1.

BACKGROUNG TO THE WORLD OF JESUS

The Hellenistic/Roman world of Jesus is a fascinating one, but unfortunately, more often than not, it is
largely ignored by students of the New Testament and Christian Origins. It is important to become
familiar with the political, social, cultural, and religious ideas and realities of this wider Mediterranean
context. Even Judaism, as particular and different as it was from other religions of the time, can only
properly be understood as set against this broad background. This is even more the case in trying to
come to an understanding of Jesus as a Jew in Palestine in his time, but also a subject of the mighty
Roman Empire. We can take several approaches here. There is the political point of view that
emphasizes the arena of struggling empires that waged war until one military dictatorship, the Roman
Empire, gained control over the lands that border the Mediterranean Sea. There is the economic point
of view that examines a vast system of business and finance dominated by international trade, an
enforced system of taxation, and large bodies of slave labor. There is the sociological approach that
looks at the pluralistic assortment of ethnic peoples, high government officials, merchants, small
business people, slaves and minorities. This world has its literature, sculpture, philosophy, art, and
architecture from the civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Rome, Greece, and Canaan (the area
settled by the ancient Hebrews, called Palestine by the Romans). Finally, this ancient Mediterranean
world gave rise to a diverse and often, from the modern western point of view, exotic religious life. It is
impossible in an introduction such as this to study all of these facets of ancient Mediterranean
civilization in detail, but it is important to gain some knowledge of the civilization in order to bring the
New Testament--as a collection of books of particular times and of particular places--to life.
2. GROUPS AT THE TIME OF JESUS
A. PROCURATOR
The word 'procurator' is derived from the Latin verb procurare, which means 'to take care'. Rich Romans
have always employed caretakers to administer large amounts of money or agricultural domains;
usually, these procurators were freedmen.
B. SCRIBES
A scribe is people who writes books or documents by hand as a profession and helps the city keep track
of its records. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its
importance and status with the advent of printing. The work could involve copying books, including
sacred texts, or secretarial and administrative duties such as taking of dictation and the keeping of
business, judicial and historical records for kings, nobility, temples and cities. Later the profession
developed into public servants,journalists, accountants, typists, and lawyers. In societies with low
literacy rates, street corner letter-writers (and readers) may still be found providing a service.[citation
needed]
C. LEVIDES
D. SADDUCCEES
The Sadducees (Hebrew: dqm) were a sect or group of Jews that were active in Judea during
the Second Temple period, starting from the second century BCE through the destruction of the Temple
in 70 CE. The sect was identified by Josephus with the upper social and economic echelon of Judean
society.[1] As a whole, the sect fulfilled various political, social, and religious roles, including maintaining
the Temple. The Sadducees are often compared to other contemporaneous sects, including
the Pharisees and the Essenes. Their sect is believed to have become extinct sometime after the
destruction of Herod's Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, but it has been speculated that the
later Karaites may have had some roots or connections with old Sadducee views.
E. PHARISEES
The Pharisees (Latin pharisus, -i; from Hebrew prshm, pl. of prsh, meaning set
apart, Qal passive participle of the verb prsh,[1][2] through Greek , - pharisaios[3])
were at various times a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought amongJews during
the Second Temple period beginning under the Hasmonean dynasty (14037 BCE) in the wake of
the Maccabean Revolt.
F. SANHEDRIN
The Sanhedrin (Hebrew: sanhedrn, Greek: ,[1] synedrion, "sitting together," hence
"assembly" or "council") was an assembly of twenty-three judges appointed in every city in the
Biblical Land of Israel.[2]
G. ESSENES
The Essenes (in Modern but not in Ancient Hebrew: , Isiyim; Greek: , ,
or ; Essnoi, Essaioi, Ossaioi) were a sect ofSecond Temple Judaism that flourished from the 2nd
century BCE to the 1st century CE which some scholars claim seceded from the Zadokitepriests.[1] Being
much fewer in number than the Pharisees and the Sadducees (the other two major sects at the time),
the Essenes lived in various cities but congregated in communal life dedicated to asceticism, voluntary
poverty, daily immersion, and abstinence from worldly pleasures, including (for some groups) celibacy.
Many separate but related religious groups of that era shared similar mystic, eschatological, messianic,
and ascetic beliefs. These groups are collectively referred to by various scholars as the
"Essenes." Josephus records that Essenes existed in large numbers and thousands lived
throughout Roman Juda.
3. SOCIO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT AT THE TIME OF JESUS

Alexander's campaigns effected great changes even in Palestine. They opened up new trade routes
never before explored. The riches of the East began to flow westward in the succeeding centuries
minerals (gold, silver, copper, iron); frankincense (for religious worship); foodstuffs (corn, wine, oil, fish);
textiles (especially linen) and luxury goods of all kinds. There was increased productivity everywhere due
to better techniques in agriculture and mining and the like. It was easier to transport a variety of goods
and seek more profitable markets, especially after the construction of roads.
New trade routes opened up people and nations to one another and people travelled more freely from
one country, or region, to another. Some of these routes passed through Palestine.
The new wealth was mainly centred in trade and commerce, and this led to the emergence of a wealthy
middle class who were in a position to profit from the new possibilities. Many Jews emigrated at this
time to seek better conditions and greater wealth, and so many Jewish communities were establised
abroad and flourished.
Sometimes, however, there was unemployment in the cities. The peasant farmers were squeezed out of
existence by competition from large landowners, and heavy taxes were levied for the support of a
bureaucracy. This continued in the time of Jesus and was made worse when occupying armies took over
some of the land.
Violence and injustice
Under the Romans taxes were imposed. For most Jews paying taxes to a Roman overlord meant giving
to Caesar what belonged to God, namely, Israel's money and possessions (Mk. 12). Such taxes were an
oppressive symbol of injustice.Taxes imposed by the Roman and Jewish authorities were exploitative
and burdensome for the people, especially for the small tenant farmers. Then there was the presence of
the military. John the Baptist, like Jesus, enters into dialogue with them: 'Rob no one by violence or by
false accusation and be content with your wages' (Lk. 3, 7).
The atmosphere of violence and social injustice leading to poverty, especially after the death of Herod
the Great, made Palestine very unstable. It was at this time that revolutionary and discontent groups
were formed.

4. STAGES OF THE FORMATIONOF GOSPEL
1. The life and teaching of Jesus
2. The oral tradition
3. The written Gospels
1. The life and teaching of Jesus
Jesus taught, healed, and worked miracles. He died on the cross and rose from the dead.
His followers witnessed and remembered these things.
2. The oral tradition
After the ascension of Jesus, the apostles handed on his deeds and words through preaching and
teaching.
They now had a better understanding of what he did and said.
They could look back on the whole story of Jesus life, from the beginning of his ministry to his
ascension.
Also, they had the gift of the Holy Spirit, who came to them at Pentecost and enlightened their minds.
3. The written Gospels
The gospels were written by the four evangelists.
From all the stories and memories about Jesus, passed down by word of mouth or already written down,
each evangelist selected what was suitable for his purpose.
At times the evangelist would combine, summarize, or explain these traditions.
The end result of this work was a written gospel. Each evangelist composed his gospel with skill and
creativity, but always in such a way as to tell us the honest truth about Jesus.
5. FOR WHOM DID MATTHEW WRITE HIS BOOKS THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MATTHEW AND
MARK
The Gospel of Matthew is historically attributed to The Evangelist Matthew the same as described in the
text. The text does not specifically name Matthew as its author, thus inviting academic inquiry into other
possible sources of the document. The Christian bishop, Papias of Hierapolis, about 100140 AD, in a
passage with several ambiguous phrases, wrote: "Matthew collected the oracles (logiasayings of or
about Jesus) in the Hebrew language (Hebradi dialektiperhaps alternatively "Hebrew style") and
each one interpreted (hrmneusenor "translated") them as best he could."[4]On the surface this
implies that Matthew was written in Hebrew and translated into Greek, but Matthew's Greek "reveals
none of the telltale marks of a translation."[5] Scholars have put forward several theories to explain
Papias: perhaps Matthew wrote two gospels, one, now lost, in Hebrew, the other our Greek version; or
perhaps the logia was a collection of sayings rather than the gospel; or by dialekti Papias may have
meant that Matthew wrote in the Jewish style rather than in the Hebrew language.[4]
Papias does not identify his Matthew, but by the end of the 2nd century the tradition of Matthew the
tax-collector had become widely accepted, and the line "The Gospel According to Matthew" began to be
added to manuscripts.[6] For many reasons scholars today theorize otherwisefor example, the gospel
is based on Mark, and "it seems unlikely that an eyewitness of Jesus's ministry, such as Matthew, would
need to rely on others for information about it"[7]and believe instead that it was written between
about 8090 AD by a highly educated Jew (an "Israelite", in the language of the gospel itself), intimately
familiar with the technical aspects of Jewish law, standing on the boundary between traditional and
non-traditional Jewish values.[1] The disciple Matthew was probably honoured within the author's
circle, as the name Matthew is more prominent in this gospel than any other,[8] and it is possible that
some of the "M" material may have originated with Matthew himself.[9]
Some critics in academia theorize that the author drew on three distinct sources, each representing a
distinct community: material shared with Luke (called "Q", a hypothetical collection, or several
collections, of sayings); the Gospel of Mark; and material unique to Matthew (called "M").[10] He wrote
for a Jewish audience: like "Q" and "M", he stresses the continuing relevance of the Jewish law; unlike
Mark he never bothers to explain Jewish customs; and unlike Luke, who traces Jesus's ancestry back to
Adam, father of the human race, he traces it only to Abraham, father of the Jews.[11] The content of
"M" suggests that this community was stricter than the others in its attitude to keeping the Jewish law,
holding that they must exceed the scribes and the Pharisees in "righteousness" (adherence to Jewish
law); and of the three only "M" refers to a "church" (ecclesia), an organised group with rules for keeping
order.[12]

6. GENTILE VS. JEWS
A Jew is one who considers Jesus Christ as no more than a later prophet or teacher. The Jew still looks
for a messiah to come. A Christian accepts Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, Matthew 1:18-23; John
1:1-12; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 1:13-17; Hebrews 1:1-14; and 1 John 5:1-13.
One of the first, if not the first mention of the "Gentiles" is in Gen. 10:5 regarding the descendents of
Noah, and the last in Rev. 11:2. It was term used by Jewish people to refer to foreigners, or any other
people who were not Jewish. The Jews developed a feeling of exclusivism over a period of several
centuries.
7. SYNOPTIC GOSPEL
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to specifically as the Synoptic Gospels because
they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and similar wording.[1][2][3] This
degree of parallelism in content, narrative arrangement, language, and sentence structures can only be
accounted for by literary interdependence. Many scholars believe that these gospels share the same
point of view and are clearly linked.[4] The term synoptic comes from the Greek syn, meaning
"together", and optic, meaning "seen".[3]
According to the majority viewpoint, Mark was the first gospel written. Matthew and Luke then used
Mark as a source, as well as a hypothetical sayings gospel known as Q. Matthew and Luke also included
unique material, and the sources for this material are designated M and L, respectively.
The Synoptic Gospels are the primary source for historical information about Jesus.[5][6][7]
Apocryphal gospels, as well as the canonical Gospel of John, differ greatly from the Synoptic Gospels.
8. WHY IS JOHN NOT A SYNOPTIC GOSPEL
Item Matthew, Mark, Luke John
First event mentioned
Jesus' birth (baptism in
Mark)
Creation of the world
Authors: according to
conservative Christians
Apostle Matthew; Mark and
Luke, co-workers of Paul
Apostle John
Authors: according to
liberal Christians
Unknown authors 2 or more unknown authors
Virgin birth Mentioned in Matt, Luke
Some interpret John 1:45 as
denying the virgin birth
Jesus as Son of God...
From the time of his birth
or baptism
From the time that the
universe was created
Description of Jesus Jesus' humanity emphasized Jesus' deity emphasized
Jesus baptism Described Not mentioned
Preaching style Brief one-liners; parables Essay format
Jesus teaches as: A sage A philosopher and mystic
Exorcism
A main function of his
ministry
None performed
True parables Many None
Theme of his teaching: Kingdom of God
Jesus himself. Kingdom of
God is a background theme.
Jesus' theology
Deviated little from 1st
century CE liberal Judaism.
Similar to beliefs taught by
Hillel.
Largely independent of
Judaism and in opposition to
much of its teaching.
Response expected from
the reader
20

Respond to God's will as
expressed in the Mosaic law
Respond to Jesus as the
definitive expression of
God's will or revelation
Exorcism of demons Many None
Involvement with the poor
and suffering
Focus of his ministry Rarely mentioned
Involvement with Scribes
(Jewish teachers)
26 references to scribes,
who are puzzled and
angered by Jesus' teachings
No references at all.
Miracles performed by
Jesus
Many "nature miracles,"
healings, and exorcisms
Few; all "nature miracles"
Jesus references to himself Rare
Focus of the gospel,
including the many "I am"
sayings
Basis of personal salvation
Good works, helping the
poor, sick, imprisoned, and
needy
Belief in Jesus as the Son of
God
Duration of ministry 1 year 3 years
Location of ministry Mainly Galilee
Mainly Judea, near
Jerusalem
Aggravated assault
committed in the Temple
courtyard:
Near the end of his ministry Near the start of his ministry
Date of the Last Supper Passover eve Night before Passover eve
Ceremonial event at the
Last Supper:
Communal meal Foot washing
Who carried the cross? Simon Jesus
Visitors to the tomb on
Sunday with Mary
Magdalene?
One or more additional
women
None; Mary Magdalene went
alone
Who was present in the One angel or two men Two angels
tomb?
Burial shroud A single piece of cloth
Multiple pieces of cloth, as
was the Jewish practice at
the time. (John 20:5-7)
Jesus' first appearance to
disciples
At Emmaus or Galilee Jerusalem