Study Guide for Tests (Outline of topics)
Intro. to the New Testament
Fall 1996: Albright College
Course Tools
The Study of the New Testament
Religious Studies vs. Theology
The problems/advantages of theism vs. atheism in approaching the study
of ancient religious texts
The importance of treating canonical and non-canonical texts on the same
footing
Textual criticism
Textual corruption
haplography
dittography
reading and hearing error
gloss
grammatical / spelling correction
theological correction
remembered quotes (copied from memory rather than from the text)
Textual family trees
Local Text Forms
Translation
distinguished from 'variant' or 'redaction'
'version' as a technical term
retroversion
Introductory Material
Parameters of the Course
Why study Hellenistic Judaism and later Christianity in a course on
the 'New Testament'?
Concept of 'History'
History as self definition
non-existence of 'objective' history
true for both modern and ancient histories
Types of historical 'stuff'
political, economic, social, cultural
Sources of historical data
ancient histories, biographies, etc.
archaeology
ancient fiction (for social and cultural history)
Myth in religous studies
2nd Temple Time Line
Time Line
Babylonian Captivity
impact on emerging Judaism
Persian Empire
Restoration
Alexander
Hellenistic Empires
Hellenization
Gymnasium
Spread of Greek Language
Circumcision
Antiochus IV "Epiphanes"
Maccabean revolt
Hashmon (Hasmonians)
Expulsion of the Zadokites
Rome
Jesus
Birth of Early Christianity
1st Jewish War
Vespasian / Titus
Yavne / Jamnia
Bar Kokhba Revolt
Persecution of Christians under the Roman Empire
Constantine the Great
Historical development of Jewish Canon
Babylonian Captivity
Ezra
Torah (= 'Law' = 'Pentateuch' = 1st 5 books of the Bible) ~ 450 BC
The Prophetic / Historical works ~ 200 BC
Septuagint ~ 200 BC
Other scripture translations into Greek
Disagreement over extent of 'Other' scriptures
Palestinian vs. diaspora Judaism?
Mishnaic evidence for the discussion (Song of Songs,
Ecclestiastes, ben Sira)
Apparently looser canon at Qumran
The 'Writings' accepted as 3rd section of Hebrew Scriptures within
emerging Rabbinic Judaism ~100 CE
Christian Old Testament
Apocrypha/Deutero-canonicals
The New Testament
Marcionite and Muratorian Canons
Protestant Reformation
Council of Trent
Different Bibles:
Hebrew Bible
Catholic/Orthodox Bible
Protestant Bible
Divisions of the Bible
Traditional Jewish
Christian
Pentateuch
Historical
Wisdom
Prophetic
Apocrypha/Deutero-canonicals
New Testament
Jewish Sects
Pharisees
oral tradition
"Build a fence around the Law/Torah"
Qorban
Kashrut (keeping kosher)
Talmud
Resurrection of the Dead
Sadducees
Torah only
Temple connection
Opinions on afterlife
No surviving documents
Essenes
apocalyptic
asceticism
open canon
rel. to Dead Sea Scrolls?
3 messiahs
Zadokite connection
Hellenistic Judaism
mostly diaspora
wider (Greek) canon
often syncretistic
Christianity as Jewish Sect
early Christians all Jewish
viewed as jewish 'cult' by main-stream groups
only later accepted uncircumsized/non-observant
gentiles
Apocalyptic
Apocalyptic communities
dualism
Messiah and Messianic expectation
literature
visions of the future
tours of heaven/hell
pseudepigraphy
symbolic language
vagueness prevents failed predictions
esoteric language and symbols (only the
community of faith understands)
prophecy after the fact
Apocalyptic eschatology
Dead Sea Scrolls
types of documents
Qumran
canon history
value for textual criticism
Greek and Roman religious context
shrinking world
orientalism
classical 'paganism'
merging of god(desse)s with foreign deities of similar function
growing dissatisfaction with traditional religions
Astrology
"Mystery Religions"
Isis/Osiris worship
Mithraism
Dionysus worship (Baccic rites)
Eleusinian Mysteries
Esoteric/Exoteric
sources for mystery religions from outsiders suspect
Problem of the Historical Jesus
The 'jigsaw puzzle' model of historical research
Problem of the Historical Anybody
Tacitus
Socrates via Plato vs. Xenophon
Philo
Josephus
Gospels as historical sources
most scholars say written at least 40 years after the fact
eye-witnesses scarce or unavailable
problems with oral transmission
transmission variations through interpretation
omission or minimimalization of 'unimportant' details
failure to keep track of sayings of historical Jesus vs. sayings
of Jesus through the prophets
tendency to assimilate stories/details from other
religious traditions
caveats to the above
cultural emphasis on verbatim memorization of oral material
some eye-witnesses around for verification
importance to community may yield carefulness in transmission
Gospels as Christian portraits or theological reflections rather than
biographies
Norman Perrin's criteria of Authenticity
dissimilarity: initial rejection of material that resembles
1st century Judaism
early Christianity
Having arrived at a core of presumably authentic material, we
may then readmit material from the initial rejection list
if it satisfies enough of the following criteria:
coherence: "it can be shown to adhere with" the core
material arrived at using the above method
multiple attestation: if a story/saying is found in various
unrelated places/forms, it is more likely to be valid
linguistic plausibility: material which reflects
Aramaic/Hebrew rather than Greek linguistic roots
Miracles
definitions:
a) everything
-- babies, etc.
transcendentalism, deism, Hollywood, etc.
b) intervention of g/God within natural parameter where timing suggests intentionality
-- toddler & train story
g/God is willing/able to participate/intervene in normal course of events
c) violation of laws of nature
-- most Bible miracles
g/God is willing/able to violate laws of nature
laws of nature for us not necessarily same as for God
rationalism & historical miracle claims
(presupposes miracles that involve the violation
of the laws of nature)
a) nature is historically consistent
b) no miracles today
c) --> no miracles in past
possible refutation:
a) Dispensationalism (no need for miracles in church age)
archaism (increasing sin hinders miracles)
cultural dependency (faith needed for miracles)
b) examples of present day miracle claims
The Synoptic Problem
Terms
agraphon
aretalogy
autograph
epitome
gospel
literary dependence
pericope
redaction criticism
retroversion
synoptic
Similarities/differences
92% of Mark in Luke or Matthew
4 unique Markan pericopes
Matthew and Luke not identical in Marcan parallels
Matthew and Luke often parallel on non-Marcan material
Matthew and Luke each also have exclusive material
Eye-witness variations theory
Not all eye-witnesses report events the same way
similarity of gospels may come from similar memories
Some material verbally identical suggesting literary
influence
influence of oral transmission
communication between evangelists (gospel writers)
carefulness in preserving actual words of Jesus
but some verbal parallels are strange use of language
unlikely oral structure even when not words of Jesus
Traditional theory of synoptic dependencies
Matthew + 'Lk' = Luke
Matthew + Luke + 'Mk' = Mark ('Reader's Digest version')
Griesbach hypothesis
Two Source Hypothesis
'M' Mark 'Q' 'L'
\ |\ /| /
\ | \/ | /
\ | /\ | /
\|/ \|/
Luke Matthew
Hypothetical documents: 'Q', 'M' & 'L'
Arguments for
Papias and Hebrew Matthew
Papias -- early 2nd century
quoted in Eusebius -- Early 4th century
Not clear that Papias is even talking about a gospel
Thomas / 'Q' connection?
Dating the Gospels
terminus a quo (earliest date)
specific datable historical references
style, vocabulary
for gospels: ~30 CE (passion events)
terminus a quem (latest date)
quotations in datable works
manuscript evidence
for gospels: ~130 (both quotations and manuscript fragments)
Problem of the synoptic apocalypse
if historical reference, terminus a quo moves to ~70 CE
Nativity stories
Commonalties and differences
Luke
Matthew
Proto-gospel of James
Toldoth Yeshu
Genealogies
Form criticism
Parable of the Tenants
Matthew, Mark, Luke and Thomas
Movies
Jesus of Montreal
Allegory
call of disciples
theatre = religion
opponents
lawer = Satan
treatment of resurrection
birth of church
Play
Yeshu ben Pantera
view of resurrection
Last Temptation of Christ
orthodoxy
heresy
heterodoxy
Christianities
Jewish Christianity (Judaizers)
Hellenistic Christianity
Paul
The circumcision issue
Libertinism vs asceticism
Gnosticism
Pleroma
Cosmology
Evil Rulers of the world
Gnostic version of the Adam & Eve story
Gnostic Redeemer/Revealer
Salvation
Responses to the evil world
Asceticism
Anti-nomianism
Increasing Diversity
orthodoxy
heresy
heterodoxy
Paul's theology of righeousness
righteousness vs. good works
faith
sacrificial death
Christology
trinity
monism
emanation or angel
adoptionism
docetism
Apocalyptic
Apocalyptic world view
Archaism
Apocalyptic eschatology
marginalized communities
Suffering and Asceticism in Early Christianity
Essenes
Celibacy
Asceticism
body as source of sin
perception of world/body as evil
motivations for asceticism
suppress body --> suppress sin nature -->
stimulate spirituality
self-control yields strength
pleasure (esp. sex) is bad
Martyrdom
Slavery & the role of women
Persecution and the Rise of Early Catholic Christianity
Perpetua & Felicitas
Paul & Thecla
Student Papers on the Web
Readings in Tyson
Primary Documents
