THE APOCALYPTIC VIEW OF HISTORY
Adam’s fall
Old Age
Past & Present World History
Evil & Unredeemable
Establishment of the Kingdom of God
- New Age
- Future Rule of God
- Good and Incorruptible
THE COMING OF GOD’S KINGDOM
The basic pattern:
There are two ages
The new age is near
Evil will increase as that time approaches
God will suddenly & unexpectedly intervene to overthrow evil
The faithful will be saved
CHARACTERISTICS OF APOCALYPTIC WRITING
Apocalypse =
an unveiling
- Chronological Dualism = history is divided into two time periods
- Ethical Dualism = humanity is divided into good and evil people
- Cosmic Dualism =
ontological dualism; the universe is divided into good and evil powers.
CHARACTERISTICS OF APOCALYPTIC WRITING
Exclusivism = we’re saved, you ain’t!!! - potential for violence
Eschatological preoccupations = concerns about the "end time" - use of cryptic symbols; focus on suffering and terrifying visions
Prophetic = eschatological events are predicted
THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Key themes:
affirms Christianity’s original hope for an immediate transformation of the world
assures the faithful that the destruction of evil and the advent of Christ’s universal reign is about to be accomplished
THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Key themes:
presents an apokalypsis of unseen realities in heaven and on earth
places government tyranny and Christian suffering in a cosmic perspective
conveys a message of hope in cryptic metaphors and symbols typical of apocalyptic writing
REVELATION
Author: John of Patmos
Date: approx. 95 c.e.
Christian crisis:
persecution by Domitian
Jewish hostility
government tyranny
imprisonment and execution
public suspicion
VISIONS AND SYMBOLS IN REVELATION
TRIBULATION = plagues, famine, disease, earthquakes, war visited upon human kind (Rev. 6:1-8)
- Dragons, Beasts, Anti-Christ = different personifications of Satan torment corrupt humans (Rev. 12:1-17; 13:8; 12:9, 13:11-17)
VISIONS AND SYMBOLOS IN REVELATION
ARMAGEDDON = the military and ideological battles that mark the endtimes (Rev.16:16)
BABYLON = a metaphor for the corrupted culture and people who have fallen away from God (Rev. 14:8; 16:19; 18:2; 18:21
VISIONS AND SYMBOLS IN REVELATION
REDEMPTION = the belief that the Messiah will return to redeem the chosen and curse the damned (Rev. 20)
MILLENNIUM = new time, a new heaven and a new earth transformed by supernatural action; paradise (Rev.21)
INTERPRETATION OF THE VISIONS IN REVELATION
The Contemporary-Historical view:
concerned with the circumstances of the author’s time (95c.e.) This is the academic approach.
- The Continuous-Historical view:
prophetic summary of the History of the Church from the 1st century to the present (2000c.e.)
INTERPRETATION OF THE VISIONS IN REVELATION
The Futurist View: apocalyptic; describes the last days and, guess what? IT’S NOW!!! 1843, 1844, 1874, 1914, 1975, 1984, 2000? All were all "end-time" years.
The Mythic-Symbolic View: author’s purpose was to teach religious truths, not predict the future
THE QUEST TO FIND THE HISTORICAL JESUS
Scholars distinguish the man of history from the glorified Christ .
The academic quest remains an ongoing process rather than an accomplished fact.
Scholars recognize that the N.T. writers present Jesus through the eyes of faith, not historical fact.
THE QUEST TO FIND THE HISTORICAL JESUS
Scholars recognize that the early Christian community produced numerous other portrayals of Jesus’ life and teachings.
Non-canonical Gospels (those not in the Bible) are called apocryphal Gospels.
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS
Some "Other" Gospels
The Gospel of Thomas
Found in 1945 at Nag Hammadi, Egypt: a compilation of 114 sayings, proverbs, parables, and prophecies attributed to Jesus.
- influenced by Gnostic thought
- lacks narrative sections
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS
The Gospel of Peter
Preserves a version of Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, and resurrection; provides a supernatural description of Jesus rising from the tomb.
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS
The Secret Gospel of Mark
An original part of Mark’s narrative that provides a link between the Synoptic Gospels and the 4th Gospel’s account of Lazarus’ resurrection (John 11).
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas
A fictional attempt on the part of early Christians to speculate on what Jesus may have been like as a child:
- makes birds out of clay
- behaves like "Super Boy"
APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS
The Protoevangelium of James
Supplies background information on Jesus’ parents and family, covering events that occurred up to and including his birth:
- traces Jesus’ Davidic ancestry
- provides more detail on Jesus’ life
TWO CONFLICTING PICTURES OF JESUS
1. The Apocalyptic Jesus
God’s chosen instrument to announce the imminent end of history
eschatological focus
compels the Kingdom’s arrival through His voluntary death
overthrows the present evil world order and ushers in the New Age
TWO CONFLICTING PICTURES OF JESUS
1. The Jesus of REALIZED ESCHATOLOGY
For Christians, Jesus’ Kingdom is the inward realization of apocalyptic hopes
Jesus preaches spiritual rebirth and calls all Christians to an awareness of God’s presence their individual lives
2nd Coming unnecessary
CRITERIA FOR INVESTIGATING THE HISTORICAL JESUS
1. DISSIMILARITY: a saying may be authentic if it differs significantly from 1st century Judaism and early Christianity.
2. MULTIPLE ATTESTATION: the frequency with which a theme or concept is mentioned.
CRITERIA FOR INVESTIGATING THE HISTORICAL JESUS
3. COHERENCE: Material is authentic if it resembles material already established by criteria 1 & 2.
4. LINGUISTIC & ENVIRONMENTAL EVIDENCE: uses linguistic and cultural evidence to eliminate sayings incorrectly ascribed to Jesus.
JESUS’ CENTRAL MESSAGE
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Themes that appear in virtually all accounts of his ministry:
The Kingdom of God
Jesus’ personal authority to represent the Kingdom
Jesus’ unique relationship with God and His Kingdom
The Kingdom’s radical demand for total commitment