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Chapter 2 - Jesus of History Christ of Faith
Chapter 2 Assignment
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Major Concepts and Review
How Do We Read the Gospels?
The Gospels were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and from
a certain perspective, shaped in part by the early Christian culture. Although
the Gospels offer basic information about Jesus and his message, they’re not
strictly biographies of Jesus testimony of faith. The Gospels concern is
religious truth, the deeper meaning God intends to reveal to people through
historical events. The discernment of religious truth is the task of the
entire Christian community, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The Development of the Gospels.
The development of the Gospels took place in three major stages, beginning
with the disciples experience of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. During
the second stage, the disciples and early church proclaimed the good news
throughout the Roman Empire. The final stage saw the Gospels written down by
the evangelists, who had collected and edited material from all the previous
years.
The Gospels.
The Gospels differ from one another in terms of author, time of writing,
audience, and purpose. Although each Gospel is a separate and unique
"portrait" of Jesus, no one gospel tells us everything we need to know about
him. To gain a fuller understanding of Jesus, we must consider all four
Gospels together.
Questions and Answers from the Chapter
1. Is the record of past events that we call history a totally accurate
description of the events as they actually happened? Explain your response.
"History" is not a totally accurate description of past events, because
it usually involves an interpretation of those events. The information comes
to us through the eyes and perspective of the person doing the recording.
And no one’s perspective is totally objective, because this would require
one to be without a point of view, which is impossible.
2. What do the origins of the word gospel suggest about the purpose of the
Gospels?
The word gospel is derived from Middle English word godspell,
which means "good news" or "glad tidings." that word, in turn, is a
translation of the Greek word evangelion, meaning "the proclamation
or announcement of good news." So from the origins of the word gospel, we
learned that the purpose of the Gospels is to proclaim a message of faith in
Jesus. It is not to provide accurate historical accounts of Jesus’
day-to-day life.
3. Briefly explain what is meant by the term religious truth and discuss
its relationship to the Scriptures.
Religious truth refers to the deeper meaning that God intends to reveal
to people through historical events. It is religious truth that the
Scriptures are primarily filled with. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the
biblical writers interpreted events in light of their own faith convictions
and were far less concerned with the historical facts, or what an event
might have appeared to be on the surface.
4. What can we gain about the Gospels beside some basic information about
Jesus and his message?
The Gospels together with the rest of the New Testament, also revealed
the meaning and significance of Jesus for the people of his time.
5. Briefly described the three major stages in the development of the
Gospels.
Stage 1. Jesus lived and worked, having a profound effect on his
disciples.
Stage 2.after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the disciples and
the early church proclaimed the good news throughout the Roman Empire.
Stage 3. The Gospels were actually written by the evangelists, who
likely served as editors or collectors of material that had developed
gradually through the years.
6. Christ is not Jesus’ last name. Explain.
Christ literally means "anointed one." It is based on the Greek
word Christos, which is itself a translation of the Hebrew word
Messiah. To those Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah after his
resurrection, he became known as Jesus the Christ, which in turn rather
quickly became shortened to what we now know as a single name: Jesus
Christ. This cloud’s to some degree of the recognition of the Christian
conviction that the Jesus of History is truly the Christ of Faith.
7. What two major factors explain the transition from an initial oral telling
of the Good News to the written form of the Gospels?
The passage of time. Christians slowly realized that Jesus was not
going to return in glory as quickly as they had whole. With the realization
that the church had a future, it became necessary to find a means for
preserving the churches teachings for future generations.
The need for continued instruction. The church needed to continue
instructing and inspiring the already existing communities of faith that had
been formed throughout the Roman Empire during the previous decades of
missionary activity.
8. For each of the four Gospels, summarize the following information:
author, approximate date when written, primary audience, central themes.
The Gospel of Mark is written by an unknown author (possibly a certain
John Mark who is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles) around 70 C.E. it
was written for the church in Rome and for Gentile readers, and it stresses
Jesus’ humanity and suffering.
 | possibly written by John Mark, a companion of the apostle Peter |
| written around 70 C.E. (The earliest Gospel) |
| written for the church in Rome and for Gentiles |
| often recognized as "the Gospel of action," in which Jesus is always
"on the move" |
| stresses the humanity and suffering of Jesus |
| portrays Jesus as the unrecognized Messiah |
The Gospel of Luke was written by an unknown author (possibly and Gentile
doctor) around 85 C.E. it was written for Gentile Christians and perhaps for
well to do Christians. Luke’s Gospel stresses the mercy and compassion of
Jesus and the central role of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life.
| possibly written by a Gentile doctor |
| written around 85 C.E. |
| stresses the universality of the Christian message, particularly by
showing women and poor people in important roles |
| stresses Jesus’ compassion, mercy, and concern for sinners |
| in a miracle stories, emphasizes Jesus’ compassion for those who are
suffering |
| stresses the central role of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life |
| is the first part of a two-part work, part to being the Acts of the
Apostles |
The Gospel of Matthew was written by and unknown author around 90 C.E. it
was written for Jews who were converting to Christianity, and it stresses
Jesus as the Messiah who the Jews had been waiting for.
| written around 90 C.E. |
| written for Jews who were converting to Christianity |
| stresses Jesus’ as the fulfilment of promises made by God in the
Hebrew Bible (Jesus as "the new Moses") |
| demonstrates Jesus’ role as a teacher and preacher |
| discusses the responsibilities of Jesus’ followers |
The Gospel of John was probably written by followers of the Beloved Disciple
around 95 C.E. it was written for the church of that time, which had had many
years to reflect on Jesus’ true identity. John’s Gospel stresses Jesus as the
divine son of God.
| probably written by followers of the Beloved Disciple |
| written around 95 C.E. |
| written for the church of that time |
| reflects theological sophistication and concentration on spiritual
realities |
| presents Jesus as "the Word of God" and stresses his Incarnation |
| emphasizes faith as coming from God and as truly present when the
believer is "without site," that is, without visible evidence of God |
| builds poetic and memorable images of Jesus as "the vine," "the good
shepherd," and so on |
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