Christianity 1

Christianity: Historical Background
Quest for the Historical Jesus
Josephus, Pliny
Jesus of Nazareth (5BC? -27 AD?)
•    Jewish Rabbi
•    Faith Healer
•    Exorcist

Christianity
•     Began as a Jewish Sect in 1st Century
•     Christ = Greek Christos = Hebrew Meshiah
•     Jesus Christ = Jesus the  Messiah
•     Jewish Sect Þ Stand-alone Gentile Religion
•     Also claimed to be the Son of God
•     Virgin Birth stories in Matt. & Luke (not in Mark, implied in John)
•     Crucified and followers claimed resurrection
 
Christianity: Historical Background
•    Main sects of Jews at the time of Jesus:
•    Zealots:
–  advocated a violent revolution against Rome
•    Sadducees
–   Advocated cooperation with Romans. Controlled the temple destroyed in 70 A.D
–  Made  $$ selling sacrifices in “flea market” in temple court
Christianity: Historical Background
•    Pharisees
–  Controlled synagogues, grudging cooperation with Romans
–  focused on the teaching the Torah and strict obedience to it 
 
The Shroud of Turin

The New Testament
•    4 Gospels (religious biographies) = “good news” about Jesus the Messiah, Son of God
•    The Acts of the Apostles (early Church history - Peter and Paul)
•    Letters of Paul
•    Other Letters
•    The Revelation of John or Revelation (no “s”!) a.k.a. the Apocalypse of John
Mark
•    Earliest, shortest gospel, 60-65 A.D.
•    No birth narratives
•    Empty tomb, but no resurrection appearances (2 endings tacked on later)
•    Petrine tradition from John Mark
•    Roman Audience
 
Matthew
•    2nd Gospel - 65-70 A.D.
•    Based on Mark
•    Jewish audience
•    Focuses on Jesus as Messiah, teachings on the Law
 
Luke
•    3rd Gospel 70 - 85 A.D.
•    Gentile physician
•    Pauline tradition
•    Gentile Audience
•    Historical method, chronicler
•    Also wrote Acts
 
John
•     Last Gospel - 90-100 A.D.
•     Based on account from John, the “beloved disciple”
•     Genile audience, Jesus’ enemies = “The Jews”
•     Non-synoptic gospel
•     No parables
•     No focus on immanent apocalypse
•     Focus on eternal life now through Jesus
 
Gospel of Mark
Parables: Cryptic sayings or stories
•    Publicly given
•    Privately explained
•    Kept outsiders in the dark
•    Taught the faithful
 
Gospel of Mark Cont.
The Parable of the Sower (Ch. 4)
•    A parable about parables
•    Four types of soil = four types of people
–  Road (hard-hearted? Satanic victims)
–  Rocky (shallow, fearful of persecution)
–  Thistley (focused on everyday life, money)
–  Fertile (receptive, have “ears to hear”)

WHITEBOARD NOTES
Albert Schweitzer, Quest for the Historical Jesus
Rudolph Bultmann - demythologization of the New Testament
The Jesus Seminar
Quelle = German word for source - hypothetical common source for Matthew and Luke in addition to Mark

Jesus on the Law
-spirit over the letter "The Sabbath was made for Man, not Man for the Sabbath
-moral over the ceremonial