Notes 5: did it really happen

Question 1

Rationalism (3)

Answer 1

*we accept what our senses tell us: we are rational
*we know what we see, touch, small, can act out
* the world should align w/ reality and if it doesn’t then we label it as irrational or “crazy”

Question 2

scientific method (2)

Answer 2

*we believe that everything should be testable, replicated, and reliable
*ability to propose, hypothesis, and test

Question 3

skepticism and quackery

Answer 3

*skepticism: resistance to things you don’t believe has enough grounds to be total truth
*quackery: believing w/ no evidence of the truth

Question 4

Problems w/ historicity: gospel claims (2)

Answer 4

*claim things we don’t see happen everyday and that don’t compute w/ reality of today
*unique, but we live in a world that has unique claims

Question 5

Problems w/ historicity: morality (2)

Answer 5

*what J expects us to live by are impossible to achieve and unrealistic
*the morality of the bible is not realistic

Question 6

Problems w/ historicity: Literary comparison and differences

Answer 6

looks like we worked together or shared sources and that makes us skeptical

Question 7

Problems w/ historicity: outside sources (other gospels)

Answer 7

aren’t the gospels more of the same. Were the ones selected used to prove specific points

Question 8

potentially good reasons to believe: Four-fold witness (2)

Answer 8

*OT Jewish law stated that to prove something was true you needed 2+ witnesses so there would be no he-said/she-said.
*Luke states he interviewed people

Question 9

potentially good reasons to believe: Historical facts of the gospel (2)

Answer 9

*biblical authors know places, ppl, and events that are congruent with secular history
*luke names a period w/i 6 mon of when John the Baptist started working based on the line up of events

Question 10

potentially good reasons to believe: Archaeology (3)

Answer 10

*Jesus walking under the portico and walking to the top of mountain (we know exactly where this is based on secular history)

*the historical events of the bible are congruent to secular history, so if some things are true, we can give the rest the benefit of the doubt

*Pilot: we found conversations w/ Roman ruler in a bind where he was seen as already losing control of religious leaders of the area and could not afford any more mess ups

Question 11

potentially good reasons to believe: theological unity (2)

Answer 11

*gospels are in alignment w/ good OT scholars
*unity of purpose w/i Matt to prove J continued/fulfilled the prophecy of the OT

Question 12

potentially good reasons to believe: consistent morality

Answer 12

Jesus built on OT lessons and these lessons are not at odds