|
| | Notes
by Linda Monyak. Last
update Nov. 12, 2000
A
copy of these notes in the form of the handout passed out at the meeting can be
downloaded from the Download Page.
Topics
(These
topics and the main source of the material for these notes is The
Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation. Luke T. Johnson. Fortress,
1986)
1.
Introductory Matters
2.
Symbolic World of the New Testament
3.
Judaism in Palestine
4.
Diaspora Judaism
1.
Introductory Matters
1.1.
Attempt to answer how the canon came to take the shape that it has
1.2.
Understands Bible as human creation that expresses man's search for meaning
1.3.
Bible a product of 1st century Mediterranean world
1.4.
Gives precedence to the text in its current canonical form
1.5.
Uses historical-critical methods, but rejects historical model
-
1.5.1.
Does not recognize unique place of canonical texts
-
1.5.2.
Views canonical texts solely as historical sources, not as literary material
-
1.5.3.
Fails to deal with canonical texts as religious documents per se
1.6.
Johnson's model: Experience - Interpretation Model
-
1.6.1.
Recognizes canonical texts as expression of a religious community
-
1.6.2.
Takes into account anthropological, historical, and literary aspects of
texts
-
1.6.3.
Would recognize distinctive characteristics of each work within canonical
harmony
-
1.6.4.
Takes into account religious experience found within its social setting
1.7.
Sociological analysis recognizes that people are part of social systems
2.
Symbolic World of the New Testament
2.1.
Roman Rule and Hellenistic Culture
-
2.1.1.
Consisted of the territories surrounding the Mediterranean Sea
-
2.1.2.
Temporally lasted from 356 BCE to the mid-second century AD
-
2.1.3.
Despite Roman rule, the culture was Greek with the addition of the pax Romana
-
2.1.4.
Hellenization (of Alexander the Great) not only military conquest, but a
cultural
transformation
-
2.1.4.1.
Imported poets, philosophers & historians
-
2.1.4.2.
Encouraged intermarriage of soldiers with native population
-
2.1.4.3.
Established Greek city-states
-
2.1.4.4.
Made Greek the world language
-
2.1.4.5.
Merged local gods with the Greek gods
-
2.1.5.
Impact on Jewish culture seen in the Septuagint (LXX), translated in Alexandria
in the 2nd century BCE
-
2.1.6.
Syncretism led to suggestion that gods might be universal and not tied to
specific locale
-
2.1.7.
Hellenization led to consideration of the individual
2.2.
Roman Rule
-
2.2.1.
Used force when required to maintain the peace, but also extended the benefits
of Roman citizenship to an increasing circle
-
2.2.2.
Growth of Empire
-
2.2.2.1.
Led to dramatic increase in slaves and immigrants displaced by war
-
2.2.2.2.
Increased dependence on Egypt to feed Rome
-
2.2.2.3.
Increased taxation - up to ¼ of the harvest
-
2.2.3.
Network of Roman roads meant more efficient transportation, increased commerce,
and a reliable postal service
-
2.2.4.
Life for most though was a constant struggle
2.3.
The Pagan World
-
2.3.1.
Our view of pagan depravity derived from ancient moralists as well as Christian
scripture
-
2.3.2.
Public standards of morality actually quite high
-
2.3.3.
Popular religion found expression in magic, astrology, protective amulets
2.4.
Hellenistic Religion
-
2.4.1.
Yearned for a transformative religious experience
-
2.4.2.
Fascinated by prophecy
-
2.4.2.1.
Classical
-
2.4.2.2.
Mantic
-
2.4.3.
Sought healing from wandering charismatics as well as Serapis and Asklepios
-
2.4.4.
Mystery cults grew in popularity as they provided divine revelation,
transformation, and community
-
2.4.5.
Life viewed as alienated from god through its corporeal existence
2.5.
Hellenistic Philosophy
-
2.5.1.
Emphasis had shifted from acquisition of knowledge to living well
-
2.5.2.
Stoicism
-
2.5.2.1.
Can't control fate, chance, state power
-
2.5.2.2.
So focus on controlling one's mind and desires
-
2.5.3.
Cynicism
-
2.5.4.
Living well connected to virtue - drew up tables of household ethics
-
2.5.5.
Philosophy was the cure for a spiritual illness
-
2.5.6.
Religious terminology such as salvation and conversion were a part of the
philosophical vocabulary
-
2.5.7.
Pythagoreans and Epicureans
-
2.5.7.1.
Organized as communities of spiritual friends
-
2.5.7.2.
Founders were divine
-
2.5.7.3.
Encouraged fellow communities through letters
-
2.5.8.
Most associations tolerated by Rome unless they seemed likely to rebel
2.6.
Reinterpretation of Symbols
-
2.6.1.
Time of religious & philosophical ferment
-
2.6.2.
Led to reinterpretation of old symbols rather than invention of new ones
-
2.6.3.
Antiquity was the gold standard
-
2.6.4.
Culture and virtue intertwined and best expressed in the poetry of Homer
-
2.6.4.1.
Actions of the gods now viewed as immoral
-
2.6.4.2.
Even Plato mistrusted the tales and found no place for poetry in the ideal world
-
2.6.4.3.
Stoics turned to allegory as means to preserve the usefulness of Homer
-
2.6.5.
Hellenistic Judaism relied heavily on allegory for scriptural interpretation
-
2.6.6.
"Greek culture was built on the imitation of models from the past"
-
2.6.7.
Imitation was also the way to a virtuous life
-
2.6.8.
Allegorical reinterpretation provided a means for the heroes of the past (Heracles)
to continue as role models (as a philosopher who could
find happiness even apart from his family)
-
2.6.9.
Philosophers such as Socrates & Diogenes also functioned as models of virtue
3.
Judaism in Palestine
3.1.
Turning point for Judaism was destruction of temple in 70 AD when Pharisees came
to define Judaism in contrast to its previous diversity
3.2.
Torah (instruction, mitzvah or commandment) provided identity to Jews as people
and a cult
3.3.
A faithful God who acted with hesed (loving kindness) required a people
of similar qualities (Ex 34:6)
3.4.
Jews shared the symbols of the Torah and with it their status as chosen
3.5.
Hellenistic Jews combined these shared symbols with apocalytic thought, rabbinic
teaching, legalism, mysticism, messianism, liturgy to create a dazzling array of
Judaisms
3.6.
Political Context
-
3.6.1.
Characteristics Ever-present Hellenistic culture
-
3.6.2.
Hellenistic Jews were not only a small, but brave people battling tyrants, but
also a deeply divided people
-
3.6.3.
Historical landmarks
-
3.6.3.1.
Babylonian exile (586 BCE)
-
3.6.3.2.
Return from exile (538 BCE)
-
3.6.3.3.
Priesthood purchased during Seleucid and Ptolemaic division
-
3.6.3.4.
Imposed idolatry of Antiochus IV Epipanes with statue of Zeus in temple
-
3.6.3.5.
Successful rebellion of Mattathias with Rome's help
-
3.6.3.6.
Restoration of kingdom (Hasmonean dynasty) and priesthood (143-37BCE)
-
3.6.3.7.
Restoration of order in Judea by Pompey (63 BCE)
-
3.6.3.8.
Jewish War (Masada) culminating in destruction of Jerusalem (66-70 AD)
-
3.6.4.
Impact of Hellenism
-
3.6.4.1.
16 Hellenistic cities
-
3.6.4.2.
Jewish upper classes demand gymnasium in Jerusalem
-
3.6.4.3.
Aristotle's encounter with a Jew who "had the soul of a Greek"
-
3.6.4.4.
Stoicism's Zeno born in Palestine
-
3.6.4.5.
Hillel's 7 rules of midrash based on Greek logic
-
3.6.5.
Jewish identity meant worship of only 1 God and following the way of Torah'
-
3.6.6.
Jews divided over whether to accept the limited Hasmonean rule
-
3.6.7.
Theological differences implied political differences
-
3.6.7.1.
Sadducees represented the wealthy who cooperated with Rome
-
3.6.7.2.
Pharisees were the urbane, apolitical middle class
-
3.6.7.3.
Essenes demanded total separation for purity
-
3.6.8.
Period characterized by lively internal theological debate
-
3.6.8.1.
Messianism as answer to Jewish instability
-
3.6.8.2.
Link between martyrdom for "sanctification of the Name" and
resurrection of the righteous
-
3.6.8.3.
Concept of resurrection calls into question the nature of God's people and
emphasizes individual responsibility (Ez 18:1-32)
-
3.6.8.4.
Role of temple as physical reality vs symbol embodied in the people
themselves
3.7.
Apocalyptic Literature
-
3.7.1.
Best exemplified by Daniel, written to counter the persecution of Antiochus IV
Epiphanes (165 BCE)
-
3.7.2.
Affirms that God controls history despite appearances to the contrary
-
3.7.3.
Utilizes code shared by writer and readers based in sybols of Torah
-
3.7.4.
Counters divisive elements within the faith community as well as external
persecution
-
3.7.5.
Response to the confrontation between Torah (Deut 30:1-20) and reality of
persecution
-
3.7.5.1.
All this I have spoken before thee, O Lord, because thou hast said that for
our sakes thou hast created this world. But as for the other nations, which
are descended from Adam, thou hast said that they are nothing, and that they
are like unto spittle; and thou hast likened the abundance of them to a drop
in a bucket. And now, O Lord, behold these nations which are reputed as
nothing, lord it over us and crush us. But we, they people, whom thou hast
called thy first-born, thy only begotten, thy beloved, are given up into
their hands. If the world has indeed been created for our sakes, why do we
not enter into possession of our world? How long shall this endure? 4 Ezra
6:55-59
-
3.7.6.
Sees an end to the current evil age when God intervenes and vindicates the
righteous (saves both monotheism and the beneficence of God)
-
3.7.7.
Reimagined the symbols of Torah and served in turn as the symbolic base for
followers of Jesus
3.8.
Rabbinic Tradition
-
3.8.1.
Pharisees only Jewish sect to survive after 70 AD
-
3.8.2.
Tradition was the core of the movement
-
3.8.3.
Oral origins culminated in 2 written traditions
-
3.8.4.
Josephus describes the Pharisees as Jewish cousins of the Stoics
-
3.8.5.
Pharisees began with assumption that Torah was the way of life and proceeded to
interpret its application for Jews of their day and time
-
3.8.6.
Midrash allowed Jews to walk (halakah) in the way of Torah
-
3.8.7.
Midrash on non-legal texts yielded hagadah (narrative)
-
3.8.8.
God's Presence no longer dwelt in the temple but among his people when they
study Torah
-
3.8.8.1.
"If two sit together and words of Torah are between them, the
Shekinah rests
between them...and even if one sits and occupies himself with Torah, the
Holy One, blessed be He, fixes for him a reward." Pirke Aboth 3.3
-
3.8.9.
"Torah ... Is God's eternal blueprint for creation and for righteous human
behavior." (cf Prov. 8:22-30)
-
3.8.10.
Humans will naturally fall short of the Torah way - the appropriate response is
repentance not despair
3.9.
Jewish Worship
-
3.9.1.
Occurred in temple, synagogue and home
-
3.9.2.
Synagogues found in small villages as well as Jerusalem, including the temple
precincts
-
3.9.3.
Torah the focal point of worship in synagogue
-
3.9.4.
Liturgy of synagogue included scripture readings, midrashic homily, prayers
-
3.9.5.
Jewish prayers based on blessing formula exhibited in Psalm 117
-
3.9.6.
Torah reading done in Hebrew and translated into Aramaic with a heavy dose of
midrash for the benefit of the hearers
-
3.9.7.
Earliest description of synagogue service: Luke 4:16-30
-
3.9.8..
Jewish meals were framed by blessings before and after
-
3.9.9.
Qumran
-
3.9.9.1.
Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran demonstrate how strands of
apocalyptic, rabbinic, and liturgical Judaism could coexist in a
single Jewish community
-
3.9.9.2.
Possible that John the Baptist may have had ties to Qumran, but no
evidence links Jesus or early Christians with this community
-
3.9.9.3.
Qumran library contains:
-
3.9.9.3.1.
Apocalyptic works
-
3.9.9.3.2.
Commentaries
-
3.9.9.3.3.
Liturgical documents
-
3.9.9.3.4.
Fragments of Merkabah mysticism
-
3.9.9.4.
Dating of Dead Sea Scrolls containing dualistic thought forced
scholars to revise the date and impact of outside thought on
Christian texts such as John
-
3.9.9.5.
Combination of eschatological outlook with high degree of
organization in Qumran calls into question previous scholarship
theorizing that Christian organizational structure replaced waning
hopes for an early return of Jesus
-
3.9.9.6.
Shares some characteristics with early church
-
3.9.9.7.Used their experience to interpret scripture and nourish their
identity as the true Israel
4.
Diaspora Judaism
4.1.
Most Jews lived outside Palestine ( 5 million out of a total of 7 million Jews)
4.2.
Most info on diaspora Jews comes from Alexandria
4.3.
Diaspora Jews forced to deal with cultural conflicts in unique ways
4.4.
Extent and Importance of Diaspora Judaism
-
4.4.1.
Need to maintain Jewish identity in foreign land pre-dates Babylonian exile (2
Sam
8:6, I Kings 5:14)
-
4.4.2.
Mesopotamian Jews came to be a center of Jewish study up until the Middle Ages
-
4.4.3.
Egyptian Jewish community numbered a million according to Philo
-
4.4.4.
Diaspora Jews such as Philo were prominent members of their community and happy
to live outside the crowded, impoverished conditions of Palestine
-
4.4.5.
Synagogues formed the foundation of Jewish identity in the Diaspora and later
were the springboard for Christian mission
-
4.4.6.
Diaspora Jews were freer to adopt certain aspects of Hellenistic culture without
sacrificing their Jewish identity
-
4.4.7.
Rights and privileges
-
4.4.7.1.
Autonomy within the city-state to live within their own customs
-
4.4.7.2.
Some were Roman citizens
-
4.4.7.3.
Some were aliens with special status allowing them to adhere to their own
customs and worship
-
4.4.7.4.
Exempt from certain idol worship implied from protests when suspended
-
4.4.7.5.
Granted freedom to associate in synagogues
-
4.4.7.6.
Given Sabbath off work for worship
-
4.4.7.7.
Exempt from military duty
-
4.4.7.8.
Temple tax collected and transported to Jerusalem by Roman authorities
4.5.
Religious and Cultural Tensions of Diaspora Life
-
4.5.1.
Continued to feel the pull of assimilation
-
4.5.2.
Lost the ability to communicate in Hebrew
-
4.5.3.
Had used LXX (Septuagint) as scripture for 200 years in time of Philo
-
4.5.4.
Religious language and symbols underwent subtle transformation
-
4.5.5.
Greek education would be regarded as normal
-
4.5.6.
Biblical heroes would be transformed into philosophers and allegorical methods
would be applied to Torah study
-
4.5.7.
Would still remain separated from their Greek neighbors
-
4.5.8.
Gentile view of Jews was mixed
-
4.5.9.
Anti-Semitism identifiable in Alexandria of Ptolemy II
4.6.
Response of Jewish Apologetic
-
4.6.1.
3 possible responses to assimilation pressures
-
4.6.2.
Apologetic assumes a certain openness to outsiders and a willingness to
communicate in a rational manner
-
4.6.3.
Requires the use of the symbols of the dominant group in order to communicate (
in Alexandria, this meant the use of Greek wisdom)
-
4.6.4.
Themes of Jewish Apologetic
-
4.6.4.1.
Antiquity (Moses as the founder of Greek culture)
-
4.6.4.2.
Beauty and purity of synagogue worship
-
4.6.4.3.
Philanthropic bent of Torah counters charge of misanthropy
-
4.6.5.
Casting biblical heroes as wise men reflects not so much a deliberate distortion
of the truth in order to communicate so much as the
immersion of the Disapora Jew in the Hellenistic culture
4.7.
Philo of Alexandria (died in 50 CE)
-
4.7.1.
Most prominent Diaspora Jew next to Paul
-
4.7.2.
Example a single individual who was able to maintain contradictory views just as
Paul appears to do
-
4.7.3.
Used allegory to interpret Torah
-
4.7.4.
Makes mystical connections with Torah that share some similarities to mystery
religions
-
4.7.5.
Represented the Jewish community before Caligula
-
4.7.6.
Interpreted Judaism to the Hellenistic world
-
4.7.7.
Despite his careful study of Torah, Philo demonstrates a unique view of Torah as
compared to Palestinian Jews
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