Exam #2 - Literary Analysis of the Gospels

Question 1

What story is being told in Matthew 1:20-23?

Answer 1

An angel is telling Joseph not to be afraid and explaining Mary’s situation to him.

Question 2

What theme is being conveyed in Matthew 5:17-20?

Answer 2

the fulfillment of the law (I have come to fulfill the law, not abolish it)

Question 3

What is being instructed in Matthew 18:15-22?

Answer 3

what to do if a brother or sister is sinning in the church; how to hold each other accountable in the church community

Question 4

What final message is being delivered in Matthew 28:16-20?

Answer 4

The Great Commission (go and make disciples of all nations)

Question 5

What story is being told in Mark 5:21-43?

Answer 5

Jesus raises a dead girl and heals a sick woman, who reaches out and touches his robes.

Question 6

What miracle takes place in Mark 8:22-26?

Answer 6

Jesus heals a blind man by spitting on his eyes and covering them.

Question 7

What does Jesus teach the disciples in Mark 10:41-45?

Answer 7

He taught them that whoever wants to be great must first be a servant, and that the Son of Man came to serve rather than be served.

Question 8

What phenomenon takes place in Mark 16:1-8?

Answer 8

The women roll the tomb stone away to find it empty. An angel tells them that Jesus has risen!

Question 9

What is interesting about Luke 1:1-4?

Answer 9

Luke is informing Theophilus that he is going to present his research as well as relay his personal experiences. It’s a very formal structure.

Question 10

What praise is being sung in Luke 1:46-55?

Answer 10

Mary’s Song: The Magnificat

Question 11

What is Jesus doing in Luke 4:16-30?

Answer 11

He is reading the scroll of Isaiah to the people in the synagogue. Some people become upset when he tells them that prophets are not merely supposed to represent their hometown, but spread the good news everywhere.

Question 12

What shocking message does Jesus deliver in Luke 14:25-33?

Answer 12

He tells the people the true cost of discipleship: that they must be loyal to God’s Kingdom over their family and friends and personal interests. Even if they must “hate” their family.

Question 13

What encounter do the disciples have in Luke 24:13-35?

Answer 13

They encounter Jesus on the road to Emmaus. They only discover his true identity when he breaks the bread at the dinner table.

Question 14

What is John trying to clarify in John 1:1-18?

Answer 14

that John the Baptist is not the Messiah, though he has been tasked with preparing the way for the Messiah. The true Messiah is actually Jesus.

Question 15

What story is being told in John 6:1-15?

Answer 15

Jesus feeds the five thousand, though many people ask him afterwards to perform more “signs.”

Question 16

What does Jesus predict in John 12:27-33?

Answer 16

Jesus predicts his death, saying that he will “draw all people to himself”

Question 17

What act does Jesus perform in John 13:1-20?

Answer 17

He washes the feet of the disciples.

Question 18

What does John write in John 20:30-31?

Answer 18

That there were many other signs that took place that he didn’t include, but that the ones that were included in Scripture were so that we would believe and have life in Him.

Question 19

What is noticeable about John 21:20-25?

Answer 19

• the disciple who Jesus loved (John?)
• Jesus tells Peter “what is it to you?”
• if all the things Jesus did were written down, the whole world could not contain that many books

Question 20

What is some good information to know about bioi?

Answer 20

• not aiming to be an exhaustive narrative of every single thing that happened (focus on relevancy)
• focus on conveying character through relevant words and deeds
• sometimes includes account of birth/childhood (see Matthew, Luke)
• puts emphasis on the death of the person that it was written about
• middle part could be chronological or ordered topically/thematically
• sometimes, bioi serve to encourage imitation of the person who’s life is depicted

—> greek word for biography

Question 21

What is the antithesis of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount?

Answer 21

Jesus offers his teaching as a juxtaposition with some of the teaching that may have been heard. Sets up how Jesus relates to Moses and the rest of Scripture (think Matthew Moses Matthew Moses Matthew Moses).

Looks backward to Moses/Israel and forward to Jesus/Church.

—> what is the law about? “You have heard it said…”

Question 22

What does typological fulfillment look like in Scripture?

Answer 22

by evoking an earlier figure, such as Moses (Deut. 18). Moses-like teaching.

Question 23

What is inclusio?

Answer 23

Referencing backwards (could be themes or people) while looking forwards.

Question 24

What is Intercalation (aka the Markan Sandwich)?

Answer 24

when a verse is sandwiched by relevant surrounding passages that aid in interpreting that verse. More specific than inclusio.

Question 25

What is the Secrecy Motif in Mark?

Answer 25

Essentially, the disciples as straight-up confused, and Jesus having to explain to them what discipleship looks like. (don’t forget Hill’s article which addresses this characterization of the disciples)

Question 26

Who does it seem that Luke is writing to in his book?

Answer 26

Theophilus

Question 27

What is step-parallelism in Luke’s Gospel?

Answer 27

John the Baptist vs. Jesus

Question 28

Why is “Lord” in Luke’s Gospel a theologically loaded term? How can it create dramatic irony?

Answer 28

• “Lord” is used by disciples as “sir,” rather than “God”

Question 29

What are the Synoptic Gospels?

Answer 29

• synoptic = see together

- Matthew, Mark, and Luke

Question 30

What is the Synoptic problem?

Answer 30

it is the question of how the 3 synoptic gospels are related to each other.

• not an ethical/professional problem within the genre or a theological problem (inspiration is not incompatible with evangelists having done research!)
• a literary-historical puzzle

Question 31

What is source criticism vs. redaction criticism?

Answer 31

Source criticism = analysis of which sources are used by the author
Redaction criticism = analysis of how materials from sources have been “edited” (selected and shaped) by the author

Question 32

What is Markan priority?

Answer 32

Mark was either the first or last book written.

Evidence:

• material included in Matthew and Luke that aren’t included in Mark (most scholars hold Markan priority)
• Q
• either Matthew used Luke’s Gospel or Luke used Matthew’s Gospel

Question 33

What is the structure of John’s Gospel?

Answer 33

Prologue (1:1-18)
“Book of Signs” (1:19-12:50)
“Book of Glory” (13:1-20:31)
Epilogue (John 21)

Question 34

Albert Schewitzer

Answer 34

thought Jesus was mistaken but relevant in a mystical sense

Question 35

Howard Thurman

Answer 35

post-Holocaust. emphasized Jesus’ Jewishness. Liberation theology focused on the poor/oppressed