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Rebecca I. Denova. The Origins of Christianity and the New Testament
Blackwell Ancient Religions
THE ORIGINS OF CHRISTIANITY AND THE NEW TESTAMENT
CONTENTS
Guide
Pages
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PREFACE
Jesus the Jew
Origins
The Academic Discipline of Religious Studies
Features of this Textbook
Boxes
I STUDYING THE HISTORICAL JESUS
Who was Jesus of Nazareth?
Concepts and Terminology
Religion
Polytheism and Monotheism
Myth
Acts of Worship/Rituals
Cult
Gentiles and Pagans (Problematic Terms)
Conversion
Old Testament/Jewish Scriptures. Canon
The Synoptics
Faith vs. Rituals
Church
“Spirit”
Polemic/Rhetoric
The Problem of Anachronism
Creative Writing
The First Quests for the Historical Jesus
Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965)
Second Quest
Box I.1 Scholarly approaches for the study of the Bible
The Third Quest
E. P. Sanders
A Fourth Quest?
Summary
Suggestions for Further Reading
II THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL
The Story of Israel
Who Wrote the Jewish Scriptures?
Genesis 1–11
Abraham
The Sacrifice
Joseph and His Brothers
The Book of Exodus
Did the Exodus Happen?
Leviticus
Purity/Impurity
Numbers and Deuteronomy
The Historical Books: Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings
1 & 2 Samuel
The Rise of Kingship and David
The Split into Two Kingdoms
Disaster Strikes
The Babylonian Empire
Persia
The Diaspora
The Role of the Prophets
A New Hope
A Paradigmatic Shift and a New Disaster
Antiochus Epiphanes IV (Syria, 216–154 BCE)
The Maccabee Revolt
Jewish Sectarianism
Apocalyptic Eschatology
Pompey and the Rule of Rome
Meet the Herodians
Direct Rule of Judea by Rome
The Jewish Revolt Against Rome (66–73 CE)
Flavius Josephus (36–100 CE)
Josephus and Scholarship
The Destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem
The Importance of the Jewish War Against Rome
Summary
Suggestions for Further Reading
EXCURSUS I INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPELS
Problems Faced by the Writers of the Gospels
The Relationships Among the Gospels
The Priority of Mark
Matthew and Luke: The “Q” Source
Additional Sources for Matthew and Luke
Sources for Mark
The Crucifixion
Jewish-Christians vs. Gentile-Christians
Names and Titles of Jesus in the New Testament
Suggestions for Further Reading
III THE GOSPEL OF MARK (THE APOCALYPTIC JESUS)
Who was “Mark?”
John the Baptist
Mark’s Story of John the Baptist
The Role of John the Baptist in the Gospels
The “Immediacy” of Mark’s Jesus
Mark’s Jesus as a Charismatic Exorcist
The First Problem: A Dead Messiah
Mark’s Portrait of the Disciples
Explanations
The Role of “Faith” in Mark
Mark’s “Secret Messiah”
The Second Problem: Where Are the Jews?
The Parables
Did the Historical Jesus Teach in Parables?
“Conflict Dialogues” in Mark
The Legacy of the “Conflict Dialogues”
The Anti-Jewish Polemic in Mark (and the Gospels)
The Passion Narrative
The Second Temple Complex
The Jewish Revolt and Mark
The Third Problem: Where is the Kingdom?
The Parousia
The Strange Ending of Mark
Summary
Suggestions for Further Reading
IV THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW (“THE NEW MOSES”)
Who was Matthew?
Where was Matthew Written?
When was Matthew Written?
“Q” as a Source for Matthew and Luke
The Problem of a Dead Messiah
The Problem of “Where are the Jews?”
“The Scriptures Have Been Fulfilled”
The “New Moses”
Box IV.1 Who are the women in Matthew’s genealogy?
The Nativity Story
Bethlehem
The Role of “Egypt” in Matthew’s Nativity
The Magi
The Slaughter of the Innocents
Luke’s Version of the Nativity
“No Room at the Inn”
The “Virgin Mary”
The Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness
The Problem of “Where is the Kingdom?”
Matthew 5: “The Sermon on the Mount”
The Pattern of the Sermon
The Purpose of the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew’s Portrait of the Disciples
Matthew’s Pilate
A Sign of the “Kingdom”
Matthew 27:62–66/28:11–14: The Guards at the Tomb
Some Controversial Passages in Matthew. Matthew 19:11–12
Implications of Matthew 19
Matthew 23:15
The Great Commission
Summary
Suggestions for Further Reading
V THE GOSPEL OF LUKE (THE COMPASSIONATE JESUS)
The Double Preface of Luke–Acts
Who was Luke?
The Ethnic Identity of Luke
The Sources for Luke
The Literary Devices in Luke
Type and Antitype
Allusions to Scripture
Narrative Parallelism
The Rejection Scene in Nazareth: Luke’s “Table of Contents,” 4:16–25
“Rejection” in Luke
Box V.1 Luke’s “glitch” in Nazareth
Where are The Jews?
Luke’s Jerusalem
Pilate and Herod Antipas
The Additional Resurrection Scenes in Luke
The Ascension of Jesus
Where is The Kingdom?
Summary
Suggestions for Further Reading
VI THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
Luke’s Paul vs. Paul’s letters
The Date of the Acts of the Apostles
The Genre of Luke–Acts
The Speeches in Acts
The Purpose of the Acts of the Apostles
Replacing Judas
Pentecost (Acts 2)
Hellenists, Hebrews, and the Story of Stephen
Stephen’s Defense Speech
The Narrative Function of Stephen
Paul and the Persecution of the Believers
Sources for the Missionary Journeys of Paul
The Mission to the Gentiles
The Framework of Rejection in Acts
Acts 15: The Meeting in Jerusalem
Narrative Parallels in Acts
The Ordeals and Trials of Paul in Acts
Luke and Josephus
The Ending of Acts
Summary
Suggestions for Further Reading
VII THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (“THE STRANGER FROM HEAVEN”)
Who was John?
The Date of John
The Sources for John
Philosophical Monotheism
The Preface of John
“Christology” in John
The “Jews” in John
John’s Polemic Against “the Jews”
The Source of Jesus’s Authority
How to Achieve “Salvation”
The “I am” Metaphors
The Gentiles in John
Where is “the Kingdom” in John?
Highlights of the Gospel of John
John’s Adjustments (?) to the Trial and Crucifixion of Jesus
The Two Endings of John
Summary
Suggestions for Further Reading
EXCURSUS II HISTORICAL ANOMALIES IN THE TRIAL(S) AND CRUCIFIXION IN THE GOSPELS
“The Last Supper”
Box VII.3 Who was Judas Iscariot?
“The Agony in the Garden”
The Arrest
The Denial by Peter
The Jewish Trial(s)
Blasphemy?
The Real Pontius Pilate?
The Release of Barabbas
The Crucifixion of Jesus
Jesus Died Too Soon
Joseph of Arimathea
How Long Was Jesus in the tomb?
What Really Happened?
Judas?
What About the Disciples?
The Legacy of the Trial and Crucifixion of Jesus
Suggestions for Further Reading
EXCURSUS III JESUS AND WOMEN IN THE GOSPELS
Meals
Meals with Jesus
The Woman with the Hemorrhage
The Samaritan Woman
Women Disciples?
Marriage and Divorce
Mary Magdalene
Suggestions for Further Reading
VIII PAUL, THE “APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES”
Who was Paul?
Paul’s Eschatology
Paul and the Law of Moses
The Letter to the Galatians
The “Incident” at Antioch
“Faith vs. Works of the Law”
“Justified by Faith”
The “Judaizers” of Galatians
The Inheritors of Abraham’s Promise
Why Then the Law?
The Ordeals of Paul
Box VIII.1 Synagogues, native cults, and the first Christians
Speculation
What did the Worship of Jesus Consist of?
Paul and the Gentiles
The Letter to the Romans
“In Christ”
Baptism for Paul
Romans 13: “Obey the Governing Authorities”
What about the Jews?
The Death and Legacy of Paul
Summary
Suggestions for Further Reading
IX PAUL AND THE FIRST CHRISTIANS
The Letters to the Corinthians
Factions
Sexual Immorality within the Community
Lawsuits Among Believers
Corinthians 7: Marriage and Sexuality
Box IX.1 The concept of celibacy in early Christianity
Food Offered to Idols
Head Coverings
Abuses at the Lord’s Supper
Spiritual Gifts and the Christian Olympics
Cor. 15: On Resurrection
2 Corinthians
“Neither slave nor free:” The Letter to Philemon
Cognitive Dissonance
Jewish-Christians
Summary
Suggestions for Further Reading
EXCURSUS IV WOMEN IN THE PAULINE COMMUNITIES
Suggestions for Further Reading
X OTHER NEW TESTAMENT DOCUMENTS
2 Thessalonians
The Letter to the Ephesians
The Letter to the Hebrews
The “Pastorals”
The Letter of James
1 & 2 Peter
The Johannine Letters
The Letter of Jude
Summary
Suggestions for Further Reading
XI THE BOOK OF REVELATION
The Imperial Cult: the Deification of Emperors. Julius Caesar
Augustus
Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero
Domitian
The Crime of “Atheism”
Early Literature on the Persecution of Christians. Pliny’s Letter to Trajan
Ignatius of Antioch and martyrdom
“Crises” and Roman Persecution
Decius and Diocletian
The Roman Penal System
The Arenas/Gladiator Games
Christian Trials
Divine Emperors
John of Patmos
The Letters
The Visions
The Use of Symbols
The Seven Seals and Seven Trumpets
The Battle
Numerology
Visions of the Final Triumph
The “Rapture?”
The Legacy of the Book of Revelation in Western History and Culture
Summary
Suggestions for Further Reading
EPILOG
EXCURSUS V THE LEGACY OF JEWISH–CHRISTIAN RELATIONS
Suggestions for Further Reading
GLOSSARY
INDEX
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