A return to Corinth (extra credit)

I Peter noted that Paul's letters included a lot of wisdom, but also things that were "hard to understand."  What do you see here that someone like Peter might have considered particular wise? What things might he be referring to when he says that there are things "hard to understand?"

I Corinthians

For Thursday, February 26, Please read as much as you can of I Corinthians. If you are short of time, read Chapters 1-3, Chapters 6-7, and Chapters 12-13. Choose any one verse in I Corinthians you think particularly interesting, important, or hard to understand, and explain why you think this verse interesting, important, or hard to understand.

Favorite Acts Characters (extra credit)

Please look through the Book of Acts and choose a character you find particularly interesting (e.g., Barnabas, Philip, Priscilla, Gallio, Sergius Paulus, Sosthenes, etc.). Give a reason that character should be a "favorite Acts character," i.e., a character useful in discussing the rapid growth of the church.

Acts--Discussion II

Please review your notes on elements helpful to the spread of a religious movement and read this summary of former class discussions elements helpful to the survival and spread of a religious movement.  Then read Chapters 13-28 of Acts. Choose a verse or an incident from this section that seems to you particularly important in explaining one of those factors the class agreed might be helpful in the success of a religious movement.  Explain your choice.

This might be a good time to choose your FAC I, II, III, and IV potential ID's.  Remember that this is a "choose your own" ID exercise.  Identify your favorite acts characters, and be ready to explain how these figures help understanding the growth of the church.

Acts of the Apostles--Discussion I

In the introductory lecture, I noted that the main theme of this course is the investigation of one of the most important turning points in history, the transition from Pagan Rome to Christian Rome.  The years right after the time of Jesus are critical in understanding that period, and that's what we'll be concentrating on for the next 1/3 of the course. The Book of Acts is a good place to start, giving us a good overview of this period.  

Please skim the first 12 chapters of Acts, then go back and read more carefully one or two chapters.  Pick out three or four things in the section you read that seem to you worth discussing in class as we talk about the surprisingly rapid growth of the church.  What's going on that helps the church grow?   What obstacles to growth you see here?

Gospel of John--Discussion II

Please read Chapters 11-22 of John's gospel. As always, I prefer you read for quality rather than quantity, though, in this case, skimming through all 11 chapters and then gong back to read some chapters more carefully might work best.

Your 4th MT study question notes that, while the Gospel of John is in some ways very different from the synoptic gospels, it often complements and supplements the synoptics, sometimes in surprising ways. 

Choose a verse or passage from the assigned chapters and a "parallel" verse or passage from one of the synoptics on the same subject (e.g., money, leadership, faith, etc.). Compare and contrast the two verses or passages.

A gospel "synopsis" or a harmony of the gospels can help you find parallel passages. The  online synopsis I suggested you use for the earlier extra credit assignment might make this assignment a bit easier.

The Gospel of John (Discussion I)

Please read Chapters 1-11 of John's gospel, concentrating on the first four chapters. Cite one thing John includes that *isn't* in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). 

What do you think is John's purpose in including the "extra" material?  How does what John says add to or clarifify the story of Jesus as told by the Synoptic writers?

The Synoptic Problem (extra credit)

Please take a look a this online Gospel synopsis here.  This site allows you to easily scroll through Matthew, Mark, or Luke and find the parallel passages in the other gospels.  If you clicking on the purple (Matthew), blue (Mark), or green (Luke) book icon beside the section heading, the appropriate column will automatically scroll to the parallel passage.

Read a portion of the Gospel of Mark and a parallel passage in the Gospel of Matthew, e.g., the "plucking the grain" story in Matthew 12:1-8 and Mark 2:23-28 or the "house divided" story in Matthew 12:25-27 and Mark 3:23-30.

As your "comment," note which version of the passage (if either) seems to you to be most likely the original version?  In this passage does it look like Matthew is dependent on Mark, the Mark is dependent on Matthew, or that the the two gospels are giving independent accounts?  Explain your thinking.  

Be not called Rabbi, Rabbi (extra credit)

The Bible in general and the gospels in particularly have strong warnings to those who consider themselves to be great teachers and examples. Look again at the warnings to the Pharisees in Matthew 23 and/or the implied criticisms of religious leaders in Luke 20. Pick out one warning you would particularly like *your* teachers/leaders/professors to pay attention to, and explain why that warning is particularly important.

Luke--Discussion II

Please read Chapter 13-24 of the Gospel of Luke. Look at the list of passages "special" to Luke, i.e., passages that occur in Luke's gospel only (Section VI of the outline here.). Choose one or two of these passages and speculate on why Luke chose to include this material while Matthew did not. If others have commented on this passage before you, say whether you agree with their suggestions or not.

The Gospel of Luke--Discussion 1

The Gospel of Luke has been called "the most beautiful book ever written," and it is, for many people, their favorite gospel.

Please read through my study questions on the Gospel of Luke (also attached to the syllabus for the sake of those who prefer hard copy).  Then read through the first twelve chapters of Luke's Gospel. 

For the blog entry here, please do *both* of the following:

1.  Pick out a verse or passage that you think particularly well shows why people find this gospel attractive and explain your choice of this particular passage.

2.  Choose one of the study guide questions and suggest an answer.

Please come to class ready to discuss in class the verse/passage you chose and to suggest an answer to at least one of the study guide questions.

The Gospel of Matthew (Chapter 14-28)

Please read the remaining chapters of the Gospel of Matthew (Ch. 15-28). Pay special attention to Chapters 21-23, chapters that particularly well show Jesus' challenge to the religion of the scribes and Pharisees. Choose a verse or summarize a passage that seems particularly important to you and explain why you choose this verse.  How does this verse/passage ties to the theme that Matthew is a "gospel for those who think they don't need the gospel"?

Please remember that, when it comes to the readings, quality reading will serve you better than quantity.  Concentrating on Chapters 21-23 is just fine if you don't have time for all 14 chapters.  

The Gospel of Matthew 5-7--One more time! (Extra Credit)

I only managed to get through two chapters of Matthew in our first session on the book.  On Tuesday, I'll continuing the discussion of the Matthew 1-14.  I'll talk more about Matthew's use of Jewish scripture, and then discuss the Sermon on the Mount.

Instead of going on to Matthew 15-28, you might reread Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount.  Cite here three verses from this sermon, one that you think would be particularly attractive to many of the Jews listening to the message, one that challenges (and might even offend) some people who are already religious, and one that is particularly attractive *or* a turn-off for you yourself.  Explain your choices.

Matthew's Use of Scripture (Extra Credit)

When Matthew quotes a brief passage from the Old Testament, he wants to call into his readers' minds a much broader context, sometimes the preceding 5-30 verses or, sometimes the subsequent 5-30 verses.

For extra credit, please look at a couple of the Matthew Old Testament references (the list below will give you a start), then look at the Old Testament context.below.  Comment on that context: what ideas does Matthew want to bring to his readers' attention?  In what ways are these ideas particularly important in Matthew's attempt to reach a Jewish audience?

• Matthew 2:17 citation of Jeremiah 31:15
• Matthew 1:23 citation of Isaiah 7:14
• Matthew 2: 6 citation of Micah 5:2
• Matt. 2:15 citation of Hosea 11:1
• Matt. 27:43 ref. to Psalm 22:8
• Matthew 4:4 citation of Deuteronomy 8:3
• Matthew 3:17 hint of Psalm 2:7
• Matthew 4:16 reference to Isaiah 42:7

The Gospel of Matthew (1-14)

Please read Chapters 1-14 of the Gospel of Matthew. Concentrate especially on Chapters 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount. Please pick a key verse from the assigned chapters and do one of the following:

1. Explain why you think this verse the key to understanding what the selection is about.

2. Explain why you think this verse is the best/most memorable in the assigned reading.

3. Explain why you think this verse is the most difficult/hard to understand in the assigned chapters.

4.  Reply to any other student comment on this post.