Christianity: Message and Community
| Destruction of the Temple (70 CE) |
| Sacrificial worship of Yahweh ceased forever |
| Both Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism a response to this event |
| Defining period for early Christianity |
| The four gospels (written in Greek) |
| oral traditions in Aramaic |
| Structure and events of the Tanakh serve as paradigms for the NT |
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| Tanakh (OT) |
New Testament |
| Historical books: Genesis to Kings |
Historical books: Mark to Acts |
| Prophetic books |
Letters of Paul |
| The Writings |
Other Letters |
| Historical books: Nehemiah and Chronicles |
A Post-historical book: Revelations |
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| Tanakh (OT) |
New Testament |
| Temptation of Adam and Eve |
Temptation of Jesus |
| Israelites spend 40 years in desert |
Jesus spends 40 days and nights in desert |
| 12 tribes |
12 apostles |
| Pharaoh slays Israelites' sons |
Herod slays the Innocents |
| Moses survives slaying |
Jesus survives slaying |
| Exodus out of Egypt |
Jesus' family returns from Egypt |
| First-born sons spared at Passover |
Jesus slain at Passover |
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| Prophecies reinterpreted as prophecies of Jesus: |
| Songs of the suffering servant: Isaiah, esp. 52:13 to 53:12 |
| frequently quoted, e.g. Matt. 8:17 |
| "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases." |
| All Gospels begin with John the Baptist |
| presented as an eschatological prophet figure |
| Jesus does not fit as a Moshiah |
| neither political nor priestly |
| he reversed usual priorities |
| shifted the emphasis from legalism to mercy and love |
| He addressed the ordinary people |
| The Sower and the seed, Matt. 13:3-9 |
| vivid stories connected to everyday life |
| listener must engage and interpret |
| explanation given to inner circle |
| teaching often ambiguous or elusive |
| foiled efforts to pin him down |
| Son of Man: an ambiguous term |
| Book of Enoch: an apocalyptic figure of force and power |
| meaning apparently developed late in Second Temple period |
| phrase is never found in Paul |
| Jesus did not directly proclaim himself to be |
| the Moshiah (or Messiah!) |
| metanoia 'conversion', openess to God's grace |
| little children enter the kingdom (Matt. 19:14) |
| total reliance upon the Father (Matt. 6:25-33) |
| a personal relationship with God as a substitute for the Temple |
| complete love of God and neighbor (Matt. 22:34-40) |
| foundation of the law and the prophets |
| 2) a future realm to be introduced by a cosmic event |
| the coming apocalypse and judgment (Matt. 24) |
| arrested by officers of the Sanhedrin |
| seen as a political threat |
| because of the "cleansing of the temple"? (Matt. 21:12-13) |
| crucifixion regarded as a very dishonorable and debasing death |
| Paul never speaks of a physical resurrection |
| "It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body." (1 Cor. 15:44) |
| Gospels alternate between a spiritual and a physical body |
| Proclaimed the Kingdom of God (now and in the future) |
| 2. Brotherhood of humanity |
| 4. Forgiveness and love of enemies |
| 5. Repayment of evil with good |
| 6. Internalization of evil |
| desire and intention can be sins |
| 8. Opposed religious ceremonialism |
| 9. Freedom from the restrictions of the law |
| combined with a profound respect for the law |
| 10. The imminent(?) end of this world |
| 11. The resurrection of the dead |
Three developments within early Church |
| 1. Changing concepts of who Jesus was (see below) |
| 2. Development from a movement within Judaism to a primarily Gentile church |
| destruction of the Second Temple a key event |
| 3. Accomodation to the "postponement of the apocalypse" |
| shift in view of Jesus as Messiah instead of Moshiah-designate |
From Jesus to Christ: Three communities and stages of belief |
| 1. Aramaic-speaking Palestine Jews, "Adherents of Jesus" |
| Viewed Jesus as the eschatological prophet who |
| a. proclaimed the dawning kingdom of God |
| b. was vindicated by God through resurrection and ascension |
| c. will be the future apocalyptic judge |
| e. is not the Moshiah but the "Moshiah-designate" who will return at the end of time |
| 2. Greek-speaking Jews of Palestine and the Diaspora |
| First group to be called Christians (Acts 11:26) |
| Believed Jesus was already the Messiah (=Christ) and reigning in heaven |
| Tensions between this group and the first |
| 3. Greek-speaking Gentiles |
| Converted from 40 CE (?) onward |
| Believed Jesus to be the Son of God in the fully divine sense |
| exalted to heaven and reigning there |
Later alternative (i.e. heretical) views of Jesus |
| Docetism: Marcion, 2nd century CE |
| Arianism: Arius, 3rd to 4th century CE |
| Jesus was a created being |
Development of the church |
| Little evidence that Jesus saw himself as founding a church |
| Church built by Paul and the apostles |
| Paul on the road to Damascus |
| Organization loose at first |
| depended on personal contacts |
| women often played key roles |
| bishops (epsikopoi 'overseers') |
| A religion of personal salvation through Christ and the ministry of the Church |
| 1. Agape (love feast), concluding in |
| 2. Eucharist (based on last supper) |
| 3. Baptism of water (from John the Baptist) |
| 4. Baptism of spirit (based on Pentecost) laying on of hands |
| Salvation as an inner event |
| achieved through faith in Christ |
| Reversal of the emphasis in Judaism, a religion of ritual behavior |
| do certain things, not others; obey the rules |
1 Corinthians: Paul's advice to a community |
| Emphasizes faith and freedom from the Law |
| All things lawful, but not all helpful (10:23) |
| Was it permitted to eat meat sacrficed to idols? |
| Paul insists on subordination of women |
| "Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife" (11:3) |
| "it is shameful for a woman to speak in Church" (14:35) |
| Paul discards entire legalistic and ritualistic ediface of Judaism |
| Overturns most earthly conceptions |
| "wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (3:19) |
| "God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom" (1:25) |
| Emphasis on love as the most important spiritual gift (ch. 13) |
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