Wednesday Bible Study

Genre of the New Testament: 

• Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
• Theological and Historical Narrative – Acts
• Epistles:
  • Pauline Epistles – Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
  • General Epistles – Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John, Jude
• Apocalypse/Prophecy – Revelation

What is a Gospel: 

• A form of ancient biography. 
• The primary focus is on the character of the person in question as revealed by their own words and deeds. 
• Less focus is on the character’s feelings, motives, or psychology.
• Chronology is not the major focus. The major focus is the goal of the Gospel.

The Synoptic Problem: 

• Seeks to discover which Gospel was written first. 
• Various theories abound – i.e. Markan Priority, Lukan Priority, the Q document, etc. 

The Gospel of Matthew 

• Author – The Apostle Matthew/Levi
• Date and Place of Writing:
  • Sometime before A.D. 70
  • May have been written from Palestine or Syria or Antioch or Capernaum
• Audience: Jewish people
• Occasion and Purpose: Wanted to reach Jewish people with the message of the Gospel

The Gospel of Mark 

• Author: John Mark from the testimony of the Apostle Peter 
  • Did not record it in chronological order
  • Uncontested fact in early church
• Date and Place of Writing:
  • Uncertain – Could be in the late A.D. 50’s but before A.D. 70
  • Rome is possible
  • Possibly the first gospel written due to brevity
• Audience: Likely a Roman audience. 
• Occasion and Purpose: Concerned about the gospel of Jesus Christ

The Gospel of Luke 

• Author: Luke the Physician and Travelling partner of Paul
  • Same as author of Acts
  • Early church all agreed it was Luke
• Date and Place of Writing: Likely to be written in the early 60’s
• Audience: Theophilus – Seems to write primarily for gentiles though not neglecting Jews

Occasion and Purpose: To provide an accurate, historical account of Jesus life, death, and resurrection 

Unique Content: 

• Is unique in demonstrating Jesus’ interest in people normally considered outcasts. 
• Shows the high role of women in Jesus’ ministry
• Stories illustrating Jesus’ social skills
• Jesus appears as a Savior with broad sympathies and ideal skills of relationship. He is not pale-faced ascetic
• Work of the Holy Spirit is given special attention
• What all of this tells us is that Luke is supremely conscious of the difference the resurrection makes in the way Jesus was and should be viewed. The resurrection is the watershed event for Christology in Luke’s view and it is one of two watershed events (along with the pouring out of the spirit) that are the crucial events for Luke’s theology about the church.

The Gospel of John 

• Author: The beloved disciple – The Apostle John
• Date and Place of Writing: Most likely written from Ephesus between A.D 80 and 100 making it the last of the Gospels to be written. 
• Audience: Written for a gentle reader
• Occasion and Purpose: that one might believe in Jesus