things for lesson 4 Flashcards
the comparative method
establishes the meaning of a text by comparing it to other related texts
does not concern over whether any of them happened to be among its sources
point out two problems that some recent scholars have found with redaction criticism
- examining how a redactor has changed a source will not necessarily give a complete account of what he or she considered to be important
–> the redactor has actually made two kinds of decisions: not only about what to change but also about what to keep
- the redactional method has been raised with even greater vigor
–> it is necessarily built on assumptions about an author’s sources; if these assumptions are found to be false, then the entire method collapses on itself
what type of text is the Gospel of Luke?
Luke is a kind of Greco-Roman biography of Jesus
the most obvious difference between the Gospel of Luke and all others from antiquity
it is the first of a two- volume set
The unknown author provided a continuation of the story in volume two, the Acts of the Apostles
the difference between the intro of Luke compared to Mark and Matthew
Luke begins with a formal preface
instead of being considered a biographic preface, it should be considered as a historic piece
predecessors (or inspirations) of the Gospel of Luke
the Gospel of Mark and the document scholars call Q
between Matthew and Luke, are their literation of the birth of Jesus the same?
nah bpy
they have some pretty significant differences
what is the difference between the hometown of Mary in Joseph in Luke and Matthew?
Matthew: they lived in Bethlehem
Luke: they lived in Nazareth but moved temporarily to Bethlehem
to whom is Luke writing to which influences his story?
to ancient greeks
he molds the story in a way they can understand and feel familiar with
In Luke, when does Jesus know he is the savior of the Jews?
since a very young age (max 12 years old)
the most important establishment in Luke?
the Jewish Temple
do Mark and Matthew have the same genealogies of Jesus?
what are the important differences?
nah bruv
- not the same genealogy overall (only have David in common)
- Unlike Matthew’s genealogy, Luke’s does not occur where you might expect, in the narrative of Jesus’ birth, but after his baptism
- Jesus’ human lineage goes far beyond the legendary Jewish figures, it goes back to the man responsible for the human race itself, Adam
–> Luke’s is important in showing that he belongs to all people, both Jews and Gentiles
Jesus the Prophet
Luke understood Jesus to be a prophet sent by God to his people
He was a spokesperson for God, a messenger sent from God to his people
Jesus as a Prophet in Life
since the beginning, Jesus is born like a prophet
When Jesus begins his public ministry, he explicitly claims to be anointed as a prophet who will proclaim God’s message to his people
Jesus as a Prophet in Death
In Luke, Jesus is said to die as a prophet
Jesus knows that he must die as a prophet
The difference between Mark and Luke when it comes to Jesus having to die
In Mark, Jesus predicts that he is soon to die and at one point he even explains why it is necessary
–> when the moment arrives, he appears torn with uncertainty
In Luke, there is no trace of uncertainty
–> Jesus the prophet knows full well that he has to die, and shows no misgivings or doubts
Jesus’ Death in Luke
In Luke’s Gospel the curtain is torn in half, not after Jesus breaths his last, but earlier, when darkness comes upon the land as the light of the sun fails
–> God has entered into judgment with his people as symbolized by this destruction within the Temple
–> Jesus himself pro- claims to his enemies among the Jewish authorities that “this is your hour and the power of dark- ness”
Jesus dies the death of a righteous martyr who has suffered from miscarried justice; his death will be vindicated by God at the resurrection
what is the difference between what the centurion in charge of the crucifixion of Jesus says in both Mark and Luke?
Mark: “Truly this man was God’s Son”
Luke: “Certainly this man was innocent”
for Luke, is Jesus saving both Jews and Gentiles at first?
compare to Mark and Matthew
For Luke, salvation comes to the Jewish people in fulfillment of the Jewish Scriptures
–> since they reject it, the message goes to the Gentiles
For Mark and Matthew, salvation in Jesus comes to all people
the difference between the apocalypse for Mark and Luke
In Mark and Matthew, as we saw, Jesus predicts the imminent end of the world
In Luke, Jesus does not envisage the end of the age happening immediately
–> Christian church had to be spread among the Gentiles, and this would take time
our earliest account of the Christian church
the Acts of the Apostles
the Acts of the Apostles literary genre
general history
The aspect of limited objectivity when studying ancient historical texts
historians are compelled to pick and choose what to mention and what to describe as significant
the choose according to their own values, beliefs, and priorities
we can almost always assume that a historian has narrated events in a way that encapsulates his or her understanding of the meaning of those events
Is it plausible that the two volumes of Luke’s work represent two distinct genres?
yes
the three ways we analyzed the gospels before the acts?
a literary-historical method with Mark
redactional method with Matthew,
a comparative method with Luke
the approach to analyze the acts
the thematic method
the thematic method
attempts to isolate the author’s major ideas that he or she tries to communicate in writing
we try to understand the author’s overarching emphases
The focus is on the themes themselves and the ways they are developed throughout the work
who is the acts of apostles dedicated to?
Theophilus
the main character in the acts of apostles
Paul
the major themes in he acts of apostles
the focus on Jerusalem
the proclamation of the gospel beginning with the Jews but moving to the Gentiles
the necessary delay of the end while this worldwide proclamation takes place
perhaps most importantly, the divine guidance of the Christian mission by the Holy Spirit
who delivers the first speech in the book of apostles?
what does he say?
Peter
he says that so far, the Christian movement is a fulfillment of the Jewish Scriptures
God is behind the whole movement
we gotta elect a replacement for Judas
meant to persuade the believers to engage in a particular course of action (replace Judas)
who replaces Judas as the 12th apostle
Matthias
The Pentecost speech
immediately follows the coming of the Holy Spirit
the followers of Jesus begin to speak in foreign languages that none of them has previously learned
when is Paul arrested? and where? what is the context basically?
Paul is arrested in Jerusalem while making an offering in the Temple
was meant to show that he was in no way opposed to the Law of Moses
why is nothing done to release Paul?
Every time Paul defends himself in these chapters, the ruling authorities have ample opportunity to recognize his innocence
either because of a desire for a bribe (Felix), or as a favor to the Jewish leaders (Festus), or because of Paul’s appeal to Caesar (Festus and Agrippa), nothing is done to release him
the characteristic themes of Paul’s apology
(a) he has done nothing against the Jewish people or Jewish customs, but on the contrary continues to subscribe in every way to the religion of Judaism
(b) he was found to be innocent by the Roman authorities
(c) his current problems are entirely the fault of recalcitrant Jewish leaders
The Identity of the Author of Luke and Acts
occasionally speaks in the first person
does not happen in the Gospel of Luke, but it does occur in four passages that describe Paul’s journeys in Acts
the stress on the Gentile mission in Acts, in which Gentiles don’t have to become Jews in order to be Christians, suggests that the author was himself a Gentile
was Paul a gentile or a Jew
certainly a Jew
who is theophilus 😳😳😳?
Theophilus means friend of god
–> meant for early believers, meant to bolster their faith, need the encouragement because Nero who was the current emperor was persecuting them
Theophilus may represent a highly placed Roman administrator
Theophilus could be a symbolic name
–> He’s addressing his messages to the Christians, “the beloved of God”
what type of texts are the three main gospels we’ve seen so far?
greco-roman biography
explain why Luke emphasized Christianity’s connection with Judaism
Jesus was a Jew, sent from a Jewish God as a Jewish Prophet to the Jewish people in fulfillment of the Jewish scriptures
identify the key theological and Christological emphasis in Mark
the Superhuman power of Jesus
Omits most of Jesus’ lectures
–> Narrates things Jesus did (such as dying for the sins of the people) rather than things Jesus said
Jesus is the Messiah
identify the key theological and Christological emphasis in Matthew
Jesus is the Messiah (King of Jews) foretold by Old Testament Prophets
focuses on Jesus’ genealogy and repeatedly quotes the Old Testament
identify the key theological and Christological emphasis in Luke
special emphasis is the humanity of Jesus
the Son of God, prophet sent by God to his people, a spokesperson or messenger from God to his people
kindness toward the weak, the suffering and the outcast
concerned to show that his salvation was rejected by large by his own people
