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Who was the key political/ military figure of the Hellenistic period?
Alexander the Great
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What was the Hellenistic period and how did that impact the NT?
- Greek culture = greek language too
- Missionary by nature-->new modern way of life
- Led to coming of Israel
- New Greek bible became the standard text (Septuagint)
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Who were the Ptolemies and the Selucids?
- P: One of Alexander's most trusted generals
- Governor of Egypt
- Brought hellenistic culture and ruined traditional jewish culture
- Hebrew scriptures-->translated to Greek
- S: Ruled Babylon
- Founded city of Antioch
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Who were the Maccabees and why are they important to Judaism?
- Outlines the history of the story of Jew's resistance to their Seleucid oppressors (resistance of Hellenism)
- Retold every year at the feast of Hanukkah
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When did Rome conquer?
63 BC
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Who was Herod the Great and when did he rule?
- 37-4 BC (33 years)
- "Half-Jewish"
- built a series of fortresses around Judea
- built Caesarea
- heavily taxed citizens to pay for all of his buildings
- Jesus was born during his reign
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How did Herod’s kingdom divide and to whom did it divide?
Herod died and his three sons divided the kingdom
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Who led the first revolt against Rome and why?
- Florus
- personal corruption and contempt for the Jews
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Who led the second revolt against Rome and why?
- Hadrian
- To found a Roman colony in Jerusalem and rebuild the city with Pagan temples
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5 geographical zones of Jesus' homeland
- 1. Coastal plain
- 2. Coastal hills
- 3. Central mountains
- 4. Jordan Valley
- 5. Eastern Plateau
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Where is Galilee?
Jezreel Valley
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Where is the Jordan river?
Jordan valley
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Where is Emmaus?
The Coastal hills
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Where were the fishing villages located?
The coastal plain
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How could you tell the difference between a Pharisee and a Sadducee?
- Pharisees focused on external formalities & more religious than others
- Sadducees were educated elites and landowners
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How would one distinguish the Essenes from the typical Jew?
lived isolated from the Gentile population and most Jewish groups
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In which of the political movements of Jesus’ day would a “zealot” be found?
Jewish warriors who made their last stand in the famous siege at the mtn fortress of Masada
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What are the sicarii?
an extremist splinter group of the Jewish Zealots, who attempted to expel the Romans and their partisans from Judea using concealed daggers (sicae)
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What is a Samaritan and why do they not get along with the Jews?
- Persians that moved in Samaria who revised the Hebrew Scriptures and assimilated w/the Israelites
- B/c they assimilated w/the Israelites and built a rival temple
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Describe a Herodian:
- Opponents of Jesus
- Political patrons
- only saw benefits of a Jewish political life in a Roman province
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Who were the major pagan sources we covered in class (and in the text) that attested to Jesus?
- Pliny
- Suetonius
- Tacitus
- Josephus
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Who was the major Jewish historian that we referenced with respect to Jesus?
Josephus
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What is the Babylonian Talmud and how might that reference Jesus?
- legal requirements before stoning/killing for any information that might acquit him
- no one brought forward any info in the 40 days before Jesus was hung that would acquit him
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Name the major second and third century Christian sources that referenced Jesus. How are these different from the first century gospels?
- Gospel of Peter-->oldest form of the passion story
- Gospel of Thomas-->provides sayings of Jesus that are authentic and historically reliable
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HISTORICAL order of the gospels?
- (1) Mark
- (2) Matthew
- (3) Luke
- (4) John
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What are the 9 marks of the church’s success in preserving accurate accounts of Jesus’ teaching and life, according to your textbook authors?
- (1) Stylistic forms of Jesus' sayings
- (2) Terminology of tradition
- (3) Function of the apostles
- (4) Cultural role of memory
- (5) Eyewitnesses & the lapse of time
- (6) Written records
- (7) Christian prophecy & caution
- (8) Respect for the sayings of Jesus
- (9) Dissimilarity of interests
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What is Q?
- "quelle" meaning source
- "pre-gospel" collection of Jesus' sayings that stood alongside Mark
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What are the elements that first century jews would have thought of when hearing that Jesus taught with or had “authority”?
- conveyed by a rabbi
- communicated his personality and his status to the disciple
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Give some characteristics (that your authors mention) of Jesus’ teaching style?
- puns
- metaphors and similes
- overstatement
- gross exaggeration
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What was a favorite and popular genre of teaching that Jesus employed?
parables
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What are some of the main defining elements of the Kingdom of God, a central theme for Jesus?
- idea that God ruled and sustained universe
- only rightful king of his people
- apocalypse-->God's coming
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How does Jesus talk about the ethics of the kingdom of God? The disciples or followers within the kingdom?
- righteousness of inner life
- renewed heart
- curb lust
- love your enemies
- repent and become a disciple
- give up wealth
- LOVE GOD WHOLLY
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How does the cross factor into this kingdom, since it is counterproductive for your king to die?
sacrificial lamb who was slain
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What does Christology mean? And what have Christians for centuries believed about Jesus?
- the reflection of Jesus' earthly life due to the resurrection
- his true identity
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What is the setting of Matthew's gospel and his relationship to Judaism?
- Palestine or Syria
- Written in Hebrew dialect
- His theology rejects Judaism in favor of the church
- Jesus' interaction with Jewish leaders
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What makes Mark’s gospel distinctly to gentiles rather than jews?
- Most of his readers spoke Greek
- Outlines Jewish rituals for those who don't understand Judaism
- Doesn't explain who Pilate or Pharisees are
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Authorship and date of Matthew
- Matthew or anonymous
- 40-60s
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Authorship and date of Mark
- Mark as a translator for Peter
- 40-60s
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Authorship and date of Luke and Acts
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Authorship and date of John
- disciple who Jesus loved
- "beloved disciple"
- John
- 80-100s
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What makes John different?
- Deeper meaning of Jesus' life
- Jesus as the Word of God
- Word becomes flesh
- Crucifixion as a royal coronation not a tragedy
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What do we call Matthew, Mark, and Luke together?
Synoptic gospels
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Where is John's setting?
Ephesus
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What are the two sections into which your authors split the book of John?
- Ch. 1-12 Public teaching
- Ch. 13-17 Private speaking
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What are some of the main themes in John? Where does John affirm the deity of Jesus Christ?
- Redemption
- God appeared to us in human form
- Glory of God seen through Christ
- (1) John the Baptist
- (2) The person of Christ
- (3) The Holy Spirit
- (4) The sacraments
- (5) Our future hope: eschatology
- (6) Irony
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Paul's world - social structure
- Wives remain faithful to husbands
- Husbands can do what they want
- Father has all authority
- Being born in Roman empire didn't make you a citizen
- Born into it
- Buy into it
- Patrons were respected by number of clients that followed them
- Humiliores were low status
- Honestiores were high status
- Libertini were freed men who were once slaves
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Paul's world - government
- Emperor (Caesar) was the supreme military authority
- Senate ruled over all affairs
- Provinces and vassal states showed boundaries
- Cities were political and economic backbone of Roman Empire
- Colonies-Roman law
- Free cities-governed themselves
-
Paul's world - religion
- full of idols
- atheists were not common
-
Difference between Christians and Jews?
- Neither agreed with pagans
- Christians met in private houses, not synagogues
- Christians believed you could worship anywhere, not just in the temple
- Priesthood has hereditary for Jews
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Difference between pagans and jews?
- Jews only sacrifice in temple
- Jews worshipped Yahweh
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Difference between Christians and Pagans?
- Pagans had immoral Gods (god of drunkenness)
- Pagans had transactions/favors with their Gods
- Pagans had to keep Gods on their side
- Christians believed in self-sacrificial love
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What was Paul's nickname?
Saul
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Paul's conversion?
Struck blind and led to Damascus
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Paul's trips to Jerusalem?
- Jerusalem church accepts him
- Spoke about Jesus as the Messiah
- Missionary to Gentiles
- Arrested and imprisoned in Caesarea
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authorship, date, setting of Romans?
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authorship, date, setting of 1 Corinthians?
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authorship, date, setting of 2 Corinthians?
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authorship, date, setting of Galatians?
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authorship, date, setting of Ephesians?
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authorship, date, setting of Colossians?
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Themes of Matthew? (2)
- "fulfillment " formula
- Song of God & Messiah
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Themes of Luke? (3)
- Jesus is new prophet of God
- Jesus brings salvation & kingdom of God
- Jesus cares for the outcasts of society
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Themes of John? (5)
- OT Allusions
- "I AM" statements
- Jesus' Missionary Task
- Messianic signs
- New Creation
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Themes of Romans? (3)
- Justification by grace alone by faith alone
- Salvation is for both jews and gentiles
- contrast b/w 2 human communities
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Themes of 1st Corinthians? (4)
- Salvation by grace alone, by grace alone, in Christ alone
- New creation in Christ
- Abraham's example of justification by grace through faith
- Practical: defense of Christian (liberty)
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Themes of Ephesians? (4)
- In Christ
- Union w/Christ = Unity w/Church
- Understandings of Church
- Spiritual battle
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Themes of Colossians? (3)
- Christ is Lord of Creation
- The sufficiency of Christ for salvation and sanctification
- Living as new creations in Christ
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