New Testament Exam #2 Study Guide PDF

John - Written primarily for Jewish followers, inclusion of Jewish tradition - Most explicit in explaining who Jesus is - Focuses on the divinity of Jesus, spirit talk - “The Word” - not having genealogy or human ancestry, focuses on a different kind...

John - Written primarily for Jewish followers, inclusion of Jewish tradition - Most explicit in explaining who Jesus is - Focuses on the divinity of Jesus, spirit talk - “The Word” - not having genealogy or human ancestry, focuses on a different kind of ancestry - All New Testament books written to be performed or spoken aloud The Book of Signs (7) Highlights… (Signs intermixed with other narratives) 7 is symbolic for creation, completion, being finished (“not enough books in the world”) 1st sign: water into wine at Cana (2:1-12) ○ Running out of water… socially bad, shameful, didn't prepare or can’t afford ○ Messianic banquet - abundance, imagery of a banquet hosted by the messiah ○ Ceremonial Washing Jars: theme begins Jesus interacting with special Jewish things (holidays, temple, jars) and takes them where they were intended to go Fulfillment, completion, one-upping 2:13-22: the temple and … the temple ○ Disgracing the temple ○ Where in the Synoptics? Episode is towards the end of as Jesus enters Jerusalems, he dies after This episode is earlier in the other gospels ○ Theme continues… Jesus is interacting with the temple and claiming to fulfill it  He says he has the authority to rebuild the temple in 3 days, he is claiming to be the temple, claim to divinity John 3-4: Nicodemus and the Samaritan Women ○ Nicodemus (“Nic @ Night”): where is the irony Pharisee who comes at night to ask serious questions of Jesus Irony: climbing back into mother’s womb, “being born again” - Pharisee doesn't understand the theological meaning Nicodemus is present at Jesus’ burial so it is assumed he figured it out Positive portrayals of Pharisees in John and Luke ○ Samaritan Women: where is the irony? Woman who was at the well by herself and had interaction with Jesus at the well, “Will you give me a drink?” - she misunderstands what he means at first “Living water”, she tells the town of her encounter with Jesus Irony: The Samaritan women figured out what Jesus was saying, but Nicodemus, a pharisee couldn't Jews and Samaritans did not interact a lot - Jews held belief that ancient older things were better, looked down on Samaria Worst sinner in town… ? 5 husbands Women have no authority to divorce, husbands probably dies or divorced her Not many men would marry an open adulterer She was a victim of a system that prioritizes men's rights Women during this time likely needed man to survive Jesus says, “I know what happened to you” - He does not treat her any differently ○ Disciples: where is the irony?  Disciples did not understand what Jesus meant when he said, “I have food you know nothing about” Irony: the disciples spend time with Jesus but the still don't understand what he means ○ Big Idea: Out of the three stories, the Samaritan woman is the only one who understands what Jesus means 2nd and 3rd signs: healings (4:43-5:45) ○ Jesus heals on the Sabbath (5:16-17) Sabbath was a restorative day for both individuals and community Leaders built a fence around the Sabbath so people wouldn't even go near crossing a line - Sabbath was more of a legalistic idea where you couldn't work Jesus accused of misusing the Sabbath by healing someone - leaders were worried that if people saw Jesus disobeying the Sabbath, they too would start to cross lines ○ A theme continues… “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working” He is claiming divinity - he is the son of man and has the authority to do so He is interacting with special Jewish things He is redefining the Sabbath around himself - completing, fulfilling, one-upping 4th and 5th signs: feeding 5000+, walking on water (ch 6) ○ Passover festival Moses: Exodus ○ OT Parallels Messianic Banquet imagery Jesus feeding people, abundance  Fills 12 baskets - tribes of Israel Connections to Moses God feeds Israel through Moses - similar to Jesus Moses rescues through water, Red Sea - Jesus walks on water ○ “Don't be afraid, I am” - I am: God’s name, Yahweh Jesus claims to be the bread Some disciples of John leave, they can’t commit ○ Theme continues… Jesus claiming to fulfill and one-up Jewish traditions Teaching at the Festival of Tabernacles/Booths (chs 7-8) ○ What did the feast commemmerate? Celebrates when Israel comes out of Egypt, wanders for forty years God was with them in the wilderness Tracing Israel’s story ○ Water pouring & lamp-lighting/ torch-carrying ceremonies Water and fire - Good way to celebrate this time with water and fire Water: Red Sea comparison, Israel gets water from rock Fire: fiery tornado, God shows up in fire ○ A theme continues… Jesus is the “living water” - light of the world Jesus is stepping into special Jewish things and putting himself into them (exam 1 ^^^) 6th sign: Jesus heals the man born blind (ch 9) ○ Plays off the imagery of light (9:5) Blindness - darkness / sight - light Jesus repeats he’s the light of the world Teaching at the Festival of Dedication/Lights/Hanukkah (Ch 10) ○ Hanukkah- Maccabees revolt, didn't have enough oil burning  ○ False shepherds led people astray prior to the Maccabean revolt Ez: God removed human shepherds cause of bad job and became a shepherd himself Israel’s unfaithfulness - God’s judgment “I am good shepherd” Repeated this - Jesus is claiming he is God, claiming divinity ○ Theme continues… Jesus fulfilling special Jewish things Taking them where they are intended to go 7th sign: raising Lazarus from the dead (forshadowing his resurrection) ○ Who is this guy? Bestfriends with Jesus ○ Previews of the ultimate sign Initial piece of the 7th sign - leads to ultimate sign “I am the resurrection and life” Jesus is raised from the dead Luke Theme in Luke: expectation for Gentile inclusion in God’s salvation plan Jews and Gentiles: history, the OT ○ Jews had an antagonistic view of Gentiles - Jewish notion of apocalypticism: judgment and destruction of wicked (gentiles) Theme of Salvation for Gentiles ○ Simeon (2:25-32) Simeon - old, ancient, Jewish man, “righteous and devout”, trustworthy Says there should be inclusion of Gentiles “A light for revelation to the Gentiles’ - Jesus seen as salvation God has prepared  Longer version of this episode in Luke - highlights the importance of the info Trust Simeon, the spirit is upon him ○ John the Baptist (3:1-14) (all people will receive salvation) Anyone can have salvation, repentance - Jesus seen as salvation Salvation is not limited to descendents of Abraham Tax collectors, soldiers - Gentile inclusion Isaiah 40:3-5 Promises of restoration “All people will see God’s salvation” Fulfilled through John and Jesus, not by “other group” What does salvation look like here? Be better, live differently - tax collectors, soldiers Being apart of Jesus thing will cost you- you have to live it ○ Jesus’ Genealogy Everyone is a descendent of Adam - inclusion of everyone (includes gentiles) Genealogy within Matthew goes back to Abraham ○ Jesus in Nazareth (4:14-29) Isaiah 61:1-2 Spirit of the Lord - good news for the poor Liberty for the oppressed (freedom) Jesus says today it is fulfilled Recovery of site for the blind What does salvation look like here? Good news for the poor - hope for restoration Not just a belief, but something that happens to them “2nd half of Isaiah stuff” is when it happens  Widow and Naaman (not jewish, included to show people who can be saved) Widow - Sidon, Naaman - Syrian (both Gentiles) Jesus mentions non Jewish outsiders He could have mentioned what God did for the Jews but instead talks about how God moved in the lives of non Jews People tried to kill Jesus for mentioning non Jews and not Jewish stories Ripped out home advantage (hometown jews worried they might lose their advantage) It’s going to be messier and complicated- Elijah was sent to Gentiles, not his hometown Nazareth Jews were furious because they wanted to “rule over everyone else” in a military way, but Jesus comes and doesn’t promise this - they try to kill him (sounds like the Exodus) How is this expectation satisfied narratively? A few but not all Gentiles were included? but didn’t Luke say they would be -> need for Acts Jesus goes out and does what he said he would do - heals people, care for the oppressed Satisfied through the book of Acts - KoG: global inclusion of non israelites (all) Acts continues on the themes in Luke 5 gentiles included in Jesus’ story Acts - Whose Acts? : Holy Spirit - powering and compelling humans (trailing behind the Holy Spirit) Acts 2:1-13 - Pentecost (moses bringing down the ten commandments) Plot ○ Who? - the 12 apostles (Matthias), women (Mary->actually gets named, Jesus’ mom), Jesus’ brothers, 120 people there (120)- jews who have come to celebrate the festival (not part of the Jesus community) 12 tribes, 10-completion for the tribes: God’s people are complete and nothing is missing ○ When? - day of Pentecost - morning (9am), 50 days after passover Day of Pentecost: remembering/renewing first covenant (Moses gets 10 commandments) started as a harvest festival but with added story (to commemorate the law given on Mt. Sinai) Holy Spirit doing covenantal stuff again- fulfillment- renewed covenant ○ Where? - Jerusalem: center of Jewish identity, promise, treaty (parralel to the old covenent) ○ What? - the Holy Spirit filled followers of Jesus and began speaking in other tongues, Holy Spirit is poured out ○ How? - Holy Spirit is rushing wind (“like” a wind) and fire (“looked like tongues of fire”) Not literal, analogous language - can’t be described literally;indescribable Wind/fire in OT: parting Red Sea/burning bush, pillar of fire List of Nations: point? ○ People from everywhere (Gentile dominant): look what the Holy Spirit is capable of, Holy Spirit is for all people (Gentile inclusion)  Did the crowd understand? ○ Understood what was being said in their own dialects Don't understand the big story - think that they had too much to drink (used a story to explain what was happening) Also shows mood -> celebration ○ Other story: “what’s going on here…” “who knows…” ○ the event itself isn’t enough and needed to be interpreted ○ Spirit can overcome language barriers Acts 2:14-41 - Peter’s Speech as the “Why?” “it’s not drunk people, you need Joel” (minor prophet->short book about restoration) Is Peter an Authoritative speaker? ○ Yes, he is compelling and explanatory ○ Verses 14-36 of air time He gets most of chapter in live time, this is important - use of direct quotes Joel Quotation ○ “In the last days” - plotted on HB’s picture? (KoG picture) Present age: spirit and special people; mediated access to God’s spirit “Last Days”, KoG: spirit and all (should be seen as a good thing if you’re on God’s “team”) ○ Who had the Spirit in the OT and now? OT: special people/limited, high priests, prophets (moses), Kings(david, saul), everyone else through mediated other people Now: All of God’s people have access to the spirit of God “Democratization to the spirit of God” ○ OT Background of confusion of languages Tower of Babel - God scrambled everyone to speak in different languages - humans access God on own terms - bad idea  God is restoring something that is lost- reversal of Babel, bringing people back together (Joel) 3,000 people joined the Jesus community ○ “What shall we do?” People say this to Peter Peter says you guys killed the one you’re waiting for - not too late REPENT ○ Salvation looks like… Holy Spirit is empowering this kind of communal life Communism - not government related Living as an extended family; Jesus is their connection (uniting factor) Post-Pentecost Parallels Lame man healed (ch 3, 14) ○ Peter and Paul both heal a guy who can't walk Jesus heals man in Luke 5 Person raised from the dead (ch 9, 20) ○ Peter raised Tabitha from the dead ○ Paul raises Eutychus from the dead And more… ○ Means that followers of Jesus are continuing Kingdom of Jesus Acts 8:26-40 - Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch Geographical, racial/ethnic, class/power questions ○ Ethiopia - South of Egypt ○ Beyond the borders of Israel ○ Eunuch: African(present day Sudan, right underneath Egypt), works for royal court, powerful/important, question of intimacy not impact of heir, lost masculinity (no testicles, sometimes dismembered- kept them undistracted and safe to be around the queen)  Inclusio! (book end) ○ It was God’s plan for Philip to talk to Eunuch ○ Phillip encounters Eunuch in the desert and Eunuch asks for clarification from Phillip Converts to Jesus thing and gets baptized Circumcision, entering temple were a non issue ○ Phillip is told by an angel to go to the desert, at the end the Holy Spirit whisks Phillip away Divine encounter Acts 10-11 - Peter & Cornelius (and household) Visions of the sheet of unclean animals Plot ○ Who - Peter and Cornelius, Jews from circumcision party ○ Where - Caesarea, Joppa ○ When - 3 in the afternoon, Peter’s vision at noon Jews had specific times to pray, 3 hr segments ○ What - Cornelius had a vision of Peter and sends 3 people to go get Peter Cornelius: devout, roman soldier ○ How - Holy Spirit poured out on Gentiles Just like spirit poured out on us Speak in tongues - other languages “Gentile Pentecost” Climax ○ When the spirit gets poured out on gentiles -> Peter then at with the Gentiles showing that he accepted them as peers ○ God says you can't call anything unclean that he’s cleaned ○ When Peter finally gets it - tongues  ○ When Jews accept and celebrate Gentiles (jewish christians got on bored, jew/gentile can now do things together) Cultural / OT info ○ The fact that Peter went into a Gentile’s house - unclean ○ For Jews certain foods were deemed unclean scales/fins, meat with no blood, animals that chewed the cud, no reptiles, no vultures, goat (idolatry), disease ridden ○ Sabbath, circumcision, food laws Repetition ○ Vision repeated 3 times Peter denies Jesus 3 times - redemption of Peter ○ Speaking in tongues/ sheet coming down 3 times ○ Same story is told twice in two chapters back to back DON’T MISS THIS Character Portrayal ○ Cornelius portrayed the best: stand up guy, appropriate, devout ○ Irony: he’s a gentile Whose voices can we trust? ○ Holy spirit ○ God ○ Peter - when God speaks through Peter, use judgment ○ Cornelius - trustworthy What does it tell us about God? ○ No favoritism from God ○ Call to embrace ethnic communities Peter critiqued for eating with Gentiles Eating: accepting them as a social peer ○ Call to be intentional of your community in the Kingdom of God Translation “Koine Greek is not our Native Tongue” The Problem, Challenge, and Comfort Problem: every translation is an interpretation Challenge: How do we translate well/ use translations well? How do they fit with the context of the story? Greek words can be translated in many different ways in English Comfort: Most translations are done by committees ○ Teams that have to agree ○ Made up of type A personalities who are concerned about accuracy 3 Approaches to Translation (more of a continuum) Formal Equivalence ○ Keeps form as close as possible - noun for noun Native speakers might not say it that way ○ Consistent use of translated word - sarx:flesh (physical flesh, fleshly desires/sin); semantic range of a word (example: “bank”) ○ Retains word order - greek order is flexible (verb can be put at the end of the sentence, can be mixed up) Functional Equivalence (aka dynamic equivalence) ○ Tends to the functional rather than formal similarities in two languages - noun for verb to keep the same meaning ○ Does not consistently use the same english translated word for the original ○ Does not attempt to retain word order if it obscures meaning - flexible, so that it makes more sense to a native speaker ○ Makes it easier to the reader (already does the work of figuring out the meaning) Free (paraphrase) ○ Summary, in your own words Examples of Translations (know the underlined)  ○ Formal - King James Version, KJV and the NKJV ○ in between formal and functional - NASB: also hard to read ○ Functional - New International Version, NIV (and it’s revision TNIV) ○ in between functional and free: NLT, CEB ○ Free(paraphrase)- The Message, LB Examples Hebrews 1:3 - The son sustains all things… ○ Formal NASB - “by the word of his power” v.s… ○ Functional NIV - “by his powerful word” ○ Greek - “of” phrases (genitive noun) / English - adjectives ○ Ex) Keys of Holly / Holly’s Keys Matthew 1:18 - “engaged” ○ The only way to break this is through divorce (1:19) ○ Formal NASB - “Joseph planned to send her away secretly” v.s…. ○ Functional TNIV - “had in mind to divorce her quietly” ○ the word divorce was added in because people wouldn't know that this meant he would divorce her - added for context 1 Peter 1:13 - “Girding the loins / waist of your mind” ○ Image: long robes were worn in one’s home; belted up when going out for ease/ quickness of movement. IDIOM: get your mind ready ○ KJV - “wherefore gird up the loins of your mind” v.s… ○ NLT - “so prepare your minds for action” ○ Idioms are culturally language specific - depends on demographic ○ Example: “raining cats and dogs”; risk for misunderstanding is hard with formal, less risk with Functional and Free but leaves out Formal Gender-Inclusive Translations Hebrew and Greek both use masculine gender pronouns both for men and mixed groups of people  ○ Colossians 3:23 - ESV: “men” / NIV: “human master” ○ Gender inclusive translations use functional equivalence or free translation theory to have more generic language “People” instead of “men” / “their” instead of “his” / “the one” instead of “the man” ○ NLT - gender inclusive translation : “people” ○ Formal equivalence has the position that masculine forms matter (form) God’s choice that masculine pronouns convey generality ○ Challenge: responsibility of reader when reading non gender inclusive translations to understand what is being said teaching/ preaching need to clarify that not just men are included in the form Translation Reflections Recognize the privilege and honor the responsibility of having so many translations ○ Use a variety of translations to honor the responsibility “Translators are traitors” - difficult task to translate What does it mean to be accurate? ○ Form or functional? can be defined by both form and functional ○ ACCESSIBILITY Textual Criticism What is it? The discipline which attempts to reconstruct the original text (what they actually write) of a document Why is it necessary in biblical studies? ○ We don't have “autographs” (originals), we have variants (lots of mistakes) There were changes made during the course of copying and recopying the biblical texts  Example: Luke 11:2, “father” vs. “our father, who is in heaven”(king james version) Which is original? Thought people left words out Matthew 6:9 reads option B - no variants here, all wording lines up Greek bibles- red one gives letter grades for texts General method: comparing the various manuscripts and assessing the variants on the basis of: External Criteria (date, geography) ○ Readings from earlier manuscripts are more likely to be original than those from later ones (like the game telephone) ○ Readings across a wider geographical area are more likely to be original (example: texts from all over africa agree with each other, one in spain doesn’t agree -> will go with the ones that agree with each other) ○ Readings that cross text types are more likely original Families: resemblances, share traits Alexandrian, Byzantine, Western Ex) Western: women are removed from NT, they are turned into wives; if it has that characteristic, they can deduce that it’s from western texts Internal Criteria (Human Factor) ○ Transcriptional Probabilities: A shorter reader is more likely to be original Early scribes were Christians, words were authoritative ○ Scribes would explain, clarify, add words / they wouldn’t remove words Exception: the “eye skip” ; miss a whole section of text when a scribe skips from “walk” to a different “walk” (example)  The more difficult (theologically challenging) reading is more likely to be original Mark 1: “Isaiah the prophet” (in NIV; is probably still the original but other could be more accurate; is flagging that Isaiah is the bigger story) vs. “prophets”- no name for Isaiah and pluralized- it’s actually from Isaiah and Malaciah, so it’s more correct ○ Authorial Probabilities: Needed when the external and internal/transcriptional are at odds with each other Readings that fit with the author's style, vocabulary and theology are more likely to be original (looking at favorite words and way of communicating, start to get a feel for it) Sounds more like Paul? ○ Fundamental Guideline for assessing variants: which variant best explains the existence of the other variants Family tree - building off each other, how they are connected Wouldn't recommend using KJV as primary bible - product of its time Example 1: 1 John 5:7(-8), the “trinity” passage. It’s omission gets a grade of “A” by text critics; the KJV includes, but is based of 5 Gk manuscripts (12th century and on) It was translated in 1611; Modern translations: used 5000+ Gk manuscripts and partials (most big manuscript discoveries within the last 200 years); early church fathers did not use this verse because they didn’t have it KJV was translated before text criticism; need to know this when reading it Example 2: John 7:53-8:11, the woman caught in adultery. Its omission gets a grade of “A” “Whoever is sinless throws the first stone”  Not a part of what John wrote, but still could've happened - Is it still scripture?; interrupts the teaching at the tabernacle, but can still be historically helpful Reason for Faith Crisis Bruce (famous text critic and new testament scholar): remarkably small margin of doubt, the variant reading with doubts are not questions of historical fact or of Christian faith and practice Holly: There is something beautiful about the Jewish and Christian scriptures and their history of transmission. God included humans in the process of His Word. ○ Done so that more communities have access to them Interpreting Epistles - Epistles: ancient letters - Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, etc. Form of Ancient Letters & Historical Setting Form: ○ Identification of author and audience Audience and author at beginning (compared to how we start with audience and end with author) Practical purpose: having to unscroll the whole scroll just to see who it is from Ex.) 1 Corinthians 1:1 - Paul and Sosthenes(“rando” co authored this letter; could’ve been a scribe) -> authors / To the church of God, everyone (all those in every place) -> audience ○ Greeting Subverts greeting  Ex.) 1 Corinthians 1:3 - Paul says “Grace and Peace to you” - would have caught them off guard because grace and greetings both start the same (“kar”) in Hebrew ○ Thanksgiving Typical, by including a thanksgiving Paul is doing what people expect (follows the “appropriate” format of the time) Galations skips thanksgiving Ex.) 1 Corinthians 1:4 - Paul always thanks THE God for them, lumps Jesus into it ○ Body of Letter Paul’s argument, development, main point - What is being communicated? Pay attention to the development of the argument “What is the trajectory” ○ Personal news/greetings Paul is expected to do this, collectivistic culture where community is important, relational ties are huge Ex.) 1 Corinthians 16:5,10,19 - say hello to these people, hope to visit you soon ○ Brief/single-word farewell “…Amen” Historical Setting: a one-sided conversation ○ Letters were one-sided, we don’t get to know the other side of the convo Usually doesn’t repeat what they asked, because it's not for us, was written to them- they knew what it meant/was answering We are not the original audience, outsiders ○ General epistles (Hebrews) - not as specific (aka Catholic epistles) Not as specific to one context: more universal- because it was written to churches in larger areas to reach more people  Easier for us to read/understand because it is less contextually specific- easier to apply to our lives Galatians Discussion Questions What is the big issue in the Galatian churches? ○ Big issue- Jews feel entitled to being “good christians” because they are circumcised, Galatian churches focusing more on outward appearance (circumcision) than heart (follow rules, but still hypocrites), ALSO listening to diff. Preachers- being swayed ○ Want gentiles to be circumcised (essentially become Jewish), to get into Kingdom of God How does Paul feel about it? ○ Paul is furious, disappointed, upset, argumentative (asserts authority with explanation) How does Peter/Cephas fit? ○ Peter (same as Cephas)- had already interacted with gentiles, when he ate with them… but now reverted to seeing Gentiles as unclean ○ Paul calls him out for being a hypocrite- you are not even “clean” by following all the Jewish laws, but you try to make everyone feel bad for not being Jewish (circumcised) Eating shows “social acceptance” Calls him Cephas- his hometown “homeboy” name- more personal, also called out in public letter- shameful Paul’s thoughts on Purpose of the Law ○ Easier to be extreme and enforce homogeneity, BUT jews can stay jews and gentiles can stay gentiles while following god (accepting diversity) ○ Not saying law is bad, it was good, but now outgrown it– into new era/stage because of Jesus (what has come now is better, but the past wasn’t terrible)  ○ It was meant to be a temporary law, interim remedy UNTIL Jesus’s kingdom ○ Salvation through grace instead of the law “Works of the Law” Traditional Protestant (Reformed) Position (Martin Luther - father of reformation) 1st Century Judaism Portrayal ○ Judaism as legalistic, Jews try to earn salvation through obedience to the law ○ “Getting in” - earning salvation and being part of the covenant by obeying the law (circumcision) ○ Salvation by grace through faith “Works of the Law” ○ Anything an individual does to earn salvation or “get in” and are contrasted with faith ○ Anything people do should be in response to “getting in” but we cannot do it perfectly and it is not require for salvation (requirement makes it a work) ○ Discontinuity between NT/Jesus followers and the OT/Judaism Before Jesus ———————————— After Jesus Following law ----------------------------------- grace/ faith Big Question ○ “How may I, a sinner, find a gracious God?” Luther concerned that you can buy/earn salvation (indulgences- “a work” or extra requirement) in Catholic church -> connects it to what is happening in galatians Some issues… ○ Luther’s context unfairly projected onto Second temple Judaism ○ Second Temple Judaism writings: full of “grace” and “joy” language of the Law Does not line up with TPP - tells different stories  ○ Unfair portrayal of “Works of the Law” compared to “faith(fulness)” - pistis Faith - far from works Faithfulness - connected to works, something you do pistis- faith, faithfulness The New Perspective on Paul - (Sanders- Jewish scholar, Dunn late 70’s) to Protestants, misunderstanding Paul 1st Century Judaism Portrayal ○ Grace-based ○ They were given the law after they were chosen by grace, they obeyed it as a response to God’s gracious act (Israel get the law after the Exodus/ after they had already been chosen) ○ “Staying in” ex: “on wednesdays we wear pink” (v.s. following the law to “get in”) “Works of the Law” ○ Specific Jewish Law activities that separate Jews from Gentiles (elitism) Circumcision, Sabbath/festivals, food laws ID badges to identify Jews opposed to Gentiles Membership in God’s people is not tied to being Jewish ○ God’s people are still expected to live in certain ways to “stay in” - be obedient ○ Continuity between NT/Jesus followers and the OT/Judaism (not so far apart) (in my grace and stay in by living faithfully) ○ Redeems Catholic perspectives - grace through faith, but final justification according to works Big Question ○ Who belongs to God’s people and how can we tell? Those who live faithfully - Jesus brought new reality Murky to tell if somebody is in - God knows where someone is at Some issues…  ○ Individual salvation no longer matters Embodiment necessary Stop trying to make clear lines where they don’t need to be; not the argument being made The lines are blurry but God knows where they are, not where the traditional protestant church thought they were ○ Is legalism a concern elsewhere? Paul concerned with legalism - hypocrisy Final Thoughts Circumcision is a sign of a blessing to come because of faith (-ING; faith in a more active way) ○ Blessing - what God promised to his people ○ Abraham’s faithfulness Paul treats the law as still relevant and quotes it to prove his argument Both perspectives agree that salvation is through grace ○ TPP: working to “get in” (discontinuity with OT) ○ NPP: working to “stay in” (continuity with OT) 1 Thessalonians - Gentle warnings, still encouragement - Thessaloniki/Thessalonica: port city, important city 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Why are some believers grieving? ○ Believers had no hope for those who died from persecution ○ Past belief in Greek Gods, like Hades (place of the dead) influenced this belief Parousia - second coming, new era ○ Ancient World Context Greeting the new ruler, celebrate  Aladdin - Prince Ali celebrates ○ HB: Coming vs. Presence/Appearance Coming - Jesus is far away in heaven Presence/Appearance - Jesus is already here, close by Intersection of heaven and earth - dimension Translation matters theologically V 16-17, cloud and trumpet language: literal or metaphorical? ○ Literal: clouds, support idea of heaven being up, we can imagine a trumpet being heard by everyone (almost seems to undermine God- why would he need a trumpet to announce his presence) ○ Metaphorical: this experience is beyond human understanding - clear sign of God’s power ○ Cloud and Trumpet biblical references Daniel 7: Son of man, cloud imagery Jericho, Moses on Mt. Sinai - reality of God’s presence with trumpets ○ Popular understanding of heaven Living with God as he restores heaven and earth Parousia picture is incomplete if we stay in the clouds - merging of heaven and earth What happens to the dead and living? ○ “Dead rise first” - Jesus brings them with him, reunion of sorts What is the final destination for the followers of Jesus? ○ Merging of heaven and earth, with the Lord Why is this appropriate encouragement and comfort? ○ What they needed to hear, needed to be retaught ○ Offers hope for the afterlife and those that die ○ The people don’t have to mourn anymore Romans - Paul uses rhetorical questions and restates and emphasizes important things Romans 9: Individual Predestination OR God’s faithfulness to God’s People View 1 (has God failed No, he chose this and chose certain people) ○ Individual predestination (Calvinist framework) ○ Argument (embedded in old testament connections) God decided to choose few individuals for salvation (Isaac, Jacob), but chose to harden some (Pharaoh) and hate some (Esau), make pots (people) for destruction ○ Why? God is sovereign - God knows what he is doing, even if we don’t know God’s goal is to glorify God’s self Human will has nothing to do with it, it was God that chose them Nobody actually deserves it, but God still chooses Being chosen is an act of God’s grace (he doesn’t need to choose any of us), so we must trust that he is just- even if we don't see his plan (humans: remember that you are human, and God is God) God chooses not just individual Jews, but also individual Gentiles to be part of God’s people Our view of justice doesn’t have the right to criticize God’s justice because it is beyond our understanding View 2 ○ God has been faithful to start and continue this “people of God”, even though humans have not been faithful (israel failed and was unfaithful those who are in are those who are faithful) (in order to be in you need to chose to be faithful to the law) God’s faithfulness  Paul is heartbroken because many fellow Jews haven’t committed to Jesus, even though Israel is the “called people” but this doesn’t mean God has been unfaithful in the calling and covenants Not God’s fault, but humans fault because they have been unfaithful God bringing the Gentiles into God’s people is another act of God’s faithfulness (to continue his “called people”) Individuals lose priority Views 1 and 2 both agree ○ God does some choosing: View 1: individuals (direct parallel between chosen/not) Individual examples: Abraham, Isaac Believes God has always chose individuals for salvation, & will continue to do that (not just in the past) View 2: groups (Israel) Believes it started with individuals, but God always was planning on expanding to groups to build a people ○ Believes God’s faithfulness applies to us- not about the individuals, but how God has been faithful to the group- not just ab ethnic Israel, but ab a holistic- Jewish/Gentile “ppl of God” ○ ONLY chose individuals to develop his ppl, but now that he has, he no longer predestines Big Picture: Paul retells history/story of Israel & its privileges, beginning w/ Abraham (the father of Israel) Family Tree: Hagar (slave)—---Abraham—--- Sarah (wife) Ishmael Isaac—---Rebekah  Esau & Jacob 9:1-5 - Paul expresses sadness over Israel- WHY? ○ View 1: mourning that fellow Jews were not chosen by God for salvation- they used to have access to Jewish privileges ○ View 2: bc some of God’s ppl (Jews) had been unfaithful to Jesus, said no to their own choice 9:6-13 - There are 2 Israels, though all claim to be God’s children. Has God failed? ○ No, not God’s fault ○ Does this prove that … View 1: God always chooses individuals for salvation ○ EX- God chooses Isaac over Ishmael View 2: God faithfully worked to keep the “ppl of God” thing going w/o human manipulation- thinks ur there if u live faithfully ○ EX- Two sons bc of Abraham’s original unfaithfulness, God had Isaac in mind from the beginning (Paul points out- must look @ the whole context- that humans are unfaithful, but God doesn’t let that change his plan) ○ 2 Israels Descended from Israel (ethnically) Paul says- just bc ur in Israel, doesn’t mean ur a “true” child of Abraham OT reference: Jesus called them “brood of vipers”- it doesn't matter who you descended from- God can make anyone a child of God Smaller group- real, chosen group ○ Why was it surprising that God chose Isaac (over Ishmael) AND Jacob (over Esau)?  Surprising bc: God subverts cultural expectations: oldest always gets priority/chosen, so now he chooses younger; “older will serve the younger” OT examples- chose Joseph (dream coat), chose Moses, David ○ Ppl always thought “God chose the wrong one” View 1: Before the twins were born, favored Jacob Ex- Isaac was always chosen- God had 2 choices, and could have chosen Ishmael, but CHOSE Isaac About predestination View 2: God’s priority= to choose the most unlikely About God subverts cultural expectations: oldest always gets priority/chosen, so now he chooses younger Definitely not bc Jacob is better person EX- God wasn't planning on having to choose Isaac, only a choice bc of sin ○ Would a 1st Century person, who knows the OT, think “me” (individual) or “Abraham/ppl of God” (collective) when hearing “election/calling” language? OT default: they would think he would call the collectivistic View 1: thinks Paul is challenging the cultural expectations ○ Jacob/Esau = 2 real ppl AND symbols of a double-edged Israel- big circle/small circle. Its been there all along- from the start- Jesus knew there would be 2 nations (Genesis) “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated” love/hate language- NOT about emotions- about covenantal commitment/sacrifice (about choice and non choice) Hate: ab non-commitment & not sacrificing BIG PICTURE: Paul continues to retell Israel’s story (Exodus- Pharaoh, prophets- Isaiah/Jeremiah, exile, then Jesus)  Is God unjust? (“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated”) ○ NO! NOT AT ALL! ○ Humans fault, not God’s Says yes, but then… A contradiction: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”- not everybody ○ View 1: mystery beyond our comprehension. God is sovereign- knows what he is doing (even if we don’t understand), & only chooses some individuals bc of grace Restated: May feel unjust that God has mercy on only some, but must trust God’s sovereignty Explanation: NOT bc some are better, God doesn’t NEED any of us- he gives those he chooses grace ○ View 2: look at OT context- point is ab how God dealt w/ Israel. Contect Israel was unfaithful when Moses went up to the mountain for the 10 commandments, & Israel was impatient/unfaithful- made a gold calf to worship…. Must deal w/ sin: God shows justice by judging sin first; makes drink the melted calf God always deals w/ sin & evil directly- not turning blind eye THEN shows his faithfulness by continuing the ppl of God- not giving up on them God’s election purposes for Israel as a group are a sign of grace, not arbitrariness Pharaoh: hardens Pharaoh (Egyptian king who kept Israelites in captivity) ○ View 1: example of God choosing to harden an individual regardless of that person’s action (meaning that God still chooses to harden individuals today) Predestined individuals: has mercy on some, but hardens who he picks (God=sovereign) ○ View 2: example of the type of person who gets hardened when they don’t respond faithfully to God  Does say God hardens Pharaoh’s heart, but ALSO Pharaoh hardens his own heart towards God—- God is simply responding to Pharaoh’s unfaithfulness/sin (human) (the unfaithful get hardened) EX- Israel’s hardening in Isaiah 6 ○ God says “you are already choosing the wrong path? Fine, ill harden your hearts” - already on wrong path, just helps them Vv. 19-21: Potter/Pottery example: (potter= God, pots= Israel, his ppl) *imagery from Isaiah/Jeremiah ○ View 1: God is choosing to make some individuals (gentiles) for noble purposes & some for ordinary uses (uses his sovereignty- all-knowing) NO matter what human action is, he already had chosen Who are we to question God?! He has the right to choose some of us to be “good” pots for salvation, & some us to not ○ View 2: Shows how God responds to Israel’s unfaithfulness (God shoes that he is faithful by preserving and reserving Gods people {genitles}) God is working to form rebellious ppl to keep the ppl of God going, but when they (“the clay”) keeps resisting, says okay- you can be a bad pot God must bring judgment as well Brings in context- pottery language is from Isaiah- Israel was resisting- resisting being the pot (fine be the pot you want to be- bc u have free will)- doesn’t give up on them: Vv. 22-33: Vessels of wrath & vessels of mercy: ○ View 1: individual vessels who receive wrath/mercy bc God chose it for them (not bc of what they did) Some ppl were made to be “vessels of wrath” to be destroyed, others were “vessels of mercy” for glory ○ View 2: communal vessels- Israelite groups who have received wrath/mercy, even tho Israel as larger group was often unfaithful & deserves wrath. God  preserves a remnant in order to show his faithfulness to Israel & to the larger purposes of bringing salvation to the world thru Israel Not ab individuals, about groups- not just about Israel, but its about its purpose- they are made to be an example for the rest of the world (vessel of glory) God never fully destroys ppl- always preserves a remnant- God is faithful to his ppl Gentiles: ○ View 1: God now decides to choose some individual Gentiles for salvation ○ View 2: God shows that he is faithful by preserving God’s ppl and EXTENDING it to the Gentiles That was the original plan- welcome them BOTH View 1 & View 2- AGREE that Paul uses the OT texts to claim that God always planned on including Gentiles ○ NOT a Plan B after Israel was unfaithful, but it was always apart of the plan to include Gentiles that only a remnant of Israel=saved ○ Agree- that only faithful make it to heaven, disagree on why? Phillipians / Philemon Phillipians 2:1-11 V 1-4: ○ What does Paul want them to do? … Call to be of the same mind Paul calls for unity, calls the people of Philippi (Neapolis-> port city) to value others above themselves, “nothing in vain conceit” ○ They are being persecuted Hard to live for other people when we are going through struggles  ○ The spirit makes it possible to be united with Christ; they can share the spirit of God V 5-11 - the Christ-Hymn & incarnation ○ V. 5 - motivation again Have the same mindset as Jesus - because of Jesus Jesus is equal to God ○ V. 6 : Ancient World Leaders - how do they compare to Jesus Military gave world leaders control (authoritarian) Claimed to be divine: Caesars, Antiochus, Pharaohs, Alexander the Great Strength, military might, conquering most of the world -> thinks of themselves as divine (“could a mere human accomplish this?”) Jesus Servant leadership Didn't use equality with God to his advantage but to our advantage (while world leaders would use it to their own advantage) Jesus is killed (vs. other world leaders killing others) ○ “Used to own advantage / Exploit” or “Grasp” Grasp Doesn't mean “couldn't understand” It means to grasp things that weren’t theirs, bad/ negative connotation ○ ex) Jacob grasped Esau’s birthright ○ V. 7-8 - Jesus becoming human and a “slave” Slave - made himself nothing Self sacrificial, dying on the cross Death on a cross was as low as you could go: criminals, run away slaves, rebels/insurectionists (resist Romans) Incarnation: “slave” In flesh - God taking on human flesh, “God in a bod”  Jesus accepts this role voluntarily ○ V. 9-11 - Result of Jesus’ Sacrifice Exaltation - elevated in rank, equal with God Name-giving - name above every name, God Acknowledgement (or worship) in all dimensions of existence - every knee will bow Caesar was in charge and people were unhappy to bow down to him V. 11 quotes Isaiah 45:23 Every tongue acknowledges (Isaiash 45:23) God the father = Christ the Lord - Jesus is God Connection to V. 1-5 ○ Be like minded ○ Use you social capital and status for others, not yourself ○ Lower yourself, sacrifice for others ○ God will vindicate you in the end ____________________________ ^^^ on Exam 2 Philemon What is Paul attempting to Persuade Philemon to do? ○ To accept Onesimus (his slave, means useful) back as a brother - “brother in Christ” This is counter-cultural, a big ask of Philemon  What are the means of Persuasion? ○ Praises Philemon, speaking highly of him ○ You lost him as a slave to get him back as a brother ○ He has done such a good job, so useful to Paul (play on words) ○ Paul will cover his debt ○ He owes him for saving him spiritually - whole Jesus thing ○ “Save me a room” - Paul checking up on him ○ Public letter - individual / collectivism context How does Galations connect to Philemon? ○ There is neither slave nor free - all are free in Jesus Now we have to live it out