WELCOME TO Lect. 2

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WELCOME TO Lect. 2
BI 1211 AND 1311
The Life of Christ
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WE BEGIN HERE

• JESUS ENTRANCE INTO THE WORLD WAS A CAREFULLY
  DIVINE PLANNED EVENT THAT SPANNED THE CENTURIES
  SINCE EVEN BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD

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REMEMBER THE 4 Ps

• Jesus Was PredestinedBefore the World Began
• Eph. 14. According as he hath chosen us in him
  before the foundation of the world, that we
  should be holy and without blame before him in
  love

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God Promised Him to Man After the Fall (4000
B.C.)

• Gen. 315. And I will put enmity between thee
  and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed
  it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise
  his heel.
• Gal. 316. He saith not, And to seeds, as of
  many but as of one, And to thy seed, which is
  Christ.

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He Was Prophesied by the Prophets

• Dt. 1818. I will raise them up a Prophet from
  among their brethren, like unto thee, and will
  put my words in his mouth and he shall speak
  unto them all that I shall command him.
• IS. 714. Therefore the Lord himself shall give
  you a sign Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and
  bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

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He Was Presented to the world

• John 114. And the Word was made flesh, and
  dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the
  glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
  full of grace and truth.
• 15. John bare witness of him, and cried,
  saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that
  cometh after me is preferred before me for he
  was before me.
• 16. And of his fulness have all we received,
  and grace for grace.

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GODS MARKED SEASONTHE FULLNESS OF TIME

• To everything there is a season and a time for
  every purpose under heaven Eccl. 31
• when the fullness of time was come, God sent
  forth his son. Gal. 44

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Apostle Paul and Jesus said it was the Fulness of
Times.

• Paul, Eph. 19.10 According to his good
  pleasure which he hath purposed in himself That
  in the dispensation of the fulness of times he
  might gather together in one all things in
  Christ. . .
• Jesus, MK. 115 The time is fulfilled, and the
  kingdom of God is at hand

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Divine readiness was reached when . . .
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The Arrival of Jesus Was the Climax of Redemptive
History

• Changed the method of accounting time B.C. ---
  A.D.
• All things in redemptive history happened with
  the birth of Jesus in in the background.
• Events since look backward to that moment and
  forward to his return

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3 Questions for Study

• 1. How has mans impatience with God hurt himself
  in the world?
• 2. What made 4 6 B. C. the fullness of time?
• 3. What historic events supplied favorable
  conditions for the arrival of Jesus?

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Note First Mans Impatience With God Has Hurt
the world.

• Sarah and Abraham - Gen. 16
• What about Judas? Lk. 223
• Apostle Peter on Impatience with God- Knowing
  this first, that there shall come in the last
  days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming?
  for since the fathers fell asleep, all things
  continue as they were from the beginning of the
  creation. 2 Pet. 33

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God Waited for the Strategic Time to Arrive

• The Divine Hand was forging history for the most
  effective moment for the birth of Christ
• Time was needed for two plausible Reasons
• 1. It took time for Pagan religions to run their
  course and lose their hold on Israel.
• 2. Pagan religions vain and empty. They offered
  no healing for the hurt of man. This offered the
  perfect open door for Christ.
• Mal. 42. But unto you that fear my name shall
  the sun of righteousness arise with healing in
  his wings

Remember These
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Not Only for A Strategic time, But also A
Strategic place

• Why Palestine?
• Hub of 3 continents Europe, Africa, and Asia
• Assyria, Babylon, Egypt and Greece had fought for
  possession for buffer zone for defense purposes.
• A heartland where east west met
• Trading routes cultural mingling, caravans
• Divine wisdom chose this spot.

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The Jewish Dispersion Played A Key Role

• Gods warning to Israel- And I will scatter you
  among the heathen, and will draw out a sword
  after you and your land shall be desolate, and
  your cities waste. Lev. 2633
• 722 B.C. Israel went into Assyrian captivity
  2 Kgs. 17
• 606, 597, 586 B.C. Judah went into Babylonian
  captivity, 2 Kgs. 24

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Northern 10 tribes Disintegrated

• Isolated themselves from Jerusalem.
• Mongrelized with the Assyrians- Became known as
  Samaritans
• Lost identity of ten northern tribes
• Had A Corrupted Pentateuch
• They worshipped at a temple on Mt Gerizim
  built by Manasseh, a priest expelled from
  Jerusalem in 432 B.C. for marrying a Samaritan

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Dispersion, contd.

• Babylonian exile 586-536 B. C.
• Egyptian exile, 2 Kgs. 2526
• Persian rule, 536 331 B.C.
• Greek rule, 331 163 B.C.
• Brief respite, Maccabaean/Hasmonean period,
  163-63 B.C.
• Roman occupation 63 B.C.
• No nation in the world which had not among them
  part of the Jewish people- Josephus- 1st
  Century Historian

Remember These
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9 Important Developments in Babylon Concerning
Judaism

• PROBLEM How to achieve righteousness without
  the Temple and altar in Jerusalem
• 1. INSTITUTION OF THE MERIT SYSTEM
• Deprived of the temple and sacrifices they turned
  to the Torah (the five books of Moses) their
  dietary laws and circumcision for righteousness.
• 2. INFLUENTIAL SCHOLARLY CLASS AROSE.
• The Sopherim (scribes)--- experts interpretation
  and definition of the law was required Ezra 76

Remember these
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9 Important Developments in Babylon . . .
-Contd.

• 3. IDOLATRY DISAPPEARED.
• 4. SHARING MEMORIES CENTRALIZED
• 5. INDOMITABLE SPIRIT
• 400 years in Egypt
• 
  (contd)

Remember these
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9 Important Developments in Babylon . . .
-Contd.

• 6. INSTITUTION OF THE SYNAGOGUE HELPED.
• Origin is obscure but most believe it arose
  DURING the captivity while separated from the
  Temple. Here the law was nurtured and instructed
  on every Sabbath
• Recitation of Shema Deut. 64-9 1113-21

Remember these
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9 Important Developments in Babylon . . .
-Contd.

• 7. THE TARGUM AROSE
• Aramaic translation of scriptures., later called
  the tradition of elders. (Mt. 152)
• 8. NEW REVELATION WAS RECEIVED
• Daniel, Ezekiel, and many Psalms PSALMS, VIZ, 85,
  102, 118, 146-150.
• 9. A NEW LANGUAGE EMERGED
• Aramaic

Remember these
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Important Change in Events Persia Captures
Babylon

• Cyrus captured Babylon in 538 B.C.
• 538-432 B.C. Some Jews Return during period of
  Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. Prophets Haggai,
  Zechariah, Malachi
• Issues Edict for rebuilding temple 2 Chr. 3622
• Beginning of New Judaism as known in Jesus Day.

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Important Change in Events Greeks Capture Persia
331 B.C.

• Alex. The Great, (356-323 A.D.) pupil of
  Aristotle, exported Greek Culture known as
  Hellenism. Founded intellectual center in Egypt
  called Alexandria
• Dispersion took on a new face
• This Divided the Jews into Hellenist and
  Hebraist.
• .

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300-147 B.C. The Jews under Greek Rule

• Antiochus IV Epiphanes (epimanes) The madman,
  175-164 B.C.
• Devastated Jerusalem in 168 B.C.
• An avid anti Jewish Hellenist
• 166 B.C. Maccabbean revolt
• 165 B.C. Rededicated temple Feast of Lights
  called Hanukah
• 61 B.C. ROMAN OCCUPATION.

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Nationalistic Contributions that helped the
arrival of Jesus

• The Jews
• THE JEWISH DISPERSION AIDED THE ARRIVAL OF
  CHRIST
• It Sowed seeds of Messiah expectation around the
  earth.

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Persian Contributions

• 1. Permitted the Jews to Return to Palestine.
  (Ezra, Nehemiah)

• 2. Financed the new Temple (Ezra 64)

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Greek Contributions that Helped Plant Christianity

• 1. Hellenism bred a universal language
• 2. They published a universal Bible known as
  the Septuagint or LXX version.
• Emptiness of Greek Philosophies
• Stoics Zeno 280 B.C. Consolation in fate by
  suppression of emotion (Acts 1718).
• Epicureans --Epicurus d.271 B.C
• Pleasure is the greatest good (Acts 1718).

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Roman Contributions

• The Pax Romana (Roman Peace)
• Excellent highway system
• Romes legal system
• NEGATIVE FACTORS
• Extreme moral degradation (Rom. 1)
• Affluence, Idleness
• No recognized standard of ethics
• Prostitution, divorce, abortion, infanticide,
  suicide
• Failure of pagan religions

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Prevailing Expectancy Climate Helped
Christianity

• Generated by
• Pseudepigraphical literature abounded with
  eschatological themes ca. 100 B.C.
• Jewish Scrolls (DSS) confirm
• The appearance of John the Baptist , about 26 A.D

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INTERNATIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS
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Jewish Sects

• The Pharisees
• The Sadducees
• The Herodians
• The Essenes
• The Zealots

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Court system

• THE TEMPLE
• THE SYNAGOGUE
• THE SANHEDRIN

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Herod the Great Helps Date the Birth of Jesus

• 37 B.C. 4 B.C. (Mt. 23-15)
• Inherited throne of his father at age 22
• Convinced Octavian to appoint him sole king of
  the Jews. Gave him Cleopatras possessions in
  Palestine, with lands in Samaria and east of
  Jordan

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HEROD THE GREAT

• By religion--a Jew, by race -- Idumean,
  culturally-- Greek, by politics -- RomanHe was
  paranoid a very suspicious man, --had his wife,
  killed, two sons strangled and his brother-in-law
  drowned.

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Herods, continued Furthermore, he . . .

• Ordered the killing of the Bethlehem babies
• Suffering from cancer and heart failure, and
  fearing none would mourn at his death. He had all
  the chief men in Jericho locked up with orders to
  kill them all on the day he died. (Never
  happened)
• Died April 1, 4 B.C.

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Herod Archaelaus (Mt. 222)

• Received Judea, Samaria and Idumea at Herod the
  Greats death
• His brother Antipas received Galilee
• Philip Batanea, Trachonitis, and Auranitis
• Archaleaus was as vicious as his father

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Herod Antipas (4 B.C.- A.D. 34)

• Jesus called him the Fox (Lk. 1332
• Great builder
• Murdered John the Baptist (Mt. 141-13)

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Herod Agrippa 1 (A.D. 37-44)

• Murdered the apostle James (Acts 12)

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HEROD AGRIPPA II (A.D. 50-100)

• Sat at hearing of Paul in Caesarea (Acts 25)

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Sources of the Gospels

• Luke 11-4 Luke carefully sorted and filtered
  the sources to produce an orderly account of
  Jesus ministry.
• He alone follows ancient historian fashion of
  dedicating his work to a patron.
• Matthew uses a genealogical intro. Because he is
  writing principally to a Jewish audience
• Mark uses no formal intro.
• John uses a theological intro. To meet the new
  Gnostic heresy.