1E The early church Flashcards
Given that ‘everyone’s a saint at there own funeral’, what are three similar questions someone might have about the early church?
- Did the early c.ch ‘get Jesus right’?
- Is the presentation of J hist. accurate?
- Did they twist/distort his message to suit their purposes?
Who was the first enlightenment thinker to accuse the disciples of changing the views of Jesus? What did they say?
• Reimarus
• Said that
- J accepted Jewish apocalypticism (a popular view of the time that God would suddenly end the world in an act of judgement)
- Disciples removed the apocalyptic viewpoint of J to change his message into timeless truths
- As the world did not end, they faked his res. + founded a new r. ∵ did not want to return to occupations as fishermen
What is the kerygma (plural: kerygmata)?
- (Greek word) ‘preaching’/proclamation’ of the C.tian gospel
- An announcement rather than a set of teachings/doctirines
- Luke 4:18 - “He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives”
What did C.H. Dodd say we should be careful not to confuse?
- The kerygma w/ teaching or hist. facts
* But it can inc. both
Summarise Acts 2:14-39 and 3:12-26.
• Acts shows the progression of C.tian message from Jerusalem
• 2+3: speeches share the main idea that G’s plan for salvation, unfolding through Jewish scriptures, has ben fulfilled by life, death, res. of J; the plan continues by power of HS in life of C.ch
• 2+3 = first public messages of a tiny group of Jewish C.tians in Jerusalem
- Even sceptics of trad. C.ty find it noteworthy that this small movement prevailed and became a major world religion when there were so many other small movements
According to C.H. Dodd, what are the six main elements of the kerygma in Acts 2+3?
1) The age of new fulfilment has dawned
2) New age has come about through ministry, death, res. of J
3) J has ascended + is Messianic head of new Israel
4) G’s HS = poured out on c.ch
5) Christ will soon return to bring messianic age to full consummation
6) Everyone should repent so their sins can be forgiven
According to Dodd, what are the four ways in which the power of Jesus has been shown?
1) His Davidic descent
2) Works of power during his ministry
3) Unfair death at hands of men
4) Raising of J from dead
List the reasons why the book of Acts is not a trustworthy document.
- More a literary product than a hist. account: speeches were not delivered by Peter, Stephen or Paul - they represent summaries of the author’s p.o.v
- Luke = Gentile, not a Jewish C.tian ∴ present at some/any events he was reporting
- Luke-Acts = prob. written 40-50 yrs after events
- Book = highly organised; may be evi. that material has changed - 11 speeches all with similar elements
- Lang. used by author = more characteristic of Luke-Acts than Paul’s other theology expressed elsewhere in NT + most of Paul’s important themes from his letters (e.g. faith vs works) are absent in Acts
- Reports of miraculous events + sudden, dramatic reversals of p.o.v.s = ass. w/ ancient lit. rather than modern, sci. age
List the reasons why the book of Acts is a trustworthy document.
- Book was never seriously questioned as a key doc. by early c.ch; affirmed by Muratorian canon, Tertullian, Clement, Origen
- Luke accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys ∴ had access to first-hand accounts of events Paul describes
- Common for any writer to arrange material in an order; does not mean that it has no historical roots
- Paul had different aims in Acts than his letters ∴ diff. presentation
- Dodd states that the letters of Paul contain the main elements of the kerygma
- Author of Acts = careful historian; included differing accounts of Paul’s conversion
- Luke = acquainted w/ disciples ∴ had direct access
Give some reasons why the kerygma can be seen to be irrelevant.
• Acts = written when they believed the world would end. J = eschatological figure; never envisioned that he was founding an ongoing movement
- “There are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
• Schweitzer: his belief in the imminent end of world makes him irrelevant
• Apostles started c.ch to hang on to remnants of J
• Maybe J was not an apocalyptic Jew, maybe the writers were - accidentally portrayed J as such
Why does Dodd affirm that the kerygma is relevant?
- Upon examining elements of the kerygma, most of it = concerned w/ forgiveness, not the imminent return of J
- “Realised eschatology” = do not have to wait until end of world to exp. G - can be ‘realised’ in the present, as G has come through J and his ministry
- Passages like Mark 13 that present dark, apocalyptic themes = ‘eschatological fanaticism’ - interpretation of the challenges faced when ppl exp. power of kerygma
- Heart of C.tian belief = saving power of J
What is Rudolf Bultmann’s basic view of the kerygma?
• Believed, like Dodd, that the kerygma = announcement rather than doctrine
• Not concerned w/ proving hist. value of NT - wanted to distinguish myth from kerygma so that it becomes relevant to our lives
- If we do this, we will be confronted w/ existential decision about faith
According to Bultmann, what are three ways to interpret biblical myths?
1) Believe them literally
2) ‘Cut out’ the mythological sections and build the r. on the ethical admonitions of J that remain; but this loses its sense of power/joy
3) Explore myths to find underlying truth (kerygma)
What does Bultmann see as the two main mythologies in the New Testament?
1) Jewish apocalyptic belief
- History triumphed over this myth
2) Gnosticism - we are trapped in an evil, material world and must find special knowledge to be redeemed
- C.tians adapted this to their own beliefs in J; led to believing that J descended to redeem humanity, which emphasises the high status of J
When the disciples encountered Jesus, something new awakened in them. According to Bultmann, what basic truths about humanity does the kerygma express?
- We are not masters of the world
- Our plans are finite
- There is a transcendent power in the universe
- There is forgiveness
- We cannot control life
- It is possible to find a spirit of openness to the future
