Biblical Tradition- Test #2
Murphy on "Gospel Texts" (CP 70-107)
****************
Why study the Gospels historically?
-take in consideration the historical context at the time in which the gospels were written. The Gospels were written a long time ago,
-Gospels are foreign literature
-...
Biblical Tradition- Test #2
Murphy on "Gospel Texts" (CP 70-107) - answer ****************
Why study the Gospels historically? - answer -take in consideration the historical
context at the time in which the gospels were written. The Gospels were written a long
time ago,
-Gospels are foreign literature
-Meaning= contextual
Why does a NT reader/interpreter need to know "the biblical story", i.e., the OT? -
answer -Everything in the NT draws on the biblical story in the OT
-You need to know the OT to understand the NT
-Jesus uses references from the OT to tell stories in the NT
Overall, what was the experience of first c. Jews under Roman imperial rule? - answer
-Oppressive
-Empire were heavily militaristic
-Had to pay taxes by giving of flocks, crops, money. However these taxes weren't
collected for the good of everybody- everything went to the emperor
-Taxes for the temple ->Slaughtering of animals
-Crucification- brutal, public death
-Led to resentment of the Roman Empire
Historically, what was Pontius Pilate like? - answer Historically Pilate was very brutal.
So much so that he was eventually removed and exiled. (This is interesting as in the
gospels he seems to be portrayed as a "good" guy, who didn't really want to crucify
Jesus)
Because the Gospels look like history, Christians tend to assume they are historically
accurate and to read them as though they are. Why is this a dangerous assumption and
procedure? - answer -This is a dangerous process because these are texts that have
influenced relations between Jews and Christians over centuries and continue to do so.
Their purpose is to support Christians in their belief that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah,
whom the majority of Jews did not accept. The gospels tend to blame Jewish unbelief
on their leadership. One cannot expect to a balanced, fair view of Jesus's fellow Jews
from these writings.
Although Judaism in the first c. was diverse, all Jews shared some basic beliefs. Identify
those shared beliefs. - answer -monotheistic
-Descendants of Abraham
-Importance of the Torah, Temple, & Land
-Election --> God chose them to be His people
, Define "cult." What was required of a Jew in order to participate in the temple cult? -
answer -cult= any people's system of worship
-Jewish cult --> worship in the Temple
-What was required? - A certain level of ritual purity (laws of clean & unclean, or pure &
unpure)
What is "purity'"? Why was deliberate transgression of purity rules considered serious? -
answer -Purity= worthiness to worship the Holy God (inpurity does not equal sin)
-Deliberate transgression of purity rules was considered serious due to fear that inpurity
could spread & danger the entire community
What is the meaning of circumcision as practiced by Jews? - answer - It was a sign
of the covenant. (The Jews were God's chosen people)
In first c. Judaism, what is the difference between temple and synagogue? - answer -
Temple= one temple, the place where God's glory dwelt, animal sacrifices occurred
here, run by the priests (the temple was very important to the Jews bc it was a symbol
of their identity)
-Synagogue= many synagogues, places of teaching of the Torah, Prayer services, run
by the Pharises
What is the Sanhedrin? - answer - The greek word synedrion means "council"
-The Sanhedrin or Council in the Gospels is the aristocratic council of Jerusalem
What is apocalypticism? an apocalypse? What is the central conviction of apocalyptic
thought? - answer -Apocalypticism= a worldview prominent in Jewish Palestine in the
latter centuries before the Common Era and in the first few centuries if the Common
Era.
--> This is the worldview that is found in apocalypses
-Apocalypses= revolutionary literature in which a superhuman figure, often an angel,
imparts a vision or spoken revelation to a human, often referred to as a seer, since he
or she often sees visions.
- Central to this form of apocalypticism is the conviction that the world is not as it should
be.
What was the function of priests? How did one become a priest? - answer -
Function= carry out all practices in the temple; leaders of the temple; offer up sacrifices
-Became a priest by hereditary line (who you descended from)
Who were the Sadducees? What did they believe (or not believe)? - answer -
Sadducees= wealthy, powerful, elite priests
-They did not believe in the afterlife/ resurrection of the body
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