DB2

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1. Give a brief description of the primary focus of each of the three quests for the historical Jesus. Be sure to explain how they are different and how they ended. Describe two contemporary challenges to the New Testament portrayal of Jesus. The first quest was derived from the book The Wolfenbüttel Fragments, which argued the relation between the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith. This first quest used source criticism and resulted in the believe that “Jesus taught the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God, promulgated the ethics of the kingdom, and died a death that was exemplary in its self-giving, sacrificial nature rather than truly redemptive.” [1] The second quest used tradition criticism, which deviated its focus from the canonical gospel and concentrated on books such as the Gospel of John, the Gospel of Hebrews, among others. Scholars in the third quest aimed to “locate Jesus as an actual historical figure” and used different kind of tradition criticism. [2] All three quests attempted to find the historical Jesus using facts from various sources which ultimately presented Jesus as a cynic, a revolutionary, or any conclusion any person may think of Him. The third quest, in my opinion, causes the most amount of trouble as it leaves the identification of Jesus up to people, which in turn can identify Him in many different ways. This open-ended view led to many erroneous portrayals of Jesus. One contemporary challenge to the NT is the traveling cynic philosopher that practically views Jesus as radical preacher whose main purpose was to eliminate social hierarchies. Another contemporary challenge is the feminist Jesus that saw Him as a liberator of women “from male-dominated social structures and Roman imperialism.” [3] 2. List and describe the four criteria of authenticity according to the textbook. How are these criteria used in studies of the Gospels? Where do critical scholars assign the burden of proof regarding the authenticity of Jesus material in the Gospels? How would you defend the historical accuracy of the Gospels to a skeptic? The Criterion of Multiple Attestation or forms proposes, “material about Jesus is probably authentic if it appears in two or more ancient sources that did not rely on each other.” [4] The Criterion of Palestinian Environment or language “suggests that a section of material in the Gospel is probably authentic if it appears to be a fairly literal translation of a Semitic (Hebrew or Aramaic) original into Greek.” [5] The Criterion of Dissimilarity “suggests that material in the Gospels is authentic if the sayings or deeds of Jesus recorded in the account are dissimilar to those expected from the Judaism of his day or from the practices and theology of the early church.” [6] The Criterion of Coherence is material that is likely early and authentic if it is consistent with material judged to be authentic based on other criteria. Scholars used these criteria to identify reliable material in the Gospels regarding Jesus. The criterion of authenticity is where scholars place an unreasonable burden of proof on the Gospels. I would defend the historical accuracy of the Gospel by explaining that the Gospels are accurate as they were written during the time of Jesus and they are witness accounts of His teachings, including His miracles. Also, it is important to understand that the authors of the Gospels preserved accurate history, which correlates with the findings of today’s archeologists. Another aspect is that the Gospels make reference to accounts pertinent to their time and place in history. [1] Andreas J. Köstenberger, L. Scott Kellum, and Charles L. Quarles, The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2009), 112. [2] Ibid., 115. [3] Ibid., 121. [4] Ibid., 148. [5] Ibid., 149. [6] Ibid., 150. 3. According to your textbook, what are the dates for Jesus’ birth and death? What are the critical datum we use to attain these dates? Give a short chronology of Jesus’ life. How does the Gospel of Matthew depict the birth and youth of Jesus? What is the primary purpose of Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus? According to Kostenberger’s text, Jesus was most likely born in the winter of 5 BC, and crucified in AD 33. Evidence from Matthew 2:1 and Luke 1:5 shows that Jesus was born toward the end of Herod the Great’s reign. As Josephus states, Herod died after an eclipse on March 12/13 and before Passover in 4 BC. The latest option for Jesus’ birth would then have to be in the spring of 4 BC. Jesus was at least born by early 6 BC, based on the slaughter of children ordered by Herod in an attempt to kill the Messiah. John the Baptist’s ministry is clearly recorded in Luke 3:1-2, placing John’s ministry between August AD 28 and December AD 29. Jesus’ ministry began just months after John’s. If Jesus was the baptized in AD 29, He would have been about 32 years old at the beginning of His public ministry. Jesus’ ministry lasted only 3 ½ years, with evidence in John and the Synoptic gospels that the Last Supper was a Passover meal that took place on a Friday. These details most likely place His death in AD 33, when He was crucified on a Friday and rose three days later on Sunday.

The Gospel of Matthew explains the birth and youth of Jesus to his Jewish audience as the ultimate fulfillment of the Old Testament promises and prophecy. He emphasizes Jesus as the Immanuel born of the virgin, the new Moses, and the Messiah born in Bethlehem; all in fulfillment of the Old Testament Scripture. In chapter 1:1-17 of his gospel, Matthew writes the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew includes Jesus’ family tree to prove He is a son of Abraham, fulfilling the divine promise that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him as Genesis 12:1-3 states. Give a definition of the word "canon" and describe the basic criteria and time-line of the formation of the New Testament canon. Why did early Christians feel a need to establish an authoritative list of Scripture? What element in the criteria is most important in your opinion? Which element is least important in your opinion? Be sure to give reasons why you chose these particular elements. How would you respond to a person who claimed that the canon of the Bible should still be open? The word canon comes from the Greek word kanōn, which means rule or standard. There are four basic criteria the early church used to identify New Testament books with divine inspiration. “The first was apostolicity, that is, direct or indirect association of a given work with the apostle.” [1] “The second criterion of the canonicity was a book’s orthodoxy, that is, whether a given writing conformed to the church’s ‘rule of faith.’” [2] “The third criterion was a book’s antiquity, that is, whether a given piece of writing was produced during the apostolic era.” [3] The last criterion is the ecclesiastical usage that identifies texts that have been generally used by the early church. I believe that apostolicity and antiquity are the most important criteria as they identify and single out texts that are true to the author, the time, and place where the texts were written. Antiquity also removes Gnosticism, which emerged in the second century, thus removing texts (i.e. Gospel of Thomas) that were a heretical threat the Christianity. I find the ecclesiastical criterion to be the least important as it does not define the truth behind the making of the book. Just because the church used it does not translate that it should be part of the canon. Formation for the NT canon is believed to have started in the late 40s up until the first century. The purpose for establishing an authoritative list of Scripture was due to the church’s demand for books that follow apostolic teachings in order to be read in the churches. For a person to believe that the canon should continue to be open is unreasonable as it would not meet any of the criteria mentioned above and would skew the meaning, purpose and canonicity of the NT. List and compare the beliefs and origins of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. Describe which parts of these groups' beliefs you agree with and which parts you disagree with. Give your reasons for agreement or disagreement. Which party controlled the Temple and was apparently on better terms with the Romans? Which group had a majority in the Sanhedrin? Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes were Jewish sects from the Maccabean period. Pharisees were very strict about following the law and believed they stood apart from those who were negligent. However, they did believe in the resurrection and angels. The Sadducees “were connected to the aristocracy and observed only the Pentateuch.” [4] The Sadducees also “held the majority on the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, denied the future resurrection, and eschewed a belief in angels.” [5] They were also supporters, along with the Pharisees, of Jesus crucifixion. Essenes originated from the division of the Hasidim, they were devout Jews who studied the Scriptures and engaged in various biblical rituals. I agree with the belief of the Essenes and their practice to study Scripture. I also agree with the Pharisees belief in the resurrection and angels. On the other hand, I do not agree with the Sadducees’ beliefs as they only observed the Law of Moses as a closed canon and did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Sadducees were in control of the Temple and were in good terms with the Romans. In Matthew 27, the Sadducees and the Pharisees met with Pilate to have two guards at the tomb of Jesus. This was only one of the many instances where these religious leaders met with the Roman leader. [1] Andreas J. Köstenberger, L. Scott Kellum, and Charles L. Quarles, The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2009), 9. [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid., 10. [4] Ibid., 72. [5] Ibid., 95.

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