII at their library, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered
- Also destroyed in the Roman response to the revolt
Not mentioned in the gospel: St. John the Baptist was possibly and Essenes
Zealots
- Advocated armed resistance against Rome and collaborators
- Scholarly opinions differ on whether this group existed before the Jewish revolt, or arose shortly before the revolt to incite and lead it
What were the general and common Jewish “convictions” at the time of Jesus?
1) There is one God (YHWH)
2) Covenant with us
3) He has placed us here on the Promised Land
4) The center of which is the Temple
Main Characteristics of Jesus’ Socio-Cultural World
Colonial: Israel in Jesus’ time was a “colony” of Rome
Cosmopolitan: its culture was deeply Jewish. At the same time, it was also influenced by Greco-Roman culture
Peasant Society: about 90% of the population was composed of peasant who were ruled by the ruling elite (ex: king and cronies, priests, rich merchants, etc.)
Patriarchal: the “father-figure” has absolute authority over other males and females (the king was the father-figure of the state). Women should always be “embedded” in a father figure. If their husband passes away, they become embedded in next closest male. This is why Jesus had a soft spot for widows.
Purity: one of the most important values. One had to be “pure” as a member of the chosen people
Main Characteristics of Jesus’ Socio-Cultural World
Colonial
- Pax Romana (Roman Peace) was based on the Roman empire’s violent subjugation of different peoples
- During the time of Jesus, there was a state of peace
Peace was founded on blood of others and fear of Rome’s order, but Jews accepted it - In Israel, Roman rule meant prosperity for the ruling elite (which collaborated with the Romans) but poverty and oppression for most of the populations
This lead to…
1) Apocalyptic Thought
2) Triggering Apocalypse
(e. g. Zealots)
They were hopeless and did not stand a chance against the Romans but they wanted to force God to intervene and save them
They convinced many Jews to join the movement but others were against violence
This eventually becomes the dominant paradigm which leads to the “First Jewish War” in the mid-60s at the end of which the Second Temple was destroyed
Triggering Apocalypse
Some thought that they should trigger this apocalyptic intervention of God by actively revolting against Rome
(e.g. revolutionists, people who aimed to revolt to trigger an apocalypse, a very small group who advocated against Roman Empire)
Main Characteristics of Jesus’ Socio-Cultural World
Colonial
- Pax Romana (Roman Peace) was based on the Roman empire’s violent subjugation of different peoples
- During the time of Jesus, there was a state of peace
Peace was founded on blood of others and fear of Rome’s order, but Jews accepted it - In Israel, Roman rule meant prosperity for the ruling elite (which collaborated with the Romans) but poverty and oppression for most of the populations
This lead to…
1) Apocalyptic Thought
2) Triggering Apocalypse
e. g. Zealots…
- Revolutionists, people who aimed to revolt to trigger an apocalypse, a very small group who advocated against Roman Empire
- They were hopeless and did not stand a chance against the Romans but they wanted to force God to intervene and save them
- They convinced many Jews to join the movement but others were against violence
- This eventually becomes the dominant paradigm which leads to the “First Jewish War” in the mid-60s at the end of which the Second Temple was destroyed
Main Characteristics of Jesus’ Socio-Cultural World
Cosmopolitan
- Israel had been part of foreign empires for a long time. At the time of Jesus, there was extensive Greco-Roman cultural influence already
- Jesus was seemingly a very traditionalist Jews who held tight to his Jewish identity and practices (rather than a hipster) and avoided the cosmopolitan area
- On the other hand, many Jews tried to preserve their identity and religious practices (thanks to traditionalists for avoiding being “hip” and conforming to Greek/Babylonian culture)
Aramaic is a semitic language that was commonly used by Jews at the time, Hebrew was not typically used anymore other than by Priests, Rabbis, etc.
(Aramaic and Hebrew are both semitic languages; Languages: Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Hebrew) - In the year 4 BCE, Sepphoris revolted against Rome and was destroyed, Jesus was born around this time
It’s probable that Joseph the carpenter had travelled there to rebuild it, and Jesus travelled with him - It is theorized that perhaps Mary was raped when Sepphoris revolted against Rome but since she was already in a relationship with Joseph she came up with the immaculate conception to legitimize her child whom Joseph adopted
Main Characteristics of Jesus’ Socio-Cultural World
Peasant Society
- Pre-Industrial Agrarian Society
- Elites controlled 66% of wealth (10% of population) and Peasants were left with 33% (90% of population)
- Pre-Industrial Agrarian Society - was a two-tiered society…
- Most of the power lay with the ruling elite (king, officials, retainers, rich merchants, priests, etc.)
- These controlled and owned almost everything
- The rest of the 90% worked for the elite and was used by the elite
- Jesus was a “tekton” (carpenter)
Main Characteristics of Jesus’ Socio-Cultural World
Patriarchal
- Male father-figures were the ultimate authority in all social groups (national, local, family)
- Even in the Jewish religion, patriarchy was pervasive (ex: Torah was not taught to girls because it was deemed a waste of time)
- Jesus says “call no one your father because you only have one father, God” (Mt. 23:9)
- This was a revolutionary statement during such a patriarchal society
For reasons like this, Jesus only lasted 3 years
Main Characteristics of Jesus’ Socio-Cultural World
Purity
- Rooted in God’s covenant with Israel
- God to Israel: “Be holy as I am holy!”
- In practice, that meant to avoid anything that was considered “unclean” or “impure”
- Because of that, many ancient Jews divided everything on the basis of pure/impure or clean/unclean
Hence, in ancient Israel, there was a whole elaborate classification of what was “pure” and “impure”
Triggering Apocalypse
Some thought that they should trigger this apocalyptic intervention of God by actively revolting against Rome
(e.g. Zealots: revolutionists, people who aimed to revolt to trigger an apocalypse, a very small group who advocated against Roman Empire)
How in general would Jews of Jesus’ time (end of the 2nd Temple Period Judaism) have answered ultimate questions such as:
1) Who are we? Who are we in relation to God? Who is God?
2) Where has God put us?
3) What are our main problems?
4) How is the main problem to be solved?
1) Who are we? Who are we in relation to God? Who is God?
In Israel, this question was always connected with God. God is One. God is YHWH. 10 Commandments, especially the first. There is one God (YHWH). Covenant with us.
2) Where has God put us?
He has placed us here on the Promised Land. The center of which is the Temple.
3) What are our main problems?
However, now the unclean gentiles (Romans) are here in God’s land, defiling it and ruling over us
4) How is the main problem to be solved?
How they differed in their answer categorized them into a Jewish group (Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots).
Jesus enters this world and has his own, different version of how God and God’s Kingdom will enter this world…
- God will send the Messiah
- Someone chosen in a special way by God in order to perform a special mission.
- The Messiah will establish God’s Reign in Israel and make Israel his capital where he will rule the rest of the world.
Describe the social structure in pre-industrial agrarian societies (such as in Palestine-Israel in Jesus’ time)
Pre-Industrial Agrarian Society: Peasant Society
1) Elites controlled 66% of wealth (10% of population)
2) Peasants were left with 33% (90% of population)
- A two-tiered society: most of the power lay with the ruling elite (king, officials, retainers, rich merchants, priests, etc.)
- These controlled and owned almost everything
- The “rest” (90% of population) worked for the elite, was “used” by the elite
- Jesus was a “tekton” (carpenter), a 1st-century Palestinian Jewish peasant
What’s the significance of Sepphoris (a cosmopolitan place) being not so far away from the place where Jesus grew up (Nazareth)?
Geography of Jesus
- Jesus lived in Nazareth (Galilee) for most of his life
Sepphoris was the big city of Galilee of the time (the home province of Jesus) - Jesus lived close to a major urban centre
- In the year 4 BCE, Sepphoris revolted against Rome and was destroyed, Jesus was born around this time
- It’s probable that Joseph the carpenter had travelled there to rebuild it, and Jesus travelled with him
- It is theorized that perhaps Mary was raped when Sepphoris revolted against Rome but since she was already in a relationship with Joseph she came up with the immaculate conception to legitimize her child whom Joseph adopted
What are the two kinds of Christologies?
1) from above, high
“Top-Down”
2) from below, low
“Down-Up”
Top-Down Christology
- A Christology “from above”
- One begins with the presupposition that Jesus is God
- Work “downward” from there: this divine being came down to earth, lived among us, suffered, died…
- And triumphantly rose again
Down-Up Christology
- One begins like the first disciples meeting the human Jesus
- Work “upward” from there: respecting Jesus as a great human to…
- Thinking: Is this Jesus perhaps the Messiah? To…
- This is the movement that begins Christianity
Wondering: Is Jesus more than just a human messiah?
How did the First Disciples “Experience” Jesus?
from “Rabbi”
to “Messiah”
to “God”
to “Incarnation”
How did the First Disciples “Experience” Jesus?
Jesus... from “Rabbi” to “Messiah” to “God” to “Incarnation”
1) Encounter: Jesus was perceived first and foremost as a charismatic Rabbi (teacher)
2) Messiah: Some of his followers began to believe that this charismatic rabbi was the Messiah. Jesus probably also thought so. (“Messiah” not equal to “God”)
3) Son of God: After Jesus’ death, the resurrection experience made the disciples identify Jesus more closely with YHWH, giving him titles: Son of God, Saviour, Lamb, etc.
4) Incarnate: This leads to the ultimate expression of the Christian identification between God (YHWH) and Jesus is the faith-statement: Jesus himself is God. (God the Son, God INCARNATE, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, etc.). But this happened later on in time. Was made a required belief even later.
What was Jesus first and foremost perceived as?
a charismatic Rabbi (teacher)
Who perceived Jesus as a Messiah?
Some of his followers began to believe that this charismatic rabbi was the Messiah. Jesus probably thought so too.
When did people begin to perceive Jesus as the Son of Man?
After Jesus’ death, the resurrection experience made the disciples identify Jesus more closely with YHWH, giving him titles: Son of God, Saviour, Lamb, etc.
What lead to the belief that Jesus was the incarnate of God? When did this occur? Who took this belief?
- People began to perceive Jesus as Son of Man after his resurrection which lead to the ultimate expression of the Christian identification between God (YHWH) and Jesus is the faith-statement: Jesus himself is God.
- Titles to Jesus such as God the Son, God Incarnate, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, etc.
- But this happened later on in time.
- Was made a required belief even later.
Incarnation
Christian identification between and Jesus is the faith-statement: Jesus himself is God.
The Real Jesus
The historical Jewish peasant from Nazareth who lived in 1st century Palestine/Israel. No person or method of historical research can provide direct access to this (what he looked like; his thoughts, feelings, etc.)
Example: When someone passes away, we can no longer have contact with them for the rest of our lives. We can only access memories of them, but can never contact or have access to the real person.
The Jesus of History
The Historical Jesus
The scholarly reconstruction of Jesus of Nazareth’s words and deeds and life using all available contemporary methods of historical-critical research.
Example: Accessing someone who has passed through our memories, pictures, stories told by others. Piecing together their character through what we have: stories, recollections, pictures, etc. When someone is being reconstructed today, it is much easier because we have many forms of documentation, however, with Jesus it is much more difficult.
Christ of Faith
The Jesus that Christian faith has come to believe and depict. It is the result of prayer, study, personal reflection on scripture, tradition and religious experience
Reign of God
- When Jesus begins his ministry he Jesus announces the imminent coming of the Reign of God and, in preparation for that, summoned people to repent
- The coming of God’s reign was Jesus main priority and the main interest of all significant Jewish groups
Jesus’ particularity lay in how he thought the Reign of God is realized - Jesus’ main message and mission (to make it realized in the world)
- Jesus’ main message was about the Reign of God that he was realizing through his life, ministry and teaching, especially through his emphasis on COMPASSION and (distributive) JUSTICE as the dominant paradigm
Kingdom of God (Basileia Tou Theou)
- The rule or dominion of God in human affairs
- Jesus’ main message was the kingdom of God. He died and rose. It was then preached that if people follow his lifestyle, they will follow him to the kingdom of God.
- Jesus was a powerful “posterboy” who idealized the kingdom.
- Jesus was was also convinced that what he taught and what he did were the crucial factors that would bring about the kingdom of God
What did Jesus announce when he began his ministry?
The Reign of God
What was Jesus main mission?
- He wanted to make the Reign of God that he was realizing through his life, ministry and teaching, especially through his emphasis on COMPASSION and (distributive) JUSTICE as the dominant paradigm
He wanted to make God’s Reign realized by the world
