Click Here to Download Transcript

Outline

Paul (ca. 5 CE – ca. 65 CE)

• Paul’s letters are the first written works produced by the first Christians. His first letter, likely 1 Thessalonians or Galatians, was written in the late 40s or early 50s. 
• Why did Paul write?
  • All of Paul’s letters were written to address specific problems within specific Christian communities. 
  • Most of Paul’s letters were written to churches he either established or had a relationship with (e.g., Corinthians, Galatians, Thessalonians).
    • Colossians and Philemon were likely written to a church Paul did not establish, but one which was established by one of Paul’s fellow workers and a church he knew well. 
  • The exception is Romans, which was written to a church that Paul did not have a deep relationship with, though they knew of each other and Paul knew many people in that church. 
• What does Paul write about?
  • Paul is primarily wrestling with the implications of Jesus’s death and resurrection (1 Cor 15), which stands at the core of his gospel, in three areas.
    • Jewish heritage and promises and how that relates to Gentiles. 
    • Justification by faith 
    • Morality 

Gospels (ca 65–120 CE)

• Order: Mark (late 60s); Matthew (70s); Luke (80s or 90s); John (90s or early 2nd century)
• Why were the Gospels written?
  • Preserve the stories and oral tradition of the apostles. 
  • Address needs and problems present in the early church.
  • Supplement the writings of Paul 
• What are the Gospels about?
  • Address some of the same issues as Paul.
    • Jewish heritage and promises and how that relates to Gentiles
      • Matthew – Jesus as the continuation of Israel
      • Mark and Luke – How Jesus’s ministry included Gentiles 
    • Morality
      • Mark – Suffering
      • Matthew – Jewish Law
      • Luke – Poor and Marginalized 
  • Expand the writings of Paul – snowballing
    • Jesus’s resurrection
    • Jesus’s divinity 

General Epistles and Disputed Letters of Paul

• As the apostles and leaders in the early church begin to die, their teachings are either preserved (e.g., James, Gospel of John) and/or expanded to address new needs (e.g., Pastoral Epistles; Johannine letters). 

Revelation

• An apocalypse to comfort Christians suffering persecution by saying that in the end God/Jesus/the kingdom of God wins the victory. 

Concluding Thoughts

• The author’s of the New Testament did not believe that they were writing Scripture. Rather, they were wrestling with the implications of Jesus’s death and resurrection as the church came into existence, expanded among non-Jews, dealt with questions and difficulties, and then became a more formal/institutionalized entity. 
• You can see the development of theology over the course of their writings.
  • Jesus’s resurrection
  • Jesus’s divinity
  • Church hierarchy, structure, and leadership 
• To me, this demonstrates the necessity of a group of writings in conversation with each other, as we have in the New Testament, rather than only one or a couple of writings. 

---