THL 230 Test #1
Info about New Testament (NT): Even though Matthew is no longer considered the earliest Gospel, why does it make sense to place it at the head of the NT?
Even though Matthew was probably not written first, its placement at the head of the NT makes a kind of narrative & theological sense: as the Gospel with the most pronounced Jewish feel, it makes a useful transition from the story told in the OT (God's relationship with the people Israel) to the NT (the story of God's relationship with Jesus and his people).
Info about New Testament (NT): The Gospels that did not become part of the Bible are called ______ and ______?
Non-canonical and Apocryphal + We know of approximately 30 other early Christian "Gospels" that were not accepted into the New Testament (called "non-canonical" or "apocryphal" Gospels); most are dated to the mid-2nd and 3rd centuries.
Info about New Testament (NT): Writers of the Gospels are called ____?
the four "evangelists" (from Greek eu-angelion, lit.,"good news").
Canonization
"Canonization" or to be "canonized" refers to the process by which a book was accepted into the Bible by a particular religious group, thereby becoming a kind of metaphorical "measuring stick" or criterion for the group's beliefs.
Original Languages + Translations: New Testament texts were written in this language: see III, p. 3 What does koinē mean? And what might that tell us about NT writers?
+ All 27 of these books and letters were originally written in Greek (the "Koine" or "common" Greek of the time). + Koine: "Common" greek + These languages use a different alphabet than the one used in the English language. In addition, Hebrew is written and read in the opposite direction (from right to left). + WHAT DOES THAT TELL US ABOUT NT WRITERS?
Bible Basics: Info about Old Testament (OT)
+ Consists of 46 (or 39) books written mostly in Hebrew (but 7 texts in Greek) + The traditions in these books emerged from and reflect the experience, faith life, and ways of thinking of the people of ancient Israel who lived in the Ancient Near East. They undoubtedly developed out of a long period of oral tradition before eventually being committed to writing. (The majority of ancient peoples were illiterate.) How they came to be written is covered in the powerpoint "What is the Bible?" + The content of the Old Testament/Tanak reflects a great sweep of time from perhaps 2000 BCE down to the century before Christ. This content was written down starting in roughly 900 BCE. + The Old Testament is much longer than the New Testament and contains many more genres or literary forms than found in the New Testament: myths, legends, prophetic oracles, proverbs, psalms (prayer-songs), genealogies, an apocalypse (Book of Daniel), among others.
Bible Basics: Info about New Testament (NT)
+ New Testament (NT) = a collection of 27 early Christian writings composed by various authors from the middle of the 1st to early 2nd centuries CE; aka the "Second Testament," especially by scholars, in contrast to the "First Testament" (=Hebrew Bible or HB); also referred to as the "Christian Testament"All 27 of these books and letters were originally written in Greek (the "Koine" or "common" Greek of the time). Most of these writings were considered "biblical" or "scriptural" by Christians by the end of the 2nd century. The official list of 27 approved writings (the NT "canon") was not finalized until the end of the 4th century. There were many other works written by Christians in the first few centuries that were not included in the New Testament (e.g., Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Phillip, Gospel of Mary, Infancy Gospel of Thomas, etc.)Like the OT, the NT consists of a variety of different works in different literary genres(though far fewer), including the following 4 major categories:gospels (4) epistles or letters (21) a chronicle (1 = Acts of Apostles)an apocalypse (1 = Revelation) + aka SECOND Testament/Christian Testament
Info about New Testament (NT): Which Gospels are called "Synoptic"? Why?
+ The NT includes three "Synoptic Gospels" (Matthew, Mark, Luke), called "Synoptics" because they see Jesus "with the same eye" + the "Fourth Gospel" (John), which is later than and different from the Synoptics in content, style, and theology.
Original Languages + Translations:
+ The biblical texts were written in those languages because those were the "native" tongues of the people who wrote them: people of ancient Israel spoke Hebrew, and the writers of NT texts wrote in koinē Greek. + Hmmm. Since Jesus, his followers, and most who wrote NT texts were Jews, why was the NT written in Greek instead of Hebrew? ~ Because Greek had become "their" language after the conquests of Alexander the Great, who subsequently "hellenized" the regions he had conquered. ~ In other words, as HISTORICAL circumstances changed, the biblical peoples' CULTURE also changed, including their LANGUAGE.
Canon
+ The official list of inspired books of the Bible + an official list of books that a particular religious group considers as its "core scriptures"(thus, granting them AUTHORity) + the group uses these "authorized books" as the basis of its communal life, religious teachings, and moral actions. The Greek word kanōn("canon") originally meant "measuring rod; rule; criterion" (cf. 2 Cor 10:13-16; Gal 6:16).
original languages & translations (continued)
1. Alexander's conquests & reign (336-323 BCE) were long before the time of Jesus and the writing of the NT. As some among the people Israel became "hellenized," and so, spoke and wrote Greek, many were less/not familiar with Hebrew. 2. As a result, in order to read and study their sacred texts (the TaNaK), they TRANSLATED their Hebrew texts into Greek, producing what is known as the SEPTUAGINT (abbreviated LXX). + Septaguint:
Four Criteria for Canonicity (why certain books were eventually accepted into the NT Canon by Christian believers while others were rejected):
1. Apostolic Origin -attributed to and/or based on the preaching/teaching of the first-generation apostles (or their closest companions). 2. Universal Acceptance - acknowledged by all major Christian communities in the Mediterranean world (by the end of the fourth century). 3. Liturgical Use - read publicly along with the OT when early Christians gathered for the Lord's Supper (their weekly worship services). 4. Consistent Message - containing theological ideas compatible with other accepted Christian writings (incl. the divinity and humanity Jesus).
Info about New Testament (NT): Describe the overall order of the NT.
1. Matthew 2. Mark 3. Luke 4. John
Physical transmission of biblical texts: What were the two types of MATERIAL used for texts?
1. Papyrus - an Egyptian plant; a paper-like writing material made from it; cheaper, but not as durable 2. Parchment (aka Vellum) - animal skins used for writing; much more durable, but also much more expensive
Physical transmission of biblical texts: Once texts were written on those materials, they were produced in what two FORMS?
1. Scroll (roll) - long sheets written on one side only, then rolled-up (could be made of papyrus or vellum) 2. Codex - separate sheets or leaves of papyrus or vellum bound together (looks more like a book)
Info about New Testament (NT): NT epistles are not arranged in chronological order but according to what?
1. The 27 books of the New Testament are NOT listed in chronological order (the order in which they were written historically). 2. The overall order begins with the life of Jesus (the four Gospels), then deals with the growth of the Christian Church (Acts, Letters, Epistles), and finally focuses on the eschaton(the end of time, as described symbolically in the Book of Revelation). 3. The four Gospels are placed in what was traditionally regarded as their chronological order (i.e., Matthew was thought to be the earliest Gospel); most scholars today, however, believe that Mark was the first written Gospel (or at least the oldest of the four canonical Gospels in the full versions as we know them today). Even though Matthew was probably not written first, its placement at the head of the NT makes a kind of narrative & theological sense: as the Gospel with the most pronounced Jewish feel, it makes a useful transition from the story told in the OT (God's relationship with the people Israel) to the NT (the story of God's relationship with Jesus and his people). 4. The Acts of the Apostles was originally the second volume of Luke's two-volume work(for evidence of that, compare Luke 1:1-4 with Acts 1:1-2); but when the four Gospels were grouped together, Acts was placed after John. 5. The letters written by Paul (or at least attributed to him) are divided into two sub-groups: 1. those written to communities and 2. those addressed to individuals. Within each sub-group, the letters are arranged not in chronological order, but rather order of length(from longest to shortest) 6. The anonymous "Letter to the Hebrews" comes immediately after the Pauline letters because people used to think it was also written by Paul; it may have been written by one of his followers, but was almost certainly not written by Paul himself. 7. The Catholic or General Epistles are also listed in order of length (from longest to shortest), although letters attributed to the same apostle are grouped together (e.g., 3 letters that bear the name John or the two attributed to Peter) 8. The Book of Revelation closes the NT canon, since it concludes with a description of the end of time(New Heavens, New Earth, New Jerusalem, etc.).
How did the Bible come to be the Christian "canon" ?: Dates
1. The NT canon had taken its present shape by end of the 4th c. CE. 2. The Catholic canon was officially closed in 16th c. at Council of Trent.
Bible Basics: Geographic & cultural settings
1. The geographic & cultural settings of most OT texts is the ANCIENT NEAR EAST (ANE). 2. The research tool that provides maps for study of the geography of biblical references is a BIBLE ATLAS. 3. The geographic & cultural settings of NT texts are the Mediterranean basin and Greco-Roman world. 4. The SECOND TEMPLE JUDAISMS that shaped Jesus and his followers, including writers of NT texts, were part of the larger Greco-Roman world.
Info about New Testament (NT): How many books in the NT?
27 1. A collection of 27 early Christian writings composed by various authors from the middle of the 1st to early 2nd centuries CE; aka the "Second Testament," especially by scholars, in contrast to the "First Testament" (=Hebrew Bible or HB); also referred to as the "Christian Testament" 2. All 27 of these books and letters were originally written in Greek (the "Koine" or "common" Greek of the time).
How did the Bible come to be written? (Stages)
5-stage process over many centuries 1. Experience/events (1800 BCE - 2nd c CE) a. Peoples of ancient Israel b. earliest believers in Jesus (Jew & Gentile) 2. Oral tradition a. No biblical account is contemporary with the events it describes. All the stories are told in hindsight. (These were ORAL cultures, not literate.) b. None of the stories were passed on for the purpose of teaching HISTORY (by modern standards). They are stories that express their faith, i.e., their purpose is to describe how God has revealed Godself in the people's experience. 3. Written tradition a. Gradually, beginning in the time of King David (ca. 1000/900 BCE), as some people became literate, stories told orally for hundreds of years were written down & collected into an organized narrative. 4. Edited tradition a. Over time, the stories were re-told, in light of subsequent events that provided new insights and lessons learned from those subsequent events. E.g., after the Babylonian Exile, many earlier stories were re-told in light of what had been learned from that experience. b. Thus, OT stories as well as NT stories are layered: they include the thinking & insights of the people over the span of their history, not just the insights that are contemporary with the original storytellers. Example: any Gospel story includes a "Jesus-layer" (what Jesus said or did), an "oral tradition layer" (what believers passed-on about Jesus before Gospels were written), and an "evangelist layer" (the thinking of the evangelist and his community) 5. Canonical tradition a. Some of the many texts that were written in this long history became the biblical CANON. The selection of canonical books, first by people of ancient Israel, then by believers in Jesus, occurred slowly over time
Info about New Testament (NT): Seven letters are called the Catholic epistles. Why are they called "catholic"?
7 "Catholic Epistles" (James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 & 2 & 3 John, Jude)- "catholic" means "universal, general", indicating that these letters were written to a wider audience of many different Christians, not just one community.
Old Testament: The OT consists of how many books? Why might there be 2 correct answers?
A. Catholic and Protestant canons of the Old Testament DIFFER in the # of books. 1. CATHOLIC Canon of OT= 46 books (7 more than in Protestant Bibles) + Judith, Tobit, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach/Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, 1-2 Maccabees + These 7 books were written in Greek rather than Hebrew and were part of the Septuagint/LXX (the version of the Hebrew Scriptures used by Greek-speaking Jews.) + *The Catholic Church has used the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament) as the basis of the OT in Catholic Bibles. 2. PROTESTANT/Hebrew Canon of OT = 39 books + *Protestants base their OT on the texts written in Hebrew, rejecting the 7 additional books that were written in Greek (the Septuagint).
Info about New Testament (NT): What are the 4 major genres in the NT? Give an example of each. (IIIA)
A. Four Major Genres: 1. gospels (4) 2. a chronicle (1 = Acts of Apostles) 3. epistles or letters (21) 4. an apocalypse (1 = Revelation) B. GOSPELS 1. gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) = early Christian narratives about the words and actions,life and death of Jesus. 2. The word "Gospel" is derived from the Old English "god-spel" (god = good; spel= news), which is equivalent to Greek eu-angelion (eu= good; angelion= message; angelos = messenger). Originally "gospel" referred to oral proclamations (see Mark 1:14-15), but it is later used for a particular genre of written literature (based on its use in Mark 1:1). 3. The NT includes three "Synoptic Gospels" (Matthew, Mark, Luke), called "Synoptics" because they see Jesus "with the same eye", and the "Fourth Gospel" (John), which is later than and different from the Synoptics in content, style, and theology. C. Gospel Examples:
Tanak
A. Jews refer to the first division NOT as the Old Testament (that is Christian terminology) but as the TANAK B. TaNaK= Torah + Nebi'im + Kethubim (Law) + (Prophets) + (Wisdom Writings) ~ a Hebrew word made-up of the first letters of the 3 major sections contained in the TANAK
Bible Basics: major divisions & designations
A. OLD TESTAMENT + aka FIRST Testament/Hebrew Bible/Hebrew Scriptures B. NEW TESTAMENT + aka SECOND Testament/Christian Testament > Christian denominations use the designations OLD & NEW. ~ The alternate designations FIRST & SECOND, which reflect the chronological order in which they were written, are often used by scholars due tothe pejorative connotation of "old" in our society, which suggests something that has been surpassed or replaced by something newand improved. > Jews refer to the first division NOT as the Old Testament (that is Christian terminology) but as the TANAK (a Hebrew word made-up of the first letters of the 3 major sections contained in the TANAK:).TaNaK= Torah + Nebi'im + Kethubim (Law) (Prophets) (Wisdom( (Writings)
Info about New Testament (NT): When were the 4 canonical Gospels written? (dates?)
All four canonical Gospels were originally written in Koine ("Common") Greek between the late 60's and 100 CE/AD (roughly 68-100CE/AD).
Original Languages + Translations: What language did Jesus speak?
Aramaic
What is the Bible?
General Bible -We usually think of this as one "book"; but it is really a whole "library," a collection of many different books of different literary genres. A. biblion/a (Greek) = book(s) + a collection (a library of sorts) ~of ancient texts by not just one but many among the people of ancient Israel & earliest followers of Jesus ~of multiple genres ~written at various times b/w ca. 900 BCE - 2nd c. CE (roughly a 1000-year period) B. *Sacred Scripture (for some religious communities) + Church's "canon" = (see Basic Info handout p. 2)
Original Languages + Translations: Most OT texts were originally written in this language
Hebrew
Info about New Testament (NT): Which NT text is an anonymous sermon and no longer thought to be by Paul?
Hebrews
Info about New Testament (NT): Which 2 NT documents are thought to be a two-part work by the same writer?
Luke-Acts together is considered a two-volume work A2. a chronicle (Acts of the Apostles) = a chronicle or partial account of the historical spread of the Christian movement; focuses on only a few people (esp. Peter and Paul) It was written by the same person who authored the Gospel According to Luke (aka the Third Gospel). Thus Luke-Acts together is considered a two-volume work, even though the two parts are now separated by John's Gospel.
Physical transmission of biblical texts: What is a manuscript?
Manuscripts -ancient (or modern) texts "written by hand"; often copies of copies of copies, with significant differences + These manuscripts were produced and physically transmitted on 2 types of MATERIAL that took 2 FORMS ~ MATERIALS (on which the manuscripts were written): 1. Papyrus -an Egyptian plant; a paper-like writing material made from it; cheaper, but not as durable 2. Parchment (aka Vellum) -animal skins used for writing; much more durable, but also much more expensive ~ FORMS (the materials took the form of these): 1. Scroll (roll) -long sheets written on one side only, then rolled-up (could be made of papyrus or vellum) 2. Codex -separate sheets or leaves of papyrus or vellumbound together (looks more like a book) + FYI: To date, scholars have identified roughly 5600 manuscripts of parts of the NT. Analysis of those manuscripts has identified almost 330,000 "variants," i.e., differences in wording between 1 manuscript of a text & other manuscripts of the same text.
Info about New Testament (NT): Are the 4 Gospels arranged in the order in which they were composed?
NO. Most scholars today, however, believe that Mark was the first written Gospel (or at least the oldest of the four canonical Gospels in the full versions as we know them today).
Info about New Testament (NT): Three of the Deutero-Pauline letters - 1-2 Timothy, Titus - are called ??????
The Pastoral Epistles
Info about New Testament (NT): The hypothetical collection of sayings & teachings of Jesus thought to be used by Matthew & Luke is called _______?
The Q-Document + ("Quelle" = "source" in German) is a hypothetical collection of sayings & teachings of Jesus. Many scholars think it was a written source (from the 50's?) used later by Matthew and Luke, but it is now lost.
original languages & translations (continued):
The creation of the Septuagint illustrates a need that continues to this day: as texts become/are Scripture for peoples living in diverse cultural settings, there is need for translations into other languages.
Info about New Testament (NT): Why do scholars consider Gospel authorship to be anonymous, i.e., not written by the names associated with them?
The official titles are "The Gospel according to..." This was not a typical way of entitling an ancient text; furthermore, these titles (e.g., kata Markan; kata Lukan) are missingfrom many of the oldest manuscripts, causing scholars to doubt that the originals included these titles, which also means we do not know the names of their "authors."
Physical transmission of biblical texts: What do we call the original of any written text?
signature or autograph copy
Info about New Testament (NT): What does the word "gospel" mean? (in Greek - euangelion)
The word "Gospel" is derived from the Old English "god-spel" (god = good; spel= news), which is equivalent to Greek eu-angelion (eu= good; angelion = message; angelos = messenger). "Good Messenger" -- "Good Message"
Physical transmission of biblical texts: What was the advantage of vellum aka parchment?
Vellum is more durable -- will last longer
How did the Bible come to be written? (Physical Transmission)
We have none of the originals (signature or autograph copy) of any biblical book (for obvious reasons, above all, the fragility of the physical materials on which the texts were written). What we have are hand-written manuscripts that are copies of copies of copies. The challenge for biblical scholars: determining which manuscript copies are the oldest and/or probably closest to the original version (the most reliable copy of the original).
Physical transmission of biblical texts: Does anyone have any of the originals of any biblical document?
We have none of the originals (signature or autograph copy) of any biblical book (for obvious reasons, above all, the fragility of the physical materials on which the texts were written). What we have are hand-written manuscripts that are copies of copies of copies. The challenge for biblical scholars: determining which manuscript copies are the oldest and/or probably closest to the original version (the most reliable copy of the original).
Info about New Testament (NT): Which NT book chronicles the spread of the Christian movement?
a chronicle (Acts of the Apostles)0,
Info about New Testament (NT): Of the 21 letters in the NT, how many are attributed to Paul (associated with Paul's name)? How many of those are considered "authentic" or undisputed (i.e., definitely by Paul)?
a. 13 letters attributed to Paul: Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon. These 13 are often subdivided into: + *7 "AUTHENTIC" or undisputed Pauline letters (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, Philemon), since almost all scholars agree that Paul himself wrote them. + *6 "disputed" or deutero-Pauline letters (Colossians, Ephesians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus), since scholars dispute their authorship (some scholars think these are "authentic" [written by Paul], while others argue they were written by Paul's followers).In Greek, "deuteros" means "second."
Info about New Testament (NT): Which NT text consists of 7 short letters and a series of highly symbolic visions?
an apocalypse= book of Revelation an apocalypse = book of Revelation (not plural!) -aka "The Apocalypse" -contains 7 short letters addressed to the "churches of Asia" and a long series of highly symbolic "visions," attributed to a man named "John," culminating in the destruction of all evil and the establishment of "a new heaven and a new earth" and "the new Jerusalem." *Scholars consider Revelation to be part of what theycall"Johannine literature" (Gospel of John, 1-3 John, Revelation). These documents bear certain similarities, and so, are thought to have originated with the same Christian community/ities.
original languages & translations (continued) Part 2
ancient versions = translations into other ancient languages: Greek (e.g., the Septuagint); Latin (e.g., the Vulgate); Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, etc. Modern versions = translations into modern languages (e.g., English, Spanish, German, French, Chinese, etc.)
Info about New Testament (NT): Why is Revelation a suitable close to NT?
it concludes with a description of the end of time
