ABC Continuing Education Portland, OR

Transcription

1 ABC Continuing Education Portland, OR Survey of the Gospels United Church of God, an International Association Lesson 1; Pre-existence; Genealogy; Birth of Christ 2009 United Church of God, an International Association

2 GLOSSARY OF IMPORTANT TERMS Old Testament: Hebrew Bible Traditionally called the Tanak by Jews (from Torah + Nevi im + Ketuvim) or the Old Testament by Christians; also called the First Testament by some modern scholars. A large collection of different books considered canonical scriptures by all Jews and Christians. Most are written in Hebrew (some in Aramaic and some with portions in Chaldean), mostly between the 9 th and 6 th centuries BCE. While Jews count them as 22 books (considering the Twelve Minor Prophets as one book), Christians subdivide some of these to make a total of 39 books (not including the Apocrypha). Jews group these ancient writings into three categories (Torah, Prophets, Writings), while Christians rearrange them into four categories (Law, Historical Books, Wisdom Books, Prophetic Books): Law Usually called Torah (Hebrew for teaching or instruction ), or the Pentateuch (Greek for five scrolls ), or The Five Books of Moses. These five books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) are considered the core of the Bible by Jews. Prophets Called the Nevi im in Hebrew; subdivided in Jewish Bibles into the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings considered Historical Books by Christians; also contain stories of early prophets like Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, Nathan, etc.), and the Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve Minor Prophets; note that Christians also count Daniel as one of the major Prophets, but Jews put Daniel in the Writings. Writings Called the Ketuvim in Hebrew; includes the books of Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Lamentations & Ecclesiastes (called Wisdom Literature by Christians today), and the books of Ruth, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1 & 2 Chronicles (considered part of the Historical Books by Christians), as well as Daniel. Septuagint (LXX) The collection of 46 books of ancient Jewish Scriptures in Greek, including translations of all 39 books of the Hebrew Bible (Daniel, Esther & Jeremiah are longer in the Greek versions than in the original Hebrew), as well as the seven additional books (the OT Apocrypha) not found in the Hebrew Bible. The LXX, which groups the books into four categories (Law, Historical Books, Wisdom Writings, and Prophets), was translated and compiled around 250 BCE, probably in or near Alexandria, Egypt. The name Septuagint (meaning seventy ) is connected with an ancient Jewish tradition which claims that 70 scholars translated the whole thing in 70 days. The entire LXX was considered scripture by most Greek-speaking Jews and by early Christians. OT Apocrypha Seven books in the LXX but not in the Hebrew Bible (Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch); they are not considered canonical by Jews and most Protestant Christians today, but are considered part of the biblical canon Page 1

3 G LOSSARY OF I MPORTANT T ERMS (called the Deuterocanonical Books) by Orthodox and Catholics; some Orthodox Bibles also contain other books not considered canonical by Catholics. Non-Biblical Ancient Literature: Pseudepigrapha Refers broadly to other ancient Jewish writings which are not part of the Hebrew Bible nor of the LXX, but are often attributed to a biblical figure (e.g. Jubilees, 1 Enoch, the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, etc.). They were popular among ancient Jews, and thus are very valuable for historical purposes, even if they were never considered biblical. Dead Sea Scrolls Several collections of ancient writings (2 nd century BCE to 2 nd century CE) discovered between 1947 and 1956 in various caves near the NW shores of the Dead Sea; most famous are the large scrolls and numerous small fragments found in eleven caves near the ruins at Khirbet Qumran, associated by most scholars with the Essenes (a monastic group in Ancient Judaism); although copies of most books of the Hebrew Bible were also found there, more important are the original writings of the Essene/Qumran group itself. Philo An important Jewish writer who lived in Alexandria in the early 1 st century CE (roughly contemporary with Jesus); he used Greek philosophical language and images to interpret Jewish biblical traditions (and vice versa). Josephus The most important Jewish historian from the late 1 st century CE; he was a general at the beginning of the First Jewish War against Rome, but surrendered early and then wrote a history of the Jewish War. Rabbinic Literature Talmud and Mishna are the most famous of these. They were written between the years 200 CE and 600 CE. The Mishna contained the oral traditions and the oral law. All scholars agree that the author of the Mishna was Rabbi Judah the Prince prior to his death in 217 CE. Although the oral law and the oral traditions predate the time of Rabbi Judah the Prince, they were not written down until his time. The Talmud is a commentary on the Mishna (oral law and traditions). There are several authors to the Talmud and it was recorded over a period of 400 years. There are two copies of the Talmud the Jerusalem (or Palestinian) Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud. While they are similar, they are not identical. The Babylonian Talmud is considered the most authoritative. Jews consider the Talmud and the Mishna on an equal footing with the OT scriptures. The New Testament: New Testament (NT) Sometimes called the Second Testament, especially by Jewish scholars. A collection of 27 early Christian writings composed by various authors in the late 1 st and every early 2 nd centuries CE. Page 2

4 G LOSSARY OF I MPORTANT T ERMS All 27 are written in Greek (the Koine or common Greek of the time), but some may have Aramaic sources. Most of these writings were already considered biblical or scriptural by Christians by the end of the 2 nd century. The official list of approved writings (the canon ) was not finalized until the beginning of the 4 th century. Gospels Early Christian narratives about the words and actions, the life and death of Jesus Christ. The NT includes three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke), called Synoptics because they see Jesus with the same eye. Each provides a similar chronological story of the life of Christ. The Fourth Gospel (John), which was later in time, and different from the Synoptics in content and style. All four were originally written in Greek between the late 60s and early 90s of the 1 st century. The official titles are The Gospel according to (although we often use the shorter but less accurate titles Gospel of ) Acts of the Apostles An early partial history of the spread of Christianity. It was written by the same person who authored the third Gospel (Luke). Thus Luke/Acts together should be considered a two-volume work, even if the two parts are now separated by John s Gospel. Epistles or Letters Written by some of the early apostles to various Christian communities or individuals, including: Fourteen written by Paul (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon). Seven catholic or general Epistles (James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 & 2 & 3 John, Jude); catholic means universal, general, indicating that these letters were written to a wider audience of many different Christians, not just one community. Book of Revelation Also called The Apocalypse. A book containing seven short letters addressed to the churches of Asia, and a long series of visions written down by John the apostle. Important Tools for Biblical Research: Study Bible An edition which prints not only the biblical text itself (as in a Reader s Bible ), but also extensive editorial material, including introductions, footnotes, crossreferences, and appendices with maps, charts, time-lines, etc. Page 3

5 G LOSSARY OF I MPORTANT T ERMS Bible Atlas A book containing maps and diagrams, and often also pictures and helpful discussions of biblical geography; good ones include the Harper s Bible Atlas and the Macmillan Atlas of the Bible. Bible Commentary A book of modern scholars explanations of biblical texts, arranged in biblical order (book-by-book, chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse); it usually includes notes on items necessary for understanding the text (Historical, geographical, linguistic, etc.), and a scholar s interpretation of its meaning (theological, rhetorical, and/or narrative). Good one-volume commentary is one written by Jamieson, Fausett, and Brown. Bible Dictionary Contains articles on most biblical names, places, images, themes, and other words in alphabetical order; the best ones currently available are the Anchor Bible Dictionary (ABD; 6 volumes; 1992), the Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible (IBD; 4 volumes, 1962), and the HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (1996). Lexicon A dictionary explaining the meaning of ancient Hebrew or Greek words, and usually also providing some references for where and how they are used in ancient literature. Concordance A book listing all the passages in the Bible (OT and NT) in which a particular word is used; be careful when using English concordances, since a particular Hebrew or Greek word might be translated with various different English words; so it is wise to also look up related words and synonyms. Parallel Bible An edition which prints several English translations (often 4, 6, 9, or 8) in parallel columns on the same pages so you can compare them easily. Interlinear Bible An edition in which each line of the original biblical text (OT Hebrew or NT Greek) is followed by a line containing a literal English equivalent directly underneath each Hebrew or Greek word; since the word order of the ancient languages is very different from any modern languages, the English equivalents seem very strange, chopped up, and out of order; thus a smooth English translation is usually also provided in the margins. Page 4

6 LIFE OF CHRIST, LESSON 1 REVIEW SHEET 1. Define the term Synoptic Gospels. Explain the differences between Synoptic and the Fourth Gospel or Johnanine Gospel. 2. Explain the genealogy lists of Matthew 1 and Luke 3. Why are they different? 3. When was John born? Explain the course of Abijah and what it has to do with the birth of John the Baptist. 4. When was Jesus Christ born? Season of the year? What year? How did you arrive at this season and this year? 5. According to the Seventy Weeks Prophecy, what year did the Messiah appear? And what year would He have been born? 6. What is the controversy over Quirinius and how can it be resolved? 7. Define the terms Nazarene and Nazarite. Page 1