The Old Testament ends with a number of prophetic passages, probably written around 400 BCE. More than four centuries later, Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee and we have the writings of the New Testament. It might be good to review the history that leads up to the New Testament.
The Old Testament records God calling Abraham out of the area of modern Iraq to Canaan, the site of modern Israel, around 2000 BCE. The children of Abraham's grandson, Jacob, eventually settle in Egypt, where they become a large tribe which eventually leaves Egypt about 1500 BCE under the leadership of Moses. This tribe, the people of Israel, settles the land of Canaan where, around 1000 BCE, they are a nation ruled by a king, David. The nation of Israel reaches its greatest strength during the reign of David's son, Solomon, but splits into two kingdoms, the northern ten tribes ("Israel") and the southern two tribes ("Judah") at Solomon's death.
Much of the Old Testament history then chronicles the ups and downs of these two countries, as they are repeatedly urged to return to God and Mosaic law. Eventually the two kingdoms are invaded by the Babylonian empire with Judah becoming a Babylonian vassal around 605 BCE. Shortly after this, the inhabitants of Judah (such as the young man, Daniel) are deported to Babylon. The Jews living in Babylon were allowed to return to their original land then around 538 BCE, an event covered by the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Shortly after that time, the Old Testament prophets go silent. But we know from other sources that Alexander the Great conquered the region around 332 BCE, as he expanded his empire east and that the region was ruled by the Ptolemaic dynasty from 301 BCE to 198 BCE and then by a number of Jewish priest-kings after the Maccabean revolt in 167 BCE. In 63 BCE the Roman ruler Pompey conquered Jerusalem and after that time, the Romans ruled Judea, delegating their authority a series of Jewish kings given the name Herod, beginning with Herod the Great, the founder of the Herodian dynasty. It is within this dynasty that Jesus is born. The nation of Israel was officially ruled by Herod the Great, but ultimately Herod answered to Caesar Augustus in Rome.
This Wikipedia page has more details on the history of Israel.
The New Testament opens with four accounts of the ministry of Jesus. The “synoptic gospels”, Mathew, Mark and Luke have much in common (thus the term "synoptic" or "similar") and presumably reflect the early accounts of Peter and others on the ministry of Jesus. These three gospels often tell of the same episodes, with slightly different points of view. Matthew, a Jew, emphasizes that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. Mark, while reporting Jesus as the Messiah (in Greek Christos) also portrays Jesus as a man of action, engaged in reformation of Israel. Mark's gospel is a sequence of short vivid accounts of Jesus's acts and words and is most likely the life of Jesus as reported by Peter during Peter's later ministry. Luke, a Gentile convert, emphasizes the role of Jesus as a universal savior, savior not just of the Jews but of all mankind.
The Gospel of John is apparently the report of the young disciple John. John was probably a teenager during the ministry of Jesus and, written after the other gospels, this account fills in details missed by the earlier ones. It also adds a philosophical view, from the vantage point of sixty years after the events. John describes Jesus as not just the Jewish Messiah but the (Greek) Logos, the Creator of the universe appearing in the flesh, living among mankind.
We will continue in the Gospel of Mark tomorrow.
Showing posts with label Harmony of the gospels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harmony of the gospels. Show all posts
Monday, June 26, 2017
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Timeline of Resurrection Appearances
The New Testament records a number of appearances of Jesus after his resurrection. I will try to summarize that here.
Paul, in I Corinthians 15: 3-7, records that after appearing to Peter and the other disciples, at one time Jesus appeared to more than 500 followers, many of whom are still alive in Paul's day. After that, Jesus appears to James, his brother and then much later, on the Damascus road, Jesus appeared to Saul/Paul.
The women visit the tomb
Luke 24 has the women visiting the tomb, followed by Peter. Matthew 28 has the women seeing Jesus before they visit the eleven remaining disciples. (It also records that they saw one angel.) Possibly we have two visits to the empty tomb. The first visit involves two women, both named Mary (Matt 28: 1-10). Mark (in Mark 16:1-8) records these two women visiting the tomb, along with a woman named Salome.John and Peter
According to John, Mary Magdalene saw the empty tomb (with a stone rolled away.) She then told Peter and John about this. They go to the tomb, John first, but John does not go in. Peter does. (No angels are mentioned.) John believes that Jesus has risen from the dead. They leave the tomb and then Jesus appears to Mary (after she tells the disciples the tomb is empty) and Mary sees two angels, one at the foot and one at the head of the tomb.Evening visit by Jesus to the disciples in Judea
Later that evening Jesus appears to a number of disciples, including two unnamed followers who are walking to nearby Emmaus. A week later (John 20: 24-29) he appears when Thomas is with the others. This seems to all occur in Judea.Appearances is Galilee
Later (John 21, Matthew 28: 16-20) Jesus appears in Galilee to the disciples, after they have returned to their homes.Paul, in I Corinthians 15: 3-7, records that after appearing to Peter and the other disciples, at one time Jesus appeared to more than 500 followers, many of whom are still alive in Paul's day. After that, Jesus appears to James, his brother and then much later, on the Damascus road, Jesus appeared to Saul/Paul.
Resources
Here are some online sources that attempt to work through the various appearances.- From a Catholic scholar, a blog post.
- This post, from biblestudy.org, even attempts to give precise dates, although leaving out the appearance of Jesus to Peter. (The exact dates should be viewed with suspicion.)
- Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto has a webpage that offers a chronology from the crucifixion to ascension.
- BlueLetterBible.org has a similar webpage.
- And, of course, there is a Wikipedia article.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
On the Harmony of the Gospels
Anyone serious about the study of the New Testament is aware, after a bit of reading, that three of the Gospels are similar, but not identical, while the fourth gospel is quite different. The three similar gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, are called the synoptic gospels (meaning "similar".) The fourth gospel, that of the young disciple John, is written later than the other three and is quite different. The gospel of John has a different philosophy from the other three and was probably written to fill in details not covered by the other gospels and to expand on the view of Jesus preached by the early church.
Given the four-fold lenses of these descriptions of the life of Christ, it is natural to create a "harmony" of the gospels, that is, an outline of the life of Christ which is consistent with the material provided by all four. One example is provided here by Blue Letter Bible. I have several books on this topic in my personal library including a standard text by A. T. Robertson.
There are a number of interesting problems that arise for those serious about a "gospel harmony" of the life of Christ. The three synoptic gospels are each just a little bit different and the details of events and sermon vary. At times they even appear to conflict. For example, Matthew (in Matthew 5-7) describes a sermon on the mountainside; Luke records a very similar sermon on a plain, after Jesus has descended from a mountain. Are these two accounts recording the same event, but with slightly different descriptions by different observers? (Maybe Jesus stopped on a flat area to speak as he descended from the mountain?) Or are they different events, with very similar topics. Certainly Jesus told the same parables and teaching in different times, repeating many of the teachings, so the "Sermon on the Mount" was probably taught in a variety of locations. These types of questions permeate the harmony attempts.
In addition to accounts which different, it is not always clear whether the episodes described in the gospels are intended to be in sequence. Although Luke says that he put the events of Jesus "in order", he probably meant that he organized his history according to ideas and themes, not that he put the events in chronological sequence. (There is considerable evidence that some of the events in the gospel of Luke are out of chronological order. At the end of Luke 9 Jesus turns towards Jerusalem but then in Luke 10-18 there are a variety of teaching or events that probably occurred prior to his final trip from Galilee to Judea.)
I'll say more about gospel harmony later, especially as we get to the gospel of John
Tomorrow we return to the study of Luke.
Given the four-fold lenses of these descriptions of the life of Christ, it is natural to create a "harmony" of the gospels, that is, an outline of the life of Christ which is consistent with the material provided by all four. One example is provided here by Blue Letter Bible. I have several books on this topic in my personal library including a standard text by A. T. Robertson.
There are a number of interesting problems that arise for those serious about a "gospel harmony" of the life of Christ. The three synoptic gospels are each just a little bit different and the details of events and sermon vary. At times they even appear to conflict. For example, Matthew (in Matthew 5-7) describes a sermon on the mountainside; Luke records a very similar sermon on a plain, after Jesus has descended from a mountain. Are these two accounts recording the same event, but with slightly different descriptions by different observers? (Maybe Jesus stopped on a flat area to speak as he descended from the mountain?) Or are they different events, with very similar topics. Certainly Jesus told the same parables and teaching in different times, repeating many of the teachings, so the "Sermon on the Mount" was probably taught in a variety of locations. These types of questions permeate the harmony attempts.
In addition to accounts which different, it is not always clear whether the episodes described in the gospels are intended to be in sequence. Although Luke says that he put the events of Jesus "in order", he probably meant that he organized his history according to ideas and themes, not that he put the events in chronological sequence. (There is considerable evidence that some of the events in the gospel of Luke are out of chronological order. At the end of Luke 9 Jesus turns towards Jerusalem but then in Luke 10-18 there are a variety of teaching or events that probably occurred prior to his final trip from Galilee to Judea.)
I'll say more about gospel harmony later, especially as we get to the gospel of John
Tomorrow we return to the study of Luke.
Sunday, January 15, 2017
The Travels of Jesus
On Sundays we take a break from our chapter-a-day exploration of the New Testament and look at related topics.
The ministry of Jesus, from his baptism by John to his crucifixion and resurrection, is generally viewed to have lasted about three years. (Some suggest 30-33 CE; others put the dates a few years earlier.) The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) describe Jesus growing up in Nazareth of Galilee, the town of his parents. In his early ministry, Jesus ministers primarily in Galilee, in and around the Sea of Galilee. The last half of the synoptic gospels then describe Jesus's decision to travel south and visit Jerusalem for a final time, leading to his trial, crucifixion and resurrection. This decision to "go up" to Jerusalem seems driven by the death of John the Baptist and increasing opposition from the religious leaders. Shortly before Jesus begins this final trip, the synoptic gospels describe the "Transfiguration", in which Jesus is visited by Moses and Elijah and is spectacularly transformed for a brief time.
Here is a map of the region, given from a Wikipedia page original source attributed to "Andrew c."
The final visit of Jesus to Jerusalem occurs during the Jewish feast of Passover, during which time Jesus is sacrificed on the cross, mirroring the Passover Lamb of the Jewish Exodus. The Gospel of John records one other Passover visit (John 2: 13) and a third occurrence of the Passover when Jesus is apparently in Galilee (John 6:4). If three Passover Feasts occurred in the ministry of Jesus then his ministry was at least two years, possibly three.
John also includes at least one trip through Samaria (John 4) while the synoptic gospels include travels east of the Sea of Galilee, in the Decapolis area. John also records trips to Jerusalem for feasts other than the Passover. (The travels of Jesus to Jerusalem are summarized here.) All in all, a three-year period for the ministry of Jesus is widely accepted.
Further resources:
More on the geography of New Testament times can be found here or here. Wikipedia has an interesting and extensive article on the chronology of Jesus and another on a timeline of Christianity.
Tomorrow we return to Jesus's Galilean ministry, as covered in Luke 7.
The ministry of Jesus, from his baptism by John to his crucifixion and resurrection, is generally viewed to have lasted about three years. (Some suggest 30-33 CE; others put the dates a few years earlier.) The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) describe Jesus growing up in Nazareth of Galilee, the town of his parents. In his early ministry, Jesus ministers primarily in Galilee, in and around the Sea of Galilee. The last half of the synoptic gospels then describe Jesus's decision to travel south and visit Jerusalem for a final time, leading to his trial, crucifixion and resurrection. This decision to "go up" to Jerusalem seems driven by the death of John the Baptist and increasing opposition from the religious leaders. Shortly before Jesus begins this final trip, the synoptic gospels describe the "Transfiguration", in which Jesus is visited by Moses and Elijah and is spectacularly transformed for a brief time.
Here is a map of the region, given from a Wikipedia page original source attributed to "Andrew c."
John also includes at least one trip through Samaria (John 4) while the synoptic gospels include travels east of the Sea of Galilee, in the Decapolis area. John also records trips to Jerusalem for feasts other than the Passover. (The travels of Jesus to Jerusalem are summarized here.) All in all, a three-year period for the ministry of Jesus is widely accepted.
Further resources:
More on the geography of New Testament times can be found here or here. Wikipedia has an interesting and extensive article on the chronology of Jesus and another on a timeline of Christianity.
Sunday, January 8, 2017
The Three Synoptic Gospels
On Sundays we take a break from reading another chapter and spend a brief time summarizing what we've been reading (or will read.)
Even a cursory reading of the New Testament reveals that the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are very similar, with many common stories and parables. Then the fourth gospel, the Gospel of John, is very different, with different events and a special collection of teachings by Jesus that do not appear in the other three.
Presumably, the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke had a common source for their accounts of Jesus's ministry and had personal reasons for deviations from that account. Matthew, written to Jews, deviates from the common accounts to quote Old Testament prophecies, for example while Luke, written by a Greek to the Gentiles, adds observations and stories that might be of interest to the individual not aware of Jewish history. (Luke is also careful to mention women in the Jesus ministry, naming women among his followers, both before and after the resurrection.)
One of the simplest explanations for the common passages in the first three gospels is that the Gospel of Mark was written first and that the other two gospel writers had access to Mark as an outline for their work. (From the first few verses of the Gospel of Luke, we see that Luke interviewed individuals before writing his report, so one would expect that he would have access to Mark's gospel, if had had been written by that time.)
One can then explain the Gospel of John as deliberately different from the other three, since John, writing much later, probably assumes those other stories have been told and wants to add to, flesh out, the reports on Jesus's acts and teachings.
The term commonly used to identify the first three gospels, distinct from that of John, is "synoptic". More information, in considerable depth, is available on this Wikipedia page .
Related to the 3+1 gospels in the New Testament is the issue of gospel harmony. Can we, using the four gospels, create an orderly summary of the events of the life of Christ? There is an old, classical tradition of this and I have several harmonies of the life of Christ in my personal library. These attempts differ slightly since the different gospels do have different orders for certain events and teachings. And, very likely, Jesus taught the same messages several different times, in different places. The Wikipedia page on this, at the link above, does a pretty good job of outlining one version of a gospel harmony, giving a table with 161 events from the life of Christ, along with their references in the four gospels. Those 161 events – with representative church artwork! – can be found here.
Tomorrow we return to Luke, as Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee.
Even a cursory reading of the New Testament reveals that the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are very similar, with many common stories and parables. Then the fourth gospel, the Gospel of John, is very different, with different events and a special collection of teachings by Jesus that do not appear in the other three.
Presumably, the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke had a common source for their accounts of Jesus's ministry and had personal reasons for deviations from that account. Matthew, written to Jews, deviates from the common accounts to quote Old Testament prophecies, for example while Luke, written by a Greek to the Gentiles, adds observations and stories that might be of interest to the individual not aware of Jewish history. (Luke is also careful to mention women in the Jesus ministry, naming women among his followers, both before and after the resurrection.)
One of the simplest explanations for the common passages in the first three gospels is that the Gospel of Mark was written first and that the other two gospel writers had access to Mark as an outline for their work. (From the first few verses of the Gospel of Luke, we see that Luke interviewed individuals before writing his report, so one would expect that he would have access to Mark's gospel, if had had been written by that time.)
One can then explain the Gospel of John as deliberately different from the other three, since John, writing much later, probably assumes those other stories have been told and wants to add to, flesh out, the reports on Jesus's acts and teachings.
The term commonly used to identify the first three gospels, distinct from that of John, is "synoptic". More information, in considerable depth, is available on this Wikipedia page .
Related to the 3+1 gospels in the New Testament is the issue of gospel harmony. Can we, using the four gospels, create an orderly summary of the events of the life of Christ? There is an old, classical tradition of this and I have several harmonies of the life of Christ in my personal library. These attempts differ slightly since the different gospels do have different orders for certain events and teachings. And, very likely, Jesus taught the same messages several different times, in different places. The Wikipedia page on this, at the link above, does a pretty good job of outlining one version of a gospel harmony, giving a table with 161 events from the life of Christ, along with their references in the four gospels. Those 161 events – with representative church artwork! – can be found here.
Tomorrow we return to Luke, as Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
A Study in Luke
This week, as we kick off a new year in our chapter-a-day study of the New Testament, I will read through the Gospel of Luke, one of my favorite New Testament books! Luke is the longest book in the New Testament (the book of Acts is the second longest) and we will spend over six weeks in it.
The Gospel of Luke is intended to be a careful investigation of the life of Christ, without hearsay, getting to original sources when possible. In his writing, Luke emphasizes the sacrifice of Jesus for the entire world, not just for the Jews. It is a book on the Kingdom of God made available for all people-groups.
Other themes include:
The book, like the book of Acts, is addressed to someone called Theophilus but the author of the book is not identified. Strong early tradition, however, has both this gospel and the book of Acts written by a Gentile believer named Luke, a physician converted during Paul's ministry in Asia Minor (southern Turkey.)
The name Theophilus translates, in Greek, as "one who loves God" or "friend of God." It is equivalent, in that sense, to European names like Amadeus or Gottlieb. It is not clear if the recipient of the letter was a single specific friend who had taken the name Theophilus or if that name is intended by Luke for a general reader seeking to learn more about God and Jesus.
Luke is as close to an academic as the first century might allow and this may be one of the reasons I like this book! The author claims to have "carefully researched" the life of Jesus and appears to have interviewed people, such as the mother of Jesus, who were eyewitnesses of his ministry and life. The author is better than other writers in identifying women who were involved in early church ministry.
Luke pays attention to detail -- careful attention to who said what. He is also careful to identify dates when possible.
Luke was not one of the Twelve. He was not a Jew, but a Gentile. He was not an eyewitness of Christ. This book is different from the other gospels in several ways, notably in viewpoint and detail.
Long ago (1997), I taught a Sunday School class on Luke with friend Diane Kilmer. Some of my notes will reflect Diane's insight. (Thanks Diane!)
OverviewBible.com has a nice summary of Luke here. along with theme verses and other simple "overviews". In a similar way, a nice Youtube video project, The Bible Project, has some short capsules on the book, Luke 1-9, and Luke 10-24. These are nicely done, great for an introductory class on this book.
In my readings in Luke I also have access to two commentaries: The Gospel of Luke, by William Barclay, and The Gospel According to St. Luke, by Leon Morris.
We will begin Luke tomorrow. Since Luke 1 is so long (80 verses) we will spend three days on it, violating our "chapter-a-day" mantra....
The Gospel of Luke is intended to be a careful investigation of the life of Christ, without hearsay, getting to original sources when possible. In his writing, Luke emphasizes the sacrifice of Jesus for the entire world, not just for the Jews. It is a book on the Kingdom of God made available for all people-groups.
Other themes include:
- Prayer,
- Women,
- Praise/worship,
- the Gentiles,
- Jesus/God reaching out to the poor and to "sinners", those whom the religious establishment has ignored;
- The timing of the Savior's arrival.
The book, like the book of Acts, is addressed to someone called Theophilus but the author of the book is not identified. Strong early tradition, however, has both this gospel and the book of Acts written by a Gentile believer named Luke, a physician converted during Paul's ministry in Asia Minor (southern Turkey.)
The name Theophilus translates, in Greek, as "one who loves God" or "friend of God." It is equivalent, in that sense, to European names like Amadeus or Gottlieb. It is not clear if the recipient of the letter was a single specific friend who had taken the name Theophilus or if that name is intended by Luke for a general reader seeking to learn more about God and Jesus.
Luke is as close to an academic as the first century might allow and this may be one of the reasons I like this book! The author claims to have "carefully researched" the life of Jesus and appears to have interviewed people, such as the mother of Jesus, who were eyewitnesses of his ministry and life. The author is better than other writers in identifying women who were involved in early church ministry.
Luke pays attention to detail -- careful attention to who said what. He is also careful to identify dates when possible.
Long ago (1997), I taught a Sunday School class on Luke with friend Diane Kilmer. Some of my notes will reflect Diane's insight. (Thanks Diane!)
Resources for a study in Luke
According to statistics on New Testament writings, Luke is the longest New Testament book with over 19,500 English words and 1151 verses; second and third place go to Acts and the gospel of Matthew, respectively. It is likely that these lengths are due to careful writing by Luke on a standard length of papyrus scroll.OverviewBible.com has a nice summary of Luke here. along with theme verses and other simple "overviews". In a similar way, a nice Youtube video project, The Bible Project, has some short capsules on the book, Luke 1-9, and Luke 10-24. These are nicely done, great for an introductory class on this book.
In my readings in Luke I also have access to two commentaries: The Gospel of Luke, by William Barclay, and The Gospel According to St. Luke, by Leon Morris.
We will begin Luke tomorrow. Since Luke 1 is so long (80 verses) we will spend three days on it, violating our "chapter-a-day" mantra....
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Passover Week, Holy Week
The Passover Week in Jerusalem, somewhere between 30 and 33 C.E., is the week in which Jesus enters Jerusalem in glory, adored by the crowds, riding on a donkey, spends time with his disciples in and around the temple, and then is crucified on Friday, just before the Jewish sabbath. Then, on the first day of the week, Jesus is seen alive in parts of Jerusalem, his tomb now empty.
The week begins in Matthew 21 and includes numerous teachings by Jesus about the coming kingdom of heaven and the end times.
Historically, Christians celebrate the Friday crucifixion as "Good Friday" and the Sunday resurrection as Easter Sunday. The celebrations of these days date back to probably the third century, if not earlier.
The last supper was apparently on Thursday, now celebrated as Maundy Thursday. Matthew 26:17 has the last supper occurring on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
I've found a variety of interesting internet resources on the Passover Week. As always, Wikipedia is a good source. There is a Wikipedia article on the "Holy Week".
The Passover feast dates back to Exodus 12, when the tribe of Israel was expelled from Egypt. On that night (the 14th day of the month Nisan) the Jews sacrificed a lamb and spread its blood over their doorposts so that the Angel of Death would "pass over" their homes and spare them, while killing the first born son of the Egyptians.
A Catholic view of Passover is here. Another Christian view is here. A Jewish explanation can be found here and a Messianic Judaism view here or here.
Was Jesus, in the Last Supper, really celebrating the Passover Seder? A fairly detailed analysis of this question appears in this Biblical Archealogy article.
Tomorrow we return to Matthew's account of the Passover Week.
The week begins in Matthew 21 and includes numerous teachings by Jesus about the coming kingdom of heaven and the end times.
Historically, Christians celebrate the Friday crucifixion as "Good Friday" and the Sunday resurrection as Easter Sunday. The celebrations of these days date back to probably the third century, if not earlier.
The last supper was apparently on Thursday, now celebrated as Maundy Thursday. Matthew 26:17 has the last supper occurring on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
I've found a variety of interesting internet resources on the Passover Week. As always, Wikipedia is a good source. There is a Wikipedia article on the "Holy Week".
The Passover feast dates back to Exodus 12, when the tribe of Israel was expelled from Egypt. On that night (the 14th day of the month Nisan) the Jews sacrificed a lamb and spread its blood over their doorposts so that the Angel of Death would "pass over" their homes and spare them, while killing the first born son of the Egyptians.
A Catholic view of Passover is here. Another Christian view is here. A Jewish explanation can be found here and a Messianic Judaism view here or here.
Was Jesus, in the Last Supper, really celebrating the Passover Seder? A fairly detailed analysis of this question appears in this Biblical Archealogy article.
Tomorrow we return to Matthew's account of the Passover Week.
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