bibliology class 01: introduction maranatha bible college … · 2015-04-02 · 20-29 tiberius, jc...

BIBLIOLOGYClass 01: NT DATING

Maranatha Bible CollegeSpring Semester, 2015

1 Thess. 2:13• “For this reason we also

constantly thank God that

• when you received the

word of God

• which you heard from us,

• you accepted it

• not as the word of men,

but for what it really is,

the word of God,

• which also performs its

work in you who believe.”

Study to show yourself approved

unto God, a workman that need

not be ashamed, rightly dividing the

Word of Truth2 Timothy 2:15

Paula Fredriksen,Prof., Boston Univ.

No one during Jesus' lifetime

(including the man himself)

considered Jesus to be the Messiah.

Our Objectives

• Understand historical context for NT

• Know when NT documents were written

• Know WHY we think so

2 Peter 3:3

•knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.

Liar,

Lunatic,

Lord

• A man who was merely a man and said the sort of thing Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. … let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher.

“HISTORICAL JESUS NOT CHRIST OF

CHRISTIANITY”

“Historical Jesus”

Embellishment Theory

“Jesus”

• 30-70 AD

• Saw Jesus as a wise

teacher

• No Cross, No

Resurrection, No

“Gospel”

“Christ”

• 70-100 AD

• Added narrative

myths

• Proclamation of the

death and

resurrection of Jesus

JESUS VS CHRIST TIMELINE”

30 70

Dating Gospels Circular Logic

Biblical Gospels Assert Divinity of Christ

Biblical Gospels Are Late and

Untrustworthy

Original Jesus Was a Man.

Church made him

Son of God, Later

GOSPELS NOT HISTORY & BIASED

No History Before Renaissance?

http://www.shop4author.com/us/1629/1402170777

http://www.shop4author.com/us/1629/1402170777

Luke’s Oral and Written SourcesLuke 1:1-4:

“In as much as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word have handed down to us, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write (it) out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you might know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.”

1. Written sources (1:1)

2. Oral sources (from

eyewitnesses) (1:2)

3. Luke confirmed this with his

own investigations (1:3)

4. Luke couldn’t “embellish,”

since the material was

already widely known in

the early church (1:4)

“Friend of Caesar” John 19:12

• As a result of this

Pilate made efforts to

release Him, but the

Jews cried out saying,

" If you release this

Man, you are no friend

of Caesar; everyone

who makes himself out

to be a king opposes

Caesar."

“GOSPELS TOO LATE TO BE

EYEWITNESSES”

Manuscripts

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 00

Christ’s

Ministry GOSPELS

GOSPELS

Luke written before paul dies

• the laborer deserves his

wages..

• [Luke 10:7]

• For the Scripture says,

"You shall not muzzle an

ox when it treads out the

grain," and, "The laborer

deserves his wages."

• [1 Timothy 5:18]

Mark 15:8-15

Chief Priests and Crowds• And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as

he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying,

"Do you want me to release for you the King of the

Jews?“ For he perceived that it was out of envy that the

chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests

stirred up the crowd to have him release for them

Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, "Then

what shall I do with the man you call the King of the

Jews?“ And they cried out again, "Crucify him.“ And Pilate

said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they

shouted all the more, "Crucify him.“ So Pilate, wishing to

Matthew 27:20-26

Chief Priests and Crowds• the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to

ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. …

• So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but

rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and

washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am

innocent of this man's blood;[see to it yourselves.“ And all

the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our

children!”

Luke 23:13-25

Chief Priests & Rulers of the People• Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers

and the people, and said to them, "You brought me this

man as one who was misleading the people. …But they

all cried out together, "Away with this man, and release to

us Barabbas"-- a man who had been thrown into prison

for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Pilate

addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but

they kept shouting, "Crucify, crucify him!" 22A third time

he said to them, "Why, what evil has he done? I have

found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore

punish and release him.“ But they were urgent,

John 19:12-16

Jews and Chief Priests• From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the

Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.“ So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour.[He said to the Jews, "Behold your King!“ They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar.“ So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

P.Oxy. LXIV 4405

Matthew XXIII 30-

34; 35-39

Late 2nd/Early 3rd

Magdalen Papyrus

Dated 150 AD

• Magdalen papyrus -

fragment (dated

around 150 A.D.,

but a more recent

dating place it

possible around 50

A.D. !)

Time Intervals

Originals Earliest Copies

“In no other case is the interval of time between the composition of the book and the date of the earliest manuscripts so short as in that of the New Testament.”

Sir Frederic Kenyon

Dating The Gospels:

Arguing From Silence

• Later debates central to the church are missing in the Gospels

– food laws (except Mk 7)

– Gentiles (except Mk 7, Matt 8)

– circumcision (anywhere)

• If the Church were making things up about Jesus, wouldn’t they have been a little more relevant to their time?

Luke written before paul dies

• the laborer

deserves his wages..

• [Luke 10:7]

• For the Scripture

says, "You shall not

muzzle an ox when it

treads out the grain,"

and, "The laborer

deserves his wages."

• [1 Timothy 5:18]

HOW JESUS BECAME CHRIST

Establishing

First Dates

30-50 AD

Period of Oral Tradition

• Jewish culture stressed memorizations of the law.

– Deuteronomy 6:4-9

– In a culture where this was practiced, their memorization skills were far advanced from ours today.

– culture was “a culture of memory.”

• the church preserved the teachings of Christ in the forms of hymns which were easy to memorize.

– E.g., Paul’s summary of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15

Last Dates

Early Church

Quotations

“WHOLE NT INSIDE

THE SANDWICH”

4 B.C.

Jesus born

B.C.

50

A.D.

15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140

30 A.D.

Jesus

crucified

“Two significant facts

intervene between the

lifetime of Jesus and the

composition of the

gospels: first, Rome had

destroyed Jerusalem; and,

second, the majority of

Jews had declined to

perceive Jesus as a

messiah.”

Paula Fredriksen, From

Jesus to Christ

Comparing First and 20th Centuries

Decade First Century 20th Century

00-09 Augustus, JC Childhood Queen Victoria, Ted

Roosevelt

10-19 Augustus, JC Teenager Woodrow Wilson, WW I

20-29 Tiberius, JC in 20s->Cross/Resurrection Roaring 20s, Stock Crash

30-39 Tiberius, Caligula, Acts 1-12 FDR, Great Depression

40-49 Claudius, Paul’s Missions, Mark WW II

50-59 Claudius, Nero, Paul’s Letters. Eishenauer, “Happy Days”

60-69 Nero, Paul & Peter Martyred, Luke/Acts Kennedy, LBJ, Vietnam

70-79 Vespasian, Temple Destroyed, Titus

John,

Nixon, Ford, Carter

80-89 Domitian John’s Letters Reagan, Bush (1)

90-99 Domitian, Nerva Revelation Bush (1) Clinton

Dating the Gospels: 3 Views

Early Middle Late

Matthew 40-60 70 80-85

Mark 45-60 55 65-70

Luke 57-60 59-63 85-90

John 40-65 85-93 90-100

Comparing Time Intervals

“WHOLE NT INSIDE

THE SANDWICH”

4 B.C.

Jesus born

B.C.

50

A.D.

15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140

30 A.D.

Jesus

crucified


Gospels Prophecy

Destruction of Temple

Gospels Are Written

After Destruction of Temple

Prophecies are

impossible


Biblical Gospels Assert Divinity of Christ

Biblical Gospels Are Late and

Untrustworthy

Original Jesus Was a Man.

Church made him

Son of God, Later

THE IMPORTANCE OF SILENCE

B.C.

50

A.D.

15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140

Death Of

Apostle James Death of Paul, Peter and

James, Jesus’ Brother

Luke/Acts John

Paul’s Letters

Peter’s Letters

JESUS vs CHRIST TIMELINE”

4 B.C.

Jesus born

B.C.

50

A.D.

15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140

30 A.D.

Jesus

crucified

Jesus Christ

B.C.

50

A.D.

15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140

Testing The Timeline

B.C.

50

A.D.

20050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 150

110

2010

110

40

30 A.D.

Jesus

crucified

John Rylands

MSS.

Approx 98-130

AD

3040

20

FDR

70

YEARS

40

YEARS

20

YEARS

Hooveer

Testing The Timeline

B.C.50

A.D.20050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 150

110

2010

110

40

30 A.D.

Jesuscrucified

John Rylands

MSS.

Approx 98-130

AD

3040

20

FDR

70 YEARS

40 YEARS

20 YEARS

Hooveer

20TH CEN. COMPARED

FDR ELECTED

JOHN

MARK

MATTHEW

LUKE

10 3020 40 50 60 70 80 90 2000 2010

WWII

JKF SHOT

BEATLESBREAK UP

REAGAN CLINTON

John Rylands MSS.

Approx 98-130 AD

B.C.

50

A.D.

20050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 150

30 A.D.

Jesus

crucified

THE IMPORTANCE OF SILENCE

B.C.

50

A.D.

15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140

Death Of

Apostle James Death of Paul, Peter and

James, Jesus’ Brother

Luke/Acts John

Paul’s Letters

Peter’s Letters

Establishing the Gospels’ Dates

4 B.C.

Jesus born

B.C.

50

A.D.

15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140

30 A.D.

Jesus

crucified

Dead

Sea

Scrolls

Oral Tradition Period

30-50 AD

Last John Date

100 AD

Last Luke

Date

Last

Mark

Date

Matthew

WHERE DOES Q FIT?

Author Book Date WrittenEarliest Extant

CopiesTime Gap

No. of

Copies

Homer Iliad 800 B.C. C. 400 B.C. c. 400 yrs 643

Herodotus History 480-425 B.C. C. A.D. 900 c. 1,350 yrs 8

ThucydidesHistory of the

Peloponesian

War460-400 B.C. C. A.D. 900 c. 1,300 yrs 8

Plato Various dialogs 400 B.C. C. A.D. 900 c. 1,300 yrs 7

Aristotle 384 - 322 BC C. A.D.1100 c. 1,200 yrs 5

Demosthenes 300 B.C. C. A.D. 1100 c. 1,400 yrs 200

Caesar Gallic Wars 100-44 B.C. C. A.D. 900 c. 1,000 yrs 10

LivyHistory of

Rome59 B.C.-A.D. 17

4th century (partial)

Mostly 10th century

c. 400 yrs

c. 1,000 yrs

1 partial

19 copies

Suetonius 180 AD C. A.D. 950 c. 750 yrs 8

Tacitus Annals A.D. 100 C. A.D. 1100 c. 1,000 yrs 20

Pliny SecundusNatural

HistoryA.D. 61-113 C. A.D. 850 c. 750 yrs 7

GodNew

TestamentA.D. 50-100

C. 114 (fragment)

C. 200 (books)

C. 250 (most of N.T.)

C. 325 (complete N.T.)

+ 50 yrs

100 yrs.

150 yrs.

225 yrs.

5,366

Importance of

Temple Destruction, 70 AD• The gospels prophesy the

destruction of the Temple

(occurred in AD 70) but

never mention its

fulfillment.

– Matthew 24, Mark 13,

Luke 21. John 2

• Only Gospels Do mention Destruction of Temple!

– Acts

– Hebrews

– Revelation

Matthew

and Luke

70 AD

Destroy

Temple

Mark

The Temple in 1 Corinthians

• 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Do you not know that

you are a temple of

God and that the Spirit

of God dwells in you?

If any man destroys

the temple of God,

God will destroy him,

for the temple of God

is holy, and that is

what you are.

Hebrews and the Temple• Hebrews 9:25

nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.

Hebrews 10:1For the Law, since it has only] a shadow of [the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.

Hebrews 10:3But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.

The Temple in

Matthew

• Matthew 26:61

and said, "This man

stated, 'I am able to

destroy the temple of

God and to rebuild it in

three days.'"

• Matthew 27:40

and saying, “You who

are going to destroy

the temple and rebuild

it in three days, save

Yourself! If You are the

Son of God, come

down from the cross."Emp. Titus Destroyed Temple in 70 AD

The Temple in Mark• Mark 13:1-2

• As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down."

The Temple in

Matthew

• Matthew 26:61and said, "This man stated, 'I am able to destroy the templeof God and to rebuild it in three days.'"

• Matthew 27:40and saying, “You who are going to destroy the templeand rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

The Temple

in Luke

• Luke 21:5-6And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said, "As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down."

The Temple in John• John 2:19-21

Jesus answered them,

“Destroy this temple,

and in three days I will

raise it up." The Jews

then said, "It took forty-

six years to build this

temple, and will You

raise it up in three

days?" But He was

speaking of the temple

of His body.

The Spoils of Jerusalem

Triumph of Titus

Triumphal Arch of Titus

Celebrating Destruction of

Jerusalem, 70 AD.

“JESUS SEMINAR THEORY TIMELINE”

4 B.C.Jesus born

B.C.50

A.D.15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140

30 A.D.

Jesuscrucified

Establishing the First Dates

4 - 1 B.C.

Jesus born

B.C.

50

A.D.

15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140

30 A.D.

Jesus

crucified

Conversion of Saul

Early vs. Late Dates

4 - 1 B.C.

Jesus born

B.C.

50

A.D.

15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140

30 A.D.

Jesus

crucified

Destruction of Temple

Deaths of Paul & Peter

Review: Dating The NT

Matthew

Luke

John

The Gospels

Mark

B.C.

50

A.D.

15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140

48-50 A.D.

Galatians

50 A.D.

1&2 Thessalonians

54-56 A.D.

1&2 Corinthians

57 A.D.

Romans60 A.D.

Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon

63-65 A.D.

1&2 Timothy, Titus

60-68 A.D.

1 Peter

85-95 A.D.

1 John

65-80 A.D.

Jude

40-60 A.D.

James

30 A.D.

Jesus

crucified

Establishing the Last Dates

4 B.C.

Jesus born

B.C.

50

A.D.

15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140

98 - 130 A.D.

John Ryland

fragment

125 - 150 A.D.

Chester Beatty

fragment

120 A.D.

Polycarp

110 - 115 A.D.

Ignatius

95 A.D.

Clement

30 A.D.

Jesus

crucified

Dead Sea Scrolls

Mark

John

Importance of Silence

• Acts (Luke) Mentions Death of James

• Luke/Acts never mentions the death of Paul and Peter or James the Just

• Peter Mentions Paul’s letters but Never Mentions Death of Paul

• Paul Never Mentions Death of Peter

• No NT Document mentions death of James, Brother of Jesus

• John mentions Death of Peter!

• 44, James martyred

• 61-68, Paul Martyred

• 62-68, Peter Martyred

• 61 Death of James, Brother of Jesus

Time Intervals:

Originals QuotationsDates Church

Father

Quotes Intervals

AD 70-

163

Papias all four gospels 0-110 yrs

AD 69-

155

Polycarp 3 John, James, Hebrews, Jude 0-100 yrs

AD 111 Ignatius quoting Gospels and other NT letters. 20-60 yrs

AD 130-

200

Iranaeus Philemon, James, 2 Peter, and 3

John80-110 yrs

AD 150-

215

Clement of

Alexandria

2 Timothy, and 2 John, 2 Peter and

James100-150 yrs

AD 100-

165

Justin

Martyr

2 Peter, 1,2,3 John, James,

Hebrews, Jude10-75 yrs

NT & First Century Overview

Reign Emperor New Testament

27 BC to 14 Augustus (Octavian)

Life of Christ

Oral Tradition14 to 37 Tiberius

37 to 41 Caligula Oral Tradition + Mark?,

James?

41 to 54 Claudius Paul’s Letters

Luke/Acts54 to 68 Nero

68 to 69 Galba; Otho; Vitellius Peter’s Letters?,

69 to 79 Vespasian Hebrews? Matthew?

79 to 81 Titus John? John’s Letters?

Revelation?81 to 96 Domitian

96 to 98 Nerva

2 Timothy 2:15

• Study to show

yourself

approved unto

God, a workman

that need not be

ashamed, rightly

dividing the Word

of Truth

“Two significant facts intervene between the lifetime of Jesus and

the composition of the gospels: first, Rome had destroyed

Jerusalem; and, second, the majority of Jews had declined to

perceive Jesus as a messiah.”

Paula Fredriksen, From Jesus to Christ

THE WRITTEN

GOSPELS

50-90 AD

Early Church Quotations• 36,000 quotations used

in letters and literature

written by the early

church show we have

the same form as they

had nearly 2,000 years

ago

• John Burgeon, a

Biblical scholar,

cataloged over 86,000

quotations before A.D.

325.

JESUS

SEMINAR

EMBELLISHME

NT THEORY

EVALUATED

EARLY VS LATE DATES


Triumph of Titus



Jerusalem, 70 AD.