Untitled

Scripture and Canon

• Scholars find early signs of Christians viewing their writings as scripture within the New Testament itself
• Marcion did not believe in the Jewish God, considering their God a false one, and created the first New Testament canon because of it and believed in the Gospel (only Luke's) and his favorite writer was Paul because he believed Paul detested the Jewish faith
• Marcion only included 10 letters of Paul and Luke's Gospel
• Marcion edited out any mention of the Jewish God and any reference to the Old Testament
• Marcion's ideas scared the early church, indirectly leading to the canonization of Christian scriptures
• Athanasius created his New Testament canon to end disputes about scripture authority, his list was only authoritative for Athanasius' churches in Alexandria
• Suggesting the New Testament canon was set by 367 CE (when Athanasius wrote his 39th festal letter) is misleading
• Paul's gospel emphasizes salvation through faith in Christ, differing from other early Christian leaders, which influenced the canonization of Christian scriptures
• The four canonical New Testament Gospels were attributed to important first-generation Christian figures at some point
• Important motivating factors in the canonization of Christian scriptures are unknown

Hellenistic Judaism and Greco-Roman Philosophy

• Ancient religion differs from modern religion with modern religion placing emphasis on holding the right beliefs where ideas are more important than ethnicity
• Ancient religion differs from modern religion because it was polytheistic, drew lines between religions with ethnicities, practiced syncretism (identification of the gods of a local conquered population with their own gods), paganism, tied to natures
• Ancient religion differs from ancient philosophy with ancient philosophy being monotheistic, trans-ethnic (after 333 BCE), intellectual (tends to be critical of myth and ritual), conversational
• Ancient people tended to think of conversion as contemplation
• Hellenistic Jews like Josephus characterized Judaism as a form of philosophy in their apologetic defenses against gentile anti-Jewish sentiments because their Jewish culture looked more like a Greek philosophy than a pagan religion with moral guidelines to live by
• Josephus suggested Judaism was superior to Greco-Roman philosophy because Plato learned from Moses and the Jews had law before the Greeks

Apocalyptic Judaism

• The factors that brought about the Hellenization of Jerusalem under Antiochus IV is unknown
• The three Jewish groups formed in reaction to the Hellenization of Jerusalem under Antiochus IV are acceptance, rejection and military resistance, and rejection and withdrawal
• The integration of Hellenistic education and politics contributed to the conflict between Jewish groups under Antiochus IV in an unknown way
• Demos means all male citizens of the city
• Boule means a smaller council of older men who made decisions in front of the demos
• Ephebeia means a young boy that learned reading and writing
• Ekklesia means the voting body of citizens
• Gymnasium means the naked place and education consisted of reading, writing, rhetoric, and exorcise
• Events that motivated Jews like Judas Maccabeus to rebel against Antiochus IV and his Jewish allies are unknown
• The withdrawal of some Jews from Jerusalem motivated the writing of apocalyptic Jewish texts like Daniel 7-12
• The five interrelated features of Apocalyptic Judaism are that it accentuates the essence of Judaism (trust In a moral God), pacifism (God is the judge), visions of judgement, afterlife reward/punishment, and Pseudonymous authorship
• All but Pseudonymous authorship are common to all forms of late Second Temple Judaism
• Apocalyptic Jewish texts like Daniel 7-12 frame their messages as a record of the visions revealed to ancient Jewish wise persons so they use ancient wisdom to lend authority to their message

Historical Jesus

• The historical Jesus wanted to reform the Temple to allow all Jews to worship God, Jesus healed people in a state of ritual impurity, because Jesus was a Jew he kept purity laws, Gentiles did not have access to the temple to offer sacrifices so it was downplayed in the Gospels
• Sources of ritual impurity are contact with corpses, bodily fluids, and some animals

Paul's Letters

• The interpretation of Paul's letters in each of the following schools includes mention of: whether a school believes that the Law justifies; who according to the school Paul thinks should not be circumcised and why; whether the school thinks that Jews need to affirm beliefs about Jesus as messiah and divine mediator; and whether “faith” is a Jewish idea according to the school in an unknown way
• Paul against Judaism interpretation says that Judaism as a religion of works-righteousness (earns ones salvation) cannot be fulfilled
• Paul and Judaism interpretation says that all letters were written to gentiles not Jews, when Paul criticizes circumcision, he is criticizing Judaizing gentiles, two-covenant model of salvation: gentiles needed Christ and Jews need Torah
• Paul within Judaism interpretation says that Paul doesn't convert but remains a Jew, he likely continued to observe the Torah when not around gentiles, gentiles are saved precisely as gentiles not by becoming Jews
• Faith means trust and Paul said it justifies and saves
• Paula Fredriksen describes Paul's gentile Christ-followers as ex-Pagan Pagans and Jews do not need to convert to Judaism they just need to avoid offering sacrificing to worship pagan gods and keep the 10 commandments
• Matthew Thiessen's most distinctive features of the interpretation of Paul's letters are no to Paul against Judaism, yes to Paul and Judaism, no to Fredriksen because gentiles become Jews through the Sprit, no to Paul and Judaism because he believes that Paul thought gentile sin is too deep to be solved by circumcision
• Gentile Christ-followers in Galatia wanted to get circumcised so they wanted to receive recognition from other Jews that they also belong to God
• Paul justified having a different gospel (understanding of how people [particularly gentiles] are saved by the faith of Jesus) given his past as persecutor of the church and as someone who did not know Jesus during his earthly lifetime in an unknown way
• Jews most likely believed that gentiles who wished to worship the God of Israel faithfully and exclusively needed to be circumcised in Paul's time
• Ways the Corinthian ascetics in 1 Corinthians were similar to and different from gentile Christ-followers in Galatia who wanted to be circumcised are unknown
• Paul takes the story of Abraham in the book of Genesis to be support for his theory of justification through faith in Galatians because justification comes through faith, not the Law
• Paul's chain of sins (Rom 1:18-32) corresponds to his theory that believers are justified through faith and to his mind/passions and spirit/flesh model of the soul in an unknown way
• Sexual activity that was natural and culturally acceptable for Greco-Roman culture was based on a class and societal hierarchy where the true man was the active participator and the not true man was the passive
• Paul does not require his gentile Christ-followers to maintain ritual purity laws because they don't need the law to have faith in God
• Philosophical asceticism is unknown
• Comparing later forms of asceticism such as celibacy (life-long abstinence from sex) or ideas about asceticism as simply deprivation of pleasures (such as food, drink, sex) to philosophical asceticism is unknown
• Forms of philosophical asceticism the Corinthian ascetics practiced are unknown

Passages

• Be familiar with major points made about these passages in lectures including Dan 7:1-14 and 1 Cor 7:29-32

Daniel 7:1-14

• The vision of the four beasts and the coming of the Son of Man is the theme
• Daniel's Vision of Four Beasts: Daniel sees four great beasts rising from the sea, symbolizing four kingdoms that will arise on earth, these kingdoms are typically interpreted as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome (or variations depending on the interpretation)
• The Ancient of Days: The vision shifts to God, who is portrayed as the Ancient of Days, sitting on His throne and judging the beasts, ultimately destroying them
• The Son of Man: In verses 13-14, the Son of Man is given authority, glory, and a kingdom that will last forever, this figure is traditionally seen as a messianic symbol and is interpreted by Christians as referring to Jesus, the Son of Man's dominion is everlasting, contrasting with the fleeting power of earthly kingdoms
• Significance: The passage emphasizes God's sovereignty and ultimate triumph over oppressive earthly powers, for Christians, it foreshadows the Second Coming of Christ and His eternal reign

1 Corinthians 7:29-32

• Living in the light of the present crisis and the impending return of Christ is the theme
• The Present Crisis: Paul speaks of the "shortness of time" and encourages believers to live as if the current world is passing away, this implies an eschatological urgency, likely reflecting the imminence of Christ's return or a significant crisis in the early Christian community
• Adapting to the Present Circumstances: Paul advises that those who are married, mourning, or involved in worldly affairs should not be overly attached to these things, as the kingdom of God is of greater importance
• Eschatological Urgency: There is an emphasis on the temporary nature of worldly life, and Christians should focus on eternal concerns rather than the fleeting concerns of this world

1 Corinthians 8:1-9

• Knowledge vs love in the context of idolatry and food sacrificed to idols is the theme
• Knowledge: Paul begins by noting that knowledge (of God and Christian freedom) can lead to pride, but love builds up the community, some in the Corinthian church believed they had knowledge that certain idols were nothing, but Paul cautions that such knowledge can be a stumbling block to weaker believers
• Love over Knowledge: Paul emphasizes that love for others should guide Christian behavior, especially in matters that could lead others into sin or confusion, Christians should avoid exercising their freedom in ways that could cause a fellow believer to fall
• Impact on the Community: Paul's advice in this passage highlights the importance of considering the welfare of others in the community, even when it means limiting one's freedom to protect others from sin or spiritual harm

1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 12-26

• Unity in diversity within the body of Christ (the church) is the theme
• Diversity of Gifts: Paul stresses that there are different gifts, ministries, and activities within the body of Christ, but all are empowered by the same Holy Spirit, these gifts are meant for the common good and to build up the church
• The Body of Christ: In verses 12-26, Paul compares the church to a body with many parts, each having a different role but all being essential for the proper functioning of the whole, each part of the body is equally important, and there should be no division or hierarchy among believers based on their gifts or roles
• Interdependence: The passage emphasizes that Christians are interdependent on one another, the weaker members of the body should be honored, and no one should be neglected, the unity of the body is paramount, and believers should work together in mutual respect and care for one another

Galatians 1:11-20

• Paul's defense of his apostolic authority and the gospel he received is the theme
• Paul's Apostolic Calling: Paul defends his apostolic authority by emphasizing that his gospel was not received from human sources but directly from Jesus Christ through revelation, this is crucial because Paul is combating the influence of false teachers who were promoting a different gospel
• Paul's Transformation: He recounts his past as a persecutor of the church and how God revealed Himself to him, calling him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, Paul's transformation highlights the authenticity of his message and his divine commission
• Importance for the Galatians: This passage is important for the Galatian church because it establishes Paul's authority to teach and preach the gospel and refutes the teachings of those who were trying to impose Jewish laws on Gentile believers

Galatians 2:15-3:5

• Justification by faith, not by works of the law is the theme
• Justification by Faith (2:15-21): Paul asserts that no one is justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, he uses his confrontation with Peter (Cephas) in Antioch as an example of the dangers of living according to the law (hypocrisy) and the necessity of living by faith
• The Purpose of the Law (3:1-5): Paul explains that the law was given to reveal sin but could not justify anyone, justification comes through faith in Jesus Christ, he rebukes the Galatians for starting in the Spirit (by faith) and then trying to complete their salvation through the flesh (works of the law)
• The Holy Spirit: In verse 5, Paul references the Holy Spirit as a sign of God's approval and work in the believers' lives, highlighting that the Spirit comes through faith, not the law
• Faith vs Law: Paul makes it clear that the law's purpose was never to justify, and relying on it leads to failure, he calls believers to trust in faith in Christ, which brings salvation and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit