kingdom of god - notes

Question 1

sanders

Answer 1

o JC believed that God would create a radically new world
o Evidence
♣ Action in temple – eschatological expectation of new temple
♣ 12 disciples and 12 tribes
♣ relationship with JB, who longed for the Parousia

Question 2

borg

Answer 2

o Not an eschatological prophet but an aphoristic sage
o We do not know if JC expected a new temple nor whether his actions had eschatological significance
o 12 disciples show concern with Israel but not necc. Eschatological
o discontinuity between JC and JB
o Mk 1:15 and 9:1 imply that the end is near. Mk 13 contains a ‘little apocalypse’
♣ But Mk 1:15 is merely redactional
♣ But…
• Allison states that KofG is attested in all sources

Question 3

Allison on JC and the temple

Answer 3

♣ Borg is right
♣ But Sanders is not invalidated
♣ In Jer, Ezekiel etc. priestly corruption is linked to hope for a new temple
♣ Mk 13:2, Lk 19:44, Acts 6:14, Tom 71 all mention prophecy of temple destruction
♣ Mt 26:61 and 27:40 – capable of destroying the temple but won’t acc do it necessarily
♣ Mk 14:53-65, false witnesses quote JC prediction against temple
♣ Need to be careful re. idea of JC rebuilding the temple
• Conflicting interpretations
• In 2 sources it is adopted by unreliable outsiders
• It is rewritten (Tom)
• It is misunderstood (John)
• It is omitted (Luke)

Question 4

kofg as near - Dodd, glasson and caird

Answer 4

o Dodd – ‘realised eschatology’
o Glasson – JC accepted the distinction ‘between an earthly messianic kingdom and the supramundane age to come’ (152)
♣ ‘Jesus anticipated a first fulfillment, a temporary messianic reign of considerable although unspecified duration, and beyond that the resurrection, the final fulfillment, a new heaven, and a new earth’ (152)
o Caird – imminent quality is metaphorical

Question 5

what JC did with jewish eschatological ideas

Answer 5

o Made them relevant to his contemporaries through the idea of imminence
o ‘his association of eschatological expectations with events and persons around him gave traditional myths a fresh and inventive application’ (171)
Allison

Question 6

how did JC go beyond jewish context - Allison

Answer 6

• went beyond tradition through association of kingdom with JB (Q 16:16, Mk 9:11-13)
• linked judgment with response to himself and his itinerants (Q 10:13-15, 12:8-9)
• this created a ‘new religious identity based on a novel interpretation of the world in the light of Jewish tradition’ (171)

Question 7

chilton eschatological nearness - passages

Answer 7

♣ Mk 1:15/Mt 4:17 - “The time has come,”he said.“The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believethe good news!”
♣ Mt 10:7/Lk 10:9 - As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heavenhas come near.’
♣ Mk 13:29/Mt 24:33

Question 8

parable of fig tree

Answer 8

mark 13

link darkness to OT
use of allegory
significance of mount olive location

Question 9

interval before final consummation

Answer 9

♣ Mark depicts a public manifestation of God’s reign
♣ Eschatological coming of SofM
♣ And he said to them,“Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has comewith power.” – Mk 9:1

Question 10

basic apocalyptic OT passages

Answer 10

♣ Dan 5:10-13
• ‘Jerusalem will no longer endure desolation, nor will Israel remain in captivity, for the Lord will be among them and the holy one of the Israel will be king over them’
♣ SofM sayings in Dan 7
♣ But does not want to conflate rule of God and son of man – emphasizes that is God’s government that is impending
♣ Psalm 17 and 18 – kingship of Davidic Messiah

Question 11

schweitzer

Answer 11

o For S, JC proclaimed an eschatological kingdom of God
o Jewish view = the Messiah will descend from heaven and judge mankind
o Emphasis for S is on apocalyptic literature – JC’s contemporaries were aware of significance of phrase KofG
o Jewish view is brought to the Gospels
o Main OT eschatological texts for S
♣ Psalms of Solomon (no.17 in particular)
♣ Enoch
♣ 2 Baruch
♣ 4 Ezra
o effect of WW1 on eschatology
♣ apocalyptic interpretation = more appealing/relevant

o It would coincide with the harvest
o Disciples would go out and suffer and the kingdom would arrive
o Disciples do not suffer, JC assumes suffering – expectation was disappointing due to cry of dereliction

Question 12

glasson on contradiction between eschatology and church

Answer 12

o ‘once Jesus is described as an apocalyptic preacher who was mainly concerned to warn his contemporaries of the rapidly approaching judgment and end of the world, any elements of his teaching which appear to conflict with this then have to be jettisoned. There are, for instance, a number of sayings in the Gospels which speak of a terrible fate which is to come upon the Temple and city of Jerusalem. These have to go, because if Jesus expected the end of all things as the immediate sequel of his death, no remaining time was available for such prophecies to be fulfilled’ (117)
♣ e.g. idea of JC wanting to build a church
o should drop the description of an ‘apocalyptic view’ – too hard to define/too variant

Question 13

hengel on turning point in messianic consciousness

Answer 13

• Some argue that resurrection was turning point in messianic consciousness
  o Rom 1:3 And Acts 2:36
  o However…
  ♣ Rm 1:3 just talks about fulfillment of JC power – not turning point
  ♣ Acts – not adoptionist Christology. For Luke, Messiah status of JC is already announced at Annunciation with Mary

Question 14

jesus messianic status and eschatology

Answer 14

• Eschatological emphasis of JC’s messianic status
  o JC is asked if he is who is to come (Matt 11:2-6, Luke 7:18-23, Mark 11:9, Luke 13:32)
  ♣ Jesus says that the promises of Isaiah are fulfilled (29:10, 35:5) as well as his liberating good news to the poor (Isaiah 61:1)
• ‘The fact that he expounds the Kingdom of God by parables shows that he alone knows its present and future mystery. His knowledge about the Kingdom of God is a messianic knowledge’ (68)

Question 15

future kingdom of god passages

Answer 15

o Beatitudes (Lk 6:20-26, Mt 5:3-12)
o Mt 18:4
o Expectation of a new temple (Mk 14:58, 15:29)

Question 16

future kingdom of god passages - beatitudes

Answer 16

(Lk 6:20-26, Mt 5:3-12)

Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.

suggests future state of peace

Question 17

future kingdom of god passages - matt 18:4

Answer 17

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

o ‘when JC compares the disciple with a child, he is referring to the present disposition which will enable entry into the kingdom (Mk 10:13, 16). ‘Becoming humble like a child’ is to share the status of the insignificant, ‘the little ones’ (Mt 18:5)’ - rowland

Question 18

future kingdom of god passages - Mk 14:58

Answer 18

expectation of new temple

“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’”
- wrongly reported

but link to OT

Question 19

link between sofm and kofg

Answer 19

dan 7:13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.

Question 20

von rad on time in OT

Answer 20

o Gerhard von Rad – idea of linear time is not known in OT
♣ No real idea of climax/telos
♣ Time is considered in terms of seasons/moments
o It is with the prophets that we begin to have an idea of time
♣ E.g. Isaiah with a new David
♣ Eschatological hope – future divine activity

Question 21

jewish eschatology - covenant

Answer 21

2 sam 7:8 - Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel

isaiah 11 He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Question 22

period of distress before kofg - link to futuristic interpretations of kingdom (mark 13:17)

Answer 22

♣ Mark 13:17 (Rom 8:19, Rev 6, 8, 9, 16)
- JC warns about destruction of temple
- Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom….hildren will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.“But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[c]
26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

Question 23

mark 13:17 attestation

Answer 23

romans 8:18-19 - I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Dan 12:1 - “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.

Question 24

belief in coming of new age of peace and justice - OT

Answer 24

♣ Isaiah 11
♣ Ezek 40
♣ Zech 8:12-13 “The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. 13 Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse[a] among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing.[b] Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.”
♣

Question 25

mark opening

Answer 25

o In Mk, JC’s first words = ‘the time is fulfilled; the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’ (1:15)

Question 26

parable of mustard seed

Answer 26

o (Mk 4:30, Lk 13:18)

♣ Contrast between small seed and large tree – small beginnings leading to glorious ending

Question 27

signs of coming kingdom

Answer 27

o	JC miraculous deeds
♣	Demons – Mk 3:23, 5:2
♣	Healing – Mk 5:25
♣	Natural miracles – Mk 6:45
o	JC links exorcism with coming of KofG (Lk 11:20)

Question 28

kingdom as a banquet

Answer 28

♣ Reflects Isaiah 25:6 - On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.

Question 29

kingdom in Paul

Answer 29

o Does not define it
o Verb ‘will inherit’ (1 Cor 6:9, 15:50)
o Otherworldly, it will be handed over by JC to God (1 Cor 15:24)
o It will be a cosmic event

Question 30

sanders and judaism

Answer 30

• Not surprising that parables do not refer to history
• ‘it is best to continue to suppose that Jesus, like other people, had ideas and that those ideas had some relationship to first-century Judaism’ (129)

Question 31

• Mt 12:28/Lk 11:20

Answer 31

o Mt – ‘if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you’
o Lk – ‘by the finger of God’ rather than by the Spirit
o For Dodd, ‘has come’ means that it is a present fact
o For Bultmann, it is imminent but not yet here
o For Perrin, exorcisms = manifestation of KofG

Question 32

problems with Mt 12:28/Lk 11:20

Answer 32

♣ ‘the Beelzebub Controversy’
♣ ‘has the KofG ‘come upon’ JC opponents and not on those he healed?’ (134)
♣ but
• verse = detached from context as ‘if it went originally with the preceding verse (‘if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?’), the meaning would be ‘that the Jewish exorcists would also prove by their actions that the Kingdom of God had come’, and Jesus could not conceivably have thought that of the work of ‘Jewish exorcists’ (134)
• kingdom of God presented as present – ephthasen = has come
o Sanders says it is risky to lay too much emphasis on the verb – can we be sure the Greek captures the exact meaning?
o Also cannot know if he equated exorcism with KofG – maybe he viewed exorcism as something that others could do also

Question 33

• Mt 11:2-6/Lk 7:18-23 suggests that the KofG is already present

Answer 33

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy[a] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

o Bultmann views the principal part of JC’s reply as originally independent
♣ But views Mt 11:5 as authentic
o Dunn – it would have occurred ‘as soon as the note of imminence characteristic of John’s preaching was supplanted by or at least supplemented by the note of fulfilment characteristic of Jesus’ preaching’

Question 34

rabbinic use of kingdom

Answer 34

o Mt 7:21 – links the day to the eschaton
o Mt 18:3/Mk 10:15/Lk 18:17 – ‘unless you turn and become as children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven’
o Mt 19:23/Mk 10:23/Lk 18:24 – it is hard for the rich to enter the KofG
o SofM – Mt 16:27, Lk 9:26, Mk 8:38
♣ Argues that the Mt version is the oldest as there is no reason why he would have omitted ‘ashamed of me and my words’

Question 35

KofG as a decisive future event - things

Answer 35

o Prediction of new temple
o 12 disciples as judge of tribes of Israel (Mt 19:28, Lk 22:28-30)
o who is sitting at JC right hand (Mt 20:20-8, Mk 10:35-45, cf. Mt 18:1)
o saying to Peter (Mt 16:18)
o saying about drinking wine in kingdom (Mk 14:25)

Question 36

sanders - why is the kingdom in the imminent future

Answer 36

o Corresponds with JC early association with JB
o Seen in Paul
o Prediction of destruction of temple
o Expectation of arrival of kingdom is well grounded in JC contemporary Judaism

Question 37

Lk emphasis on prophecy

Answer 37

• Lk emphasizes at the beginning of his gospel that JC is fulfilling the promises of Isaiah 61:1-2
• Last verse of Acts (28:31) – Lk depicts Paul as ‘proclaiming the kingdom of God’
  o Shows continuity between JC and early church

Question 38

ritschl

Answer 38

• Emphasis on loving community

* Parables ofgrowth

Question 39

Perrin

Answer 39

• Symbolic language rooted in OT myth of battle with chaos

* KofG = symbol

Question 40

Theissen and merz - connection between kofg and Israel

Answer 40

• ‘sociologically, a connection between the emergence of the new picture of God and the introduction of the monarchy as a state form in Israel is probable; here the notion of the kingship of God can and did serve both to confirm the earthly kingship and to exercise a critical function towards it’

Question 41

future kingdom of god - matt 21:31

Answer 41

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

ethical and eschatological function

Question 42

future kingdom of god - lk 14:15, banquet

Answer 42

When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

Question 43

selection - mt 7:21

Answer 43

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Question 44

admission - mk 9:43

Answer 44

And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where

Question 45

admission and money - mk 10:23

Answer 45

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

Question 46

judgment - kingly rule

Answer 46

wedding banquet - mt 22

• no one accepts invitation so invites random people
• for many are invited but few are chosen

Question 47

judgment as harvest - parable of mustard seed

Answer 47

mk 4:30-32
Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

Question 48

groups with social defects

Answer 48

beatitudes - the poor Lk 6:20

children - mk 10:14

Question 49

physical defects

Answer 49

For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.” (MT 19:12)
pluck your eye out (Mk 9:43-7)

Question 50

groups with moral defects

Answer 50

parable of two sons - mt 21:28-32

“Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.

Question 51

wright - familiar story

Answer 51

• When Jesus spoke of the KofG, he was ‘deliberately evoking an entire story-line that he and his hearers knew quite well; second, that he was retelling this familiar story in such a way as to subvert and redirect its normal plot’ (199)
• Jesus retells the Israelite story that God will judge the nations
• ‘like several others roughly contemporary with himself, he believed that he was called to spearhead the movement of Israel’s renewal and salvation’ (200)

Question 52

general jewish history re. kofg

Answer 52

♣ YHWH chose to dwell in first Temple built by Solomon
♣ Link between Temple and royalty – when David was establishing rule, planning for Temple = important. Temple-builder = real king
♣ Temple = centre of cosmos, where YHWH is
♣ Babylonian destruction of Temple = YHWH abandoning Temple to its face. Worship became impossible, Davidic monarchy ceased
♣ Longing for return to exile/return of YHWH – rebuilding of Temple etc.
♣ Cannot separate KofG from Jewish context
♣ Jerusalem = focus, with Temple at centre

Question 53

wright - role of parables

Answer 53

• Wright views the parable as both telling the ‘story of Israel, particularly the return from exile, with a paradoxical conclusion, and it tells the story of Jesus’ ministry, as the fulfilment of that larger story, with a paradoxical outcome’ (230)

Question 54

parable of the sower OT basis

Answer 54

• Instructive link with Dan 2:31-45
o Great statue made of gold, silver, bronze and clay = successive stages in contemporaneous kingdom. A stone will come and smash the statue.
o The statue will become a mountain – the kingdom that cannot be destroyed
o ‘the point is that, just as the form of Mark 4:1-20 and its parallel resembles that of an apocalypse (its cryptic story, its transition passage about the revealing of mysteries, and its point-by-point interpretation), so here the content is so close (the failed sowings, and the kingdom of the creator god successfully set up, seen as the unveiling of the mysterious divine plan and, as we shall see, as the revelation of the Messiah) that it gives the lie to any suggestion of either forcing the evidence or mere coincidence’ (231)
o in 1st century Jewish context, ‘like the vision of the statue, asks to be understood as a retelling of Israel’s controlling narrative about the kingdoms of the world and the kingdom of god’ (232)

Question 55

wicked tenants

Answer 55

• close parallel with wicked tenants (Mk 12:1-12)
o ‘this parable narrates the history of Israel in terms of YHWH’s sending of prophets, and finally of his son’ (232)
o first son – beaten
o second – wounded
o son – rejected but becomes ‘stone’ of Psalm 118:22
o evokes Dan 2

Question 56

wright - idea of the seed

Answer 56

o metaphor for Israel
o parallel in Isaiah 50:10-13
♣ ‘for as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater’
o ‘the parable, therefore, not only informs, but, as has been pointed out often enough, it acts. It creates the situation where having ears to hear is itself one of the marks of the true remnant’ (234)
o evokes Isaiah 6 – story of Israel as the story of rejected prophets
♣ the parable of the mustard seed (Mk 4:30-2, Mt 13:31, Lk 13:18, Tom 20)
• ‘it will not appear all at once in its full splendour, but will begin inconspicuously’ (241)

Question 57

wright - JC and Jerusalem twist

Answer 57

o ‘instead of a reinterpretation of the Danielic story in which Vespasian would become world ruler, Jesus offered his own new twist: he himself, and his people, would be vindicated when Jerusalem, having rejected his message of peace, chose war and suffered the consequences. Jesus’ warnings belong perfectly within the context of Palestine under threatening and heavy-handed Roman rule’ (324)
o this can be seen in Mt 16:2-3, Lk 12:54-6 (directed to specific focus of Israel’s history)

Question 58

mark 13

Answer 58

o JC is sitting on Mount of Olives
o Language of apocalyptic metaphor and symbol to evoke full resonances of OT prophecy = characteristic and appropriate
o Mark 13:1-4 = destruction of the Temple
o Mark 13:5-37 = build up to coming of son of man
♣ Rooted in Dan
o The word Parousia (second coming) does appear in Mt version (24:3, 27, 37, 39)

Question 59

significance of mount olive location

Answer 59

♣ Allusion to Zech 14:4-5 – speaks of Israel’s god standing on Mount of Olives
♣ Context = coming of divine kingdom (Zechariah 14:9)
♣ Coming great battle of nations against Jerusalem (14:1-3)
♣ But… not purely written to fulfil Zech
• JC is sitting not standing
• There is no earthquake
• Mt does not explicitly link it to fulfilment of prophecy

Question 60

o Mark 13:24 – ‘the sun and the moon will be darkened, and the stars will not give their life’

Answer 60

♣ Allusion to Isaiah 9-11 – ‘the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil…and Babylon…will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them’
o Mark 13 is retelling of OT stories of return of YHWH to judge and save
♣ But different in that it speaks ‘as only extreme sectarians would speak, of Jerusalem and the Temple as the real enemy, and of a little group, around a prophetic figure, as the true people of Israel. It is profoundly similar to the outlook we find in the early church’ (359) wright