Lesson 3 Flashcards
What were the three main sources of information at the time of Jesus?
- the Bible
- the Jewish historian, Josephus
- the Dead Sea Scrolls
What were the three main sources of information at the time of Jesus?
- the Bible
- the Jewish historian, Josephus
- the Dead Sea Scrolls
When was literature such as the NT & works of Josephus written?
between 30 & 70 years after the death of Jesus
What problems may literature written after the death of Jesus cause - is it possible to be objective & scientific about the events recorded?
What are the synoptic gospels?
- synoptic coming from the Greek word similar
- contains the writing of Matthew, Mark & Luke
What is the significance of John’s gospel?
- very different to the synoptic gospels in terms of style, language, structure & content
- there are many layers of symbolism & theology
- it is the most intriguing gospel because it is surrounded by mystery
What is John’s gospel often referred to?
the ‘spiritual Gospel’
Why was nothing written down for over 20 years after Jesus’ death & resurrection?
- Jesus did not command anybody to write, as well as this he left no trace of any solo writing
- early followers were Jewish Christians - they didn’t see themselves as the beginnings of a new religion so therefore didn’t need new scriptures
- early Christians assumed Jesus would come again soon so they just kept traditions alive by word of mouth
What was significant about Jesus during the mid 60’s (CE)?
- was clear that Jesus’s second coming was not certain & many witnesses of the resurrection had passed away (including Peter & Paul)
- therefore, they decided to write a structured account of Jesus’s words & deeds
What four things contributed to the formation of the Gospels?
- the first generation & the apostles died
- the local communities grew stronger
- the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed in AD 70
- the importance of the Gentile Christians increased
What is the significance of the first generation & the death of the apostles?
- Paul, Peter & James were executed between AD60 & AD64
- this created a conflict of authority so people wrote letters on behalf of the dead apostles
- in comparison, early Christian letters were meant to guide the communities directly, the Gospels exercised authority indirectly in that they defined Jesus’s life
- additionally, it was becoming clear that Jesus’s Second Coming was not imminent & that it seemed right to write a logical account of Jesus’s words & actions
What is the significance of
