New Testament Final Exam Vocab Guide
Easter
"A distinctly Christian holiday, whose date is determined by the death of Jesus at the Jewish Passover. Even so, the Venerable Bede (672-735 CE), a Christian scholar, suggested that the name was derived from Oestre, the goddess of fertility among Saxon tribes in Northern Europe. Perhaps for that reason the Christian celebration of Jesus' resurrection came to be incongruously associated with eggs and rabbits." (AOTNT, 28)
Pseudonymity
Literally "false naming": the ancient practice of writing under the name of a recognized authority. Ephesians and the Pastoral Epistles, purporting to have been written by Paul, but probably were not, are examples of this.
Pseudepigrapha
Literally "false writings," particularly a group of late Jewish writings claiming Old Testament figures as their authors. They reflect Jewish religious thought in the intertestamental period.
Parousia
Literally "presence" or "coming." In early Christian belief, the appearance or second coming of Christ, a glorious advent in power and judgement at the end of the age.
Kērygma
Literally "proclamation." The early Christian preaching about Jesus as the Christ, intended to elicit the decision of faith.
Redemption
Literally "to buy" or "take back," particularly the act or process of God's reclaiming sinful or rebellious humanity by means of the event of Jesus Christ.
Exegesis
Literally "to lead out" the meaning from the text.
L [COMMENTARY]
Luke's hypothesized source Proposed to be an oral tradition. According to the four-document hypothesis, Luke combined Mark, the Q source, and L to write Luke. Luke's special material composes nearly half of his gospel. Includes: All the infancy material in 1-2 Jesus preaching a sermon (ch. 4) Parable of the Good Samaritan (ch. 10) Parable of the Prodigal Son (ch. 15) Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (ch. 16)
M
Matthew's hypothesized source
Lord's Supper, or Eucharist, in Pauline Theology [COMMENTARY]
Mentioned in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 where he gives the earliest recorded description of the Last Supper. Paul also argues that idol worship and the participation in the Lord's Supper are incompatible. He wants the Corinthians to stop participating in cultic meals. "Paul's words in 1 Cor 11:17-34 explain that the Lord's Supper is a proclamation of the gospel made by those who embrace the gospel, those whose identity is shaped by the gospel." (https://jimhamilton.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/lords-supper-in-paul-formtted.pdf) "In Paul's opinion, [the Lord's Supper] had, what could be called, a sacramental function. It was sacramental because, according to Paul, it made the participants unite with the blood and body of Jesus Christ and, thus, share in his death and resurrection. Through the Eucharist they participated in the resurrection life of Jesus Christ. This is what made it a sacrament: it adumbrated, reflected and represented the participants' salvation. Participation in the Lord's Supper encouraged a strong sense of community amongst the members of the congregation." (104) (https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctt1w76wv6.8)
Paraenesis
Moral instruction or directions, typically presented in an ancient conventional format.
Covenant (New Testament)
New agreement effected by God with the new Israel through Jesus the Christ.
Melchizedek
Non-Levitical priest from Genesis who received a tithe from Abraham. The title is taken as a messianic designation of Jesus. Because "the inferior [Abraham] is blessed by the superior ________," scriptures shows that Jesus' eternal ________ high priesthood is superior to its transitory, Levitical counterpart. Some first-century Jewish texts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, suggested his eternality, based on scripture's silence about his birth and death.
Gospel of Thomas
Non-canonical logia (sayings) gospel. Not a narrative account of Jesus. Discovered in 1945 as part of the Nag Hammadi library.
Apocryphal New Testament
Noncanonical books such as the Gospel of Peter that claim apostolic authorship
"We Sections"
Passages in Luke/Acts where the narration goes into third person. Indicates that the writer participated in the events described. Four people present in all of them: Titus, Jesus Justus, Crescens, Luke
Paul's Collection for the Church in Jerusalem
Paul collects money for "the poor saints in Jerusalem" in Macedonia (2 Cor. 8:1; 9:2-4; Rom 15:26)
Corinth
Paul visited this city at least three times, founded Christian assemblies there, and wrote at least four letters to Christians there. The city lies at an important trading position about six miles to the southwest of the narrow isthmus that separates the Corinthian and Saronic gulfs...Ancient literary evidence, including Acts and Paul's letters, suggests that there were also Jews living there, though archaeological evidence for this dates from several centuries later. Indeed, direct archaeological evidence confirming the presence of Christians in the city only emerges from around the fourth century C.E. and later.
Sin in Pauline Theology [COMMENTARY]
Paul's conception of sin has two foci: people sin willingly but inevitably. Wrath/unrighteousness. Sin is universal. Jews are not excepted. But not recognizing Jesus as the Messiah but crucifying him, the depth of the world's wickedness is revealed. Unusual in Paul is inclusion of both Gentile and Jew under the same standard of judgment. Through the revelation of God's righteousness in the gospel of his Son, all are sinners. Paul maintains that humanity's plight is the result not of corrupt nature but of actual sinning (Rom 1:19). Anatomy 233-234.
The Muratorian Fragment
Perhaps the oldest known list of most of the books of the New Testament. It's a 7th-century Latin manuscript that's suspected to be a translation of a Greek original dating from around 170.
Early Christian Hymnody in the New Testament
Phil:5-11; [Col 1:15-20]; Rom 11:33 - 36. In Philippians: Christ-hymn. Possibly sun in worship, possibly based on a hymn. Highlights the preexistent Christ's cosmic rule. Dwells on his saving roll.
Two-Source Theory
Posits that Matthew and Luke are based on Mark with additional saying from unknown source Q.
Idol-Food and Idolatry in 1 Corinthians 8-10 [COMMENTARY]
Question: should Christians eat meat offered to idols? In ancient world, much of the meat sold in markets had been offered to idols. Paul concedes that eating consecrated meat has no theological significance as the gods are non-existent. However, for the sake of "weaker" brothers who might think it has some special potency or sanctity or that they might incur guilt before God, they should refuse to eat it. However, in non-cultic occasions, believers can eat whatever meat is sold or set before them as long as they have regard for the conscience of his sisters and brothers.
Stoicism
School of philosophy founded at Athens by Zeno of Citium. The school taught that virtue, the highest good, is based on reason or logos. It's ethic is centered in willing conformity with reason or logos that governs the universe and individual. Viewed legends as allegory. Were philosophical but not coldly rationalistic with philosophy a vital piety. (Anatomy 28)
"I Am" Sayings in the Gospel of John [COMMENTARY]
Seven titles for Jesus • I am the Bread of Life (John 6:35) • I am the Light of the World (John 8:12) • I am the Door (John 10:9) • I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14) • I am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25) • I am the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) • I am the Vine (John 15:1,5) Such clear public statement about his identity are unique to John. The phrase occurs 54 times in John alone, more than the other three Gospels combined.
Patmos
Small Greek island in the Aegean Sea where John received the visions found in the Book of Revelation.
Glossolalia
Speaking in tongues, regarded by Luke (Acts 2) and Paul (1 Corinthians 14) as a gift of the Holy Spirit.
Passion
Suffering, particularly the suffering of Jesus during the last week of his life in Jerusalem, and especially the suffering leading to his death.
Christology
That aspect of Christian thought concerned specifically with the revelation of God in Jesus the Christ
Circumcision as a Problem in the Galatian Churches
The Galatian churches were under the influence of so-called Judaizers: believers who insisted that Christians be circumcised and keep the law.
Pentecost
The Jewish Feast of Weeks, beginning on the fiftieth day after Passover. According to the book of Acts (2:1-4) it was the occasion of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus, and thus is sometimes regarded as the beginning of the church.
Diaspora/Dispersion
The Jewish community scattered outside the holy land of Palestine. Originated in the Babylonian exile of 587 BCE.
Justification
The act or process by which God brings people into proper or right relationship with himself. In Paul's letters, the ____ or righteousness of God is to be received by faith, not works.
Hasmonean
The actual family name for the Maccabees, leaders of the Jewish revolt against Syria in the second century BCE.
Covenant (Old Testament)
The agreement by which God and the people of Israel were bound together.
Ecclesiology
The aspect of Christian theology concerned specifically with the formation and character of the church, the community of believers.
Mishnah
The authoritative Jewish legal or halakhic traditions, ascribed ultimately to Moses, that developed in Pharisaic and rabbinic Judaism (Mark 10:5-13) and were codified in the early third century. The term is usually applied to the written form. It and the learned commentary upon it (Gemara) constitute the Talmud.
Realized Eschatology
The belief that Jesus' references to the kingdom of God meant a present reality rather than a future apocalypse.
Antinomianism
The belief that the Christian who has been freed by Christ has no moral obligation at all.
Halakhah
The collective body of Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah. It's based on biblical commandments (mitzvot), subsequent Talmudic and rabbinic law, and the customs and traditions compiled in the many books such as the Shulchan Aruch. It's often translated as "Jewish law", although a more literal translation might be "the way to behave" or "the way of walking".
Salvation
The condition of complete liberation from sin, brokenness, and estrangement between humanity and God. In general, the New Testament locates it in the future, although its inauguration is already effected in Christ.
Messianic Secret [COMMENTARY]
The disciples don't seem to know who Jesus is or what his mission is. Jesus speaks in parables designed to obscure and confuse rather than clarify. Contrast this with the Gospels of Luke and Matthew where he's a teacher. Distinctive to Mark. There's an unveiling of Jesus' identity in his crucifixion. Mark 4:33. "This preference for persuading rather than compelling the disciples relates to a major problem in the first half of Mark. After several disclosures of divine healing power, Jesus curiously commands keeping these miracles secret (1:43-44; 3:12; 5:43). This is an aspect of what is called the messianic secret in Mark. In effect, Jesus in Mark avoids the making of disciples by powerful deeds. After demons had been exorcised and opponents silenced in debate, the task of making true disciples still remained." (AOTNT, 57) "Mark 8:29-30 focuses the problem known as the "messianic secret." Popularized by William Wrede (1859-1906), this broad term comprises Jesus' commands to keep silent about his miracles and his identity, his private instruction to the disciples, and his private interpretation of parables. Though some have suggested that Jesus commanded silence to keep uninstructed multitudes from learning about his nonpolitical messiahship and perverting it into a political one, the Gospel says nothing of such a motive. The evangelist creates a tension between Jesus' reserve about his own role and others' misunderstanding of it. For Mark, the question is not whether Jesus was Messiah, but why he was the kind of Messiah he was—and the difference that makes in understanding discipleship." (AOTNT, 66) "The messianic-secret motif occurs precisely at those points where the tradition was most susceptible to presenting Jesus as a divine man with power to overcome any difficulty. In effect, Mark opposed such an attitude about Jesus and the life of discipleship." (AOTNT, 74)
Spirit
The dynamic power and activity of God directed toward the world, especially active in the history of Israel, the life of Jesus, and the early church; in the Christian tradition usually referred to as the Holy _____.
Midrash
The form, activity, or product of biblical interpretation, particularly as carried out in rabbinic Judaism.
Apocrypha
The fourteen books of the Septuagint Bible not found in the Hebrew Bible; usually it is a part of the Catholic Bible but not the Protestant Bible. More generally, the adjectival form means "hidden" or "spurious."
Q Source
The hypothetical source, consisting primarily of sayings of Jesus, used by both Matthew and Luke in addition to Mark in the writing of their respective Gospels.
Abba
The intimate, familiar Aramaic word for father. In the normal piety of first-century Judaism, this form of address was too intimate to be used of God. But Jesus (see Mark 14:36) and the early Christians (see Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6) used it in this way
Aramaic
The language of Palestine during the time of Jesus and the early church. A Semitic tongue, it is closely related to Hebrew.
Ecclesiology in Ephesians
The most sustained ecclesiology in the New Testament. The church's vocation and identity (1:15-23; 4:1-6).
Maccabees
The name given the priestly family who successfully led a revolt against Hellenistic Syrian rule beginning in 167 BCE. It is derived from Judas Maccabeus, the Hasmonean brother who first led the revolt. They ruled over Palestine from 142 BCE to 63 BCE.
Immanence
The nearness or involvement of God in the world.
Beatitudes
The nine blessings that stand at the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12)
Synoptic Problem [COMMENTARY]
The problem of understanding the relationship among the Synoptic Gospels, taking account of their great similarities as well as their distinct differences. The generally accepted solution is that both Matthew and Luke use Mark, the Q source consisting largely of Jesus' sayings, and distinct material to which each had access seperately.
Sanctification
The process of being made holy. The term refers to the life of the Christian under the guidance of the Holy Spirit as the effects of Christ's work, especially the love of God and of others, become more and more manifest.
Preterist Interpretation of Revelation
The school of interpretation that the main events in Revelation were already fulfilled in the first century.
Historical Criticism
The science, perspective, or method that approaches the Bible with historical questions. Typically, its goal is to understand the historical setting of the writings in the history of Israel or the early church.
Archaeology
The scientific study of ancient cultures on the basis of their material remains, such as fossil relics, artifacts, monuments, pottery, and buildings.
Redaction Criticism
The separating of tradition from redaction (editorial work) especially in the Gospels. One who edits, revises, or shapes the literary or oral sources at hand is called a redactor.
The Qumran Community
The site on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea where a Jewish sect (the community), who may have been the Essenes, lived in strict obedience to the law of its covenant community until approximately 70 CE. The Dead Sea Scrolls (part of the community's library) were discovered near Qumran.
Antitheses in Matthew
The six contrasts with ancient teaching that Jesus proclaims in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-48) in the antithetical form, "You have heard...but I say to you..." Murder/anger, adultery, divorce, oaths, eye for an eye, and love of enemies.
The Passion Narratives in the Gospels
The story of Jesus last days which may have circulated orally among the earliest Christians in a connected narrative before being committed to writing in any of the gospels. (See pages 340-346 in AOTNT)
Haggadah
The text recited at the Seder on the first two nights of the Jewish Passover, including a narrative of the Exodus. Alternatively, a legend, parable, or anecdote used to illustrate a point of the Law in the Talmud.
The Son of Man
The title by which Jesus refers to himself in the Gospel narratives. Possibly in Jewish thought the term referred to an apocalyptic figure who was to come at the end of the ages to serve as judge between the righteous and wicked (Dan 7:13 RSV; Mark 8:38; John 5:27), although its meaning may be more enigmatic. In the Gospels, the use of the title is confined almost entirely to Jesus.
Amen
The transliteration of a Greek word that in turn transliterates a Hebrew word. In common usage it's either a solemn confirmation of what has been said or a response of assent to words of another.
Cosmos
The world or universe. A Greek term frequently used in ancient philosophical discussion. In the New Testament, it often takes on a negative sense as the world standing in opposition to God (see John 1:10; 1 John 2:15-17)
Priscilla and Aquila
They pop up numerous times together in the New Testament. They have a house church in Ephesus and later in Rome. They may have had a house church in Corinth, too.
Paul's Conversion, as Presented in Acts [COMMENTARY]
Three accounts: (Acts 9:1-19, 22:6-16, 26:12-18) All: • Road to Damascus • Bright light and voices asking why Paul is persecuting "me/Jesus" • Blinded by the bright light (9 and 22) • Blind for three days (9) • Met Ananias in Damascus and was cured (9 and 22) • Command to witness (9 and 26)
Ascension
Traditionally, the visible departure of Jesus into heaven forty days after his resurrection (Acts 1:9).
Griesbach Hypothesis
Two-gospel hypothesis that Mark used Matthew and Luke as sources.
Catholic
Universal, affecting humankind as a whole; an adjective used by the early church to refer to whatever was universally shared among the various churches.
Sexual Relations in Marriage in 1 Corinthians 7 [COMMENTARY]
Unlike known in Corinth, sex between spouses is good. Not having sex can lead to temptation. If you are single or widowed but might be tempted, get married. Polygamy is bad. Even if your spouse is an unbeliever, do not divorce them. If an unbeliever separates, let it be so.
Kingdom of God [COMMENTARY]
"Altogether the three Synoptic Gospels contain well over a hundred references to the kingdom of God. This contrasts with fewer than forty references in the rest of the New Testament, including the Fourth Gospel, where the kingdom is not a prominent element of Jesus' teaching." (AOTNT, 327) "Jesus speaks as one convinced that the kingdom is breaking into the present and will be consummated in the future as both a divine act and human obedience." (AOTNT, 332) "The resolution of eschatology and ethics in Jesus' message depends on recognizing that the kingdom is both present and future. The kingdom is present in blessing; therefore, no one can afford to waste time calculating the end of time...yet the kingdom is also future." (AOTNT, 332) Notes from Class Handout The term never occurs in the Hebrew Bible. The kingdom originates from God alone. God prepares, gives, or bequeaths the kingdom to those who yearn for, or inherit it. God's sovereignty is unlike any in this world. God's reign transcends its time and space. The kingdom's reciprocal energies are justice and mercy. God's kingdom overlaps both present and future. For the Synoptic evangelists, the kingdom of God is where Jesus Christ is. To sum up a commotion of notions the kingdom of God refers to God's eternal sovereignty over all, now invading human history in a unique emissary, Jesus.
Tatian
"Around 170 CE, [he], a Christian scholar, composed a harmony of all four Gospels, using Jesus' three-year ministry in John as the framework It was called the Diatessaron, which literally means "through four."" (AOTNT, 131)
Righteousness, or Justification, in Paul [COMMENTARY]
"Christ reveals righteousness as God's effective gift—grace—to humanity, whose proper response is faith, trust, that God's righteousness has been so revealed."
Metaphors for Atonement in Romans -- Expiation [COMMENTARY]
"Covering" or "wiping away of sin" A cultic metaphor: Rom 3:25 The term is rendered "the mercy seat" in Lev. 16:13-15 (LXX)
Pistoi Logoi
"Faithful Sayings" (1 Tim 1:15; 2:5-6; 3:1, 16; 4:8-10; 2 Tim 2:8, 11-13; Titus 3:8)
Abraham in Pauline Theology [COMMENTARY]
"For Paul, the law characterizes the older order that has passed away; it was aways intermediate or provisional. In the beginning Abraham believed God—that is, Abraham had faith—and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Faith defines the proper relation to God, whether in Abraham's time or in Paul's...Paul regards Abraham's faith as a general prototype of specifically Christian faith and the righteousness reckoned to him as a model of what the Christian receives by faith—that is, apart from works. Abraham, Israel's father, demonstrates that faith in God's promise has been, from the beginning of the story of salvation, one of proper attitude before God." (AOTNT 203, 237)
Charisma
"Gift of grace." The term came to be used in the early church for the various gifts of the Spirit, such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, and speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 12).
Flesh (sarx) in Paul's Letters [COMMENTARY]
"In Greek, "flesh" is sarx (Strong's #4561). Jesus and Paul commonly use the term as a metaphor for sinful man's nature, sometimes also described as "carnal." Used in this way, sarx is morally negative, even though by creation a person's flesh is not intrinsically negative. Figuratively, it symbolizes the unregenerate moral and spiritual state of man that almost continuously generates sinful acts. "Flesh," then, represents the inward, carnal inclination rather than muscle, skin, and bones—disposition rather than composition. Paul writes in Romans 7:18, "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells," meaning nothing good spiritually. Later, in verse 25, he admits that his "flesh [serves] the law of sin." In Galatians 5:15-17, he positions the Holy Spirit as the opposite of the flesh, declaring that these two are at war...The flesh expresses itself, produces, and gives birth to the works of the flesh and thus to immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, and other evils, as Galatians 5:19-21 details. Though the flesh is capable of doing some good things (Matthew 7:11), in relation to God and His way, the evil will always dominate." (https://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/cgg/ID/14754/Sarx.htm)
Talmud
"Instruction" or "study." The authoritative body of Jewish tradition consisting of Mishnah and Gemara (commentary upon the Mishnah) that developed in the several centuries immediately preceding and following the beginning of the Christian era. It exists in Palestinian (early fifth century) and Babylonian (late fifth century) forms.
Metaphors for Atonement in Romans -- Reconciliation [COMMENTARY]
"Making peace" A military metaphor: Rom 5:11; 11:15; 2 Cor 5:18-19 "In ancient thought, "reconciliation" (largely a secular term used for mending strained interpersonal and international relations) involved the removal of enmity and the establishment or restoration of friendship and within a political context was a task quintessentially entrusted to an "ambassador" (v. 20). Paul not only applies it to the divine-human relationship but also alters the way in which friendship with God is effected. The responsibility for reconciliation normally resided with those who were responsible for rupturing a relationship, but in contrast to normal expectations Paul presents God as the reconciler (Rom 5:10-11; also Col 1:20-22), not as the object of reconciliation (as in 2 Macs 1:5; 5:20; 7:33; 8:29)." (HCSB annotation to 2 Corinthians 5:18-20)
Expiation
"Making right," by means of some act or rite, the offense done by one party to another, especially the removal of sin before God.
Metaphors for Atonement in Romans -- Redemption [COMMENTARY]
"Manumission" or "payment of ransom" An economic/marketplace metaphor: "Rom 3:24; 8:24; 1 Cor 1:30 ""Redemption," not a common word in Paul's writings, means the freeing of someone or something from being held hostage; see also Gal 3:13; 4:5" (HCSB annotation to Romans 3:24) ""Redemption," to be reclaimed for one's appropriate relationship with God, as a slave is freed from a master or prisoners of war are freed from their captors (sometimes for a price)." (HCSB annotation to 1 Corinthians 1:30)
Same-Sex Relations in Antiquity [COMMENTARY]
"Paul assumes that same-gender sex acts are typical of a pervasive inversion of the natural order...the Levitical prohibitions suggest that same-sex intercourse was known in ancient Israel; in the Greco-Roman world it may have been widely practiced...for Paul, as for other Hellenistic Jews, same-gender sex appears to reverse the order in which sexual relations were intended...Paul's understanding of idolatrous wickedness as the inversion of a God-given order leads him to depict homoeroticism as a characteristic manifestation of all human sinfulness...we have no way of knowing what Paul would have said about persons claiming to be naturally homosexual: a modern idea that may never have crossed his mind." (AOTNT, 232)
Spiritual Gifts in Paul [COMMENTARY]
"Paul held that charismata, 'spiritual gifts,' are distributed among all the community's members: while gifts and services vary, all Christians are gifted (1 Corinthians 12)." (AOTNT, 267) However, in the Pastorals, the charismatic gift is limited to the particular power and authority of an all-male ministerial office." Different lists in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12.
Adam in Pauline Theology [COMMENTARY]
"Paul is well aware of the supra personal character of evil among the human race. Specifically, he traces the origin of this evil or sin to Adam (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:45-48). Elsewhere, without mentioning Adam, he refers to creation's bondage to decay or to the present evil age...In view of his specific references to Adam, Paul's understanding of sin's corporate character picks up the strand of Jewish thought that laid responsibility for humanity's corruption at Adam's doorstep...As through one man, Adam, humanity was enslaved, so in one man, Jesus, humanity is set free." (AOTNT 234, 239)
Baptism in Pauline Theology [COMMENTARY]
"Paul understands sin as an oppressive, fatal enemy of humankind, a bondage and a burden. Therefore, he declares that baptism, understood as dying and rising with Christ, is a dying to sin and a rising to "newness of life." Paul assumes that all believers have been baptized and share his understanding that it is the even through which the new believer is united with Christ, particularly with his death and resurrection. From this idea, Paul draws his own ethical conclusion. Baptism is not an end, but a beginning. Anyone who in baptism has died to sin is henceforth freed from it. Life is no longer lived under sin's dominion...at baptism it is not sin that dies, but the sinner." (AOTNT, 240)
Metaphors for Atonement in Romans -- Justification [COMMENTARY]
"Righteousness" or "putting in the right" or "rectifying" A legal metaphor: Rom 3:22, 25; throughout chs. 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 Justification by grace through faith (Rom 3:21-31), exemplified by Abraham (Rom 4:1-25) Justification interpreted as reconciliation (Rom 5:1-11), with Adam supplanted by Christ as creation's head (Rom 5:12-21) Justification construed as a reordered life, governed by grace (Rom 6:1-7:6)
Logos [COMMENTARY]
"The Greek philosophical meaning of logos comprehends such varied meanings as explanation, argument, principle, thought or reason, language, speech, and divine utterance. In late Jewish and other religious texts logos designates God's agent in creation and world government. In the Hellenistic-Jewish Wisdom of Solomon, word (logos) as God's agent in creation is identified with wisdom (sophia). It is clear enough that the logos of John is God's speech, his self-disclosure to the world and, as the text makes plain, the means through which God creates." (AOTNT, 134)
Christ's Crucifixion and Resurrection in Paul [COMMENTARY]
"The historic and public crucifixion of the expected Jewish Messiah reveals God's righteousness and his power for salvation (Romans 1:16). In a world gone profoundly wrong, God sets things right." (AOTNT, 234) "The event of Christ's death, understood as a sacrifice, reveals God's righteousness (Romans 3:25)...God had not dealt with sin in the past (v. 25b)...God must act to vindicate his righteous integrity (v. 26). This could only have been done by an event within human history. It is effected in the cross of Christ, which God set forth as an expiation—literally, a means of dealing with sin." (AOTNT, 235) "[The cross] is, instead, the means by which judgement and salvation are made known to and for sinners." (AOTNT, 238) 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 - Pauline view of the Resurrection "Paul's tradition does not claim that the resurrection itself was seen—Jesus' vivification or his emergence from the tomb—but rather that the risen Christ appeared to a number of eyewitnesses...Paul does not mention the empty tomb." (AOTNT, 348) "First Corinthians 15 describes the resurrected body as a spiritual, not a physical, body, explaining that flesh and blood—the physical body—cannot inherit God's kingdom (v. 50; cf. vv. 35-38). The decisive emphasis in all accounts is that the one who appeared was the same Jesus who had died and been buried...Exactly how [death had been conquered] remained a mystery; that it was conquered, Paul was as certain as the evangelists (1 Cor. 15:57). (AOTNT, 349-350)
Spirit (pneuma) in Paul's Letters [COMMENTARY]
"The word for spirit (pneuma) appears very frequently in the writings of the apostle Paul (146 times, in fact). Understanding his use of the term can be important, because Paul actually uses pneuma in at least five different ways: 1. The breath of a living being (2 Thessalonians 2:8). 2. A characteristic of human behavior. 3. A non-material part of the human being (1 Corinthians 2:11) 4. A non-physical being. 5. The Spirit of God (2 Corinthians 3:3) (http://www.livingwithfaith.org/blog/understanding-the-word-spirit-in-pauls-writing)
First Peter's Association of Christ with Isaiah's Suffering Servant [COMMENTARY]
"Through the death of the crucified and risen Christ, that salvation/liberation from sin is offered by God and can be accepted by all humanity through faith/trust." "For Paul, faith is not just believing a set of facts, even less adherence to a theory. Faith is trust in God's faithfulness, living confidently in the new situation that God has created." (AOTNT, 237)
Faith (pistis) in Pauline Thought [COMMENTARY]
"Through the death of the crucified and risen Christ, that salvation/liberation from sin is offered by God and can be accepted by all humanity through faith/trust." "For Paul, faith is not just believing a set of facts, even less adherence to a theory. Faith is trust in God's faithfulness, living confidently in the new situation that God has created." (AOTNT, 237) Christ reveals righteousness as God's effective gift grace (charis) to humanity whose proper response is faith, trust (pistis) that God's righteousness has been revealed. (Romans outline).
Reliable Sources for Reconstructing the Jesus of History [COMMENTARY]
"To write a life of Jesus is impossible, for we cannot reconstruct the course of Jesus' ministry in any detail or understand his psychological development. The nature of the Gospel sources does not permit this kind of historical endeavor. Moreover, sources for the historical Jesus outside the Gospels, both canonical and extracanonical, are meager." (AOTNT, 318) "Some agrapha—sayings attributed to him and preserved outside the Gospels—may be authentic: for example, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35)." (AOTNT, 318) "The principle sources for knowing the historical Jesus are the canonical Gospels, but they do not include the information necessary for what we think of as a biography...we have also observed that the Fourth Gospel may provide us with some data that are historically correct, even where it contradicts the Synoptics. For example, Jesus probably visited Jerusalem more than once in his career." (AOTNT, 318) "The oldest material is usually found in the cores of stories, parables, or sayings (Matt. 5:3-7:27), as distinguished from introductions (5:1-2), transitions, and endings (7:28-29), which are probably the work of later editor." (AOTNT, 319) "[Criteria for historical authenticity:] is what is attributed to Jesus culturally, religious, or linguistically appropriate to a first-century Palestinian Jewish environment?" (AOTNT, 319) "The criterion of dissimilarity accords high probability of authenticity to materials that are unlikely to have been derived from everyday Judaism and not easily ascribed to the primitive church. The term "kingdom of God" may be safely regarded as true to the historical Jesus: it is traceable in first-century Judaism, or earlier, but occupies neither there nor in the early church the importance that it does in Jesus' teachings." (AOTNT, 319) "[Criteria for historical authenticity:] the criterion of multiple attestation refers to the occurrence of sayings, narratives, or concepts—like Son of Man and kingdom of God—in more than one traditional stream: Mark, Q (used by Matthew and Luke), M (distinctly Matthew material), L (distinctly Lukan material), as well as the relatively independent Gospels of John and Thomas." (AOTNT, 319) "Any given saying or circumstance about Jesus should cohere with the historian's emerging picture of him. Thus, accusations of Jesus' flouting the Sabbath coheres with his reported clashes with the authority of scribes, tradition, or even scripture." (AOTNT, 319)
Eschatological Teaching in 1 Thessalonians [COMMENTARY]
(CONFIRMED PAULINE) "Sustained discussion of Jesus' return (4:13-5:11). The purpose of the discussion is similarly hortatory: Paul intends to bolster and encourage the Thessalonians (5:11) by reminding them of a central aspect of his teaching: hope." (AOTNT, 196-197) "Paul reassures his readers that those community members who have died in faith are not lost (4:13-18). When Jesus returns, the "dead in Christ" (4:16) will rise and will ascend, together with those who are still alive, to meet the descending Lord in the air (4:17). Therefore, those dead in Christ—believers who have died—suffer no disadvantage." (AOTNT, 197) "Paul plays on the eschatological term "day of the Lord." The day will not surprise believers, for they are not in darkness as others are. Because they are children of the light, they are also children of the day (5:5); not children of daytime in general, but children of "that particular day": the day of the Lord...God has destined them for salvation, not for wrath (5:9). Therefore, their conduct should reflect who and what they are before God. "Belonging to the day" (5:8) is more than general, metaphorical language. For Paul, it refers specifically to the day of the Lord's coming. This day, for his Christian readers, is an occasion for hope and thus for encouragement." (AOTNT, 198)
Eschatological Teaching in 1 Corinthians [COMMENTARY]
(CONFIRMED PAULINE) 1 Corinthians 15 suggests three possibilities: 1) Some Corinthians didn't believe in an afterlife, 2) Some Corinthians didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead, 3) Some Corinthians had an over-realized eschatology. 1 Corinthians 15:20-28: description of the end-time. "In chapter 15 Paul takes up the defense of the bodily resurrection of the dead, a doctrine that has at least been questioned, and perhaps denied, in Corinth. This view would accord with the attitude of the Corinthians, who fancied that they possessed superior knowledge. Against them Paul contends that to deny the bodily resurrection is to deny the resurrection of Jesus as well. Yet apparently in the face of incredulity about the concept of the resurrection as the resuscitation of so many corpses, Paul maintains a distinction between the present physical body and the future resurrection body, which is a spiritual body." (AOTNT, 212)
Eschatological Teaching in 2 Thessalonians [COMMENTARY]
(DISPUTED PAULINE) "The apocalyptic mythology of 2:1-12 is unlike anything else we find in Paul...[it] also faces the challenge of those who believe that the day of the Lord has already come." (AOTNT, 195) "Paul's earlier words of encouragement may have caused some members of the Thessalonian church to think that faith's goal had already been attained and, therefore, that they might abandon all work and worldly responsibility (3:6-13)...he refutes a precipitous announcement of advent of the day of the Lord by pointing out that its necessary conditions have not been fulfilled." (AOTNT, 199) 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11: description of the end-time. The apocalyptic language is reminiscent of Daniel, Revelation, and the Qumran War Scroll. "What is certain is Paul's determination to bridle apocalyptic enthusiasm, encouraging the Thessalonians to continue living responsibly in the present." (AOTNT, 199) "Although in his other letters we find nothing comparable to the mysterious apocalyptic vision suggested here, it is nevertheless clear that Paul expected a cataclysmic denouement of history (1 These. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:20-28), perhaps within his own lifetime (although cf. Phil. 1:19-26)" (AOTNT, 199)
Eschatological Teaching in 2 Peter [COMMENTARY]
(DISPUTED PETERIST) "2 Peter 3:3-10: "scoffers" who raise questions about Jesus' return are probably disillusioned Christians (vv. 3-4). Perhaps some were beginning to think that the promise of Jesus' return had somehow already been fulfilled. Second Thessalonians 2:1-2 and 2 Tim. 2:17-18 offer evidence of such belief. Many of the first Christians believed that Jesus would return before they, or at least their generation, had died out (cf. Mark 9:1; 1 Cor. 11:30; 1 These. 4:15). When he did not, troubling doubts arose." (AOTNT, 304) "[The author of 2 Peter] reiterates that a fiery judgment is still to come (v. 7). Its seeming delay has resulted from a failure to reckon according to God's time (v. 8). The basis for this reckoning is Psalm 90:4, not explicitly cited, where one day is equated with a thousand years...if the Lord seems slow—actually he is not—it is another manifestation of his patience (v. 9). In the meantime, let the scoffers and all others take warning!" (AOTNT, 304) "This letter reflects a situation in which the church had begun to think in terms of a long, indeterminate future." (AOTNT, 304)
The Pastoral Epistles
1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. These letters give advice to the church leader or pastor concerning matters of church government and discipline. Although they are attributed to Paul, he probably did not write them.
The Structure of Paul's Letters [COMMENTARY]
1. Salutation (Sender, Recipient, Greeting). 2. Thanksgiving. 3. Body. 4. Ethical exhortation and Instructions. 5 Closing (Peace-Wish, Greetings, Kiss, Apostolic Command, Benediction). Not all closing elements are in all letters. See table Anatomy p192.
Reimarus, Hermann Samuel
1694-1768 Was a Lutheran pastor who was privately a Deist. He didn't publish his work during his lifetime; they were published posthumously. Believed Matthew 28 was correct (that the disciples stole Jesus' body and told everyone that he'd risen from the dead). Thought that early Christians simply lied about the Resurrection. He picks and chooses which parts of the Gospels he believes did and didn't happen. Assumed that a Jewish messiah HAS to be militant. Therefore, he infamously concludes that there was Biblical evidence that Jesus intended to be a violent messiah. He said the early Christians rewrote Jesus' violent message into one of peace.
Paulus, H. E. G.
1761-1851 Argued that the disciples weren't modern people and hadn't been enlightened by modern science. So, the disciples misinterpreted mundane events as supernatural. He believes that the Gospels are historically true, but the miracles weren't supernatural.
Strauss, David Frederich
1808-1874 He rips into the deficiencies of the harmonizers of the Gospels. He believed that Jesus really existed and said and did many of the things that occurred in the Gospels However, he says that the miracles were mythological. He contends that the early Christians created these stories such as the Transfiguration in Matthew 24 and Jesus feeding the 5,000. For example, Moses and Elijah were the only two people to see God on Mount Sinai, so Christians invented the Transfiguration to give legitimacy to Jesus.
Schweitzer, Albert
1875-1965 Thought that Jesus thought the End of the World would come during his life or his age. This explains why Jesus downplayed family/social ties and money. Jesus could be so radical BECAUSE he thought the end was near.
Dodd, C. H.
1884-1973 Welsh New Testament scholar Argued against Schweitzer. Said that Jesus preached that the Kingdom of God had already arrived in his time. This is called "realized eschatology."
Pericope
A "cutting around" or section. The term is used of the individual, complete units of tradition about Jesus that circulated separately in the early church and that were ultimately joined together to form the Gospels
Crucifixion
A Roman form of execution in which the victim was nailed or bound to a wooden cross and left to die.
Parables
A brief statement or story that makes its point by the unusual development or imagery of the narrative. The various details do not function as allegory but are significant for the story itself. Although the parable was already known to the Jewish religious tradition, Jesus made extensive use of it.
The Apostolic Fathers
A collection of second-century noncanonical writings, such as the letters of Ignatius, which do not claim apostolic authorship. They are apostolic in the sense that they were generally accepted as representing the apostolic faith.
Epistle
A letter of a formal or didactic nature; the term is applied to the New Testament letters.
Propitiation
A placating or pacifying of the deity; a sacrifice that induces God to be favorable or beneficent to the sacrificer.
"Double-Mindedness" in James
A problem with the early Christians that James had to address. One of the key-words of the Epistle (1:8, 4:8). "It implies half-hearted allegiance — an attempt to combine the service of God with the service of self and the world." We're beginning to have a _______ when our faith begins to waver, when we begin to doubt God, (1:6).
Pharisees
A prominent Jewish religious group at the time of Jesus, who practiced strict observance of both the written and oral law of Judaism. The name probably comes from a Semitic term meanings "separated."
Sadducees
A religious group of the intertestamental period who represented the priestly aristocracy of Jewish life. In distinction from the Pharisees, they held only to the written Mosaic law and did not believe in resurrection.
Gnosticism
A religious movement or attitude widespread about the time of the emergence of the Christian faith. Believers possessed a secret knowledge and sought to escape the ephemeral earthly world for the eternal heavenly world.
Sacrament
A sacred rite, "an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace," namely, the presence of the transcendent God. The term does not occur in the New Testament, but it is commonly used to refer to the acts of baptism and the Lord's Supper, which are reported there.
Covenant
A solemn agreement that binds two parties together. Originally in biblical usage it was sealed in blood.
Allegory
A story whose details or actions illustrate or tell about something quite different. Each element of an allegory possesses its own distinct meaning, which is determined by something outside the story.
God-Fearers
A term (Greek sebomenoi) used by ancient Jews with reference to Gentiles who were attracted to synagogues and their worship of one God, yet who did not submit to the whole law, or, in the case of males, circumcision.
Zealots
A term applied to Jewish revolutionaries who sought to overthrow Roman rule of Palestine by means of violent resistance. Although the term may have come into use only during the Roman War (66-70 CE), it is often applied to earlier revolutionary figures.
Apostle
A term meaning "one who is sent," specifically applied to the twelve disciples who were close to Jesus (Luke 6:12-16). Paul also appropriates this designation for himself because of the risen Christ's appearance to him (1 Cor. 9:1; 15:8-9)
Canon
A term originally applied to a reed used for measuring. It was later used of those books or writings that became standard or authoritative for the early Christians. By the close of the fourth century, the Christian version was largely fixed.
Dualism
A view characterized by two parts, often in binary opposition. Early Christianity reflects different kinds: contrasts between earthly and heavenly (Hebrews); theological or moral alternatives ("light" and "darkness" in John 1:5); juxtapositions of being, or ontology (Gnosticism)
Haustafeln (Household Codes)
Also known as New Testament Domestic Codes, they consist of instructions in the New Testament writings of the apostles Paul and Peter to pairs of Christian people in different domestic and civil structures of society. The main foci of the Household Codes are upon husband/wife, parent/child, and master/slave relationships. The Codes apparently were developed to urge the new first century Christians to comply with the non-negotiable requirements of Roman Patria Potestas law, and to meet the needs for order within the fledgling churches. The two main passages that explain these relationships and duties are Ephesians 5:22-6:9 and Colossians 3:18-4:1.
Philo of Alexandria
An Egyptian Jew from when Jesus and Paul were alive. Had both a Jewish and Hellenistic education. Famous for being an allegorizer who was not interested in the literal sense of the text, rather its interior spiritual meaning. Said that God is invisible, doesn't have a body, face, or hands. His allegorizing influenced Origen and other early Christian theologians.
Colossae
An ancient city built on a major trade route through the Lycus River Valley in the Roman province of Asia Minor (in the southwest corner of modern-day Turkey)...The Apostle Paul had spent two years planting a church in Ephesus, and in Acts 19:10 we learn that, radiating from that center, "all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord." Whether Paul himself fanned out in missionary activity throughout the province or whether some of his converts did so, a church was planted in ________. It is likely that Epaphras founded it (Col. 1:7), and from 1:21 we assume that the church was composed mainly of Gentiles.
Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles)
An anonymous second-century Christian manual for church life.
Antichrist
An apocalyptic figure, the archenemy, or archenemies, of Christ mentioned only in 1 and 2 John, who will appear shortly before the parousia to wage war against the friends of Christ.
The Gallio Inscription
An archaeological discovery at Delphi that gives us a fixed point in Paul's career (cf. Acts 18-12:17).
Essenes
An ascetic, Jewish religious group existing at the time of the New Testament. They stressed the radical obedience to the Jewish law. Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Montanism
An ascetic, apocalyptic movement in the second half of the second century whose adherents, following Montanus of Phrygia, believed themselves the prophets of a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, or Paraclete, upon the church.
Jesus as High Priest and Sacrifice in Hebrews [COMMENTARY]
An idea unique to Hebrews. Jesus is the "great high priest who has passed through the heavens" (4:14). As high priest, he's the guarantor of God's promised salvation. "Jesus' ministry as high priest is the surety supporting Christians' life in the world, sustaining their hope for the future...the high priesthood of Jesus affects humankind because it is the heavenly priesthood of a real human being." (AOTNT 298) Though fully divine, Jesus was fully human and suffered. His atoning sacrifice is superior to other high priests as it a) was made into heaven itself, not an earthly tent, b) Christ was holy, blameless, sinless, c) final; didn't need to be repeated, d) Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, e) Jesus' life conveys holiness, f) inaugurates new covenant between God and humanity.
Procurator
An official of the Roman Empire, responsible to the emperor, exercising administrative authority over a province or district.
Apocalypse
An uncovering or a revelation. The adjective form is applied to a type of literature that is pessimistic about humanity's possibilities and hence discloses God's plan for the last days. Although related to prophecy and eschatology, this version of thought stresses more precisely and forcefully the future intervention of God in the endtime. All ___ is eschatological, though not all eschatology is ____.
Revelation
An uncovering, revealing, or laying bare. It refers to the uncovering of the transcendent God in human events, particularly the event of Christ in the Christian tradition.
Dead Sea Scrolls
Ancient Jewish documents from the period of Christian originals, discovered near the Dead Sea since 1947. Written by the Essenes.
Partition Theories of 2 Corinthians' Composition
Attempts to account for substantive, unexpected shifts within a document that might be explained as subsequent editing, in the early church, of materials Paul likely wrote.
Papias
Bishop, early 2nd century, wrote first commentary on Matthew
Theophilus
Both Luke and Acts contain dedications to him.
Paul's Presentation of Himself in His Letters, Compared with Luke's Presentation of Him in Acts [COMMENTARY]
Both agree: • Prior to his conversion, Paul was a Pharisee that persecuted Jesus' followers (Acts 26:4-11, Phil 3:5-6) • after his calling he was persecuted (Acts 9:23-25, 2 Cor 10:23-33) • His mission among Gentiles led to founding churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, and Ephesus ◦ In the company of Barnabas, Timothy, Apollos, Prisca (Priscilla) and Aquilla (Acts 14-19, 1 Cor 16:10-20, Gal 2:1) Luke (possible but not corroborated by Paul himself): • Hebrew name "Saul" (Acts 9) • birth as a Roman citizen in Tarsus, Cilicia (22:3, 25) • educated by Gamaliel (Acts 9) • tentmaking (18:3) Discrepancies: • Ananias's confirmation of Paul's calling (Acts 9:10-19 cf Gal 1:16-17) • Paul's insistence on his identity as an apostle, which Luke softens (1 Cor 9:1 cf Acts 14:4, 14) • Paul's dissemination among Gentiles of Jerusalem's "Apostolic Decree" (Acts 15:22-35) which Paul never mentions and may have disputed (Gal 2:4-6) • theological variances (natural theology Acts 17:22-31 cf Rom 1:18-32) Mostly, Luke's depiction of Paul tallies with Paul's self-presentation; without Acts its virtually impossible to build a chronology. (Anatomy 189)
Grace (charis) in Pauline Thought [COMMENTARY]
Christ reveals righteousness as God's effective gift grace (charis) to humanity whose proper response is faith, trust (pistis) that God's righteousness has been revealed. (Romans outline).
Sermon on the Mount
Collection of Jesus sayings in chapters 5, 6, and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew. Occurs early in Jesus' ministry. Jesus' longest continuous discourse in the New Testament.
The "Weak" and the "Strong" in Romans 14-15 [COMMENTARY]
Conduct becoming the faithful within and beyond the church is exemplified by mutual obligations among the religiously "weak" and "strong." (Romans 14:1-15:6)
Eucharist
Derived from the Greek word meaning "thankfulness"; beginning in the second century, used of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, in which bread and wine are consecrated and distributed to faithful Christians.
Docetism
Derived from the Greek word meaning "to seem". An early Christian heresy according to which Jesus Christ only seemed to suffer and die. A divine being, it was thought, could not suffer.
Natural Theology
Discourse about God which assumes human reason, unaided by revelation, is adequate to discern certain religious truths.
Soteriology
Discourse about salvation. It refers to the New Testament understanding of the righteousness of God, sin, the work of Christ, the response of faith, and the work of the Spirit in sanctification.
Eschatology
Discourse about the last things or the end of the age. Traditionally, the term is used of Christian thought concerned all the events and actions associated with both the end of history and the end of human life.
Marcion
Early Christian heretic who believed the New Testament God was different from the Old Testament God. He also published the earliest extant fixed collection of New Testament books.
The Captivity Epistles
Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, as well as the brief personal letter to Philemon. They claim to have been written by Paul while imprisoned. Tradition holds this was during Paul's two-year imprisonment recounted in Acts 28—that is, about 59-61 CE. Doubtless this is true of Philippians and Philemon. Doubts about Colossians and Ephesians spring from whether they were written by Paul himself or by one or more of his disciples. If the latter, the prison setting may be a literary device.
The Deutero-Pauline Epistles
Epistles written by a disciple of Paul instead of by the Apostle himself. They are comprised of 2 Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians, and the Pastoral Epistles—1 and 2 Timothy and Titus.
Criteria for Adjudicating Authentic Words or Activities of Jesus in the Gospels
Fidelity to the remembered Jesus (does it sound like Jesus, is it true to how we remember him acting) And usefulness to the Christian community. Will it stick with them, travel, spread the gospel.
Josephus
First-century Romano-Jewish historian. He initially fought against the Romans during the First Jewish-Roman War as head of Jewish forces in Galilee, until surrendering in 67 CE to Roman forces. He recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the first century CE and the First Jewish-Roman War (66-70 CE), including the siege of Masada. His most important works were The Jewish War (c. 75) and Antiquities of the Jews (c. 94).
Exorcism
Forcing an unwanted spiritual entity to leave its host. In the ancient world, it was thought to depend on the innate power of the practitioner, their perceived authority, and their specific words or activities used to remove a demon. In view of the prevalence of ________ it is astonishing that Jesus made the unprecedented claim that his were both the spearhead of his defeat of Satan and, in themselves, an important aspect of the realization of the kingdom of God.
Beloved Disciple [COMMENTARY]
Found only in John. "Everywhere Peter goes, the Beloved Disciple goes." "Though tradition has identified him with John the son of Zebedee, the Gospel never makes that connection." "He seems to be the special link between the Johannine Christian community and Jesus." John 21:21-22 might imply that he had died. Jesus gives him to Mary and vice-versa during the crucifixion (John 19:26-27) He was the first disciple to reach Jesus' empty tomb after Mary Magdalene's report. Suggested that he was a historical figure. Jesus reveals his betrayer's identity to him. Alternate theories about the Beloved Disciple's identity Lazarus A pure symbol, an idealization of discipleship The founder of a "school" that later composed the Gospel of John
Diatessaron
Four New Testament Gospels harmonized into a single book by Tatian.
Word of God
Frequently a designation for the Bible. In the New Testament, however, it is used in close connection with the event of Jesus Christ, especially the preaching about that event.
Messiah
From the Hebrew term meaning "anointed one." It was used of the Davidic king, whose restoration was expected by some in Jesus' day. Its Greek equivalent is Christos, the basic designation of Jesus in the New Testament. He was believed to be the expected _______ of Israel.
Sitz im Leben
German: "Setting in life." The term employed widely by form critics to refer to the community setting and, implicitly, the function of traditions.
Israel and the Gentiles in Romans 9-11 [COMMENTARY]
God has not abandoned the people of Israel. Paul sees Christ's coming within the framework of a larger history of interactions between God and humanity that centers on Israel... he refuses to discount the distinctive position of Israel as a people before God (Rom 9:4-5). The word of God cannot have failed and God cannot be unjust - the validity of God's character is at stake. Rather this is an issue of election - God. He affirms his expectation of God's continuing work in history for the salvation of the Jew as well as the Greek (11-32). The salvation of the Gentiles will make the Jews jealous and bring them back into the fold. Gentile Christians are branches grafted in only because the original branches were broken off. (Anatomy, 243-245).
Deism
God is a divine clockmaker. He made the clock, set it, and has now left it and doesn't intervene anymore. Miracles aren't real because God doesn't interact with God's creation. It rejects revelation as a source of religious knowledge.
Kingdom of God/"Rule of God"
God's dominion over humankind and the world. It's the central theme of Jesus' message in the Synoptic Gospels (in Matthew, usually "the kingdom of heaven").
"Gospel" (Basic Meaning of the Noun)
Greek word meaning "good news."
Parathēkē
Guarding "the Deposit of Faith," parathēkē (lit., "[what is] handed over": 1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 1:12, 14), which includes pistoi logoi, "faithful sayings" (1 Tim 1:15; 2:5-6; 3:1, 16; 4:8-10; 2 Tim 2:8, 11-13; Titus 3:8), moving toward propositional faith or "sound doctrine" (Titus 2:1).
Paraclete
Helper, comforter, or mediator. The term is used in the Fourth Gospel of the Holy Spirit as the Christian community's helper after the death of Jesus (John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7).
Diotrephes
His refusal as a local church leader to receive the author's emissaries leads to the writing of 3 John. He was noted as being disrespectful of apostolic authority. Possibly the earliest monarchial bishop whose name has survived.
Synoptic Problem
How to explain the similarities among the Synoptic gospels. Which source used which source as a source?
Righteousness (dikaiosynê) in Matthew [COMMENTARY]
Human Behavior that squares up with and is obedient to God's righteousness and is pleasing to God, and the rite human obedience and behavior squares up to God's righteousness, which comes through God's relationship in Christ. The way to righteousness is through right behavior and obedience to God "Higher Righteousness (Matthew 5:20).
Q [COMMENTARY]
Hypothesized biblical source shared by Matthew and Luke but NOT Mark. "Q reflect a coherent point of view: a prophet, especially Jesus, is the agent of God's Kingdom warning of judgment and proclaiming the blessings and demands of discipleship." (AOTNT, 113)
Authenticity
In biblical criticism the term is applied to materials that are believed to have been spoken or written by the person to whom they are traditionally attributed. For example, the says of Jesus can be tested for their _____, Romans is without doubt an ____ letter of Paul.
"Signs" in Johannine Theology [COMMENTARY]
In the Gospel of John, signs functioning as Johannine symbols in revealing the divine glory in Jesus. The cross is the greatest. Book of Signs (for insiders): John 1:19-12:50. Public Ministry, largely miracles, last 2-3 years, includes three trips to Jerusalem. Is there a "signs" source? 1. 20:30-31 "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name". There are 7 other signs throughout the gospel: Water into wine (ch. 2) healing of official's son (ch. 4)Sabbath healing of paralytic (ch. 5)feeding of 5,000 (ch. 6)walking on water (ch. 6)healing of man born blind (ch. 9)raising of Lazarus (ch. 11).
Christ
In the NRSV the Greek term is sometimes translated "Messiah" (See Mark 8:30)
Witness
In the New Testament includes both observation and testimony, especially to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In one sense, martyrdom is especially appropriate ________ to Jesus. The English term martyr is based on the Greek word for this.
Law
In the New Testament, generally the revelation of God through Moses to the people of Israel embodied in the cultic, ritual, and moral commandments of the Old Testament.
Sanhedrin
In the New Testament, usually Jerusalem's supreme council, made up of a presiding high priest, elders, and scribes, which functioned as a judicial court (John 11:47)
Transcendence
In theology, God's distance from the world; alternatively, God's holiness or "otherness" as distinct from the secular or profane.
The Structure of Revelation
Isn't haphazard, it's rigorously organized around the number 7
John the Baptist
Itinerant Jewish preacher beheaded by Herod Antipas. Anticipated a messianic figure greater than himself. Relative of Jesus Christ whom he baptized. His infancy narrative in Luke closely parallels Jesus' infancy narrative. Mentioned by Josephus. Some scholars suggest he was an Essene. Used baptism as the central symbol or sacrament of his pre-messianic movement. Preached that the "kingdom of heaven" is near.
The Catholic Epistles
James; 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John; and Jude. These seven letters are "general" in destination and in character.
The Prologue of John's Gospel (1:1-18) [COMMENTARY]
Jesus as logos, incarnation. John came to witness/testify to the light. Light and darkness dualism. Jesus is not named until the passage moves from cosmic to historical (v17). Jesus's mission in the world vs 9-13. Connection between Jesus and Genesis. Possible early Christian hymn. (Anatomy 133-136)
Book of Signs
John 1:19-12:50 Contains Jesus' public ministry, composed largely of miracles, and lasts two or more years (and includes 3 trips to Jerusalem) Many of these miracles are conspicuously numbered such as the Feeding of the 5000 Written for outsiders as composed to the Book of Glory (13:1-20:31) which is esoteric and for insiders