Background of the New Testament Flashcards
What does Testament mean?
a solemn declaration
What is the language of the NT?
Greek
What are the four sections of the NT?
Gospels
History
Epistles
Prophecy
What is the number of NT authors?
8
What is the ethnicity of the NT author?
Jewish, except for Luke who was Gentile
What is the time frame of the writing off the NT?
??
What is the importance of the Maccabees?
They were instrumental in taking back control of the temple from the Greeks who had desecrated it.
What was the importance of the Romans?
The Romans ruled the land, and destroyed the temple in AD 70.
What happened in AD 135?
The city of Jerusalem was completely devastated and a law was passed to prevent the Jews from returning.
Who were the Pharisees?
small group, 6,000 (the separated ones)
What were the two schools of Pharisees?
Hillel (more liberal)
Shammal (more strict)
Who were the Sadducees?
rejected angels, spirits, the resurrection, the last judgment, life after death, divine providence, or a coming Messiah
Who is the Essenes?
They lived in Qumran and were a highly disciplined community devoted to the study of Scripture
Who were the zealots?
They considered themselves patriots for the faith, and often resorted to violence (Simon, the zealot).
Who were the Herodians?
They were more of a political party than a religious group
What were the 3 main political divisions of Israel during the NT?
Archelus- Idumea, Judea, Samaria
Antipas- Galilee, Perea
Philip- Batanaea, Trachonitas, Auranitas
Define concursus.
The complementary interworking of God and the human writers in the composition of the Bible
Who is Antiochus IV Epiphanes?
Roman ruler who forced Greek customs on the Jews. This led to the worship of Zeus, and the culmination of an altar to Zeus at the temple in 167 BC where pigs were sacrificed.
Who was Mattathias?
Resisted Antiochus’s attempt to force Roman rule on the Jews, led the Hasmonians
What are the five discourses in Matthew?
- The Sermon on the Mount (chs 5-7)
- The commissioning of the disciples (ch 10)
- The parables of the kingdom (ch 13)
- The teaching on discipleship (ch 18)
- The Olivet discourse (chs 24-25)
What is the key concept of Matthew?
Jesus - the King of Israel
What is the key concept of Mark?
Jesus - the Obedient Servant
What is the key concept of Luke?
Jesus - The Perfect Man
What is Isaiah 7:14?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
What is Micah 5:2?
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
What is the theme of Matthew?
Jesus is the King of Israel
What is the theme of Mark?
Jesus is the servant of all.
What is the theme of Luke?
Jesus is the Son of Man.
What are the contents of Matthew?
The book recounts the life and ministry of Jesus Christ with special emphasis on His Messiahship.
What are the contents of Mark?
The book recounts the life and ministry of Jesus Christ with an emphasis on His ministry of Service.
What are the contents of Luke?
The book recounts the life and ministry of Jesus Christ with a special emphasis on His humanity.
What passages are unique to the gospel of Luke as compared with the other synoptics?
Unique section on Jesus’ birth
The Good Samaritan (ch 10)
The lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (ch 15)
Cleansing of the 10 lepers (ch 17)
The disciples on the road to Emmaus (ch 24)
What are the purposes of Luke?
God's universal work Jesus as the Savior of the world Events in Jesus' early life The place of women in Jesus' ministry The ministry of the Holy Spirit
