 | What is the narrative perspective of John? [manuscript written by beloved
disciple, edited by the publishers, John 21 is an editorial note of the
publishers] |
| How does each one of the four gospels answer the question: How could Jesus
of Nazareth be related to the House of David? [Matthew: parents live in
Bethlehem, genealogy; Mark: no comment; Luke: genealogy; John: unimportant
question in the light of Jesus being with God at the creation long before
David] |
| Briefly sketch the accounts of the four gospels concerning the resurrection
of Jesus. |
| What is "scriptio continua"? [Ancient practice of writing
without spaces] |
| What is a midrash? [Ancient Jewish and Christian practice to comment on
difficulties in the scriptures by providing a commentary, often in a
narrative form] |
| What are "asides" in John? [Narrator steps outside the story and
addresses the readers directly] |
| Describe the ending of the Gospel of Mark. [Sketch the storyline of Mark
16:1-8] |
| Sketch the timeline of events in the last chapter of Luke. [List the
events in Lk 24] |
| In Mark Jesus asks the disciples to meet with him in Galilee after the
resurrection. Mark does not have a story set in Galilee. Assuming the
Two-Source-Theory is correct,
 | How does Matthew deal with this difficulty in Mark? [Constructs the
Great Commission Mt 28:16-20]. |
| How does Luke deal with this difficulty in Mark? [He deletes Jesus'
references to meeting him in Galilee] |
| How does John deal with this difficulty in Mark? [Editorial addition
in John 21 gives an appearance story of Jesus in Galilee, Lake Tiberias] |
|
| What is "Hellenism"? [cultural revolution, Alexander the Great
brings Greek culture to the world. Cultural icons are the Greek language,
athletic games, symposium] |
| Name conflicts between Hellenistic and Judean culture. [Dietary rules,
intermarriage, practice of circumcision with adult converts to Judaism,
nudity during athletic competitions, Sabbath] |
| What is the last sentence in the Gospel of John? [21:25 But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.] |
| The Infancy Gospel of James can be read as a midrash on the canonical
Four-Gospel-Book. List some difficulties that are explained in the
narrative. [How could Mary be a virgin after she gave birth to Jesus? How
could Jesus have siblings and Mary be a virgin? How could John the Baptist
survive if Herodes killed all the baby boys? How could Mary give birth to
God if she was conceived in sin (=sex)?] |
