8/3/2019 NT Theology

1/4

New Testament Theology

September 12, 2006 @ 6:15 pm

Alliance Theological SeminaryBill Crockett

When I was a young kid I used to ask my pastor questions about theology and he neverseemed to have the answer and so that began my journey towards knowing. He would

tell me to go to Seminary where I would find those answers but he never seemed to know

the answers. The definition of a professor is someone who is answering the questionsthat no one is asking. Leon Morris was a good scholar from down under. NT theology

is different from any other class. You are trying to figure out what that writer had in his

head when he is writing to that community/audience (under the guidance of the holy

spirit). The Bible becomes the foundation from which we judge and weigh all thatpertains to the Christian life and truth.

What was NT theology like before Luther? Basically theology came from

scholars of Roman Catholic and/or Greek Orthodox backgrounds. Their positions

were basically dogmatic in approach. NT theology from the perspective of earlyChristianity derived in the mind from pictures and icons in the church as well as

the dictates of the priests who knew the Latin manuscripts (the commoner did notknow how to read the Latin). Theology was dogmatically taught meaning rote

learning not careful examination or meditation. Martin Luther translated the

Bible into German for the common folk.

Once there is the break with the Roman Catholic Church there is a response from

them to the protestant. The Council of Trent is that response (1545-63). They

declared that the Bible and Tradition are equal in authority, before it was only

tradition. Luther notes that one day he walks by a ditch and sees a drunk and tellshim get up you shouldnt be drunk. The man reaches into his lapel and pulls out

an indulgence from a priest that basically gave him license to sin and still remainin Gods grace because in his conception whatever the priest affirms he absorbs.That is why Luther is so passionate because he knew that it is by grace that one is

saved through faith. Our culture and theology will always be conditioned and

intertwined and subject to our interpretation of scripture. The culture your in willcondition your interpretation of scripture.

During the Council of Trents time there is no true Biblical scholarship. That

basically begins with Luther. John Scotus Erigena (810-77) believed thatscripture was colorful and fanciful and therefore must be dogmatic because it is

too out there.

Bonaventure (d.1274). Historical- a meaning in history, anagogical- spiritual

meaning, allegorical-words=symbols, tropological-a double meaning (literal andfigurative), symbolical-a symbolic meaning, synecdochial-a part stands for the

whole, Hyperbolical-an overstatement.

After the Reformation the Reformers used Scripture not the Church as anauthority. The Reformers called for the plain meaning of scripture (instead of

Scholastic Mysticism). The study of scripture encouraged biblical languages (The

reformers did not see value in studying each writer on his own merits). All thereformers had was the Vulgate and that is what encouraged the translation and

8/3/2019 NT Theology

2/4

study of languages. The reformers hated Aristotle because his philosophy

controlled medieval universities. They argued that philosophy controlled the

interpretation of scripture in their age. Luther said The Bible must be interpretedusing the central portions of scripture and that once you know what they are

interpretation will become clear. But the reformers made a mistake. The

reformers themselves contradicted the concept of Sola Scriptura. How? Why?Because all scripture was not allowed to stand on its own merit but leaned on

another for its interpretation. Luther affirmed certain portions of scripture. A

virtue is a virtue when it has been tested in the fire-Mark Twain. We should notbe boastful and judgmental because we are all one temptation away from falling.

The stage just has not been set for us to fall. Luther debated Theodore Eck

concerning the Catholic standards and he was called The Hammer of Heretics.

Luther smashed this guy to pieces.

Martin Luther considers James an epistle of straw because he felt that it was

preaching works salvation. James and Matthew are dealing with two different

audiences therefore they have two different emphasis and approaches to the

questions being raised by these communities. Change came with Johann Gables (1700s German prof. at Aldorf). Gables

approach to Biblical interpretation is: an interpreter must try to see what eachwriter had to say about divine things. An interpreter must arrange writers

improper sequence in terms of circulation. The interpreter must determine which

biblical ideas are permanent and which were spoken only to the people of thatage. Interpreters must understand that there are only certain hooks with which

to define certain experiences in their theology. He believed that we needed to de-

mystify the supernatural phenomena in the scripture (Bultman/Hegelian

influenced). If you think that some people belong in Hell chances are yourconcept of Hell is not that well developed because If you knew and fully

understand Hell then you would run in nightmarish terror from it-C.S. Lewis.We should not wish anyone to that place of separation and punishment.

9/19/06 @ 6:15 a.m. The sources of Jesus Gospel tradition

There were different dynamics going on in the different churches these writers are

writing to; that is why the emphasis tends to lean towards a specific argument or bend

(i.e. Matthew argues the Jewish-messianic-apocalyptic issues relating to the life of Jesus).

We are going to talk about the primitive Jewish Christian community. Christianity beganas one of several parties that made up the diverse Judaism of the 1st Century. Estimates

of Jews in Jerusalem during Passover estimate anywhere between 250-300,000 people.

That is why the officials had difficulty-finding Jesus because people were literallyeverywhere. Most of the people that came to Passover were Jews with a sprinkling of

proselytes. The diversity manifested itself in: Essenes, Saducees, Herodians,

Zealots,Pharisees, Samaritans @ believers in Jesus. Pharisees are basically commonman-low budget relatively poor but powerful-some were rich religious leaders. The

Saducess are rich and somewhat astute. The Saducees caused the most problems for

Jesus because they didnt believe in anything. Most of the inter-testamental material waswritten by Pharisees. The Saducees took care of the temple but were few in number.

8/3/2019 NT Theology

3/4

John The Baptist was probably an Essene because of his light and dark theology. Some

think that the book of Hebrews were written to the Essenes to encourage them not to fallback into Essenism. The new believers after the Resurrection of Jesus were called: The

Holy people, the poor, brothers, believers, The Way and the friends. Shammei, Hillel (2nd

b.c.e.), Gamaliel (1st

c.), Akiba (2nd

c). Gamaliel is the only one called Rabbonmeaning Our Master-Teacher. Acts 5:38-39. Pirqe Aboth IV, 11 Every assembly

which is in the name of heaven will in the end be established; But that which is not in the

name of heaven will not in the end be established.-Talmudic saying which expressesGamaliels statement concerning if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it

will fail; but if it is of God...you may even be found fighting against God!

Paul, Gamaliels student is noted in (Acts 22:3).

The earliest Apostolic Kerygma. Behind Acts are sources that can help us understand the

locus from which the earliest Christian preachers taught.

1. The we document Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-18, 27:1-28:16).2. The Antioch sources (early Acts). There is the awkward introduction of Aramaic

within fluent Greek3. The speeches in Acts are the sources Luke uses in order to found his GospelLook

up the book St. Paul The Traveler, which is a book written by a skeptic who

traveled in the footsteps of Paul to verify his accounts.

Ambrose circumvented and countered the celebration of Mithra by Christians with thecelebration Christmas on December 25th. Rhyme scheme is used in the earliest Christian

manuscripts that indicates that early poets and writers were noting Jesus narratives and

experiences long before its reduction to text. Can we detect the earliest Kerygma? Lukeis writing about events of Peter and Paul that happened 20 years earlier. C.H. Dodd finds

common features of Kerygma in speeches of Acts and Creeds.

The prophecies have now been fulfilled.

This has happened in the death, birth, and Resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus is exalted and sitteth at the right hand of God.

This belief has been confirmed by the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus will return one day to bring Gods purposes full circle.

Until that time people have an opportunity to repent + receive forgiveness

and the gift of the H.S.The early creeds set in a very tight document the basic tenets of the faith. Examine I Cor

15:3. is a good identification of one such tenet that made up the core content of the

Gospel. See Romans 4:24-25 also sets forth the basic tenets of creedal content. See Phil

2:6-11 also is a formula. See I Tim 3:16 also sets a formula forth in clear speech. IThessalonians 1:9. Colossians 1:15-20 also. What is key to identifying the core of

poetry and The Gospel is the repetition of structures and nuances imbedded within the

writings of the Apostles and secretaries (emanuansis-1 Peter 5:12, Romans 16:22). Thisis why the argument that the Christian Gospel grew and evolved is wrong because it was

an oral society and cemented the tenets oral-cognitively. The core of the Gospel is

imbedded in the Pauline writings. Redaction criticism is editorial criticism were theeditors edited the material in preparation for the final product.

8/3/2019 NT Theology

4/4

9/26/06 @ 7:30pm Pauls Theology

If we take a theology of the NT then we must hear what the writers of the NT had to say

to the early Church using the words of Jesus (when hear on earth) to address a situation

happening currently from their locus.Paul Born was born in Tarsus in present day Turkey (a Greek city Acts 22:3). Tarsus

was a city that was mostly on the ocean. Tarsus was a very important city. If you grew

up in an environment that flourished in Greek philosophy then you know all of thearguments. If you are aware of the argument then you can debate intelligently. What

were the sources that Paul draws upon to develop his Philosophy of Theology? The

Hebrew Scriptures, Philippians 3:5 The Law, Galatians 1:,2:, Gospel comes from

Jesus Himself, Paul brings to bear all of his intellect upon the one question how do youget saved and what is the connection between Jesus and my salvation, Paul draws upon

the Stoic philosophical structures to also apologize Christ). Paul struggles and does so

very eloquently in arguing the parallels between the OT and NT. These parallels line up

in questions regarding 1. How does one get saved? Faith in YHWH-Christ, 2. How doesone lose their salvation? Continue to follow after other gods-live recklessly. Paul is

trained as a Rabbi and thinks like a rabbi.

He is a 1stCentury Jew, therefore we must begin with that premise in order to understand

the locus out of which Paul operates. Paul is an urban missionary through and through.

He would set up shop and evangelize people from his shop (tentmaker) and begin a houseChurch, upon which he would leave as a thriving house church and go and plant another

in another city (Romans 15:14-26, II Thessalonians 3:6-15). Paul learned under Gamaliel

(Acts 22.3). Paul learned the Torah and oral traditions handed down not included in theOT canon (I Corinthians 10:4). Where does rock appear in the OT Scriptures as

following the Israelites? Rabbinic traditions found in Talmudic-Mishnaic writings. Paul

is appealing to a tradition they would have known at the time. Paul is always thinkinglike a Rabbi even though educated in the stoic philosophy of the times. Paul was

converted around 36-7 then travels to Arabia. Pauls ministry in Petra (city of Nabateans)

was a failure. Mentions Arabia in Galatians 1:,2:. Abraham, Moses, Melchizedek andElijah, were probably the most mythologically nuanced figures of the OT in the 1st

Century.

1st Century Christians ate in their Churches because their houses were their Churches.