COMPARATIVE REVIEW: How is Jesus introduced? ( ) He is joyfully presented as: the promised Savior of both Israel and of all mankind, having been called by the Spirit of the Lord to “preach the Good News to the poor,” that is to say, people with all kinds of need: women, the sick, the less-pious, despised tax-collectors, the oppressed and even some noble, yet interacting Pharisees. His ministry of compassion was effective thanks to the power of the Holy Ghost. ( * ) He is: the promised Jewish Savior who speaks with such wisdom, as anticipated by the ancient prophets as the anointed messiah or “the son of Abraham, the son of David,” not only as the greatest Teacher for He was granted the authority to best interpret the Law of God, to show the righteous path towards His Kingdom, and to master temptation and deceit. He understands ancient history, recent events, the Torah, and the future ideal path for Israel. But, according to Matthew, the central opponents of Jesus were the “hypocritical” Pharisees. (The contemporary historian Josephus says that they were popular with the people, who admired them for being “the most accurate interpreters of the Law.” They developed a legal review called “the traditions of the elders” that was not recorded in the law of Moses. And they played a central role in the formation of rabbinic Judaism, a coalition that ultimately provided for the survival of Judaism after the fall of the Temple in Jerusalem. Furthermore, it was to become the decisive force and voice in the land between 135 and 200. – “Antiquities…” 13.297, 399 – 417) (**) He is: Adonai - Yahveh, “the eternal Word of God who became a human being and lived among us” so that we might develop our natural faith in Him and thus, through His victorious life and Messianic martyrdom, attain our own precious gift of Eternal Life. That was one of the revelation purposes of His mighty miracles; for John was after any feedback from society as well as from given individuals. (***) He is: “the anointed Son of God,” who identified Himself as “the Son of Man,” a man of action whose authority is seen in His teaching, in His power over unclean spirits, in His willingness to forgive our sins and to lay down His very life to free them from both physical and spiritual death. A true leader – compared to Moses, Elijah, and Jeremiah – He was always ready to face the high priestly and rigid dynasty of the Jews, as well as their Roman imperial overlords, and even his own dissenting disciples. These latter ones are about to betray, deny, and desert Him. He was arrested and unjustly accused of treason, blasphemy, and insurrection; and thus, condemned and sent to be crucified. On the other hand, women play a prominent role, serving as models of faithfulness, and reliable financial backing. RESPECTIVE NARRATIVE STYLES: ( ) Despite having been rather urban and bookish than a field and ritualistic practitioner in his rather extensive approach to Judaism, Luke displays a realistic and logical approach to the earthly lives as well as the respective perceptions of people in Jesus΄ very person and missionary work – before birth, life, ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection, plus the promised salvation, peace and wholeness of spiritual life. He starts with a clear and elegant introduction. Then, he follows an orderly sequence of events stressing interaction, friendly communication, service- rendering and teaching. One of his main shared messages is that discipleship actually is a way of life that prepares us for citizenship in God’s Kingdom. He also uses various narrative styles, going from the formal Greek writings as if intended for well-educated citizens in the Greco-Roman era, to the former Septuagint (or ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible). That Semitic-like style surrounds the birth and childhood of Jesus, and then softens into a secular “koine” Greek of the first-century. His use of language follows the locale and characters in the narrative, allowing for different religious, ethnic, and social backgrounds. As a physician, he was a unique traveling companion and coworker with Paul (see Philem 1:24, Col 4:14, and his “The Acts of the Apostles”) But he never even mentioned in Acts that Paul did write letters. He looked for other sources, such as the one-fifth core material of the overall Gospel which scholars designate s “Q” (“Quelle,” or “source” in German), and the Gospel of Mark. (*) The author frequently uses biblical quotations to explain and validate Jesus΄ actions. He underlines the wisdom and authority of Jesus, a leader like Moses; in contrast, he rejects other current teachers. He does prefer a historical approach and traces the genealogy of His protagonist. According to him, Jesus argues about tradition and its consequent interpretation, and also undertakes an on going competence before the group of the Pharisees. Issues that interested the community of Matthew were those of local government, ethics, succession and leadership, plus how to handle conflict. By the way, Matthew΄s “cry of all the people,” upon the trial of Jesus (27:25) was not intended as a denunciation of all Jews, who were facing conflict of different groups and authorities as well as an uncertain future. This Gospel dates from the last decade of the first century to the early second century. (**) The author – most probably a disciple of John, who recorded his preaching - uses both a prologue, a third person point of view, and an epilogue. The epilogue itself speaks of some anonymous, loyal Jerusalem disciple of Jesus, called “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (20:2; see 13:23; 19:26 and 21: 7, 20), as the source of such a unique understanding of Jesus. In telling the story he also uses such common and graphic terms as: bread, water, light, life, word, shepherd, door, way, like handy symbols to highlight the significance of Jesus. When referring to “the Jews” he portrays such religious authorities as “mercenary and uncaring shepherds, haughty and condescending to the crowd, more concerned with worldly acclaim than divine favor, and particularly, as betrayers of Jesus. He presents Jesus as embodying basic elements of the natural world, such as light and life itself. Personification is also used to replace the Temple itself, as well as the Passover, not to mention Incarnation itself. Moreover, the portrayal of Jesus as replacing the Temple may suggest that the Jerusalem’s Temple were still standing as the center of Judaism itself. After its downfall, “the Jews” would be equated with “the World.” ( *** ) It is the earliest – just prior to the widespread Jewish popular revolt as of year 66 and the Roman reconquest and destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, in 70. shortest of the four “canonical Gospels” – Though formerly ascribed to John Mark (see: Acts 12:12 and 15:37) who is supposed to have drafted a summary in Rome of the preaching by Peter (see: 1 Pet 5:13), it is anonymous. Apparently, it was drawn along a rich variety of oral Traditions of Jesus΄ actions and teachings, plus chains of miracle stories, sets of parables, and witnessed controversies with the Pharisees, sayings and two speeches by Jesus. In popular spoken Greek, its style features a rapid sequences of brief and vivid concrete episodes linked simply by “and” or “and immediately,” often deleted in translation for less awkward reading in English. The narrative often shifts from the past tense into the present tense, thus enlivening the action within a complex plot with several interwoven themes and conflicts. It originally en at 16:8, leaving an open ending for the reader to continue it. Source: Good News Bible and The New Oxford Annotated Bible Freely adapted and translated for non-commercial purposes.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 05:09:46 +0000
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