New Testament

Old Testament gleanings God is One

Invisible, all-seeing, sovereign, all-powerful, totally good Takes the initiative to reveal Himself to one people Deeply concerned with justice

The human person (greatness & wretchedness) Made in the image of God Nature corrupted by sin (abuse of free will) Strong tendency to abase himself`before God-substitutes (idolatry)

‘You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve,’ said Aslan. ‘And that is both honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth.’ – C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian

Old Testament gleanings (2)

Election of Israel Initiative is God’s (not earned) Called to know & love God, and be a light to other nations Brings responsibility, not entitlement

The Covenant You shall be treasured You shall be holy, as God is holy

The Law A blueprint for how to respond to God’s love (how to become holy) Treasured as a gift, not just a burdensome set of rules But often not obeyed

Prophets said Israel’s faithlessness caused its downfall

Judaism in the time of Jesus

‘Early Judaism’ extends over 600 years (538 BC to 70 AD) Worship at the temple in Jerusalem, and at local synagogues Considerable diversity of sects & beliefs Contentious; very harsh rhetoric between factions

Serious conflicts over Class (wealthy vs. poor) Culture (favoring vs. resisting assimilation) Center of authority (temple vs. Mosaic law & prophetic values)

Temple priesthood had great authority, but questionable legitimacy Application of Torah to everyday life Beliefs

Eternal reward/punishment Resurrection of the dead

Messianic expectations Status of the oral law

Awaiting the Messiah

Davidic Kingdom not restored when Israel returned from exile in 538. Davidic covenant (2Sam 7:11-16) promised an unending royal line Kingship lasted 400 years David’s line had a historic ending in 587 under Nebuchadnezzar of

Babylon. The memory of the Davidic covenant continued. There was a promise of restoration (Isaiah 9:6-7) Expectations settled on a Messiah (“anointed one”), a

prophet-king who would: restore the lands of Israel free the people bring universal peace

The word of God Proclaiming the Good News Centered on the person of Jesus Christ Intimately connected to the Old Testament

What is the New Testament?

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. – John 20:31 Written in Greek (the ‘English’ of the eastern Mediterranean)

Written a generation or two after Jesus’ death & resurrection Written over a 40-50 year period (probably) Variety of genres, authors, viewpoints

Written for believers, to encourage belief

Books of the New Testament

Gospels Synoptics (Matthew, Mark, Luke) John

Acts of the Apostles Epistles

“Pauline” (written by, or associated with, St. Paul)Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, 1-2 Thessalonians,Philippians, Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians;1-2 Timothy, Titus; Hebrews

“Catholic” (written to the universal Church)James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude

Apocalypse (Revelation of John)

Criteria for Canonicity

Apostolic Origin Attributed to / based on the teaching of the first-generation

apostles, or their close companions

Universal Acceptance Acknowledged by all major Christian communities (by end of

fourth century)

Liturgical Use Read in public worship

Consistent Message Theological outlook similar or complementary to other accepted

writings

What is a Gospel? An account of the Good News

Containing stories and sayings of Jesus grounded in the teachings and actions of Jesus himself and, especially, his trial, death, and resurrection shaped by a generation of oral preaching & reflection,

under guidance of the Holy Spirit Arranged in sequence to form a narrative For the purpose of bringing the reader to faith in Jesus

Not a ‘biography’ More concerned with meaning than with satisfying our curiosity

Authoritative for Christian living & belief Christ’s life and teaching set the pattern for believers The four canonical gospels are our main access to this

What did Jesus do?

Proclaimed the Kingdom Lived among the lowly Healed the sick Forgave sins Taught with authority Said end would come soon Challenged people Commissioned disciples Prayed Identified himself as special Gave himself as a ransom Rose from the dead

Was baptized by John Faced temptation Never married Left no writings Aroused expectations Did not lead an uprising Aroused opposition Did not remake society

Changed the world

The Four Gospels None of the four states the name of its author

The tags “Gospel according to Mark” etc. are from a later time and may name the “authority” behind the work, rather than the writer

or master editor (“the evangelist”)

Four different points of view* Mark: Jesus is God’s triumphant envoy, despite being

misunderstood, rejected, and abandoned. Persevere. Matthew: Jesus fulfills the old Law; his followers are the new

Israel. Be righteous, forgiving; fulfill the law, esp. charitable acts. Luke: Jesus is savior, especially of the poor. Leave everything to

follow Him, share with the poor, accept everyone. John: Jesus is the Word made flesh; world is already judged.

See, believe, know, remain in Jesus & God; love one another; be in unity, serve humbly.

* Felix Just, S.J. http://myweb.lmu.edu/fjust/Bible.htm

Traditional symbols of the evangelists Man, angel – Matthew Lion – Mark Ox – Luke Eagle – John

Symbolism is fromEzekiel 1:1-14 and Rev 4:7

First suggested by Irenaeus Scheme above follows Jerome

Ivory lectionary cover, late 10th centuryMetropolitan Museum

Chartres Cathedral

West facade, tympanum of central portal, 1145–1155

Evangelists as Authors

All parts of all books of the Old and New Testaments “have God as their Author” – Dei Verbum, Vatican II

So should we conceive the evangelists as ‘taking dictation’?

The evangelists… Selected

Chose what to include and what to omit, from the many things Jesus said & did

Arranged Organized the selected material (thematically, not necessarily

chronologically) Shaped

Adapted their sources and told their stories to give the desired emphasis Proclaimed

Preached the Good News in ways appropriate to their audiences(See Raymond Brown, “The Churches the Apostles Left Behind”, 1984.)

Which is the real Jesus Christ?

The person the disciples knew and witnessed? The figure we get to know in the Gospels? The ‘Christ of faith’ (“one in being with the Father…”)? The figure reconstructed by selecting the “historically

verifiable” bits of the Gospel accounts?

The first three are intimately related to each other.

The fourth, the ‘historical Jesus’, is the least ‘real’. When one strips away everything influenced by faith, what remains is

not the person the disciples knew & witnessed, just a pale shadow. And the results differ markedly, depending on one’s assumptions.

Acts of the Apostles By the author of Luke

Luke and Acts constituted a single work in two volumes

A history of (parts of) the early Church Starting in Jerusalem, with the Ascension (probably 30 or 33) Developing a separate identity within Judaism

Growing in understanding of itself and its message Sometimes almost getting quashed by the authorities

Reaching to the gentiles as well Which occasions great controversy and soul-searching

And carrying the Good News eventually to Rome

Narrative ends in the early 60’s No mention of the persecutions in Rome under Nero (64) Nor of the revolt (66-74) and destruction of the temple (70)

Living Descendents of Early Judaism Christianity (about 2,100,000,000 adherents)

Jesus and the Apostles were steeped in the Old Testament Church’s liturgy has deep roots in synagogue worship Jesus’ teachings & salvific action introduced major new elements

Rabbinic Judaism (about 13,200,000 adherents) Response to destruction of the temple (and to Christianity) Closely based on the Pharisee tradition Unified beliefs & practices, toned down the rhetoric Codified the oral law (Mishnah, Talmud)

Karaite Judaism (about 50,000 adherents) Accepts only the written law, prophets & writings (Old Testament)

Samaritanism (about 500 adherents) Accepts only the Pentateuch

Epistles Earliest (and latest) NT writings

1, 2 Thes. (50-51); 2 Peter (probably after 95; maybe after 120)

Types Actual letters

written to a particular person or group address practical or theological issue relevant to particular situation author and recipient usually identified explicitly, at the beginning

Literary epistles letter-like form; intended for broader distribution

“Task theology” Working out the implications of Christ’s redemptive work Applying this, and His teachings, to particular situations Picking up the thread may require detective work: we have the

answer, but what was the question?

Not all by Paul?

Pseudonymy Current near-consensus is that 1Tim, 2Tim, and Titus were written

after Paul’s death (though they say they are from Paul) “…the best explanation may be that the Pastoral Epistles are letters

written by a follower of Paul, conscious of inheriting his mantle and seeking to give advice and instruction for the administration of local churches. The adoption of a revered name in such circumstances was a literary convention of the times, and the illusion could, as here, be supported by the mention of persons and places associated with the chosen figure.” – Introduction to Paul, New Jerusalem Bible

L.T.Johnson “1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus” gives an opposing view.

Apocalypse

A symbolic narrative that interprets an historical crisis through “God’s eyes”, to provide encouragement & hope Daniel (OT), War Scroll (Dead Sea Scrolls), Revelation (NT)

are all examples

Revelation Author: John (of Patmos)

Probably not the same as John the Evangelist (or John the Elder) Language, style, theology are somewhat close, but not close enough

Crisis: Persecution of the Church under Domitian (c.95) or Nero Topical references to Rome (the Beast), persecutions, and emperor-

worship Also portrays unchanging realities (God’s faithfulness; promise of

risen Christ to be with us always and everywhere)

How did the earliest believers see Jesus?

Fresco from the Catacomb of Sts. Marcellinus and Peter, Rome, early 4th Century

“Alexamenos worships his god”

Graffiti on plaster, Palatine Hill, Rome, early 3rd Century

Christ the lawgiver (divine and enthroned)

Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, Rome, mid 4th Century

Christ the miracle worker, Christ crucified

Door panels, St. Sabina, Rome, early 5th Century

Christ calling his first disciples

Church of St Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, early 6th Century

Christ the ruler of all (Pantocrator)

Icon from Monastery of St. Catherine, Sinai, 6th Century

How does the NT describe Jesus?

Christ / Messiah Gospel narrator’s designation (Mt 1:1, Mk 1:1, Jn 1:17) Usually a post-resurrection designation (hundreds of occurrences)

‘Christ’, ‘the Christ’, ‘Jesus Christ’ ‘Christ Jesus’ (only by Paul)

Also used by Jesus himself (rarely)

Mt 23:10, 24:5; Mk 9:41; Lk 24:26; Jn 17:3 Jesus confessed as ‘Christ’

by Peter : Mt 16:16, Mk 8:29, Lk 9:20; by Martha : Jn 11:27 Angels, demons recognize Jesus as ‘the Christ’ (Lk 2:11, 4:41) Human characters ask whether Jesus is the Christ

At his trial (Mt 26:68, Mk 14:61, Lk 22:67) During his ministry (Jn 4:29, 7:41, 10:24)

How else does the NT describe Jesus? Son of God

Used by Gospel narrators (Mk 1:1, Jn 20:31)

Used by angels, demons, Satan, and gentiles (Mt, Mk, Lk)

Used by Jesus himself (rarely) (Jn 3:18, 5:25, 10:36, 11:4)

Used by followers (JBap: Jn 1:34, Nathanael: Jn 1:49; Martha: Jn 11:27)

Used by believers after the resurrection:Acts 9:20; Rom 1:4, 2Cor 1:19, Gal 2:20; Eph 4:13; Heb (4); 1Jn (7); Rev 2:18

Holy One of God (demons; Peter Jn 6:69)

Son of Man Used by Jesus himself (almost exclusively) (81 occurrences)

Two other occurrences (Stephen : Acts 7:56; Rev 1:13)

How else does the NT describe Jesus? Teacher / Rabbi / Lord / Master

Lord of the sabbath (Mt, Mk, Lk)

King (Mt 16:28, Lk 1:33, Lk 22:29-30, Jn 18:36, Eph 5:5, Col 1:13) King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Tim; Rev) King of the Jews (Magi; Pilate) King of Israel (scoffers; crowd on palm Sunday; Nathanael)

Servant (‘Suffering Servant’ of Isaiah 53) Lamb

‘Lamb of God’ (JBap), ‘Paschal lamb’ (Paul), ‘the Lamb’ (Rev) Savior

Applied to Jesus (17 times); applied to God (7 times) Lord and savior (2 Pet)

The Word (Jn 1:1); God (Jn 1:1, Jn 20:28)

Other New Testament Terms

Disciples Apostles The Twelve The Gospel The Gospels Testament Passion Passion Narrative Paschal Paschal Mystery Duccio, “Last Supper”, 1308-11

How has Christ changed the world? All creation is redeemed

Every human event (all reality, in fact) is marked by: the creative activity of God which communicates goodness to all beings the power of sin which limits and numbs man the dynamism which bursts forth from the Resurrection of Christ

(GDC, art. 16)

The seed renewing believers is the hope of a definitive “fulfilment.” The Kingdom of God is inaugurated, but not yet consummated.

Individuals have access to eternal life (by sharing in God’s own life) Caution: requires acceptance of cross. (Mark 8:34; Romans 6:3)

“You cannot take all luggage with you on all journeys; on one journey, even your right hand and your right eye may be among the things you have to leave behind.” — C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

Gnosticism Large group of early heresies, with some common beliefs:

Matter is evil, spirit is good Soul’s involvement with matter is itself a fall

NT (spiritual) God is different from OT (matter-creating, warrior) God Creation of the world was an evil (or at least flawed) act

Jesus was really God, and only appeared to be human ‘True’ divinity would not mix itself with matter, and certainly would not

undergo death Salvation is through secret knowledge

Acts by the body do not touch the soul, if one has salvation

Serious threat to orthodox belief, esp. in early centuries Parts in the Creed (“maker of heaven and earth, of all things, seen

and unseen”) were prompted by need to resist Gnosticism

Patristic Christology

Problem: Are we saved (by Jesus) or not? Answer: If we are, Jesus must be divine (because only

God can save!)

Nicea (325):Jesus is homoousios with the Father — Jesus is DIVINE!

Athanasius against Arius: The Son is eternally begotten, thus divine.

What about the ‘Christ of Faith’?The Church has made statements about Christ that use words or phrases not found in the New Testament.

And it makes these statements binding on all believers.

Where do these doctrines & dogmas come from?

Patristic Christology (2)

Problem: If Jesus is divine, is Jesus sinless?(Apollinarius: If Jesus has a human soul, then he could sin.)

Answer: How can humanity be saved if part of human nature is not assumed by the Logos?

1 Constantinople (381):Jesus is homoousios with humanity — Jesus is HUMAN!

Gregory Nazianzen against Apollinarius: What is not assumed is not saved.

Problem: How do we get a human response of obedience to God to undo the sin of disobedience?

Answer: Don’t overly separate the human and divine in Jesus.

Ephesus (431):Jesus is ONE person (unity of person).

Patristic Christology (3)

Cyril of Alexandria against Nestorius:Mary is Theotokos – Mother of God – because whatever you say about the humanity of Jesus can be said about the divinity – “communication of idioms [or attributes]”

Osenga, “Madonna of the Annunciation”, 1995

Problem: If Jesus is only one personperson, is/has he also only one naturenature?(Eutyches: The divine nature absorbs the human nature)

Answer: If Jesus is truly homoousios both with God and humanity, then he must have both a divine and a human nature.

Chalcedon (451): Jesus is one divine person with two natures, divine and human; these natures are not mixed together, nor are they divided and separate.

Leo the Great and Flavian against Eutyches:Christ is consubstantial with the Father in divinity, and consubstantial with us in humanity; eternally begotten in divinity, and born of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in humanity.

Patristic Christology (4)

Why study Scripture?

A principal duty of believers is to be “configured to Christ” Not to be shaped by the word of God is to be shaped by the world “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ” – St. Jerome See John 5:39, 2Cor 3:18, 2Tim 3:15-17

Scripture is our main source of information about … God (His nature, His will for us, what He has done for us) the nature of the human person the meaning of life

Scripture connects us to the larger picture Situates us in a definite story Links us with believers of all places & times

A shared enterprise

Church transmits a living & authoritative interpretive tradition A (very) long memory, guided by the Holy Spirit Insights and experience of earlier generations are still relevant

especially when they challenge current opinion!

Specialists study the manuscripts, original languages, cultural contexts, literary forms, etc. Stupefyingly massive work, not itself spiritually nourishing But the main results are available and useful

Scripture is addressed to all, not just experts No one else can seek/know/obey/love God on our behalf It’s about transformation, not just information