Bonus Blog: Ehrman's Outline of New Book
Cut and Pasted for anyone interested in Bart Ehman's writing:
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Yesterday I began to describe my Graphic Textbook of the New Testament, as I have proposed it to my publisher, Oxford University Press. In this post I continue, by explaining how I will actually set up the first fascicle (installment), on the Gospels and Jesus.
Introduction (2 pages)
The book will begin by …
If you’re a blog member, you can read the rest of this post. If not, not. If you are weeping and gnashing your teeth in the outer darkness, come into the land of joy and light. Join the blog! It’s easy and inexpensive, and your entire membership fee goes to charity!
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Fascicle One: The Gospels and Jesus
The four Gospels are by far the largest section of the New Testament, and any reconstruction of the historical Jesus depends on a critical understanding not only of how each of the Gospels portrays his life, death, and resurrection, but also of how they can be used as sources of historical knowledge. After providing necessary background about the Greco-Roman world in which Christianity was born, with a special coverage of first-century Judaism, this fascicle will examine the overarching message of each Gospel, and conclude with a consideration of how scholars can utilize such literary and theological writings in order to establish a historical reconstruction of Jesus’ life and death.Introduction (2 pages)
The book will begin by …
If you’re a blog member, you can read the rest of this post. If not, not. If you are weeping and gnashing your teeth in the outer darkness, come into the land of joy and light. Join the blog! It’s easy and inexpensive, and your entire membership fee goes to charity!
The book will begin by explaining why the New Testament is so significant, not only for believers but for anyone interested in our Western culture, religion, history, and literature. The Introduction will then explain the basic lay-out and structure of the twenty-seven book canon of the New Testament.
Chapter One: The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament (5 pages)
This chapter will begin by explaining why it is so important to place the New Testament in its own historical context: anyone who takes something “out of context,” necessarily alters, and usually misconstrues, its meaning.
The chapter will then explain some of the basics of earliest Christianity’s milieu, a Mediterranean world originally unified through the conquests of Alexander the Great and then conquered by Rome. The chapter will stress the importance of the Greek language and Roman culture for making sense of the New Testament, in particular stressing the nature of religion in Roman antiquity and its important differences from what we consider “religion” today.
Chapter Two: The Jewish World of the New Testament (5 pages)
Jesus and his disciples were all Jews, following Jewish traditions, revering the Jewish Scriptures, and following Jewish practices. This chapter will explain how Jews were distinct among the peoples in the Roman world, and show how their religious beliefs and practices were both similar to and different from those of the “pagans” of antiquity.
The chapter will then discuss the social and political situation of the Jewish homeland in the first century (Galilee and Judea), with reflection on their subjugation to Rome, the occasional protests that erupted as a result, and the various religious groups that emerged in response (Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, etc.)
Chapter Three: The Gospel of Mark (10 pages)
Mark’s was the first Gospel written, is the briefest, and in many ways is the most intriguing. This chapter will show how the anonymous author of the book conveys a counter-intuitive message. Any Jews in Jesus’ day who were anticipating a messiah expected him to be a great warrior-king who destroyed God’s enemies, in this case the Romans. Jesus was just the opposite. He was a poor itinerate Jewish preacher who ended up on the wrong side of the law and was arrested, tried, and publicly tortured to death. No one thought the messiah would be like that. How could Jesus possibly be the messiah?
Mark’s Gospel is written to explain. Jesus was not the great warrior anyone expected, but a messiah who had to die for the sins of others, whom God then raised from the dead. Jesus brought salvation not from Rome but from sin, putting people in a right relationship with God himself. But, for Mark, since he was not the messiah anyone expected, no one in Jesus’ lifetime realized who he really was. For Mark, Jesus was the suffering Son of God whom no one understood.
The Gospel of Matthew (9 pages)
Matthew’s Gospel was written later than Mark, and in fact utilized Mark as one of its sources. This author, likewise anonymous, supplemented Mark with numerous incidents and teachings of Jesus and changed a number of Mark’s stories.
In many important ways Matthew agrees with Mark: here too Jesus is portrayed as a suffering messiah who had to die for the sake of others. But Matthew puts a new spin on the story. Matthew stresses that Jesus was fully Jewish in every way, the Jewish messiah sent to the Jewish people from the Jewish God in fulfillment of the Jewish Scripture. Moreover, in this Gospel Jesus teaches his disciples that if they truly want to follow him, they must continue to keep the Jewish law, down to its detail.
Even though Matthew is, in many ways, the “most Jewish” of the Gospels, it also stresses with particular force Jesus’ opposition to other Jewish teachers. The key to understanding the Jesus of Matthew lies in this seeming paradox: he strongly endorses the Jewish religion but vehemently opposes the Jewish leaders.
The Gospel of Luke (9 pages)
The Gospel of Luke also had access to Mark and knew one of Matthew’s other sources – a collection of Jesus’ sayings — even though its anonymous author probably did not know Matthew’s Gospel itself. In his own ways Luke too altered Mark’s account to provide yet a third portrayal of Jesus.
This chapter will show that more than the other Gospels Luke emphasizes that the message of Jesus is meant not only for the Jewish people, but for gentiles as well. Luke himself may well have been a gentile who converted to faith in Jesus. His account emphasizes that Jesus was not at all well received by many of the Jews he interacted with, who, in fact roundly rejected him at the very beginning of his ministry. By being rejected by the people he tried to save, Jesus, for Luke, was comparable to prophets found in Scripture, sent by God to a recalcitrant people. It is for this reason, Luke avers, that the message of Jesus was taken to non-Jews.
As a prophet in Luke, Jesus knows all this will happen. And he knows what will happen to himself as well. Unlike the earlier Gospels, Jesus does not go to his death wondering why it has to happen; he is calm and confident up to the very end, knowing that God has sent him for a reason, to bring salvation to the entire world.
The Gospel of John (10 pages)
The Gospel of John is very different from the other three. The earlier accounts tell many of the same stories, usually in the same sequence, and often in the same words. They are therefore known as the “Synoptic” Gospels, meaning that, because of their extensive similarities, the can be placed in parallel columns and “seen together.”
This chapter will highlight the many differences between John and the Synoptics. Here we have no account of Jesus’ birth, baptism, transfiguration, or last supper; here Jesus never tells a parable or casts out a demon; here Jesus does not deliver short pithy pearls of wisdom, but lengthy discourses unknown to the other gospel writers. All these differences contribute to a highly distinctive portrayal of Jesus, not simply as a human messiah, a fulfilment of Scripture, or a prophet. He is instead a divine being who originally existed with God before the creation of the world, who became human in order to reveal God’s person to anyone willing to believe.
John thus provides a far more “spiritual” or “theological” view of Jesus than those found in the other Gospels This unique understanding finds expression already at the outset, in the beautiful opening poem of John’s Gospel, and continues all the way to its very end – where, in both places, he is directly called “God” (unlike the other Gospels).
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IN MY THIRD POST tomorrow I will give the rest of the proposal, explaining the marketing potential, the comparable kinds of books in the field, and sundry other matters.
Chapter One: The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament (5 pages)
This chapter will begin by explaining why it is so important to place the New Testament in its own historical context: anyone who takes something “out of context,” necessarily alters, and usually misconstrues, its meaning.
The chapter will then explain some of the basics of earliest Christianity’s milieu, a Mediterranean world originally unified through the conquests of Alexander the Great and then conquered by Rome. The chapter will stress the importance of the Greek language and Roman culture for making sense of the New Testament, in particular stressing the nature of religion in Roman antiquity and its important differences from what we consider “religion” today.
Chapter Two: The Jewish World of the New Testament (5 pages)
Jesus and his disciples were all Jews, following Jewish traditions, revering the Jewish Scriptures, and following Jewish practices. This chapter will explain how Jews were distinct among the peoples in the Roman world, and show how their religious beliefs and practices were both similar to and different from those of the “pagans” of antiquity.
The chapter will then discuss the social and political situation of the Jewish homeland in the first century (Galilee and Judea), with reflection on their subjugation to Rome, the occasional protests that erupted as a result, and the various religious groups that emerged in response (Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, etc.)
Chapter Three: The Gospel of Mark (10 pages)
Mark’s was the first Gospel written, is the briefest, and in many ways is the most intriguing. This chapter will show how the anonymous author of the book conveys a counter-intuitive message. Any Jews in Jesus’ day who were anticipating a messiah expected him to be a great warrior-king who destroyed God’s enemies, in this case the Romans. Jesus was just the opposite. He was a poor itinerate Jewish preacher who ended up on the wrong side of the law and was arrested, tried, and publicly tortured to death. No one thought the messiah would be like that. How could Jesus possibly be the messiah?
Mark’s Gospel is written to explain. Jesus was not the great warrior anyone expected, but a messiah who had to die for the sins of others, whom God then raised from the dead. Jesus brought salvation not from Rome but from sin, putting people in a right relationship with God himself. But, for Mark, since he was not the messiah anyone expected, no one in Jesus’ lifetime realized who he really was. For Mark, Jesus was the suffering Son of God whom no one understood.
The Gospel of Matthew (9 pages)
Matthew’s Gospel was written later than Mark, and in fact utilized Mark as one of its sources. This author, likewise anonymous, supplemented Mark with numerous incidents and teachings of Jesus and changed a number of Mark’s stories.
In many important ways Matthew agrees with Mark: here too Jesus is portrayed as a suffering messiah who had to die for the sake of others. But Matthew puts a new spin on the story. Matthew stresses that Jesus was fully Jewish in every way, the Jewish messiah sent to the Jewish people from the Jewish God in fulfillment of the Jewish Scripture. Moreover, in this Gospel Jesus teaches his disciples that if they truly want to follow him, they must continue to keep the Jewish law, down to its detail.
Even though Matthew is, in many ways, the “most Jewish” of the Gospels, it also stresses with particular force Jesus’ opposition to other Jewish teachers. The key to understanding the Jesus of Matthew lies in this seeming paradox: he strongly endorses the Jewish religion but vehemently opposes the Jewish leaders.
The Gospel of Luke (9 pages)
The Gospel of Luke also had access to Mark and knew one of Matthew’s other sources – a collection of Jesus’ sayings — even though its anonymous author probably did not know Matthew’s Gospel itself. In his own ways Luke too altered Mark’s account to provide yet a third portrayal of Jesus.
This chapter will show that more than the other Gospels Luke emphasizes that the message of Jesus is meant not only for the Jewish people, but for gentiles as well. Luke himself may well have been a gentile who converted to faith in Jesus. His account emphasizes that Jesus was not at all well received by many of the Jews he interacted with, who, in fact roundly rejected him at the very beginning of his ministry. By being rejected by the people he tried to save, Jesus, for Luke, was comparable to prophets found in Scripture, sent by God to a recalcitrant people. It is for this reason, Luke avers, that the message of Jesus was taken to non-Jews.
As a prophet in Luke, Jesus knows all this will happen. And he knows what will happen to himself as well. Unlike the earlier Gospels, Jesus does not go to his death wondering why it has to happen; he is calm and confident up to the very end, knowing that God has sent him for a reason, to bring salvation to the entire world.
The Gospel of John (10 pages)
The Gospel of John is very different from the other three. The earlier accounts tell many of the same stories, usually in the same sequence, and often in the same words. They are therefore known as the “Synoptic” Gospels, meaning that, because of their extensive similarities, the can be placed in parallel columns and “seen together.”
This chapter will highlight the many differences between John and the Synoptics. Here we have no account of Jesus’ birth, baptism, transfiguration, or last supper; here Jesus never tells a parable or casts out a demon; here Jesus does not deliver short pithy pearls of wisdom, but lengthy discourses unknown to the other gospel writers. All these differences contribute to a highly distinctive portrayal of Jesus, not simply as a human messiah, a fulfilment of Scripture, or a prophet. He is instead a divine being who originally existed with God before the creation of the world, who became human in order to reveal God’s person to anyone willing to believe.
John thus provides a far more “spiritual” or “theological” view of Jesus than those found in the other Gospels This unique understanding finds expression already at the outset, in the beautiful opening poem of John’s Gospel, and continues all the way to its very end – where, in both places, he is directly called “God” (unlike the other Gospels).
******************************
IN MY THIRD POST tomorrow I will give the rest of the proposal, explaining the marketing potential, the comparable kinds of books in the field, and sundry other matters.
27
JAN
2020
JAN
2020
Comments
January 27, 2020
I took a graphic novels English course as an undergrad, and it was one of my favorite classes. Several of the companies that make K-12 curriculum now include graphic novels as supplemental material to coincide with content teaching. It’s very popular, and a big hit with students of all ages.
Graphic textbooks are definitely the trend these days. I think it’s a great idea.
reply
From the man who disallows nearly all "cut and paste". The rationale for this cluster should be juicy.
ReplyDeleteI was afraid you would catch me on cut and paste.
DeleteThis was a massive cut and paste. It was something you are passionate about. The license for others to cut and paste is now free. Amen.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteMatt "The license for others to cut and paste is now free. Amen."
DeleteThe door to cut and paste opened for just a moment and I was able to sneak that in. If it opens again I'll let you know. :)
With all the hype, nothing new here. Not surprised. Jon's hero Ehrman is trying to reinvent the wheel. He stuck in his thumb, and pulled out a plumb, and said; "What a good boy am I'. He may impress his former Baptists and an occasional atheist, but if one's knowledge is not based on Jon's stated model of learning, one is not surprised or shaken. A tempest in a piss pot.
ReplyDeletehelper "Jon's stated model of learning, one is not surprised of shaken."
DeleteIt's quite a leap to claim "Jon's model of learning." I guess you are referring to my theory that today, and yesterday for that matter, a lot of "learning" or indoctrination takes place in short pithy messages. I'm not pleased with this, it's just the way it is and to some degree always has been. Every drive on a highway finds, "Jesus Loves You" or "Jesus saves". There are no signs reading, "Distinguish Between the Law and the Gospel." The latter remains unimportant because it doesn't fit today's method of communication.
Atheists are putting up billboards with "You can be good without God." It would be more accurate to eliminate the word "God" and write "a god." But, today's culture makes "God" a better communication tool.
As to Ehrman, he is today's popular communicator of critical analysis of Christianity. Someone will replace him in due time. The majority of faculty in Departments of Religion are believers with credentials as clergy. I think they will be replaced with the like of Ehrman as time goes on.
Jon; Yes re. your "critical biblical studies in comic book form." paragraphs 4 & 6. Just fine for beginners, and the first graders, but to stop at that is dumbing down the topic, and by what I have observed that is about as far as most go into adulthood. As I have said before learning never stops unless you think you know it all.
DeleteWhile you are "displeased" with it, you champion the method for it produces your desired results.
That you dismiss "Law and Gospel" just reveals how shallow your understanding is. It can easily be explained to a 6th grader on up to adults so they understand and appreciate it.
It is not complicated.(So Bobby, did you kick the dog? [answer; yes]. (the law) Are you sorry? [answer; yes] (confession) Then you are forgiven. (absolution) The gospel. There is the Law and Gospel dumbed down. First you have to admit you kicked the dog. That's the hard part. The rest is easy.
I have fully explained this more than once in the past. I guess only dumbed down works for you.
re. "critical analysis of Christianity"-----That has been around in liberal circles since the early 50's "The Jesus Seminar" was a highly promoted movement years ago. Headlined by a Catholic priest no less (Fr. Crossan). His and Ehrman's position is the left of the "historical critical" school. No new news here.
DeleteI am actually disapointed in you Jon. You being an acclaimed and tenured professor, yet being unwilling to discuss anything using anything more advanced than comics and flash cards. Guess you didn't get past that.
helper -- I'm disappointed in you. You can't seem to grasp the difference in communication that is going on in real time.
DeleteJon; Oh I get it clearly. What is going on currently has been the same as in the past. No difference. The technology may be more advanced, but the content is the same.
DeleteVery little is heard today of the Jesus seminar.
helper "..just reveals how shallow your understanding is."
ReplyDeleteYes, my understanding is shallow because I am not interested. I am interested in how you would present the difference between the law and the gospel on a billboard. Would it be "Jesus forgives your sins"?
Maybe I have seen that on a billboard, can't remember. I don't think it would compete well against the prosperity gospel, "Jesus wants you to be rich." Your message of forgiveness of sins is a downer. It implies the reader is a bad person. The prosperity message of Jesus wants you to be rich implies you are a good person.
A good project for you would be to find a billboard-sized message that is not such a downer.
"Not interested" Sad to hear from someone who presents himself as one who in favor of a liberal (in the traditional sense) education.
Deletere. "how you would present law and gospel". You saw a possibility. The doggie thingie. without the words; confession, absolution and Gospel. (You do like dumbed down)
Re. the billboard. A dog would work. It could be a politician, banker, a professor. a thief. I didn't say a word about "sin". Did that tweak your conscience a little?
re. "prosperity". unfortunately, the most vulnerable or wanna bees buy into it.
Helper -- "A dog would work....I didn't say a word about sin."
DeleteHe kicked the dog, and you didn't say the work sin?? That's funny. But, it's typical of the way you argue, always deep in the technical, always missing the big picture.
This discussion is over.