Christianity Lectures Prof. Hamrick

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Christianity LecturesProf. Hamrick

• The Hellenistic and Judaic Contexts

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Roman Empire
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Ancient Judea
Jewish Historical Contexts 168 BCE 142 BCE
Maccabean DynastyApocalyptic Expectations 63
BCE Palestine absorbed into Roman EmpireIsrael
and Puppet State Herod the Great and Roman
Jerusalem 60-73 CE Jewish Revolt132-135 CE
Hadrian Crushes Final RevoltConcentrate a
measure of religious liberty in Sanhedrin
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Roman Occupation

• Arch of Titus - 70 CE
• Israel Roman puppet
• Hellenistic influences
• Hellenistic Period 323 BCE (Alexander conq.
  Perisa) 63 C.E. (Pompey Conq. Palestine

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Greek Education

• I. Primary School
• II. Hired Grammarian Literature
• III. Private Education

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Hellenistic Worldview

• Plato 427-347 BCE
• Forms
• World as reflection
• Soul over Body
• Reincarnation
• Eternal Life

He is the reflection of Gods glory and the exact
imprint of Gods very being, and he sustains all
things by his powerful word. Hebrews
13 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped
for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed
by faith our ancestors received approval. By
faith we understand that the worlds were prepared
by the word of God, so that what is seen was made
from things that are not visible. Hebrews
111-3
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Hellenistic Worldview

• Stoicism - central ideal
• Zeno 336-263
• Divine principle - Logos
• Divine discipline
• Stoic acceptance
• The avaricious man is like the barren sandy
  ground of the desert which sucks in all the rain
  and dew with greediness, but yields no fruitful
  herbs or plants for the benefit of others.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. He was in the
beginning with God. All things came into being
through him, and without him not one thing came
into being. John 11-3 Not that I am
referring to being in need for I have learned to
be content with whatever I have. I know what it
is to have little, and I know what it is to have
plenty. In any and all circumstances I have
learned the secret of being well-fed and of going
hungry. Philippians 411-12
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Hellenistic Worldview

• Epicureanism
• Epicurus 342-270 BCE
• All things physical
• Seek intellectual pleasure
• Paul debates 50 CE (Acts 17)

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Greco-Roman Religion
Aphrodite, love. sex
Poseidon, sea, horses, earthquakes, rivers
Zeus - king, divine justice, lawful order, cosmic
harmony
Hera, women, childbirth, home
Artemis, hunting, children, wilderness
Athena, crafts, counsel, wisdom, war
Apollo, Music, prophecy, medicine
Hades, Hell, death
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Asclepius

• Hailed as savior and friend of human beings
• Demands strict ethical behavior
• Welcomes poor and disadvantaged
• Rose from the death to posthumous divinity

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Mystery Religions I

• Organization
• Membership rites
• Regular meetings
• Moral obligations
• Support
• Obedience
• Traditions of Discipline

Mother Goddess CybeleVirgin Mother to Attis who
is Resurrected From Ovid 8 CE.
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Dionysus of Thebes

• Foreshadows later Christian theological
  interpretations
• Violent death, descent into underworld,
  resurrection, eternal life sitting near father in
  heaven
• Endures rejection, suffering, and death

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Jesus and Dionysus
Jesus Dionysus

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Mystery Religions II
Orpheus
Mithras

• Polytheistic
• Cultivate personal relationship with god/goddess
• Underground or esoteric religion
• Sharing communal meal w/ invisible godly
  presence
• Absorb gods body and deitys immortality
• Orphism - highly influential
• Mithraism - solar deity
• Mother Goddesses
• Isis
• Anticipates Virgin Mary

Priest of Isis
Isis
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Mithraism

• Solar Deity
• Sacrifice
• Cleansing Blood
• Dec. 25th

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First Century Judaisms
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• The Gospels

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New Testament Canonization

• Late Fourth Century
• 367 Easter Letter Athanasius
• Continued use of non-canonical
• Rejection of some canonical
• Production of many other versions

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Gospel

• Evangelion good news
• Not modern biography
• Theological life
• Comparison

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Theological lives

• Mark 6 1-6
• Jesus went out from there and came into His
  hometown and His disciples followed Him. When
  the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the
  synagogue and the many listeners were
  astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these
  things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and
  such miracles as these performed by His hands?
  "Is not this the carpenter,the son of Mary, and
  brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?
  Are not His sisters here with us?" And they took
  offense at Him. Jesus said to them, " A prophet
  is not without honor except in his hometown and
  among his own relatives and in his own
  household." And He could do no miracle there
  except that He laid His hands on a few sick
  people and healed them. And He wondered at their
  unbelief. And He was going around the villages
  teaching.

• Matthew 13 54-58
• When Jesus had finished these parables, He
  departed from there. He came to His hometown and
  began teaching them in their synagogue, so that
  they were astonished, and said, "Where did this
  man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?
  Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His
  mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and
  Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are
  they not all with us? Where then did this man get
  all these things?" And they took offense at Him
  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without
  honor except in his hometown and in his own
  household." And He did not do many miracles there
  because of their unbelief.

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Gospel Parallels

• Four Gospels
• Book of Acts
• Letters of Paul
• Hebrews, Apocalypse

• Pentateuch
• Deuteronomistic History
• Prophets
• Writings

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Synoptic Development
Q Sayings 50-70Mark 66-70 Matthew
80-85Luke and Acts 85-90
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Gospel of Mark

• 70 C.E.
• Peters Disciple
• Oral and Written
• Suffering and rejection as model
• Mark 8 34-38

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Organization of Mark

• Prelude to Jesus ministry (11-13)
• The Galilean ministry inaugurating the kingdom
  (114-826)
• The journey to Jerusalem (827-1052)
• The Jerusalem ministry (111-1547) including
  Passion
• Postlude the empty tomb (161-8)

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Mark 834-38 Suffering Exemplum

• 34 And He summoned the crowd with His
  disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to
  come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up
  his cross and follow Me.
•    35"For whoever wishes to save his life will
  lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake
  and the gospel's will save it.
•    36"For what does it profit a man to gain the
  whole world, and forfeit his soul?
•    37"For what will a man give in exchange for
  his soul?
•    38"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words
  in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son
  of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes
  in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

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Themes

• Eschatological Urgency
• - The time has come, the kingdom of God is
  upon you repent and believe the Gospel (115)
• 131-4, 7-8, 14-20, 24-27, 30, 35-37
• Jesus promises Eschaton to his hearers The
  present generation will live to see it all
  (1330)
• Son of Man
• - earthly figure who teaches with authority
  change Law
• - a servant who embraces suffering
• - future eschatological judge already judging

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Conflict Stories

• Pharisees
• Scribes
• Sadducees
• Herodians

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The Eucharist

• Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
  baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
  the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them
  to obey everything that I have commanded you. And
  remember, I am with you always, to the end of the
  age (Matthew 2819-20) Amen, amen I say to you,
  unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and
  drink His blood you do not have life within you.
  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has
  eternal life and I will raise him up on the last
  day. For My flesh is true food and My blood is
  true drink. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My
  blood remains in Me and I in him" (John 653-56).
  
• Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the
  cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer
  for the Body and Blood of the Lord... for anyone
  who eats and drinks without discerning the body,
  eats and drinks judgeent on himself." (1
  Corinthians 1127, 29)

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Gospel of Mark

• Christology
• Passover as Eucharist or Holy Communion
• Divine Sonship earned through suffering death
• Similar fate of Marks community
• No post-resurrection appearance in Mark

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• Matthew, Luke, and John

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Gospel of Matthew

• Second in NT
• Jesus Prophecy
• Fulfill Intensify Torah
• Christ already present
• Infinite forgiveness Jews

• Jewish-Christian audience
• Five Major teachings
• Peaceful Messiah
• Disciple instructions
• Kingdom parables
• Church instructions
• Final judgment

The Sermon on the MountMatthew 53-7Cosimo
Rosselli (Florence 1439 - 1507)
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Matthew 5 2 ff.

• Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
  kingdom of heaven.
• Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be
  comforted.
• Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit
  the earth.
• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
  righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
• Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive
  mercy.
• Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see
  God.
• Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be
  called sons of God.
• Blessed are those who have been persecuted for
  the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the
  kingdom of heaven.
• Blessed are you when people insult you and
  persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil
  against you because of Me.

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Gospel of Luke
Herod and Jesus Duccio di Buoninsegna (c.
1255-1319) Luke 2315

• Greco-Roman audience
• Universal history faith
• Middle of history not eschaton
• Hellenistic savior

• Parables social order
• Longer teachings
• - Holy spirit
• - women
• - affinity with unrespectable
• - universal faith
• - lawful religion

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Luke 23

• Then the whole body of them got up and brought
  Him before Pilate. And they began to accuse Him,
  saying, "We found this man misleading our nation
  and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying
  that He Himself is Christ, a King.
• So Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King
  of the Jews?" And He answered him and said, It
  is as you say." Then Pilate said to the chief
  priests and the crowds, "I find no guilt in this
  man." But they kept on insisting, saying, "He
  stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea,
  starting from Galilee even as far as this place."
  When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man
  was a Galilean. And when he learned that He
  belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to
  Herod who himself also was in Jerusalem at that
  time.
• Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus for
  he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because
  he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to
  see some sign performed by Him. And he questioned
  Him at some length but He answered him nothing.
  And the chief priests and the scribes were
  standing there, accusing Him vehemently. And
  Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with
  contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a
  gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. Now
  Herod and Pilate became friends with one another
  that very day for before they had been enemies
  with each other.
• Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers
  and the people, and said to them, "You brought
  this man to me as one who incites the people to
  rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before
  you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding
  the charges which you make against Him.

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Gospel of John
Sending of the Holy Spirit Rabbula Gospel Book
6th Century

• Heavenly Wisdom Logos
• Paraclete or Holy Spirit now
• Crucifixion as Glory
• Theological Meditation

• Differences from Synoptic
• - no birth narrative no baptism
• - no tempt by Satan no excorcisms
• - no mad report no synoptic parables
• - no Law reinterpret no Jerusalem fall
• - no eschaton emphasis

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John and The Incarnated Word
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The Gospels and Crucifixion
Cruxifixion (Hypercubus), Salvador Dali
(1904-1989)
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• The Phases of Christian History
• Competing Christianities

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Phases of Christianity
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Early Period

• Identity
• - Canonization
• - Creed
• - Continuity of leadership - apostolic
  succession - bishop
• - presbyter
• - deacon

• Heresy ca. 125
• - Marcion d. ca. 160
• - Gnosticism
• Orthodoxy
• Irenaeus (ca. 130-202)

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True Belief Early Period

• Trinity
• Doctrine of Incarnation
• Human nature
• Exemplum
• Divine Intervention
• Paul -gt John
• Augustine (354-430)
• - The Confessions
• - Contra Pelagius (freedom)
• - Doctrine of Original Sin

• Apostles Creed 150
• Edict of Milan 313
• - Constantine
• - tolerated religion
• Nicene Creed 325
• - contra Arius - Arianism
• Christ not fully divine
• State Religion 380
• - Emperor Theodosius
• - Papal superiority

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Middle Period600-1500

• Replace Roman Empire - tribal expansion
  conversion
• 800 Charlemagne crowned holy roman emperor
• 9th Cent. - Baptism of Russia
• Byzantine Christianity
• - 1054 Church split
• - share in Christs perfection
• - different theology
• - icons
• - authority conflict
• - Eastern Orthodoxy

• Universal Christian Culture
• Monastic culture-medieval infrastructure
• -renewal and reform
• 1095 First Crusade Pope Urban
• 1170-1221 Dominic -simplicity preaching
• 1225-1274 Thomas Aquinas - faith
  philosophy1260-1327 Meister Eckhart
• - union with God

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Middle Period Sacramental Cycle
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