My position is that the Fourth Gospel was produced by the Johannine School and was finalized in the last decade of the first century CE, most likely in Ephesus. I will keep this assumption in mind as I analyze the text and discuss the relevant social materials. I do not intend to examine the background of the Fourth Gospel in great detail but rather to follow a synchronic approach that examines the text as it presently stands, analyzes topics within the Fourth Gospel, and discusses how such topics interrelate to prayer and help one understand my research topic. Notwithstanding, before analyzing the topic of prayer in the Fourth Gospel a brief summary concerning the background of this document is in order. As such, the section below offers a brief discussion that prepares the reader for the exegetical discussions that follow in chapters 3-6 of the present work.
It is has been postulated that the Fourth Gospel has Hellenistic features. The most convincing evidence for this assertion is seen in the Evangelist’s inclusion of Greek themes and concepts in his writing. As noted by Brown (1997:371), “Its usage of abstract ideas like light and truth; its dualistic division of humanity into light and darkness, truth and falsehood; its concept of the Word—all these were once widely held to be the product of Greek philosophical thought, or of combinations of philosophy and religion . . . or of the pagan mystery religions.” He remarks further that others have seen John as being influenced by Philo and/or incipient Gnosticism. However, while there does exist certain overlap between Hellenistic and Johannine thought, a more likely explanation is viewing the Fourth Gospel in light of the Jewish diversity of the ancient Palestinian world (Brown 1997:372). This view does not preclude Hellenistic influence, but it places it secondary to the Evangelist’s “reflection on the heritage of Israel” (Brown 1997:372).
Thus scholars have detected a high degree of Jewishness in the Fourth Gospel, evidenced by the presence of numerous OT themes that appear throughout the literature. Keener (2003:172-73) observes that John’s use of the OT is not dependent on the Synoptics, but is likely the outcome of a “thorough knowledge of the Jewish
Every human being has a worldview whether they are aware of it or not. Although the notion of a worldview might appear basic in nature, the word itself simply meaning how one views the world around them, worldviews are much more complex and far reaching. A worldviews development occurs over the course of a lifetime, shaped by the complex and unique experiences of an individual and the sum of family traditions, religious beliefs and cultural histories. It is an all-encompassing interpretation of reality that plays a central and defining role in our attitudes and concepts about life. While worldviews are formed based on the answers to fundamental questions about human existence, they simultaneously shape
The post presents a clearly defined explanation of Jewish traditions and culture in the Book of John. Correctly stated, the use of the term “the Word” plainly displays an entity that is more than just mortal. Jewish scripture accurately predicts a messiah that was eternal. John’s explanation of “the Word” plainly lays out the fact that He was existent from all eternity. (TOWNES X). Furthermore, in John’s Gospel care is taken to provide chronological timeline by identifying Jewish holidays. Especially unique is John’s mention of the Feast of Tabernacles. Customs such as the wedding at Cana and the agrarian references to sheepherding assume the reader would be familiar with a particular way of life. Continuing, the notice of John’s
The final eight epistles of the New Testament canon exert an influence out of proportion to their length. They complement the thirteen Pauline Epistles by offering varying perspectives on the richness of Christian truth. Each of the five authors – James, Peter, John, Jude, and the author of Hebrews – made a distinctive contribution from his own point of view. Like the four harmonizing approaches to the life of Christ portrayed in the Gospels, these writers provide a sweeping portrait of the Christian life as a whole and how it should be lived out. Although Paul’s epistles are excellent, the New Testament revelation after Acts would be severely limited by one apostle’s perspective had the writing of these five men been neglected. The
“The Church has always and everywhere maintained, and continues to maintain, the apostolic origin of the four Gospels. The apostles preached, as Christ had charged them to do, and then, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they and others of the apostolic age handed on to us in writing the same message they had preached, the
Hebrews 1:2-3 says, “But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (NIV). In an article in The Christian Crier, author Jack Wellman gives a great description of Jesus.
John H. Walton’s Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible is broken up into fourteen chapters. Those fourteen chapters are each part of one of five sections. This book also contains over twenty historical images. Before the introduction, the author gives readers a full appendix of all images used in this published work. The author then gives his acknowledgements followed by a list of abbreviations.
The controversial figure of St Paul is credited with writing thirteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament; thus making him one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age and in the development of the early Christian faith. Paul’s letters are some of the earliest Christian documents discovered dating to approximately 50 AD, whereas the scholarly consensus for the dating of the gospels is between 70 AD and 90 AD. Therefore, Paul’s thirteen letters reveal the earliest teachings about Jesus and the Christian faith; in particular Paul’s letter to the Romans expresses the fullest statement of how salvation in Christ is achieved (Wansbrough, 2011, P247). Thus, this essay will primarily focus on Romans and the extent it concurs with the Gospel according to Luke. In doing this, the essay will also analyse whether Paul’s letters rely on the narrative of Luke’s gospel. The overall message Paul preaches in his thirteen letters is we can be saved through Jesus’ actions, but only if we follow his teachings. However, the argument is can this message be fully understood by Christians without Luke’s gospel? Additionally, this paper will attempt to show how Paul’s preaching has altered or remained the same throughout time.
The purpose of this table is to provide a fairly complete list of the widely suggested parallels. Since a number of these parallels are still so weak, reflecting only some conceptual similarity or a single shared word, one may legitimately question whether they can offer any decisive evidence for clarifying the type of relationship between James and the supposed parallel synoptic traditions. Of the twenty-four parallels list only eight have strong parallels. It was only with the development of scholarship dealing with the source criticism of the gospels generally, and more specifically with the formulation of the Q hypothesis that a literary relationship between James and the hypothetical source of the double tradition material began to emerge.
The Gospel Of John 1. Who was John, and why was he qualified to write a book in the Bible? 1. John was a disciple of Jesus and wrote the Book of John (Strauss, 2011, 9083). He was qualified to write a book in the Bible because he held an “eyewitness testimony” of Jesus’ life and ministry and states so in his gospel (Strauss, 2011, 9083). John “provides many incidental details one would expect only from an eyewitness (2: 6; 5: 5; 18: 10, 15 – 16; 21: 11), is familiar with predestruction Jerusalem (5: 3; 9: 7; 10: 23; 18: 28; cf. 4: 5 – 6), and knows the traditions and customs of Palestinian Judaism (2: 6, 23; 6: 4; 7: 2, 37 – 39; 10: 22; 19: 14, 31)”
While numerous scholars say that John is the Gospel to the world (and Matthew to the Jews, Mark to the Romans, and Luke to the Greeks), a Jewish scholar such as Israel Abrahams might very well believe that the Gospel of John is the most Jewish Gospel of the four by the way it reflects Jewish traditions and symbolisms. According to David Wenham[i], there is more attention given to Jesus as the Messiah in the Gospel of John than in any of other Gospels. In John, from chapter one onwards people are directly talking about Jesus as Messiah, and then there is intense public debate about whether Jesus is Messiah or not in John 7:25-31, 41-44[ii], which indicates that John is quite mindful of Jewish issues.
Many scholars and philosophers find themselves troubled when trying to make sense of the Synoptic Gospels found in The Holy Bible. These include The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. When looking at them side by side readers will see that they have many differences and similarities. This has resulted in what is called The Synoptic Problem; that is, how do we account for these similarities and differences? Scholars have come up with an applicable solution called the four source solution Theory.
Each of the four Gospels contains points in ecclesiology. In the Great Commission, Jesus’ last instruction to the Apostles is to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching people (Matthew 28:19-20). For Jesus’ mission to continue and for his Church to grow, discipleship is necessary. Discipleship is a prominent theme in all four Gospels, for purposes of this essay, only the Gospels of John and Luke-Acts will be analyzed. The similarities regarding discipleship in these Gospels include images of the net and fishing, and the sheep/shepherd/sheepfold. The differences include the preparing of the Twelve to carry on Jesus' ministry in Luke, and service to the community and passing of authority in John's Gospel.
Johannine literature truly portrays Jesus as God, with the theme of His deity interwoven throughout numerous passages. In this respect, John’s style differs from the other four gospels, as Bickel & Jantz (1998) point out that the other three had been written prior to John’s gospel, therefore, “he wasn’t interested in just retelling the events” (p. 222). Since Jesus is the focal point of Scripture, a scholar of the New Testament with uncertainty concerning Jesus’ oneness with God will fail to perceive the crux of Christianity. Therefore, in spite of its importance, John does not focus on Jesus’ entrance into the
Additionally, John indicates most of Jesus works in Galilee and Jerusalem while synoptic gospels place it in Galilee and Judea. Jesus’ teachings in the four gospels were mainly in parables and there is account of Jesus speaking with any figure. In contrast gospel of John accounts that Jesus used philosophical speeches in his teachings and interacted with figures like Nicodemus. Another event that distance gospel of
The word 'gospel' means good news. There are four gospel accounts in the New Testament: