The Origins of Christianity and the New Testament

Rebecca I. Denova

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781119759621
• eBook ISBN: 9781119759607
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Teologia e religione
• Subtopic: Storia del cristianesimo

In The Origins of Christianity and the New Testament, distinguished scholar Rebecca I. Denova explores how the first followers of Jesus arrived at their faith, the way their sacred texts developed into the New Testament, and how their movement eventually became the religion of Christianity. This accessible volume examines the concepts, beliefs, issues, and events that gave rise to institutional Christianity—providing readers with the historical context of the gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John, the Acts of the Apostles, the Book of Revelation, the letters of Paul, and other foundational New Testament documents.

Approaching the subject from the multidisciplinary perspective of Religious Studies, the author addresses topics including the ethnic and religious background of "Jesus the Jew," the New Testament's different portraits of Jesus, the genesis of Christian concepts such as the divine incarnation and "second coming" of Jesus, Paul the Apostle's contributions to Christian dogma, how ancient Judaism, Greco-Roman culture, and early philosophy was incorporated into the Christian tradition, and more.

Containing maps, timelines, figures of archaeological sites, a brief history of ancient Judaism, and a wealth of pedagogical features, The Origins of Christianity and the New Testament is an excellent textbook for all undergraduate and graduate courses in the study of ancient Christianity, as well as lay readers with interest in tracing the roots of the Christian faith.

I
STUDYING THE HISTORICAL JESUS

Who was Jesus of Nazareth?

Concepts and Terminology

Religion

Polytheism and Monotheism

Myth

Acts of Worship/Rituals

Cult

Gentiles and Pagans (Problematic Terms)

Conversion

Old Testament/Jewish Scriptures

The Problem of Anachronism

Creative Writing

The First Quests for the Historical Jesus

Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965)

Second Quest

The Third Quest

E. P. Sanders

A Fourth Quest?

After reading this chapter, you will be able to:

• Appreciate concepts and terminology in the study of ancient religions.
• Identify the different phases in the “Quest for the Historical Jesus.”
• Distinguish the modern analytical tools applied to the origins of Christianity and the New Testament.

Who was Jesus of Nazareth?

There is an old hymn that used to be taught to children, “Yes, Jesus loves me, for the Bible tells me so.” This sufficed for centuries, but beginning with the Enlightenment, people began to question what is written in the Bible, and the age-old conviction that it was “the word of God.” In the past 200 years, scholars, historians, and, yes, theologians have explored new approaches to uncovering the history of the Bible and how it came into existence.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the hundreds of books in the past seventy years exploring what is termed “the quest for the historical Jesus.” At the center of this quest is the (belated) scholarly discovery of “Jesus the Jew.” Centuries of Christian theology presented him as the first “Christian” and the founder of a new religion. If we strip away this later theology, we can discover the story before there was the “church.” Jesus was a Jewish apocalyptic prophet who lived and preached in the Roman Imperial province of Judea in the first century ce.

This book is about the ways in which modern scholars go about illuminating “the historical Jesus” and the various ways in which his followers proclaimed his teaching in the cities of the Roman Empire. Our sources for the story are in the New Testament. The New Testament was not officially “validated” until a few centuries later, but it contains our primary information for the origins of what eventually became the religion of Christianity.

Surveys on the history of early Christianity number in the hundreds. Most of them, however, spend an inordinate amount of time in scholarly debate, utilizing jargon invented by academics. A goal of this textbook is twofold: (i) to provide the basic understanding of the historical context of the ministry of Jesus; and (ii) to provide a guide for both interested lay readers and undergraduates studying the history of Christianity. Understanding the “origins” of the past elucidates continuing modern concepts and beliefs and their continuing viability in a changing world.

Concepts and Terminology

Before we begin, there are several concepts and terms that are utilized throughout the book. Listing them at the beginning helps to avoid repetition in each chapter.

Religion

In the modern world, identity is often categorized by a specific religion (Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, etc.). What we mean by these terms is a “system of belief” that includes concepts, rituals, and social codes. But in the ancient world, the concept of “religion” as a “system” did not exist in the sense that we understand it today. In fact, there was no word for “religion” in ancient Greek or Hebrew. The modern term, which came into use in the seventeenth century, derived from the Latin root religio, sometimes translated as those things “that tie or bind one to the gods.”

All ancient peoples believed in the total integration of the divine (the gods, the powers in the heavens and under the earth), with humans and everyday life. If you stopped someone on the street and asked them what “religion” they practiced, they would have no idea what you were talking about. Instead, the question should be “What customs do you live by?” The typical response would be “The customs of our ancestors.” These customs were what identified people as ethnic groups, with a common ancestor, history, homeland, language, rituals, and mythology. All these elements were handed down by the gods and provided the basis for the governing authorities, the social construction of gender roles, and appropriate codes of behavior.

All ethnic groups shared common ideas and rituals concerning the divine, but there was no one “authority” to turn to; a concept such as the Vatican did not exist. If you had questions, you could consult a member of the priesthood (specialized experts), and you may receive different answers from different individuals. “Sacred Scriptures” varied from group to group and region to region. The closest concept such as our Bible was found in the works of Homer, The Iliad and The Odyssey. Everyone in the Mediterranean Basin knew these stories, which included stories of constant interaction with the gods.

Polytheism and Monotheism

Polytheism (the belief in multiple deities), or sometimes pantheism (the belief in all powers), is always juxtaposed to monotheism (the belief in one god), understood as its polar opposite. However, the terms are problematic because they are modern. No one in the ancient world would identify with being a “polytheist.” More importantly, there was no such concept as “ancient monotheism.” All ancient people were polytheists, including the Jews.

In Western culture, monotheism specifically refers to the God of the Bible – the God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This is demonstrated by the fact that this God is always written with a capital “G.” It designates the God of Israel above all other “gods,” and assumes an element of faith. In the first century, however, the God of Israel was simply one among the many thousands of deities that populated the universe.

Cultures viewed the universe on three levels: the heavens (the abode of the gods); the earth (the abode of humans); and the underworld, often referred to as “the land of the dead.” Gods could “transcend,” or travel around all three. Many groups had the concept of a “high god,” or a “king of the gods,” who ruled over diverse gradients of “powers.” Lower divinities were called daemons, but eventually were seen as evil, and hence the popular word “demon.” Gods as well as demons could “possess” people. In the latter case, this was an ancient explanation of mental health issues and physical disabilities.

Like their neighbors, ancient Jews conceived of a hierarchy of powers in heaven: “sons of God” (Genesis 6), angels, archangels (the messengers from God who communicate God’s will to humans), cherubim, and seraphim. Jews also recognized the existence of demons, with many examples in the ministry of Jesus in the gospels of his role as an exorcist.The foundational story for the idea that Jews were monotheistic is when Moses received the commandments of God on Mt. Sinai: “I am the Lord your God… You shall have no other gods before me.” The Hebrew should be translated as “no other gods beside me.” This does not indicate that other gods do not exist; it is a commandment that the Jews were not to worship any other gods. Worship in the ancient world always meant sacrifices. Jews could pray to angels and other powers in heaven, but they were only to offer sacrifices to the God of Israel.

This command only to offer sacrifices to the God of Israel is one of the major differences between Jews and all other traditional ethnic cults.

The Jewish texts consistently refer to the existence of the gods of the nations (ethnic groups): Deuteronomy 6:14 “do not follow other gods”; 29:18 “to serve the gods of those nations”; 32:43 “Praise O heavens, his people, worship him all you gods!”; Isaiah 36:20 “who among all of the gods of these nations have saved their nations?”; and Psalm 821 “God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the gods.” In the story of the Jews’ Exodus from Egypt, God battles against the gods of Egypt to demonstrate who controls nature. This makes little sense if their existence was not recognized: “…I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12).

While Jews only offered sacrifices to the God of Israel, they shared a common conviction that all the gods should...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series page
• Title page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Chapter I: Studying the Historical Jesus
• Chapter II: The History of Israel
• Excursus I Introduction to the Gospels
• Chapter III: The Gospel of Mark (The Apocalyptic Jesus)
• Chapter IV: The Gospel of Matthew (“The New Moses”)
• Chapter V: The Gospel of Luke (The Compassionate Jesus)
• Chapter VI: The Acts of the Apostles
• Chapter VII: The Gospel of John (“The Stranger from Heaven”)
• Excursus II Historical Anomalies in the Trial(s) and Crucifixion in the Gospels
• Excursus III Jesus and Women in the Gospels
• Chapter VIII: Paul, the “Apostle to the Gentiles”
• Chapter IX: Paul and the First Christians
• Excursus IV Women in the Pauline Communities
• Chapter X: Other New Testament Documents
• Chapter XI: The Book of Revelation
• Epilog
• Excursus V The Legacy of Jewish–Christian Relations
• Glossary
• Index
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