...studying the Gospel of Mark there are several things to consider in reference to Jesus. Jesus began his ministry, confronted the domination system, died, and was resurrected. Throughout the Gospel of Mark, Jesus performs miracles and teaches his disciples. During his ministry, Mark portrayed Jesus as possessing several distinct character traits and virtues. According to the Gospel of Mark, Jesus’ ministry appears to begin at the time of his Baptism. “Mark was the earliest Gospel to be written and was the principle written source for Matthew and Luke” (Tatum, W. B., 1999, p. 41-42) and there is good evidence that shows the Gospel of Mark was influenced by Peter. It is helpful to know the author when studying the Gospels to gain insight...
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...In the Mark’s Gospel, Jesus taught his disciples a lot of life principles. Through various miracles and events, Jesus showed his disciples how they should act to be his followers. He guided his disciples to have different qualities, such as to have faith in God, to love, to trust, to be compassionate and to forgive. To begin with, Jesus fed the four thousand by multiplying loaves and fish, teaching his disciples that they need to have faith, to love and to have compassion for others. Jesus called his disciples and said ‘I should not send them home hungry’ (Mark 8:3). This reflects Jesus taught his disciples to love and to be compassionate for others. Jesus loves his people and hope to give the best to them, which echoes one of the biggest commandment in the Bible ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself’. Although Jesus’s disciples started to question how Jesus could manage to “get enough bread to feed all these people as they are far from town” (Mark 8:4), Jesus successfully performed a miracle by praying to God and multiplying loaves and fish. He saved the four thousand from hunger. As a matter of fact, Jesus actually shows his disciples miracles could happen if we have enough faith. could happen if we have true faith....
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...in order to better understand the true nature and identity of Jesus. Some contend that he was a prophet; others worship him as a god, while many others assert that he was merely a wise teacher with no link to the divine. In the second part of Graham Stanton’s book, The Gospels and Jesus, Jesus’ intentions, teachings, and downfall are examined and assessed with notable order and clarity, all in an attempt to resolve the fundamental question of Part II: who was Jesus of Nazareth? Stanton launches Part II with a chapter entitled “What do we know about Jesus of Nazareth?” Here, the debate as to whether or not Jesus existed is considered by exploring archaeological evidence from outside the gospels in an effort to establish what is known about Jesus. He cites various non-Christian, Jewish, and Christian sources after opening the chapter with a theory by G.A. Wells which argues that it was not until 100 CE that Jesus was worshipped as a “Savior” figure. Wells maintains that before 150 CE, there is no independent non-Christian support for the existence of Jesus and that the authors of the four New Testament gospels invented their traditions about the life of Jesus. As Stanton argues, this does not entirely make sense, since it is difficult to find signs of the convictions, emphases, and conflicts of the Christians of that period in the canonical gospels. Stanton continues to refer to sources outside of the gospels such as the non-Christian writings of the Roman historian Tacitus...
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...Dr. Na Religion 207 Dec 11, 2015 Stilling of the Storm The canonical gospels are a result of the spreading of the news of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Therefore, they must be studied when interested in gathering an account of Jesus’ life and death. The synoptic gospels include the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is assumed that the author of the Gospel According to Mark wrote his gospel first and therefore becomes a blueprint for the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Therefore the synoptic gospels have similar events, structure, and timeframes. One major event in all three synoptic gospels is the story of the stilling of the storm. Assuming markan priority, this paper will discuss the Gospel According to Mark’s command that Jesus uses to rebuke the wind and sea: “Peace! Be still!” The stilling of the storm is a triple tradition event, meaning it is found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. This event is contained in the passages of Mark 4:35-41, Matt 8:23-27, and Luke 8:22-25. Some similarities throughout this particular event are very evident and can be shown through the main course of events in the pericope. The first similarity is all gospels have Jesus asleep in the boat during a storm. Another similarity is that Jesus rebukes the natural elements and comments on the disciples’ lack of faith. Another important similarity is that the disciples question the authority of Jesus when the wind and water obey him. These three similarities lay out the foundation...
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...Jesus (/ˈdʒiːzəs/; Greek: Ἰησοῦς Iesous; 7–2 BC to AD 30–33), also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ,[e] is the central figure of Christianity, whom the teachings of most Christian denominations hold to be the Son of God. Christianity regards Jesus as the awaited Messiah (or Christ) of the Old Testament,[12] while Islam regards Jesus as a major prophet, second in importance only to Muhammad.[13] Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed historically,[f] and historians consider the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) to be the best sources for investigating the historical Jesus.[20][21][22][23] Most scholars agree that Jesus was a Galilean, Jewish rabbi[24] who preached his message orally,[25] was baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified by the order of the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate.[26] In the current mainstream view, Jesus was an apocalyptic preacher and the founder of a restoration movement within Judaism, although some prominent scholars argue that he was not apocalyptic.[21][27] After Jesus' death, his followers believed he was resurrected, and the community they formed eventually became the Christian church.[28] The widely accepted calendar era, abbreviated as "AD" or sometimes as "CE", is based on the birth of Jesus. Christians believe that Jesus has a "unique significance" in the world.[29] Christian doctrines include the beliefs that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born of a virgin named Mary, performed miracles...
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...background of the time period is reflected in the variety of religious scriptures at this time period. This is most clearly seen in the opposing views of Judas between the synoptic and gnostic gospels which portray very different accounts of the immediate events surrounding...
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...the Four Gospels The first three gospels are sometimes called the 'synoptic' or same view gospels. This is because they each cover teaching and miracles by Jesus that are also covered in another account. The fourth gospel, John, writing later, recounts Jesus' other words and miracles that have a particular spiritual meaning. All four gospels present Jesus as both the Son of God and son of man. In this paper information will be provided that describes the major theological differences between the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Information will also be provided that describes a theological perspective of the gospel of John. Finally, information in this paper will include how ones understanding of the various theological perspectives presented in the four Gospels can be used as an additional tool to facilitate the proclaiming of the Four Gospels. Theological Differences between the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John The Gospel According to Matthew The first three books of the New Testament have been identified as the synoptic gospels. These books are Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The first book of the New Testament is identified as the book of Matthew. Matthew was one of the first twelve disciples of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 9:1; 10:1-4 and therefore an eye-witness. Matthew records more of Jesus' teaching concerning God's heavenly kingdom than the other writers, Mark, Luke, or John. In the first four books of Matthew, the miracle story of Jesus’ birth and...
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...Jesus: Fact from Fiction Christianity is currently the largest religion in the world with approximately 2.1 billion people identifying themselves as Christians. Jesus is the central focus of attention and worship in Christianity, and is held by most Christians to be the Messiah, foretold in the Hebrew Bible or “Old Testament”. They believe him to be the savior of mankind, and the son of God. However, in modern times, the use of critical scholarship in analysis of the Bible and to the New Testament Gospels in particular, has lead to an accelerating rate of disintegration in the traditional Christian belief system. The term "scholarship" implies the application of the scientific method of the evaluating evidence on the basis of objective standards unhindered from any personal involvement or biases. The main source of information on Jesus is from the Christian Gospels. Some scholars claim that the sources on which the Gospels are based were written within the living memory of Jesus' lifetime. There are four such Gospels the earliest being Mark (68-73 AD), followed by Matthew (70-100 AD), Luke (80-100 AD), and John (90-110 AD). Many conservative Christians accept these writings as evidence for a historical Jesus and as an account of his life and death. According to the Christian Gospels, Jesus was born in Bethlehem between 6 BC and 6 AD. The Gospel Mark, reports that Jesus was "the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon" he also states that Jesus had sisters. Nothing of Jesus...
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...Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels Chapter 1: What are the Gospels? | Four Gospels, One Jesus | What are the four Gospels? | * Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each paint a unique portrait of Jesus Christ | | * The Gospels exhibit both unity and diversity, bearing witness to the same Jesus | | (unity) but viewing them from unique perspectives (diversity) | What are the four unique portraits | * Matthew presents Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, the fulfillment of the Old | each Gospel paints of Jesus Christ? | Testament hopes | | * Mark portrays Jesus as the suffering Son of God, who offers himself as a | | sacrifice for sins | | * Luke portrays Jesus as the Savior for all people, who brings salvation to all | | nations and people groups | | * John portrays Jesus as the eternal son of God, the self-revelation of God the | | Father | | * Christology refers to Jesus’ person and work | What is the difference between the | * Mark is more dramatic, it is a powerful and vivid story; Matthew is the most | four Gospels? | structured of the Gospels; Luke is the most thematic, like God’s love for the lost, | | the role of the Spirit, and Jerusalem’s role in God’s plan resurfacing repeatedly; | | John is the most theological of the four, with more explicit statements | | concerning Jesus’ identity and purpose. | What are synoptic Gospels? | * Synoptic Gospels (from the Greek word synopsis...
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...The image of women in the Gospel of Luke Name: Instructor Affiliated Institution Paper: Date The image of women in the Gospel of Luke Abstract Many studies have been carried out show the image given to women in the traditional context. These studies show that a woman was inferior to the man who made her perform inferior tasks such as cooking and giving birth. Studies have also been carried out to show the image of women in the New Testament. Luke is one of the gospels that show the clear intention of Jesus mission on women than any other gospel. This research seeks to discuss some of the images that Luke gives to women in the society. The first part of the paper gives a brief introduction to the topic and defines some of the terms the reader will often encounter. The second part analyzes some of the images given to women in the Gospel of Luke. Finally, the third part compares the nature of women in the Gospel of Luke and their nature in the Old Testament. Data for this paper was collected from peer-reviewed journal articles and the Gospel of Luke. Table of Contents Abstract 1 Introduction 2 Definition of terms 3 The image of women in the Gospel of St. Luke 3 Introduction 3 Women as the chosen ones 4 Women as witnesses of the ministry of Jesus 4 Women as examples of faith 5 Women as good examples in Jesus teachings 6 Women as part of the mission of Jesus 7 A comparison of the image of women in ST.LUKE and in the Old Testament 8 Conclusion 9 References 10 Introduction...
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...Introduction In John’s Gospel, John provides clear evidence that Jesus is the Son of God and that by believing in Him believers in Christ may have eternal life. In the Gospel of John, it is easily discovered that John discusses the issue of sin compared to the other Gospels. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Therefore, John makes it very clear that unless sin is cleansed through faith in Jesus Christ, people will perish eternally. Thusly, this scripture illustrates the ultimate demonstration of God’s love for believers by giving the gift of eternal life through the sacrifice and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ. Further, despite there being a final judgement in the future, eternal life is in the preset-tense. For example, in John 5:24 Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to...
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...Answer The synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, are so named because they are in substantial agreement on the life of Jesus. Mark's Gospel was the original gospel, and is believed to have been written around 70 CE. Whenever Matthew and Luke copy material from Mark's Gospel, they do so with remarkable consistency, even to the use of words in the original Greek language. John's Gospel, although influenced by Mark's Gospel, is further removed, with its principal source being Luke's Gospel. It is believed that John's Gospel was originally much more Gnostic, but that after the split in the Johannine community, the Gospel was reworked to remove much of its Gnostic flavour. Whereas the synoptic gospels say that Jesus, although the Son of God, was not truly divine, John's Gospel makes it quite clear that he was considered to be both God and pre-existing. Much of the material in John is unique to this Gospel, although passages in John can be seen to be adaptations of similar material in Luke. For example, the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus, in which he tells the disciples to cast their nets on the other side and thus they catch a multitude of fish, is unique to John. However, a very similar episode occurs in Luke before the crucifixion and resurrection. In the synoptic gospels, particularly in Mark, Jesus is at pains to keep his true identity secret. He does not 'cleanse' the Temple until towards the end of his mission, and this violent action is the trigger...
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...New Testament contains the four synoptic gospels that were written by different authors at different periods. It goes without saying that each author had a different view of Jesus and his life story, which makes it hard for a reader to understand the full context of the life of Jesus. The several differences in the gospels dispute one another and depict Jesus with several different characteristics; it shows how many different personal circumstances may have shaped the way each author wrote their own version of the gospels and can it can be concluded that that New Testament is contradictory due to those circumstances. It is has been said that Matthew was the first gospel written out of the synoptic gospels followed by Mark, and then Luke and lastly John. John and Matthew are the only two authors who witnessed the life of Jesus but strangely their depiction of Jesus couldn’t be anymore different from one another. It is strange that John and Matthew have completely different outlooks on what Jesus was like even though they both physically witnessed him, I think it takes away a sense of truth from the Bible. While writing their own gospels Mark and Luke both drew inspiration from Matthew in writing their own gospels so there is an underlying resemblance between the three. John on the other hand depicts Jesus way differently than the rest. John writes about Jesus as the self-proclaimed Son of God, within the first chapter of John, Jesus is already heard saying, “behold the Lamb...
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...Introduction to Gospels Life and teachings of Jesus Four Gospels – 3 Synoptic gospels plus John Jewish Sources – Josephus, 2 references; one authentic Talmud: Jesus a rabbi who practiced sorcery and led Israel astray Roman sources – Pliny the Younger letter to Emperor Trajan Tacitus – wrote that Nero blamed the fire in Rome on Christians Suetonius – expulsion of Jews from Rome by Claudius, AD 49 after disturbances initiated by “Chrestus.” NT Apocrypha – stories and sayings (reported) of Jesus - other gospels Difficulties in achieving biography of Jesus – He left no autobiographical material, none of the NT sources were written during his lifetime but later; material which exists is not in biographical form; gospels differ in details and content; sources written first such as writings of Paul contain almost nothing about the life of Jesus. Gospels are each interpretation of the life of Jesus. Nevertheless, gospels present Jesus as Christ or Messiah, God’s anointed. Jesus Seminar – quest for historical Jesus Core elements in life of Jesus – kerygma 1. Baptized by John the Baptizer 2. Was a Galilean who preached and healed 3. He called disciples and spoke of 12 4. Confined his activity to Israel 5. Engaged in controversy about the Temple 6. Was crucified outside Jerusalem by Rome authorities 7. Following his death, the followers of Jesus continued as an identifiable movement 8. Some Jews persecuted some parts of the new movement Gospels were written from...
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...Patience Syokau Mutonga |1 When reading the Gospels, the reader quickly realizes that the accounts are similar1. However, a closer look reveals that they narrate the life and work of Jesus Christ in different ways. Four different authors address their Gospels to four different audiences, expounding on four different themes. Can such different narratives collectively refer to the same Person and give a complete, unshakeable picture of His life and work? The answer lies in a study of each Gospel writer’s interpretation of Jesus’ person, life and work2. That way, each Gospel account is seen, “… like a different – coloured thread in a tapestry woven together to form a more complete picture of this One who is beyond description.” 3 Together the diverse themes of King, Servant, Son of Man and Son of God as independently portrayed in the Gospels all relate together to show a complete picture of Jesus Christ’s life and work. Matthew, Mark and Luke are jointly called the Synoptic Gospels4 (from the Greek word, ‘synopsis’, meaning “a seeing together”).5 They share many of the same events and largely concentrate on Jesus’ Galilean ministry.6 Furthermore, there is a common synopsis in these Gospels, namely: the introduction of Jesus, preaching in Galilee, journey to Jerusalem, and Passion (His death and resurrection).7 John’s Gospel, however, stands alone in its perspective and audience. Unlike the Synoptics, John begins his Gospel ‘from heaven down,’ stating that “…the Word was made...
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