Response Essay

Establishing Norms and Boundaries

▪ “Gospel/Good News” – Focused on Jesus’ works, his teachings, his miracles, and especially his victory over death on the cross through his resurrection.

▪ Trinitarian Theology – Focused on how Jesus and the Holy Spirit relate to God the Father within a monotheistic framework.

▪ Incarnation – The “taking on flesh” by the Second Person of the Trinity (Christ), i.e. God becoming human.

▪ Soteriology – The relation between Jesus’ death/resurrection and human beings’ salvation from sin and death.

▪ Ecclesiology – The understanding of the Church as the people of God.

▪ Sacramental Theology – Baptism, Eucharist (communion), Ordination, Marriage, etc.

▪ Ethics – Inherited largely from second- Temple Judaism, but modified by teachings of Jesus.

▪ Ritual – From earliest times, we can see Christians focus on the correct ways to do certain rituals, or sacraments, such as baptism, the Eucharist, etc. There is also evidenced very early a particular structure common to Christian worship. This structure is connected to Hebrew patterns of worship, despite Christianity being composed more and more of Gentiles.

And concerning baptism, in this manner baptize: when you have gone over these things, baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in running water.

If you do not have running water, baptize in other water. If you are not able to use cold water, use warm. And if you have neither, pour water on the head three times, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And before baptism, the one baptizing and the one to be baptized should fast, as well as any others who are able. And you should instruct the one being baptized to fast one or two days before. (Didache 7)

▪ From the time of Christ, or shortly thereafter, Jesus’ 12 apostles are seen as holding places of authority.

▪ Already in the NT documents, we see references to elders, deacons, and bishops.

▪ Initially, the terms “elder/priest” and “bishop” seem to be used synonymously. However, they are later distinguished as two separate offices.

▪ By the second century, one bishop per church, often with multiple priests, deacons, etc.

▪ However, as time went on, a bishop would preside over a diocese (territory), within which priests would serve in individual churches.

Bishop

Priests/Clergy

Laity (people)

MONASTICISM

▪ Prayer

▪ Asceticism

▪ Celebacy

▪ Work

▪ Solitude vs. Community

▪ Hospitality

▪ Missionary Work

CHURCH CALENDAR

▪ Early evidence for the celebration of Pascha/Easter.

▪ In time, more events from the life of Christ, as well as the Virgin Mary, incorporated into the Christian calendar as feast days, or fasts.

▪ From the second century at the latest, we see evidence of particular Christians signaled out for their holiness (saints) commemorated on particular days.

▪ Link with Israel

▪ Particular theological understanding of the “parting of the ways.”

▪ Age of Persecution

▪ Triumph of Christianity

▪ Hebrew Bible vs. Septuagint (LXX)

▪ Do Jews and Christians share the same Scriptures?

▪ Translation vs. Interpretation

BIBLICAL CANON: NEW TESTAMENT Muratorian Fragment (possibly second century, although some scholars date it to the fourth century)

“The third book of the Gospel is that according to Luke... The fourth... is that of John... the acts of all the apostles... As for the Epistles of Paul... To the Corinthians first, to the Ephesians second, to the Philippians third, to the Colossians fourth, to the Galatians fifth, to the Thessalonians sixth, to the Romans seventh... once more to the Corinthians and to the Thessalonians... one to Philemon, one to Titus, and two to Timothy... to the Laodiceans, [and] another to the Alexandrians, [both] forged in Paul's name to [further] the heresy of Marcion... the epistle of Jude and two of the above-mentioned (or, bearing the name of) John... and [the book of] Wisdom... We receive only the apocalypses of John and Peter, though some of us are not willing that the latter be read in church. But Hermas wrote the Shepherd very recently... And therefore it ought indeed to be read; but it cannot be read publicly to the people in church.”

BIBLICAL CANON: NEW TESTAMENT

▪ Eusebius (fourth century Christian bishop and historian)

▪ 1. […] it is proper to sum up the writings of the New Testament which have been already mentioned. First then must be put the holy quaternion of the Gospels; following them the Acts of the Apostles... the epistles of Paul... the epistle of John... the epistle of Peter... After them is to be placed, if it really seem proper, the Apocalypse of John, concerning which we shall give the different opinions at the proper time. These then belong among the accepted writings [Homologoumena].

▪ 3. Among the disputed writings [Antilegomena], which are nevertheless recognized by many, are extant the so-called epistle of James and that of Jude, also the second epistle of Peter, and those that are called the second and third of John, whether they belong to the evangelist or to another person of the same name.

▪ 4. Among the rejected writings must be reckoned also the Acts of Paul, and the so-called Shepherd, and the Apocalypse of Peter, and in addition to these the extant epistle of Barnabas, and the so-called Teachings of the Apostles; and besides, as I said, the Apocalypse of John, if it seem proper, which some, as I said, reject, but which others class with the accepted books.

▪ 5. And among these some have placed also the Gospel according to the Hebrews... And all these may be reckoned among the disputed books... such books as the Gospels of Peter, of Thomas, of Matthias, or of any others besides them, and the Acts of Andrew and John and the other apostles ... they clearly show themselves to be the fictions of heretics. Wherefore they are not to be placed even among the rejected writings, but are all of them to be cast aside as absurd and impious.

The first New Testament canon list that exactly matches our New Testament today comes from a letter from Athanasius in 367 CE.