New Testament Midterm

Why may the Gospels be trusted?

1- It took place while those who had known Jesus were still alive and the information could be traced back to them, because either they said it or they wrote it down 2- According to the best evidence available from the early years of the church three of he four gospels are directly inked to the apostles; the fourth, Luke, by his own testimony was dependent on eyewitnesses and those who had known Jesus from the beginning 3- It must never be forgotten that God had a hand in all this. The gospels are inspired words of God.

Describe how Jesus' divine sonship is developed in Mark

All the preliminaries of Jesus' birth are skipped to his baptism by John the Baptist where God himself tells us who Jesus is, "You are my Son, whom I love". The supernatural forces of evil, the demons, know instantly who Jesus is. Jesus tells the Pharisees that he is Lord even over the Sabbath. Jesus calms the wind and the sea etc etc etc

Why were written Gospels needed?

Because it was impossible to disseminate the message quickly, widely, and reliably via the spoken word alone

Why should Christians study the New Testament (or why the heck we are reading this book?)

Christians should study the New Testament so that they will avoid misinterpretation based on preconceived ideas and misplaced reliance on the Holy Spirit, and so that they will have the appropriate historical foundation for understanding and applying its teachings.

What elements of the life of Jesus were included in the preached gospel message of the early church?

God's offer of salvation; the life, death, and resurrection of jesus; and the call to faith in light of coming judgement.

When Jesus was at the city of Ceasarea Philippi what did he announce?

He announced that he would build his church

How did Matthew introduce Jesus to his readers?

He introduced him as the Son of David and the Son of Abraham, two Old Testament figures

Why was Jesus seen as a threat to the Jews?

He made controversial claims about himself and took liberties with Jewish customs

How does Matthew emphasize that Jesus is Savior of both Jews and Gentiles?

He was the fulfillment not only of Israel's prophecies, but of Israel itself. "Jesus Christ, the son of David, the sone of Abraham" Jesus makes it clear that he came o save the Gentiles as well. The Gentiles have a central place in the Kingdom as well. The Gentiles are the first to acknowledge Jesus in Matthew's gospel. The Gentile Centurion is extolled on his faith, the Canaanite woman and the healing of her daughter...etc

Which ruler did Pilate send Jesus to in Galilee before his crucifixion?

Herod Antipas

When was the Gospel of Mark most likely written?

Historia Ecclesiastica (church History) has two conflicting dates. Before 60 A.D. and as early as 0 A.D.

Which three people all identified Matthew as the author of the Gospel bearing his name?

Irenaeus, Origen, and Eusebius

Give three reasons for special study of the New Testament canon?

It mediates God's Presences- and with it, truth, It is of ultimate personal significance, and it is is foundational to cultural literacy

What is the emphasis in Mark on?

Mark emphasizes the ministry of Jesus rather than his teachings

What is the focus of Mark?

Mark focuses on the mystery of Jesus' divine sonship, beginning with his baptism

What does Matthew demonstrates in his Gospel?

Matthew demonstrates that Jesus' coming was the supreme event of history and that every circumstances of his birth, life, teaching death, and resurrection was a fulfillment of prophecy

What did Matthew emphasize in his Gospel?

Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the final Word of God to his people

What does Matthew focus on in his Gospel

Matthew focuses on the inherent power and supreme authority of Jesus

What does Matthew highlight in his Gospel?

Matthew highlights the fact that Jesus was primarily a teacher but was also a healer and preacher

What is one unique thing about Matthew?

Matthew is the only Gospel that mentions the church by name

What was Matthew's basic purpose in writing his Gospel?

Matthew's basic purpose in writing his Gospel was to preserve what he knew about Jesus' life and words

What were the Gospels referred to in the earliest descriptions of them?

Memoirs

Who was Mark?

Only one suggestion was every made by the early believers and that was John Mark, one who worked so closely with Peter as to be called his "son". He was a cousin of Barnabas and travels with Paul and Barnabas

Every event in the life of Christ was a fulfillment of Old Testament what?

Prophecy

In ancient times what were the three major sections of the Old Testament?

Prophets, Torah, and Writings

What is the word that means solemn declaration?

Testament or covenant. Seriously this question is not specific enough....

What is the impact the Bible has had on our world?

The Bible has shaped the world in which we live and no one is free from its influence

What is the New Testament and what does it tell?

The New Testament is the testament of God's saving work in more recent times and announces the Savior the Old Testament awaits

Why is the New Testament we have today is secure?

The New Testament text we have is secure because there is extensive evidence supporting it, the authors of the books wrote them within living memory of Jesus' life, and ancient versions of the text were widely distributed.

How were the New Testament written and inspired?

The New Testament writings are inspired by God. The Holy Spirit worked together with the hearts and minds of the followers of Jesus to produce these trustworthy writings

What does the is the Old Testament and what does it tell?

The Old Testament tells of God's creation of the world, humankind's fall into sin, and God's saving work to undo sin's consequences. It is divided into three parts: Torah, Prophets, and the Writings

What were other groups in Jesus' day other then the Pharisees?

The Sadducees, the Essenes, the Zealots, the Samaritans, the Herodians, and the Am ha-Aretz

How many books are in the New Testament and who do they include?

The Twenty-seven books of the New Testament include four books called Gospels, one book that traces the rise of the early church (Acts), twenty-one Epistles or letters, and one book of prophecy

Who was the author of the Gospel of Mark?

The author of the gospel of mark was John Mark, who worked with Peter and recorded his recollections of the life and work of Jesus

In what ways did Jesus fulfill God's intention?

The birth, life, teaching, death, and resurrection are all seen as the fulfillment of prophecy made years before Jesus' life on earth. God was actively involved with the unfolding of this plan he had laid out

What is the central theme of the Gospel of Mark?

The central theme the story of Jesus

How do the "people" confirm that Jesus is the Son of God?

The divine reality of Jesus is expressed by everyone he came in contact with, with the exception of some religious leaders

What are the bases of our high level of certainty regarding the text of the New Testaments?

The wealth of evidence, the brief time lapse, versions and Fathers (early church fathers that is), and the multitude of translations

What are the ancient division of the Old Testament canon?

Torah, Prophets and Writings

Who sent his son in 70 A.D. to destroy Jerusalem?

Vespasian sent his son Titus to destroy Jerusalem

How was the material for the Gospels first preserved?

by eyewitnesses

What are the major geographical regions of Palestine?

coastal plain, the Shephlah (foothills), the central mountain range, the wilderness, and the Jordan Valley (basically already put this up already, yay repetition)

What were the most significant unifying factors for the Jews?

relationship to God and their sense of uniqueness in word histories.

What do we call books that provide useful historical and religious information but are not inspired?

the Apocrypha (deutero-biblical books)

What are the five books of Moses called?

the Pentateuch

Who was the best known religious group in Jesus' day?

the Pharisees, who had two major schools of thought, the followers of Hillel and the followers of Shammai

What is the primary purpose of the Gospels?

the book says call people to faith but please kiddies remember Scott McKnight's book, get out those repressed memories

Talmud

the collection of ancient rabbinic writings on Jewish law and tradition (the Mishna and the Gemara) that constitute the basis of religious authority in Orthodox Judaism

What is the "Gospel form"?

the literary genre of the gospel; biographical

What were the strengths and weaknesses of Herod the Great?

the strengths were that he could be generous and sensitive to the feelings of the Jews and he was awesome and building cities (if he was alive today he'd be a lego master) his weakness were that he was easily swayed and mentally unstable

By the time three of the Gospels were written how far had the word of God had spread?

the vast Roman empire (that was vastly vague)

inspiration

the working together of God and the human writers in the composition of the Bible

An early description of the Gospels comes from...?

the writings of Justin Martyr in 155 A.D.

What are the Gospels trustworthy? (canceling out the importance of you know, your faith that what was written is true, give us a reason that would convince an atheist that the Gospels are trustworthy)

they are trustworthy because they were written when those who knew Jesus were still alive, they are directly linked to the apostles and God guided the authors (you didn't convince that atheist)

How was the land of Palestine divided after Herod the Great and what was the rule of his sons like?

three ways the land was divided, Archelaus was given Idumea, Judea, and Samaria and the title of ethnarch, he was brutal and tyrannical and a pain the butt which was met with much resistance until he was finally exiled. Antipas was given Galilee and Perea and the title of tetrarch. He was a vain, arrogant, pries ruler and a wuss in times of moral crisis and gave into peer pressure. Philip was given Batanaea, Trachonitis, and Arantitis and other territories to the northeast and the title of tetrarch. He was a super, special, awesome ruler who was praised but remained a humble dude.

Who is the author of Matthew?

until recent times matthew was the only author suggest for the Gospel bearing his name

Apocrypha

14 books of the Old Testament included in the Vulgate (except for II Esdras) but omitted in Jewish and Protestant versions of the Bible

Of the four gospels, how many were directly linked to the apostles?

3

How many Old Testament prophecies does the New Testament record?

80

Cite five reasons the Gospels were written

1- The speed and extent of the spread of the gospel message 2- As time went on the apostles aged and passed from the scene 3- The early believers were looking to the future 4- It was possible that inauthentic or perhaps distorted account were beginning to make their appearance, so the truth would need to be reordered while it could still be verified 5- The main reason for writing the gospels down was the need for factual material to use in the instruction of new converts

What were the administrative districts in Jesus' day?

Galilee, Samaria, Judea, Philip's territory, the Decapolis, and Perea

Where was Matthew written?

Although the Jewish flavor to the Gospel of Matthew suggest that it might have been written in Palestine, most scholars favor Antioch of Syria

Hasmoneans

An alternative name for the Maccabeans, the family of Jewish priests that began the revolt against Syria in 167 BC and that ruled Israel prior to the Roman conquest of 63 BC.

Who were Herod's descendants who ruled Palestine from 4 B.C. to A.D. 66?

Archelaus, Philip, Antipas, Herod Agrippa I, and Herod Agrippa II

When was the Middle East first influenced by Europe?

During the military campaigns of Alexander the Great

What district did Jesus live in as a boy?

Galilee

How does Matthew depict Jesus as the Teacher?

Jesus calls himself the teacher in the book of Matthew. His public ministry was directed towards instructing the people

In what was was Jesus the supreme authority?

Jesus practices supreme authority countless times throughout the book of Matthew over people, over demons, over leprosy, over the laws of gravity and the list goes on

In regard to sin, demons and nature what was Jesus?

Jesus was the healer

Jewish War

Jews rebelled against the Roman overlords, which lead to the crushing of the Jews and the second Diaspora, or dispersing of the Jews. , a history of the Jewish war written by Josephus - the war itself was from 66-73, and the turning point was the seige of Jerusalem by Titus and the detruction of the temple, war was extended by a civil war in Rome

Which New Testament scholar placed the date for Matthew at A.D. 40?

John Wenham

What is the relationship of the Old Testament to the New?

The New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old

Where were the New Testament manuscripts first written

New Testament manuscripts were first written on papyrus and later on leather. The manuscripts are of several types: papyri, uncials, minuscules, and lectionaries.

The earliest Christians collected information about Jesus which included what?

Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah an things that Jesus did and said/

What does "testament" mean in the titles "Old Testament? and "New Testament?"

Old promise and new promise

what was one of the reasons Luke wrote his Gospel account?

So that there would be an account that was orderly

The Gospels can best be described as what kind of writing?

biographies/ expanded biographical sermons

Why is it important to study the New Testament?

Study of the New Testament is important because it mediates God's presence, is of ultimate personal significance, and is foundational to cultural literacy

What three locations are suggested as the place where Matthew was written?

Syria, Palestine, and Antioch

Who was the audience of John Mark?

The Gospel of mark was most likely written in Rome with a Gentile audience in mind.

What are the four major kinds of writings in the New Testament?

The Gospels, Acts (the book that traces the rise of the early church), the Epistles (letters), and one book of prophecy

Josephus

The Jewish historian who confirmed a unified and recognized body of writing known as the Old Testament

What is the New Testament Canon?

The New Testament canon is an authorized collection of writings that came together over a span of three centuries. It was given to the church for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2Tm 3:16).

What is there personal ton of the New Testament?

The personal tone of the New Testament is seen in the fact that it is twenty-seven books are made up of twenty-four personal letters and three personalized accounts of the life and work of Christ

When is the date for when for Matthew?

The traditional dating for matthew places it some time prior to 70 A.D.

What are the five regions of Palestine?

Viewed from north to south, Palestine consists of five regions: the coastal plain, the foothills, a central mountain range, the wilderness and the Jordan Valley, and the eastern mountain range

Mishnah

Written down in about AD 200; contains collected teachings of the rabbis of the preceding four centuries; along with the Talmud, is the most important text of the oral Torah.

Religion was so important to the early Jews that every town had what?

a synagogue

Judaism was primarily what rather than a set of doctrines?

a way of life

What were other factors (less important) that unified the Jews

a- the idea that God has placed them in Palestine forever b- the messianic fervor of the time c- the synagogue d- the Torah and tradition, which included Sabbath keeping and circumcision e- the temple f- the priesthood g- the festivals

Canon

as defined by the ooh, an authoritative collection of documents

What is cultural literacy? What part does the New Testament play in acquiring it?

cultural literacy is the acquaintance with at least the broad aspects of science, the humanities, and the fine arts, We also mean familiarity with the beliefs, social organization, and moral traits of society. It can be argued that there was a time when our society was more influenced by such New Testament teachings as love for others, truth telling, sexual purity and veneration of marriage, and self sacrificial living

Who was Jesus' divine reality apparent to?

everyone and everything except certain religious leaders

When was Jerusalem destroyed by the Romans?

from 66 A.D. to 70 A.D.

How did Matthew arrange his Gospel?

he arranged his Gospel to emphasize how Jesus provided Israel and the world with a savior

What did Jesus command of those who he had helped or told something significant?

he commanded them to be silent about it

The message that Jesus died and rose again for our salvation is the blank of the gospel but not the blank of it.

heart, whole

What are the distinctive features of "apocalyptic"

ignoring the Mayans and the movie "2012" and focusing on the Biblical definition the features are that it has to stress the sovereignty and transcendence of God; it gives a description of the cosmic struggle o good and evil, God and Satan, angles...wait no ANGELS and demons. It has a dominance of a mood of strain and tension with pessimism concerning the present it will show expectations for the future.

What is the essence of the gospel as preached?

it includes God's offer of salvation; the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; and the call to faith in light of coming judgement.

Apart from spiritual reasons, why is the Bible also significant?

it is foundational to cultural literacy, no culturally literate person can afford to disrespect the profound insights that the New Testament offers into the human condition

What does the Apocrypha include?

over a dozen non canonical books written between 200 B.C. and 100 A.D.

What were the earliest manuscripts of the New Testament were written on?

papyrus

Kerigma

preaching the gospels in the manner of the early church, the core content of the preached word

Essenes

produced the Dead Sea Scrolls who lived at Qumran

What were the main theological beliefs of the Pharisees?

providence, the necessity of faith and good works, the last judgement, a coming Messiah, and the immortality of the soul.