The Gospel of John and Historical Jesus
The 3 criteria for evaluating sources on Jesus are
Independent Attestation (multiple sources independent from each other), Criterion of Dissimilarity (would this have embarrassed the early church? If it would have it and it appears in the NT they thought it was important enough to keep), Criterion of Contextual Credibility (would Jesus actually have done this?).
The Gospel of Thomas was found...
Nag Hammadi, Egypt, by a peasant digging for fertilizer, found them in 1945
The ending of Acts
With Peter in prison in Rome, continuing with his practices and speaking the same message.
Paul's first letter to the Corinthians
Not 1 Corinthians; in 1 Corinthians, Paul mentions a previous letter sent to the community in Corinth
The structure of Galatians differs from that of other letters
Quickly addresses the main problems
Sectarianism in John
Some believed that Jesus was not “the Christ” and some believed that he was not human
The Gospel of Thomas is
A collection of 114 “secret teachings” of Jesus. No one message; a collection of teachings on how to conduct yourself spiritually/physically.
Pentecost in Acts
People are celebrating Moses’ reception of the Torah at Sinai and Peter starts to preach. Then the Holy Spirit comes down on the crowd and people start speaking in tongues (all of the languages in the world).
2 Corinthians could be numerous...
numerous letters; possibly divided by the chapters 10-13 (3rd letter?) and 1-9 (4th letter?)
Main problem(s) addressed in Galatians
Whether or not Gentiles need to follow Jewish practices of the Law, like circumcision
The groups that give sources on Jesus
The Pagan (2-3 sources from the 2nd century: Pliny the younger, Suetonius (maybe), and Tacitus), Jewish (one story about the death of Jesus’s brother James, and one other disputed source), and Christian people (non-canonical gospels (Thomas and Peter), Pauls letters, NT gospels).
Is the Gospel of Thomas Gnostic?
Probably! It opens with a statement that those who read and truly understand these teachings will not taste death/those who reach “gnosis” (true understanding) will not only become like Jesus, but they'll become a “Christ” themselves
The focus shifts in Acts
From Peter (for the Jews) to Paul (for the Gentiles)
Primary issue addressed in 1 Thessalonians
The resurrection doesn’t exclude anyone, even those who have died and continuing to live in hope, love, and faith
The letter to the Romans compared to the Galatians
The letter to the Romans seems to try to clarify topics similar to the ones addressed in Galatians (Gentiles/Jews and the Jewish Law)
Docetic Christianity
“Dokeo”: To seem or appear. Believers in Docetic Christianity believed that Jesus just looked like he was human
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas is
A collection of stories about Jesus’ childhood, although meant to be taken as speculation on his childhood and not canon.
Paul is
A Christian Martyr who used to persecute those who followed Jesus but after an encounter with Jesus himself turned to follow him and teach how to follow him. Best known for advising the Gentiles on how to be followers and believers of Jesus.
The structure of 1 Thessalonians differs from other letters
There is a very long Thanksgiving section
Paul's letter to Philemon is about
urging a Christian leader (Philemon) to forgive his runaway slave (Onesimus)
Non-Canonical writings may include
The Gospel of Mary Magdalen, the Gospel of Judas, the Protevangelion of James, the Letters of Ignatius and Clement, the Gospel of Thomas, the Infancy Gospel of Thomas...
Depicted as a child who learns how to control his "powers" after hurting a number of people. The story ends with a similar "Finding in the Temple" story, like the one in Luke's Gospel.
New Testament books/letters Paul wrote
13 letters are attributed to Paul in the New Testament; however, some of the letters are debated on whether or not Paul actually wrote them.
2 Corinthians 10-13
Very angry part of 2 Corinthians; Paul defends himself and boasts of attributes given by God
Paul's stance on faith and works in relation to righteousness and salvation
Paul says that Jews should continue to follow the Law that God gave them; Gentiles should not follow this Law but should believe in the faith of Jesus Christ. Paul says the "works of the Law" do not lead to salvation, not works like helping others.