New Testament

• Long process 350
• organic / natural
• Conspirarcy theories have no historical crediablity

Emperor constantine/ pope/ groups of bishops decided what books would be in the NT

Church leaders had a clear set of objective criteria

• 1. Writing the books
• 2. The early circulation of these books to churches among the Roman Empore
• 3. Books are used by churches
• 4. Need to identify authoritive literature
• 5. Formal recognition / approval of NT canon

• Some books were unanimously accepted such as the 4 gospels and 13 letters of paul
• Some books were excluded such as Apoc of Peter
• Some where considered Heretical like the Gospel of Peter

• Autorship
• Orthodoxy
• Widespread use
• Antiquity

• Following the law became important
• Formation of the synagogues
• More developed thoughts on the afterlife / ressurection
• Systems of angel/demonology developeed

Hellenization

Spread the greek culture (lang, religionm entertainment, ideas, education) throughout the known world

• outlawed juduism and killed/torutured whoever remained faith to it
• force preist to scarifice pigs in the temple
• forced greek culture
• looted jewish temples

• after Antiochus issued his decrees forbidding Jewish religious practice Mattathias sparked the revolt against the Seleucid Empire:
• -by refusing to worship the Greek gods.
• -killed a Hellenistic Jew who stepped forward to offer a sacrifice to an idol in Mattathias' place.

• After Mattathias dies his son Judas takes control
• the temple is cleansed and rededicated

• 160 BC
• Start of Hanukah

• Ruled from 166-63 BC
• Fought with the Selucid and eachother
• They had mixed religion and politics which led to alot of corruption

Ruled by Client kings and Roman Governers (Herold the Great and Pontitus Pilate)

Acient Biographies

Realities in text same stories, events, even wording but they also have there differences

• Embarrassment
• Multiple Attestation
• Dissmilarity
• Coharance
• Crucifability

• we can verify through historical means
• Son of God
• Jew
• God's messiah
• crucified by Pontius Pilate

• Belief in one God
• God created the world
• God was sovereign over the entire world
• They believed in the Torah