Class 8 – - The Gospels and the Synoptic Problems - The Gospel of Mark - The Essay questions RELG 102 The Four Gospels •  The “Gospel” of Jesus: The Kingdom of God/Heaven is here •  The “Gospel” of disciples: Jesus, raised from the dead, is the Messiah   •  The “Gospel” of Paul: Jesus, killed and raised from the dead, is the Messiah for all – Jews and non-Jews. •  The “Gospel” of the Evangelists: Jesus is the Messiah, as can be witnessed by His life. The Gospel   The Four Gospels   Catholic tradition: Matthew = Angel – the human side of Jesus Mark = Lion – the royal side of Jesus Luke = Ox – the sacrificial side of Jesus John = Eagle – the spiritual side of Jesus   More accurately from the perspective of the meaning of the books: Matthew – Jesus as the fulfilled Jewish Messiah Mark – Jesus as the humble Son of Man Luke – Jesus as the Saviour of both Jews and non-Jews John – Jesus as God and Saviour of the World The Four Gospels   •  The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke •  They have similar stories of Jesus recorded, but there are slight differences about the content. •  The “synoptic problem” is to understand why there are different versions of Jesus’ stories (e.g. for Mark’s stories where there is one person, in Matthew there are often more than two) •  The synoptic problem gave rise to critical studies of the Gospels: form criticism, source criticism, and redaction criticism The Synoptic Gospels   •  Form criticism – tries to understand the Gospel stories as individual “flowing” stories, especially in its oral tradition form •  Source criticism – tries to understand the Gospel stories as original written sources, which gives rise to the 2-Source and 4- Source hypotheses. •  Redaction criticism – tries to understand how the Evangelists made use of the written sources, as a redactor (editor). The Synoptic Gospels   2-Source Hypothesis   The Synoptic Problem 4-Source Hypothesis   The Synoptic Problem The Synoptic Problem •  There were other “gospel” accounts of Jesus in existence, but the most reliable and widely used/quoted Gospel books are these four •  The Church was very well aware of the synoptic problem when they decided to include all of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, showing that they felt it more important to have differences in the accounts of Jesus, than neglecting any one of these Gospel books. •  The “problem” can in large part be understood by the translated nature of the Gospel books, as well as the Evangelists’ editorial selection process and purposes. The Synoptic Problem   •  Most believe it was the earliest Gospel book written, though it likely came after the earlier of Paul’s works. •  Some of the evidence is that Mark is the shortest among the 4 Gospel books, and when it comes to sentences that the Synoptic Gospels share, Mark’s version is usually the simplest and most ...

1. Class 8 –
- The Gospels and the Synoptic Problems
- The Gospel of Mark
- The Essay questions
RELG 102
The Four Gospels
• The “Gospel” of Jesus: The Kingdom of God/Heaven is here
• The “Gospel” of disciples: Jesus, raised from the dead, is the
Messiah
• The “Gospel” of Paul: Jesus, killed and raised from the dead,
is
the Messiah for all – Jews and non-Jews.
• The “Gospel” of the Evangelists: Jesus is the Messiah, as ca n
be
witnessed by His life.
The Gospel

2. The Four Gospels
Catholic tradition:
Matthew = Angel – the
human side of Jesus
Mark = Lion – the royal
side of Jesus
Luke = Ox – the
sacrificial side of Jesus
John = Eagle – the
spiritual side of Jesus
More accurately from the perspective of the meaning of the
books:
Matthew – Jesus as the fulfilled Jewish Messiah
Mark – Jesus as the humble Son of Man
Luke – Jesus as the Saviour of both Jews and non-Jews
John – Jesus as God and Saviour of the World

3. The Four Gospels
• The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke
• They have similar stories of Jesus recorded, but there are
slight
differences about the content.
• The “synoptic problem” is to understand why there are
different
versions of Jesus’ stories (e.g. for Mark’s stories where there is
one person, in Matthew there are often more than two)
• The synoptic problem gave rise to critical studies of the
Gospels:
form criticism, source criticism, and redaction criticism
The Synoptic Gospels
• Form criticism – tries to understand the Gospel stories as
individual “flowing” stories, especially in its oral tradition form
• Source criticism – tries to understand the Gospel stories as
original written sources, which gives rise to the 2-Source and 4-
Source hypotheses.
• Redaction criticism – tries to understand how the Evangelists
made use of the written sources, as a redactor (editor).
The Synoptic Gospels

4. 2-Source Hypothesis
The Synoptic Problem
4-Source Hypothesis
The Synoptic Problem
The Synoptic Problem
• There were other “gospel” accounts of Jesus in existence, but
the
most reliable and widely used/quoted Gospel books are these
four
• The Church was very well aware of the synoptic problem
when
they decided to include all of Matthew, Mark, and Luke,
showing
that they felt it more important to have differences in the
accounts
of Jesus, than neglecting any one of these Gospel books.
• The “problem” can in large part be understood by the

5. translated
nature of the Gospel books, as well as the Evangelists’ editorial
selection process and purposes.
The Synoptic Problem
• Most believe it was the earliest Gospel book written, though
it
likely came after the earlier of Paul’s works.
• Some of the evidence is that Mark is the shortest among the 4
Gospel books, and when it comes to sentences that the Synoptic
Gospels share, Mark’s version is usually the simplest and most
unelaborated.
Gospel of Mark
The Son of Man (人子) concept:
• It can mean “son of man” – an average person, a John Doe; or
• It can mean “Son of Man” – a title used in the OT to describe
the
coming Messiah (Daniel 7:13-14)
Gospel of Mark

6. The Son of Man (人子) concept:
In
my
vision
at
night
I
looked,
and
there
before
me
was
one
like
a
son
of
man,
coming
with
the
clouds
of
heaven.
He
approached
the
Ancient
of

7. Days
and
was
led
into
his
presence.
He
was
given
authority,
glory
and
sovereign
power;
all
na?ons
and
peoples
of
every
language
worshiped
him.
His
dominion
is
an
everlas?ng
dominion
that
will
not

8. pass
away,
and
his
kingdom
is
one
that
will
never
be
destroyed.
Gospel of Mark
• The “Son of Man” usage is an important Messianic Secret
approach used by Mark
• The Messianic Secret is Mark’s attempt to explain why Jesus’
Messianic identity was not obvious to the people around him at
that time – Jesus chose not to reveal his identity too early to
allow
His ministry to continue, and He wanted to change people’s
expectation of how Messiah should be.
Gospel of Mark

9. The Messianic
Secret
The Messianic Secret
Mark 9 – The
transfiguration
Mark 15 – Jesus’
trial & crucifixion
Jesus tells of His
pending death
...
and
Jesus
healed
many
who
had
various
diseases.
He
also
drove
out
many
demons,
but

10. he
would
not
let
the
demons
speak
because
they
knew
who
he
was.
(1:34)
Whenever
the
impure
spirits
saw
him,
they
fell
down
before
him
and
cried
out,
“You
are
the

11. Son
of
God.”
But
he
gave
them
strict
orders
not
to
tell
others
about
him.
(2:11--‐ 12)
He
gave
strict
orders
not
to
let
anyone
know
about
this
(He
rose
a
girl

12. from
dead),
and
told
them
to
give
her
something
to
eat.
(5:43)
The Messianic Secret
A
few
days
later,
when
Jesus
again
entered
Capernaum,
the
people
heard
that
he

13. had
come
home.
They
gathered
in
such
large
numbers
that
there
was
no
room
leS,
not
even
outside
the
door,
and
he
preached
the
word
to
them.
Some
men
came,
bringing
to
him

14. a
paralyzed
man,
carried
by
four
of
them.
Since
they
could
not
get
him
to
Jesus
because
of
the
crowd,
they
made
an
opening
in
the
roof
above
Jesus
by
digging
through
it
and

15. then
lowered
the
mat
the
man
was
lying
on.
The Messianic hint:
Mark 2: 1-12
When
Jesus
saw
their
faith,
he
said
to
the
paralyzed
man,
“Son,
your
sins

16. are
forgiven.”
Now
some
teachers
of
the
law
were
siVng
there,
thinking
to
themselves,
“Why
does
this
fellow
talk
like
that?
He’s
blaspheming!
Who
can
forgive
sins
but
God
alone?”

17. The Messianic hint:
Mark 2: 1-12
Immediately
Jesus
knew
in
his
spirit
that
this
was
what
they
were
thinking
in
their
hearts,
and
he
said
to
them,
“Why
are
you

18. thinking
these
things?
Which
is
easier:
to
say
to
this
paralyzed
man,
‘Your
sins
are
forgiven,’
or
to
say,
‘Get
up,
take
your
mat
and
walk’?
But
I
want
you
to
know
that

19. the
Son
of
Man
has
authority
on
earth
to
forgive
sins.”
So
he
said
to
the
man,
“I
tell
you,
get
up,
take
your
mat
and
go
home.”
He
got
up,
took
his
mat

20. and
walked
out
in
full
view
of
them
all.
This
amazed
everyone
and
they
praised
God,
saying,
“We
have
never
seen
anything
like
this!”
Ques?on:
which
is
easier?

21. The Messianic hint:
Mark 2: 1-12
Answer:
the
SAME
Which
is
easier:
to
say
to
this
paralyzed
man,
‘Your
sins
are
forgiven,’
or
to
say,
‘Get
up,
take
your
mat

22. and
walk’?
The Messianic hint:
Mark 2: 1-12
• The Transfiguration
The Messianic
confirmation: Mark 9
• Jesus started talking about his pending death and
resurrection after the transfiguration.
• It was very hard for the disciples to understand too, and
Jesus had to keep teaching them about the idea of the
suffering King.
• At the trial Jesus spoke to confirm who “Son of Man”
really was:
Prediction of death,
trial and resurrection

23. Again
the
high
priest
asked
him,
“Are
you
the
Messiah,
the
Son
of
the
Blessed
One?”
“I
am,”
said
Jesus.
“And
you
will
see
the
Son
of
Man
siVng
at
the

24. right
hand
of
the
Mighty
One
and
coming
on
the
clouds
of
heaven.”
The
high
priest
tore
his
clothes.
“Why
do
we
need
any
more
witnesses?”
he
asked.
“You
have
heard

25. the
blasphemy.
What
do
you
think?”
The full Messianic revelation -
Mark 14:61-64
1. Given your understanding of Jesus’ ministry and themes of
preaching, what are the main points of the Beatitudes (Chinese
translation: 八福) in Matthew 5:1-12. Also compare it with the
shorter version found in Luke 6:20-23, and determine what is
Jesus’ main focus in these “blessings” sayings.
Essay topics
2. Choose 3 stories (parables or accounts) from Luke that are
related to the Gentiles (non-Jews), and that can also be found in
either Matthew, Mark, or John. What are the differences in
Luke’s description and emphasis? What can they tell you about
the focuses of Luke (and Acts) when it comes to Gospel and the
Gentiles?

26. Essay topics
3. How does Paul use the example of Abraham to explain his
theology of faith and salvation? Use at least two passages of
Paul
(e.g. Galatians 3, Romans 4) to explain the main reasoning of
this teaching of Paul.
Essay topics
4. Compare between 1 Corinthians 12-13 and Romans 12 –
what
does Paul say about the Church? What does he suggest that the
believers should see themselves in order for the unity of the
Church to be maintained and secured?
Essay topics
1. Have a theme, and use what you have read in the selected
passages to argue for it.
2. Higher marks can be scored if you use more outside
references
(i.e. in addition to the Bible, such as Tom’s book or my lecture
notes).

27. Essay requirement
3. Citation is required, e.g.
1 Thomas Hatina, “Module Seven: The New Testament Canon”,
Introduction to the New Testament, Section 7.2.
2 Clement Tong, RELS 102 Class PPT Slides, Week 7.
(A citation style guide will be attached on Moodle)
4. Include a small section of your personal thoughts
5. No plagiarism!! (To be submitted through Turnitin)
Essay requirement
50 Ideas for a Toy
Creative Leadership & Problem Solving | Online Exercise #
6Introduction
This week we’ll practice creative problem solving strategies to
facilitate ideational thinking within the context of production
innovation. These strategies are more fulsomely introduced and
practiced in Principles of Creative Problem and Group
Dynamics, but this week will give you a sneak peek that can
guide further exploration or a review of tried-and-true

28. strategies.
You’ll apply the Ground Rules for Divergent Thinking,
Brainstorming, and Forced Connections to generate 50 ideas for
a novel toy. And in the next online exercise, you’ll practice
some strategies to communicate your idea for a novel toy to the
rest of the class.Product Innovation
Before introducing the process, it is helpful to clarify what
constitutes product innovation. A product is a physical object
such as an automobile, paintbrush, or mobile phone. A product
can be distinguished from a design and service.
A design is often a new form or aesthetic such a song, painting,
or theatre performance (the superhero and villain you created
earlier in the semester are designs).
A service is something someone else does for you; a doctor
diagnosing an injury, a lawyer writing a will, and an accountant
doing your taxes are all examples of services.
Product innovation more often than not involves synthesizing
two existing products to make something new. An example of
product innovation would be the genius who invented the
'sportula' a spatula that combines a spatula, a bottle opener, and
sports fandom.
Evaluation
This online exercise is worth 5% of your final grade.
For this submission, the online exercise will primarily be
evaluated via degree of completion by answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’
to the following statements:
1. A minimum of 25 ideas for a novel toy were created using
Brainstorming.
2. A minimum of 25 additional ideas for novel toys were created
using Forced Connections.
3. A list of the top five ideas was created.
Process
Use the template provided below to record your process work.
You’ll be uploading this document to the 50 Ideas dropbox
folder and you’re classmates will not have access to the ideas.
During the next online exercise, you’ll further develop the top

29. idea and communicate it to your classmate. So, we’re saving the
big surprise for then.
You are more than welcome to collaborate with friends and
family will completing this online exercise. But each student is
expected to make an original submission.
Brainstorming
1. Review the Ground Rules for Divergent Thinking (see page
176 in Puccio et al.).
2. Apply Brainstorming (see pages 177-81 for instructions) to
generate and record a minimum of 25 ideas in the table below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

30. 26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
Forced Connections
1. Review the Ground Rules for Divergent Thinking (see page
176 in Puccio et al.).
2. Apply Forced Connections (see pages 182-183 for
instructions) to generate and record a minimum of 25 additional
ideas in the tables below.
3. If you want to use more than three objects, please copy and
paste the provided table.
Object #1:
Object Characteristics:
·
·
·
·
·
·
Ideas
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Object #2:

31. Object Characteristics:
·
·
·
·
·
·
Ideas
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Object #3:
Object Characteristics:
·
·
·
·
·
·
Ideas
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

32. 7.
8.
9.
10.
Top Ideas
Review your process work and rank the top five ideas.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Designed by Brandon McFarlane 2021