Reli 104 key terms
Martyr
- from the Greek word martus, which literally means "witness." Christian Martyrs are those who "bear witness" to Christ even to the point of death
Diatersseron
A "Gospel harmony" produced by the mid-second-century Syrian Christian Tatian, who took the Four Gospels and combined their stories into one long narrative (Diatesseron literally means "through the four": this then is one long narrative told through the four accounts)
Stoics
Greco-Roman philosophers who urged people to understand the way the world worked and to live in accordance with it, letting nothing outside of themselves affect their internal state of well-being
Proto-Orthodox Christians
A form of Christianity endorsed by some Christians of the second and third centuries (including the Apostolic Fathers), which promoted doctrines that were declared "orthodox" in the fourth and later centuries by the victorious Christian party, in opposition to such groups as the Ebionites, the Marcionites, and the Gnostics.
Extispicy
A form of divination in Greek and Roman religions in which a specially appointed priest (haruspex) would examine the entrails of a sacrificed animal to determine whether it had been accepted by the gods
auspices (auspicy)
A form of divination in which specially appointed priests could determine the will of the gods by observing the flight patterns or eating habits of birds Ex: determined whether the gods were in favor of a projected action on the part of the state, such as a military expedition
Apocrypha
A greek term meaning "hidden things" - used for books on the fringe of the Jewish or Christian canons of Scripture. The Jewish Apocrypha comprises of books found in the Septuagint but not in the Hebrew Bible, including 1 and 2 Maccabees and 4 Erza.
Day of Atonement
In Hebrew, Yom Kippur, the one day of the year when the high priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple, to sacrifice first an animal to atone for his own sins, and then another to atone for the sins of the people of Israel
Johannine community
The community of Christians in which the Gospel of John and the Johnannine epistles were written. we do not know where the community was located but we can reconstruct some of tis history using the socio-historical method.
Passion
from a greek word that means "suffering" used as a technical term to refer to the traditions of Jesus last days up to and including his crucifixion hence (passion narrative)
Talmud
The great collection of ancient Jewish traditions that comprises the Mishnah and the later commentaries on the Mishnah, called the Gemarah. There are two collections of the Talmud, one made in Palestine during the early fifth century CE and the other in Babylon perhaps a century later. The Babylonian Talmud is generally considered the more authoritative
papyrus
a reed-like plant that grows principally around the Nile, whose stalk was used for the manufacture if a paper-like writing surface in antiquity
Criterion of independent attestation
a solution to the Synoptic Problem that maintains that there are four sources that lie behind synoptics. Mark was source of much of Matt and Luke; Q was source of saying found in Matthew/Luke but not in Mark; M was for material in only Matthew; L for material only in Luke.
Four-Source Hypothesis
a solution to the Synoptic Problem that maintains that there are four sources that lie behind synoptics. Mark was source of much of Matt and Luke; Q was source of saying found in Matthew/Luke but not in Mark; M was for material in only Matthew; L for material only in Luke.
Christ
same as Messiah
First copies of NT Examples
· P52 (Papyrus, 125 CE, Comes from the gospel of John about Jesus' trial with Pilate) - Discovered in Egypt in a buried city's trash dump - Papyrologist: one who studies papyrus - Codex (book-form, write on both sides of the page and sew them together in the middle) · P66 (200 CE, first page in the gospel of John) · Codex Vaticanus(parchment, beginning of gospel according to Matthew) - Famous manuscript - Written in 3 columns - 1st relatively complete copy from 270 CE · MS. 7
Thuds
(1)A first-century Jewish apocalyptic prophet (mentioned by Josephus) who predicted the parting of the Jordan River and, evidently, the reconquest of the Promised Land to the chosen people. (2) An early Gnostic Christian, allegedly the disciple of Paul and the teacher of Valentinus.
Nag Hammadi Library
- Discovered in Egypt in 1945 in a little village called Nag Hammadi Found by pure accident Most common story claims that farm hands were out in the area digging for fertilizer Name of leader of group was Muhammad Ali Someone's shovel hit something solid and it was a jar about 3 feet tall, sealed Afraid there might be an evil genie inside They smash it Inside there are 13 books Divide the books between seven, rip the books to split Some gave parts back to Muhammad Takes them back home and deposits them in the outhouse His mother uses some of the pages for fire Muhammad and his brothers were in a blood feud Muhammad's father was murdered The man who had murdered his father was up the road Kills man in his sleep and rips his heart out of his chest and eats it Afraid his house is going to be searched for evidence Gives books to local priests, who gives it to his brother in law who is a teacher Teacher realizes they are valuable and they are put in a museum in Cairo Books are found to be Gospels
Ebionites
- Jewish Christian movement -Type of Christians that believe Jesus was empowered by God's Spirit to do remarkable miracles and to teach the truth of God.(Jesus was 'adopted' when he was baptized and the heavens opened up) Then, at the end of his life, he fulfilled his divine commission by dying as a willing sacrifice on the cross for our sins, and now reigns in heaven.
Greco-Roman biography
- Most famous authors of Roman antiquities: Plutarch, Suetonius, Tacitus -most modern biographies are full of facts: names, dates, places, and events - modern show concern for historical accuracy - in modern, the inner life of a person is emphasized Ancient biographies were less concerned with facts about an individual's life - research methods were different and many of them, for our purposes, are lacking when it comes to reliability of information - biographies relied on oral information that had circulated for long periods of time - ancient biographies put less emphasis on facts about a person and what happened in their lives, and put more emphasis on portraying their essential characteristics and personality traits - The Gospels are considered to be ancient biographies
Gospel of Luke
- One of the Synoptic Gospels
Gospel of Matthew
- Written sometime around 80 or 90 CE - One of the Synoptic Gospels - Can be studied through Genre Criticism and Redaction Criticism Ex: Jesus' Genealogy - emphasizes that Jesus is a Jew by saying he is the son of David who is the son of Abraham - 7 is perfect number - Jesus' Followers who keep the Law - For Matthew- You have to do the law and teach others to do the law - You have to be more righteous than the the most righteous - Matthew took the commandments further - You shall not commit adultery- you should not lust after a woman - Matthew affirms the Jewish religion, while rejecting the Jewish leaders Ex: Jesus calls the leaders hypocrites and whitewashed tombs rotten inside The story of the Magi(The visit of the wise men to Jesus) To Matthew- Salvation does not come by knowing the Truth, it comes from following it Pagan wise men learn the truth later and choose to follow it
Gospel (capitalized)
- a literary genre - a written account of "good news" brought by Jesus Christ, including episodes involving his words and/or deeds. The four main Gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. - Scholars have wrestled with what Genre the Gospels are - Gospels as a supernatural history( prior to 1800) Thought the Gospels happened but the miracles of Jesus were of supernatural origen then came about: Rationalism - the way to understand the world was to use reason(you could figure out everything in the world through reason in your own brain) We no longer need to rely on miracles to explain things The Gospels as Natural History (Heinrich Paulus) - miracles were just misunderstood and there is a rational way to explain them all Ex: Jesus feeds the multitudes Ex: Jesus walked on water Ex: Jesus is resurrected - The writings of Josephus knows an event in which the Romans crucified two of his friends. He asked for them to be taken off the cross and they were. While Jesus is hanging on the cross, he goes into a coma and they think he is dead. The soldier stabs him and revives him. He is alive and the disciples thought he was raised from the dead. The Gospels as Myth (David Friedrich Strauss) - A story that is true, but a story that never happened- a story that is trying to convey a truth by telling a fiction, a history-like story that conveys an idea Ex. Jesus walking on water: gravity doesn't effect Jesus because he does not have a body Gospels as biographies - ancient ones however - different from modern biographies - different sources - characteristics - emphases Ex: Jesus as the Messiah born in Bethlehem (account from Luke and account from Matthew are different) The Originals - Do not have original copies - have later ones - copied by hand - oldest copies are from the 2nd century - 5600 copies of NT in original Greek language
Gospel of Mark
- written in 70 CE - 40 yrs after Jesus' death - One of the Synoptic Gospels - 220 CE is the earliest found copy of Mark - Codex Vaticanus is first full copy of Mark Variations within Mark: - Mark 1:41 Sympathy or Anger? - Mark 15:34 - Forsaken or Mocked? - Mark has an abrupt ending - because it actually ended? - people left it out when telling about it? - The page was lost? - The whole thing is a secret Mark contains the commandment to Secrecy which other gospels don't have
Gospel of John
- written in 95 CE
Manuscript
Any handwritten copy of literary text
4 characteristics of apocalypticism
1. Dualism - belief that there were two forces in the world, good and evil 2. pessimism - pessimistic about the earth because forces of evil are more powerful than us 3. vindication - God made this world and he will redeem it 4. imminence - the end is going to happen right away
Honi the "circle drawer"
A first century BCE Galilean who was reputed to have done miracles and had experiences similar to those of Jesus
Torah
A Hebrew word that means "guidance" or "direction," but that is usually translated into "Law". As a technological term it designates either the Law of God given to Moses or the first five books of the Jewish Bible that Moses was traditionally thought to have written- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Gentiles
A Jewish designation for a non-Jew - Many of the Gospels were written for a gentile audience(
Sadducees
A Jewish party associated with the Temple cult and the Jewish priests who ran it, comprising principally the Jewish aristocracy in Judea. The party leader, the high priest, served as the highest ranking local official and chief liaison with the Roman governor - information from Josephus and the NT - real power in Palestine - members of Jewish Aristocracy in in Jerusalem who were associated with Jewish priesthood in charge of the Temple cult - most Sadducees were priests themselves - with large influence on communities, Sadducees emphasized cultic worship of God as stated in the Torah - Torah (five books of Moses) were the only books Sadducees accepted - focused on sacrifices at the Temple and working relations with the Romans - denied existence of angels - do not believe in afterlife
Synagogue
A Jewish place of worship and prayer, from a Greek word that literally means "being brought together"
Pharisees
A Jewish sect, which may have originated during the Maccabean period, that emphasized strict adherence to the purity laws set forth in the Torah - claimed 6000 members - believed in one true God that would chose them as his people if they were devoted to him and scriptures - attacked in parts of the NT (especially in Matthew) - Christians accuse them of hypocrisy - because Law of Moses tells you something to do but not how to do it (keep the Sabbath Day Holy) they made a set of laws to follow which eventually became traditions - Oral Law was produced alongside written Law ( Law of Moses) - no real political power in Jesus' day - best seen as a separatist group - word Pharisees comes from a Persian word that means "separated ones"
Sicarii
A Latin term meaning, literally, "daggermen," a designation for a set of first century Jews responsible for the assassination of Jewish aristocrats thought to have collaborated with the Romans
Mithras
A Persian deity worshiped in a mystery cult spread throughout the Roman world
Tertullian
A brilliant and acerbic Christian author from the late second and early third centuries. He was from North Africa and wrote in Latin one of the best-known early Christian apologists.
Mishnah
A collection of oral traditions passed on by generations of Jewish rabbis who saw themselves as the descendants of the Pharisees, finally put into writing around 200 CE - claimed to be the heart of Jewish sacred collection of texts
Sanhedrin
A council of Jewish leader headed by the High Priest, who played an advisory role in matters of religious and civil policy
Sanhedrin
A counsel of Jewish leaders - chief priests were often involved - Saducees - Pharisees - Essenes
Signs source
A document which no longer survives, though by many scholars to have been used as one of the sources of Jesus' ministry in the fourth Gospel; it reputedly narrated a number of the miraculous deeds of Jesus.
Mystery cults
A group of Greco-Roman religions that focused on the devotees' individual needs both in this life and life after death, so named because their initiation rituals and cultic practices involved the disclosure that were to be kept secret from outsiders. - ill informed about their existence and practices - atypical practices - individual and community need (rain, fertility, victory, peace, prosperity) - no one cult seemed to have held one god higher than the other - people worshipped individual god
Herodians
A group of Jewish leaders, according to the gospel of Mark, who were allegedly allied closely to the family of Herod and were thought, therefore, to be collaborators with the Romans
Fourth Philosophy
A group of Jews that Josephus mentions but leaves unnamed, characterized by their insistence on violent opposition to the foreign domination of the Promise Land
Gnostics
A group of ancient religions, some of them closely related to Christianity , that maintained the elements of the divine had become entrapped in this evil world of matter and could be released only when they acquired the secret gnosis (Greek for "knowledge") of who they were and how they could escape. Gnosis was generally thought to be brought by an emissary of the divine realm. - 2nd and 3rd century - spread across the Mediterranean - Many Gnostics believed Marcion - others believe Jesus was 2 distinct people, both human and divine - Some believed that Jesus was one the Gods in the Divine Realm (Metaphysical Dualism) - many Gnostics love Gospel of John
Augurs
A group of pagan priests in Rome who could interpret the will of gods by "taking the auspices."
Valentinians
A group of second and third century Gnostics who followed the teachings of Valentinus with a set of myths comparable to those of the Sethians, but more closely aligned with the beliefs of proto-orthodox Christians in whose churches they worshiped and from whom it was difficult to distinguish them.
apocalypse
A literary genre in which the author, usually pseudonymous, reports symbolic dreams or visions, given or interpreted through an angelic mediator, which reveal heavenly mysteries that can make sense of earthly realities.
Genius
A man's guardian spirit (that of a woman was called Iuno)
comparative method
A method that is used to study a literary text by noting its similarities to and differences from other, related, texts, whether or not any of these other texts was used as a source for the text in question. *We know what we know only in relation to everything else we know - used comparative method on the stories of Nicodemus (John 3) and the Samaritan Woman (John 4). - driven by the weakness of redaction criticism - Does not depend on establishing a known source of the book - Compare two fairly similar texts whether or not one is the source for the other - Can do it with all the Gospels - works must be similar
Socio-historic method
A method used to study a literary text that seeks to reconstruct the social history of the community that lay behind it. - used it to figure out that the Gospel of John was written around the Johhanine community - places a great deal of emphasis on Jesus teachings - beliefs were not excepted in the original Jewish community - community separated and their own church was establish
L
A non-existent source that was used as a source for the Gospel Luke
M
A non-existent source that was used as a source for the Gospel Matthew
Apollonius of Tyana
A pagan philosopher and holy man of the first century CE, reported to do miracles and to deliver divinely inspired teachings, a man believed by some of his followers to be a son of God.
Asclepius
A popular Greek god known in particular for his ability to heal the sick.
Sethians
A prominent gropu of Gnostics known from second and third centuyr sources who told copmlicated myths about how the divine realm and the material world came into being, In order to explain both how individuals souls had come to be entrapped here and how they can escape by acquiring gnosis
apology
A reasoned explanation and justification of one's beliefs and/or practices, from a Greek word meaning "defense"
Suetonius
A roman historian of the early 2nd century, best known for a multivolume work giving biographies of the roman emperors, The Lives of the Caesars.
The infancy Gospel of Thomas
A second century book that was not included in the NT because it was considered heretical - What Jesus was like as a kid - Jesus from 5-12 years old - Jesus has powers that he cannot control yet - Joseph sends Jesus to school and Jesus withers teachers almost comical
Marcion
A second-century Christian scholar and evangelist, later labeled a heretic for his docetic Christology and his belief in two Gods - the harsh legalistic God of the Jews and the Merciful loving God of Jesus - views that he claimed to have found in the writings of Paul - believed that Paul was the true apostle to whom Christ had appeared after his resurrection to impart the truth of the gospel - believed that Paul's writings effectively set the Gospels of Christ over the Jewish Law
Songs of the Suffering Servant
A set of four poems or songs found in Isaiah 40-55, in which the prophet speaks of a "Servant of the Lord" who suffers for the sake of the people of God. Jewish interpreters typically understood this to refer to the Jews who were sent into exile to Babylon; later Christians claimed that the passages referred to a suffering messiah, Jesus. (The term "messiah" is not used in these passages)
Magic
A term that is notoriously hard to define, "magic" usually refers to religious practices that are not sanctioned by society at large or by the community in which they are found. Sometimes magic is referred to as the "dark side" of religion, involving sacred activities and words that are socially marginalized.
Hanina nem Dosa
A well-known Galilean rabbi of the first century, who was reputed to have done miracles comparable to those of Jesus
Gospel Harmony
Any literary attempt to take several Gospels and combine them into a longer, more complete Gospel, by incorporating the various accounts into one, such as Tatian's Diatesseron.
Roman Empire
All of the lands conquered by Rome and ruled, ultimately, by the Roman emperor, starting with Caesar Augustus in 27 BCE; prior to that, Rome was a republic ruled by the senate.
The Apocalypse of Peter
An account of Heaven and Hell as told by Peter - Jesus gives Peter of a tour of Heaven and Hell - Hell is brutal
Covenant
An agreement or treaty between two social or political parties that have come to terms; used by ancient Jews in reference to the pact that God made to protect and preserve them as his chosen people in exchange for their devotion and adherence to his Law.
Hasmoneans
An alternative name for the Maccabeans, the family of Jewish priests that began the revolt against Syria in 167BCE and that ruled Israel prior to the Roman conquest of 63 BCE
Pesher
An ancient Jewish way of interpreting scripture, used commonly in the documentaries of the Dead Sea Scrolls, in which a text was explained as having its fulfillment in persons or events of the present day
Nag Hammadi
An apocalyptic and ascetic Jewish sect started during the Maccabean period, members of which are generally thought to have produced the Dead Sea Scrolls
Essenes
An apocalyptic and ascetic Jewish sect started during the Maccabean period, members of which are generally thought to have produced the Dead Sea Scrolls - believed that Jews of Jerusalem had gone astray and started their own community in which they could keep the Mosaic Law rigorously and maintain their own ritual period in the wilderness - The expected the end of the world to be imminent - believed that there would be two messiahs in the kingdom, one a king and one a priest
Dead Sea Scrolls
Ancient Jewish writings discovered in several caves near Qumran, widely thought to have been produced by a group of apocalyptically minded Essenes who lived in a monstic-like community from Maccabean times through the Jewish War of 66-70 CE. - term Essene never occur in the scrolls but we know from Roman writer Pliny the Elder that a community was located in the area - found in 1947 by a shepherd boy searching for his lost goat - found earthernware jar that contained a number of old scrolls - once scholars caught wind, they devised a search, in which they found full scrolls or scrolls in thousands of pieces - most written in Hebrew - others written in Aramaic - at least partial copies of every book of the Jewish Bible(except the book of Esther) - we can check to see whether Jewish scribes copied them accurately - for the most part, they did - principally written to show that the predictions of the ancient prophets had come to be fulfilled in the experiences of the Essene believers and in the history of their community
Genres of the NT
Ancient biographies: Gospels are considered this Jesus' birth, life, death, resurrection Acts: The spread of Christianity after Jesus' death by Peter and Paul Epistles: Formal letters, the beliefs and the ethics of Christianity (21 books) - Pauline (13 books) - General/Catholic (8 books) Revelation: The culmination of Christianity, what will happen at the end of time - coincides with the Apocalypsism
Epicureans
Ancient group of followers of the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who maintained that the gods were removed from the concerns of human life and so were not to be feared or placated. Happiness came in establishing a peaceful harmony with other like-minded people and enjoying the simple pleasures of daily existence.
Epistle
Another designation for a private letter. Some scholars have differentiated between "epistles" as literary writings in the form of a letter, which were meant for general distribution, rather than for an individual recipient, and "letters," which were a nonliterary form of personal correspondence. This differentiation between epistles and letters is not widely held today, however, so that the terms that tend to be used synonymously
Paganism
Any of the polytheistic religions of the Greco-Roman world, an umbrella term for the ancient Mediterranean religions other than Judaism or Christianity - Cultus Decorum(worship and care of the Gods) - polytheism - Concern for present existence - they were not about the afterlife but about the life they were living - Cultic acts - Church and State - Tolerance
Divination
Any practice used to ascertain the will of the gods - early Greco-Roman World
Anthanasius
Athanasius An influential fourth-century Church Father and bishop of the large and important church in Alexandria, Egypt. Athanasius was the first church writer to list our twenty-seven New Testament books. looked at antiquity orthodoxy catholocy apostolicy
Daimonia
Category of divine beings in the Greco-Roman world. Daimonia were widely thought to be less powerful than the gods but far more powerful than humans and capable of influencing human lives.
Adoptionist
Christians that reject the story of Jesus' immaculate conception and birth from the Virgin Mary. They belief Jesus was "adopted" by God to be the savior of the world.
Genre criticism
Criticism in which you study the Gospels through their different Genres - Gospels are ancient biographies
catholic
From the greek word meaning "universal" or "general" used of the New Testament epistles James 1/2 Peter 1/2/3 John, Jude and sometimes Hebrews to differentiate them from the letters of Paul
Eusebius
Early-Fourth-Century Church Father known as the "Father of Church History," as his ten volume book, "History of the Christian Church", was the first to provide an extensive chronicle of of Christianity's early years, from the days of Jesus down to Eusebius' own time (the early part of the reign of Constantine).Eusebius is the primary source of information for many of the events and writers of the first three centuries of the church.
Isis
Egyptian goddess worshipped in mystery cults throughout the Roman world
Where has Christianity been dominant for the past two thousand years?
Europe and the New World * Huge part of Western civilization
Platonists
Famous Greek philosopher from fourth-century BCE Athens, many of whose ideas- including the tension between the realms of matters and spirit- influenced Christian thinkers in the early centuries of the church.
Plutarch
Famous philosopher, historian, and biographer from 2nd century. Known particularly for his essays on moral philosophy and the biographies he wrote of famous Greek and Roman men.
Irenaeus
Famous proto-orthodox Church Father and "heresiologist" of the second century whose five-volume work "against heresies" written around 180 CE is a major source of information for Gnostic and Other "Heretical groups.
Josephus
First-century Jewish historian, appointed court historian by the Roman Emperor Vespasian, whose works The Jewish War and The Antiquities of the Jews are principal resources for information about life in first-century Palestine. - The Antiquities of the Jews: 20 volumes written in 93 C.E. - first known Jewish source to tell about Jesus - mentions Jesus twice (one was about his brother James and the other affirms he was the Messiah) - advisor of Titus - born in Jerusalem - Romano-Jewish Scholar
house churches
For centuries Christian communities did not meet in buildings specially built for the purpose but in private homes. Often it was the owner of the home who was the leader of the church. Such communities which met for worship instruction fellowship and the celebration of rituals such as baptism and the Eucharist, are known as house churches.
Messiah
From a Hebrew word that literally means "anointed one," translated into Greek as Christos, form which derives our English word Christ. In the first century CE, there was a wide range of expectations about whom this anointed one might be, some Jews anticipating a future warrior king like David, others a cosmic redeemer from Heaven, others an authoritative priest, and still others a powerful spokesperson from God like Moses.
Heracleon
Gnostic living around 170 CE who wrote a commentary on the Gospel of John, the first known to have been written by a Christian on any part of the Bible
Herecleon
Gnostic living around 170 CE who wrote a commentary on the Gospel of John, the first known to have been written by a Christian on any part of the Bible
Marcionites
Group of second-century Christians who followed the teachings of Marcion, a Christian scholar - they believed that there were 2 Gods, the God of the Old Testament, and the God of the New Testament - "an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" vs "turn the other cheek" - believed that Jesus was not of flesh and blood and was not actually born - Jesus only seemed to be human - Huge contrast between Jewish Christians and Marcionites - Jewish Christians believed that Jesus was completely human and not divine - maintained there was only one God - Marcionites: used Paul, Luke - Jewish Christians: rejected Paul, used Matthew
Lares
Household deities commonly worshiped in homes throughout the Roman world, thought to protect the home and it's inhabitants, and often identified with the spirits of the family's ancestors
Penates
Household deities commonly worshiped throughout the Roman world, thought to protect the pantry and foodstuffs in the home
Aeons
In Gnostic myth, divine beings who are offspring of the one true, unknowable God. - Attributes that came forth from the unknowable God - Life comes as its own entity, spirit as well - Series of emanations - all of them make up the PLEROMA - Final AEON was called Sophia = wisdom in Greek - Sophia wants to understand the PLEROMA and falls from the divine realm - her emotions become deformed divine beings - Ialdabaoth is one of Sophia's sons and he thought he was the one true god - he trapped Sophia on the earth
Sophia
In Gnostic mythology the final (female) aeon who fell from the divine realm, leading to the birth of the demiurge (Ialdabaoth) who then created the material world as a place to imprison her. - sophia means "wisdom" (see metaphysical dualism)
haruspex
In Roman religion, a specially trained priest skilled in the practice of extispicy.
Son of God
In most Greco-Roman circles, the designation of a person born to a god, able to perform miraculous deeds and/or to convey superhuman teachings; in Jewish circles, the designation of persons chosen to stand in a special relationship with the God of Israel, including the ancient Jewish kings
Temple
In pagan circles, a temple was any holy place devoted to one or more divine beings where sacrifices could be made in accordance with established religious principles. For Judaism there was only one legitimate Temple, the one in Jerusalem, an enormous complex that contained the holy sanctuary and, within it, the Holy of Holies, where God's presence on earth was believed to dwell (curtain).
Voluntary Associations
In the Greco-Roman world, privately organized small groups of people who shared common interests and met periodically to socialize, enjoy a common meal, and conduct business; two of the best known types were trade associations (composed of members of the same profession) and burial societies
Superstition
In the ancient world, superstition was understood by the highly educated upper classes as an excessive fear of the gods that drove a person to be excessively scrupulous in trying to avoid their displeasure
Apostles
Jesus' original followers - New Testament is claimed to be written by them Generally one who is commissioned to perform a task, from Greek word meaning "sent"; in early Christianity, the term was used to designate special emissaries of the faith who were understood to be representatives of Christ.
Judas Maccabeus
Jewish Patriot who led the family responsible for spearheading the Maccabean revolt
Antithesis
Literally "contrary statements" used as a technical term to designate six sayings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in which he states a Jewish Law and then sets his own interpretation over it.
Pentateuch
Literally, the "five scrolls" in Greek, a term used to designate the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, also know as the Torah or Law of Moses
Scribes
Literate Christians responsible for copying sacred scripture
Secessionists
Members of the Johannine community who according to the author of 1 john had "seceded" the community to form a community of their own. 1 John which calls these people "antichrists" suggests that they had adopted a decetic christology not allowing that Christ was fully human
Simon Magus
Mysterious figure first named in Acts 8 (called there simply "Simon") who was able to perform magical deeds (hence the sobriquet "Magus") and who was thought to be in competition with the apostles for followers. Later Christians insisted that Simon Magus tried to wrest converts from the apostles by doing magical deeds to convince them of his own power. One later noncanonical text, The Acts of Peter, narrates a series of miracle-working contests between Peter and Simon Magus (Peter, of course, wins). Starting in the second century, Christian heresy-hunters claimed that Simon Magus was the first Gnostic.
Beloved disciple
Nickname for the "disciple whom Jesus loved" in the Gospel of John who plays a prominent role in the Passion narrative but is never named. Older tradition identified him as john the son of Zebedee and claimed that it was he who wrote the Gospel.
Messianic secret
Term for one of the intriguing literary features of Mark, which is that even though Jesus is shown to be the Messiah, he tries to keep his identity a secret.
Criterion of dissimilarity
One of the criteria commonly used by scholars to establish historically reliable material; the criterion maintains that if a saying or deed of Jesus does not coincide with the agenda of the early Christians, it is more likely to be authentic.
Justin Martyr
One of the earliest "apologists" Justin lived in Rome in the mid-second century
Sepphoris
One of the two major Greek cities in Galilee, just four miles from Jesus' hometown of Nazareth. Scholars debate whether Jesus was influenced by the culture of Sepphoris or if, indeed, he ever went there.
"The Egyptian"
Prophet who also had a large mass of people with him who he brought to the Mount of Olives and proclaimed the destruction of the walls of Jerusalem (like Jericho) and they were also slaughtered by the Roman's
Pliny the younger
Roman aristocrat who ruled the province of Bithynia - Pontus in the early second century C.E., and whose correspondence with the Emperor Trajan contains the easiest reference to Christ in a pagan source
Pontius Pilate
Roman aristocrat who served as the governor of Judea from 26 to 36 CE and who was responsible for ordering Jesus' crucifixion - blame is placed on Pontius Pilate in some of the Gospels more so than others - Mark seems to blame Pontius Pilate more - Luke sends Jesus off to Herod first and Pilate is often seen to advocate for Jesus - Pontius Pilate washes his hands of Jesus Crucifixion in Matthew and the Gospel of Peter - set barrabas free
Tacitus
Roman historian of the early 2nd century whose multivolume work The Annals of Rome provides substantial info about Roman history from the beginning down to his own time.
Herod the Great
Ruler of Galilee, Samaria and all of Judea (and so "King of the Jews") from 40 to 4 BCE; this Herod was allegedly ruling when Jesus was born, and is known in Christian history for killing all the baby boys in Bethlehem in an attempt to destroy the baby Jesus (according to the Gospel of Matthew)
The Epistle of Barnabas
Second century Letter of Barnabas that almost made it into the NT but it was rejected because it was claimed to be Anti-Jewish - "The Jews rejected God, so God rejected the Jews" - Moses broke the stone tablet of the Ten Commandments and therefore broke the covenant - The Jews mistook the Laws as a literal guide Ex: don't eat pork aka don't be like a pig meaning don't pray to God when needed and not when not needed Ex: rest on the Sabbath
Golden Rule
Sermon on the mount "do unto others as you would have them do to you"
Cult
Shortened form of cultus deorum, a Latin phrase that literally means "care of the gods," generally used of any set of religious practices of worship. In pagan religions, these normally involved acts of sacrifice and prayer.
Herod Antipas
Son of Herod the Great, and ruler of Galilee from 4 to 39 CE; this was the Herod who executed John the Baptist and who was involved with the trial of Jesus according to the Gospel of Luke
Antiochus Epiphanies
The Syrian monarch who attempted to force the Jews of Palestine of adopt Greek culture, leading to the Maccabean revolt in 167 BCE
Polytheism
The belief that there are many gods, a belief that lies at the heart of all of the ancient pagan religions
Monotheism
The belief that there is only one God (sometimes distinguished from "henotheism," which acknowledges that other gods exist, but insists that only one is to be worshiped)
Law
The beliefs of a certain religious group - normally entails a book of teachings that the group lives their lives by and follows Torah = Jewish Law Mosaic Law - Law of the Pharisees
Resurrection
The doctrine originally devised within circles of apocalyptic Judaism which maintained that at the end of the present age those who had died would be brought back to life in order to face judgement:either torment for those opposed to God or reward for those who sided with God. The earliest Christians believed that Jesus had been raised, and concluded therefore that the end of the age had already begun. In Christian apocalyptic thought it was believed that the rewards and punishments in the future resurrection would hinge on one's relationship with Christ, as either a believer or a nonbeliever
Maccabeans
The family of Jewish priests that began the revolt against Syria in 167BCE and that ruled Israel prior to the Roman conquest of 63 BCE
Octavion/Augustus Caesar
The first Roman emperor, ruling from 27 BCE-14CE. Octavian was the great-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar, and a great general who brought unity to Rome after it had experienced prolonged and bloody civil wars. Early in his reign Octavian assumed the name "Caesar Augustus," which means something like "most revered emperor." - during the time of Pax Romana - Jesus was born during his reign and died during the reign of his successor
Metaphysical Dualism
The gnostic belief that the universe is divided into 2 components: 1. Matter 2. Spirit - Spiritual world is good - material world is a problem - the body is a trap and the earth is as well - bad things happen in the body(sickness) - In order to escape your body you must have the divine spark - secret knowledge - need to know where you came from, how you got here and how you can return from matter - need someone to come from the divine realm to tell you the truth = HEAVENLY REDEEMER - the chosen few - 3 types of human beings 1. Pure animals 2. others who can have an afterlife - good Christians 3. Gnostics with a spark - Heresiologists believe that because Gnostics devalue the body, they do whatever they want without moral reasoning = libertine - This is WRONG - they practiced self denial = ascetic
Alexander the Great
The great military leader of Macedonia (356 - 323 B.C.E.) whose armies conquered much of the eastern Mediterranean and who was responsible for the spread of Greek culture (Hellenism) throughout the lands he conquered. - Died as a young man but incredibly significant in western civilization - Son of Phillip - tutor was Aristotle - founded Alexandria - took over Persian empire and made it his own Greek Macedonia - brought greek culture and religion wherever he conquered(Greek Gods, places of worship, Greek Gymnasiums) - After his death, his land was divided up into different pieces for different rulers
Holy of Holies
The innermost part of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, which was completely empty, but in which God's presence on Earth was believed to dwell. No one could enter this room except for the high priest on the Day of Attonement, to make a sacrifice for the sins of the people. - Often used in the Gospels to show that once the curtain had ripped after Jesus' crucifixion, the realm between God and humans had been torn, and Jesus was the sacrifice - Luke the curtain was torn before Jesus death
Greco-Roman world
The lands (and culture) around the Mediterranean from the time Alexander the Great to the Emperor Constantine, roughly 300 BCE to 300 CE
Chief Priests
The leaders of the priests in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem - Many of them would be actively involved in Sanhedrin - ultimate leader was the high priest - Chief priests in the Gospels were often discussed with a negative connotation - normally associated with elders and Pharisees in that they focused on Jewish Law - authors of the Gospels would often put blame on the chief priests for Jesus' crucifixion, all apart of antisemitism Ex:
Passover
The most important and widely celebrated annual festival of Jews in Roman times, commemorating the the Exodus from Egypt. Jesus was crucified on the day of Passover. - looked to the future, when God would save them again from the Romans, their present overlords - Roman presences was not appreciated during the celebration - Passover often led to violent uprisings against the Romans - Jesus was a sacrifice for sins during the Passover - Disparity between Mark and John in Jesus' crucifixion - Jesus is crucified on the first day of Passover in Mark - Jesus is crucified on the day of preparation before the passover in John
Vicarious suffering
The notion that one person's suffering occurs in the place of or for the sake of another.
Theophilus
The person to whom "Luke" addressed both of his volumes, the gospel and the book of Acts. Scholars debate whtere theophilus as a real person - possibly a highly placed Roman Administrator - or whether the name was instead symbolic. it literally means either "beloved of God" or "lover of God". If symbolic it would refer to the christian individuals or communities who were the author's intended audience.
General history
a genre of anceint literature that traced the significant events in the history of a people to show how their character (as a people) was established. Examples of the genre include Josesphus's antiquities of the Jews and the Acts of the Apostles
synoptic problem
The problem of explaining the similarities and differences between the 3 synoptic gospels - Markan Priority - Triple Tradition = same story in Matthew Mark and Luke Ex. The parable of the rich young ruler: Many of the words in the story are the same in Matthew, Mark, and Luke - There are no words that are in both matthew and Luke that are not in Mark, showing that they both descending from Mark Double tradition: Story in Matthew and Luke not found in Mark = Q Redaction criticism - If Matthew is copying a story from Mark, but there are some differences, that means that Matthew intentionally changed the stories
Equestrian
The second-highest socioeconomic class of ancient Rome (below senator), comprising wealthy aristocrats.
Sermon on the Mount
The sermon found only in Matthew 5-7, which preserves many of the best-known sayings of Jesus (including Matthew's form of the Beatitudes, the Antitheses, and the Lord's Prayer)
Q
The source used by both Matthew and Luke for the stories they share, principally sayings that are not found in Mark from the German word Quelle meaning "source". the document no longer exists but can be reconstructed on the basis of Matthew and luke
redaction criticism
The study of how authors modified or edited their sources in view of their own vested interest or concerns. This type of criticism has been used by scholars to study the gospels and how the authors of the gospels changed accounts based on what they believed or wanted to emphasize about the message of Jesus. Ex: Jesus' trial before Pilate Luke tries to emphasize the innocence of Jesus, more so than Mark Weaknesses: 1. criticism does not often take into account what has been decided to keep in the Gospels 2. criticism goes off of assumption and if assumption is wrong, whole theory collapses
Septuagint
The translations of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, so named because of a tradition that 70 Jewish scholars had produced it
Gospel
When this word is capitalized, it refers to a literary genre: a written account of the "good news" brought by Jesus Christ, including episodes involving His words and/or deeds - 4 Gospels of the new testament -
gospel
When this word is not capitalized, it refers to no book but to the proclamation of "good news" of Christ's salvation
Zealots
a group of Galilean Jews who fled to Jerusalem during the uprising against Rome in 66-70 CE, who overthrew the reigning aristocracy in the city and urged violent resistance to the bitter end
I am sayings
a group of sayings found only in the Gospel of John in which Jesus identifies himself. In some of the sayings he speaks in metaphor ("I am the bread of Life") and other times he identifies himself simply by saying "I am" - a possible reference to the name of God from Exodus 3 ("Before Abraham was, I am" John 8:58) - Jesus is basically stating that he is divine and the son of God, sent to e the savior of the world
Genre
a kind of literature with specific literary features in the modern world for example there are short stories, novels and limerick poems each with their own distinctive features; in the ancient world there were biographies, epic poems general histories and many other genres. The major genres of the new testament are Gospels (which are most like religious biographies) Acts (most like general histories) epistles, and apocalypses.
Contextual method
a method used to study a literary text by first determinging its social and historical context and then using that Context to help explain the text's meaning - opposite of socio-historic method
textual criticism
an academic discipline that seeks to establish the original wording of a text based on the surviving manuscripts
Tradition
any doctrine , idea, practice, or custom that has been handed down from one person to another.
Christology
any teachings about the nature of christ
Apostolic Fathers
collection of noncanonical writings penned by proto-orthodox Christians of the second century who were traditionally thought to have been followers of the apostles; some of these works were considered Scripture in parts of the early church manuscripts: any handwritten copy of a literary text
baptism
from the Greek term 'baptizo,' which means "to immerse." The earliest Christian practice of baptism in water appears to have been an initiation rite (it was a ritual that one underwent when joining the Christian community); it probably derived from the practice of John the Baptist, who baptized Jews, including Jesus, in anticipation of the imminent arrival of the end of this age and the coming of the Kingdom of God. (Jewish cleansing rituals were repeated as the need arose; John's baptism, like the Christians' later, appears to have been a one-time occurrence.) Later Christians assigned other meanings to the rite: the apostle Paul, for example, saw it as he mystical act of dying with Christ to sin.
Ialdaboath
in Gnostic texts, the name of the Creator God. (see Metaphysical Dualism)
Prophet
in ancient israelite religion, a prophet was a person who delivered God's message to his people eventually the term came to refer to writers who produced literary accounds of God's word ( prophets such as isaiah and Jeremiah). In christian circles prphets were those who spoke god"s message in the community services of worship possibly on occasion in a state of ecstasy.
Kingdom of God
in the teachings of Jesus, the Kingdom of god appears to refer to an actual kingdom that will come to earth to replace the wicked kingdoms that are now in control of affairs and of God's people, here. This would be a utopian kingodm where truth, peace and justice were restored; it would be ruled by God's anointed one (the messiah). - belief of Apocalyptic Jews - often associated with Resurrection, where the Son of Man will come down and place judgement upon those who were once dead, and either punish or exalt them - relates to Dualism: earth is ruled by forces of evil and the Son of Man at the end of time will come to destroy the forces of evil and establish a perfect kingdom - Kingdom of God can be seen on the earth through the good deeds of God's followers - could be ruled by the messiah which could be a divine priest or other being
heretical
of or relating to a religious belief contrary to the church dogma ex. Some Jewish Christians reject the writings of Paul bc Paul blasphemously taught that Christ brought an end to Jewish Law. heretic: A person with the belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious (especially Christian) doctrine.
Contextual credibility
one of the criteria commonly used by scholars to establish historically reliable material with respect to the historical Jesus, the criterion maintains that ifa saying or a deed of Jesus cannot be credibly fit into his own first-century Palestinian context, then it cannot be regarded as authentic.
Theadus
prophet who Josephus wrote about claiming that he had a large crowd of Jews and was going to part the Jordan river allowing them to cross on dry land but the Roman authorities had them slaughtered and brought back Theudas' head.
canon
term that describes any recognized collection of texts - comes from a greek word meaning "ruler" or "straight edge" - the canon of the New Testament is a collection of books that Christians accept as authoritative Criteria applied for canonization: 1. antiquity 2. apostolicity 3. catholicity - books were used universally throughout Christianity 4. Orthodoxy
scriptio continua
the ancient practice of writing without using spaces to separate words
Markan priority
the belief that Mark was the first Gospel written and both Matthew and Luke use Mark as a source - Four-Source hypothesis - sources are Mark L, M, and Q - evidence for belief?
Ignatius
the biship of Antioch Syria in the early second century. he was arrested by the Roman authroities for Christian activities and sent to Rome in order to be thrown to the wild beasts in the arena. On his journey to martyrdom he wrote seven letters which still survive. These letters are included among the writings of the Apostolic Fathers.
farewell discourse
the final discourse that Jesus delivers in the Gospel of John (not found in the synoptics) chapters 13-16 this discourse may have been created by combining two different accounts of Jesus' last words to his disciples before his arrest - in John, Jesus speaks A LOT - coincides with the fact that John is so different from the Synoptic Gospels - after the conclusion of the last supper -First, Jesus tells the disciples that he will be going away to the Father, that he will send the Holy Spirit to guide the disciples. - Jesus bestows peace on the disciples and commands them to love one another. - The expression of the unity of love between Jesus and his Father, in the Spirit, as it applies to his disciples in the love of Christ, is a key theme in the discourse, manifested by several reiterations of the New Commandment: "love one another as I have loved you" - "I am divine and you are debranches"
historiography
the literary reconstruction of historical events, the writing of history and the study and analysis of historical narrative
Autograph
the original manuscript of a literary text from a Greek word meaning "the writing itself"
docetists
the view that Jesus was not a human being but only appeared to be, from a Greek word meaning "to seem" or "to appear" - this was the beliefs of the Marcionites - Marcion(second century Christian Scholar) his beliefs were viewed as heretical by scholars
oracles
where people perplexed about their own future could go to get private direction for the god - person adresses a question to god - prestess would enter into a trance and become filled with the divine spirit - deliver a response and response would be written down
