This document provides an overview of the New Testament writings and their historical context. It discusses the timeline of events from Jesus' birth through the writing of the New Testament books. Key points include: - The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke were likely written between 60-90 CE, after earlier letters of Paul but before the Gospel of John. - The gospels show both unity in presenting Jesus as the Messiah but also diversity in their intended audiences and theological perspectives. - There are similarities in the content and order of events between the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, which suggests they may have used common sources like the hypothetical "Q" document.

1. Foundations (Year Two)
“Encountering the New Testament”
Session #2.
Encountering the Synoptic Gospels

2. Written earlier:
The NT Writings Letter of James (40’s/50’s)
Letters of Paul: Written later:
Galatians (48/49 CE) Letters of Peter (64-66)
1 & 2 Thessalonians (51-52) Mark (68-70 )
1 & 2 Corinthians (53-57) Matthew (70-80)
Romans (56-57) Luke-Acts (70-80)
Prison letters (61-62):
Hebrews (50’s/60’s?)
(Colossians, Ephesians,
Philemon & Philippians) Letter of Jude (50’s ?)
Pastoral letters (64-66): Writings of John:
(1, 2 Timothy & Titus)
Gospel, Letters &
Revelation (90-96)

3. NT History (a timeline)
 5/4 BCE Birth of Jesus, the Christ (cf. Daniel 9:24-27)
 37 BCE – 4 CE Herod the Great
 4 CE Division of Herod’s Kingdom (Archelaus, Antipas & Philip)
 (Augustus Caesar 31BCE – 14 CE – 1st official Roman Emperor)
 6 CE Judea ruled by Roman Prefects
 26 Start of the ministry of Jesus
 30 Death/ resurrection of Jesus (alt. 30-33)
 (Tiberius Caesar 14 – 37)
 33-34 Conversion of Saul of Tarsus
 37-38 Saul returns to Jerusalem as a Christian
 (Gaius Caligula Caesar 37 - 41)
 39-44 Rule of Herod Agrippa (by permission of Caligula)
 43 Martyrdom of James, brother of John
 47-49 Paul’s 1st missionary journey
 49 Church Council at Jerusalem
 50-52 Paul’s 2nd missionary journey

4. NT History (a timeline)
 (Claudius Caesar 41-54)
 53-57/58 Paul’s 3rd missionary journey
 58-59 Paul in custody under Felix
 60/61-62/63 Paul under house arrest in Rome (released & then
imprisoned again by 64/65)
 (Nero Caesar 54-68)
 July 18, 64 Great Fire of Rome, & subsequent persecution of Christians
 c.66/67 Martyrdom of Paul & Peter
 66-73 Jewish War
 June 9, 68 Suicide of Nero
 (68-69 Year of the 4 Emperors: Galba, Otho, Vitellius & Vespasian)
 70 Destruction of Jerusalem (& the Jewish temple) by Titus
 (69-70 Vespasian Caesar)
 (79-81 Titus Caesar)
 Writings & death of Apostle John (end of Apostolic Age)
 (81-96 Domitian Caesar – second major persecution of Christians)

5. Relationship between OT & NT
Promise  Fulfillment
Shadow (Type)  Substance
(Old) Covenant  (New) Covenant
Law (Moses)  Grace (Jesus)
Sacrifice & offerings  One sacrifice
Priesthood  One priest/ all priests
Kings (David)  King (son of David)
Nation  Nations
Land  Earth

6. NT development of OT themes
1. The Kingdom of God
2. The People of God
3. Messianic Hope
4. Judgment & Salvation
5. Victory (over God’s enemies)
6. (New) Temple & (Fulfilled) Torah
7. New Creation (“New heavens & New earth”)

7. God’s original promise!
The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your
country, your people and your father's
household & go to the land I will show you.
I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."
(Gen. 12:1-3)

8. When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD
appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty...I
will confirm my covenant between me and you and I
will greatly increase your numbers
This is my covenant with you: You will be the
father of many nations. No longer will you be
called Abram (exalted father) ; your name will be
Abraham (father of many), for I have made you a
father of many nations. I will make you very
fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings
will come from you. I will establish my covenant as
an everlasting covenant between me and you and
your descendants after you for the generations to
come, to be your God and the God of your
descendants after you.”
(Gen. 17:1-7)

9. This is what Isaiah saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In
the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will
be established as chief among the mountains; it will be
raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He
will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from
Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle
disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears
into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against
nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.
(Isaiah 2:1-5)

10. The Mission of God
God
A People
The Nations
“New heavens & New earth”

11. A New Covenant
“The time is coming,” declares the LORD,
”when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,"
declares the LORD…”

12. “This is the covenant I will make with the house of
Israel after that time,” declares the LORD.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man
his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the LORD.
“For I will forgive their wickedness and will
remember their sins no more.” (Jer.31:31-34)

13. A New Relationship
Did you know that God
was divorced & remarried?
“I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce
and sent her away because of all her adulteries.
Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no
fear; she also went out and committed adultery.”
(Jeremiah 3:8-9)
This is what the LORD says:
"Where is your mother's certificate of divorce
with which I sent her away?” (Isaiah 50:1)

14. "Rebuke your mother, rebuke her,
for she is not my wife,
and I am not her husband.
Let her remove the adulterous look from her face
and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.”
"In that day," declares the LORD,
"you will call me 'my husband';
you will no longer call me 'my master.'
I will betroth you to me forever;
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,
in love and compassion.
I will betroth you in faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge the LORD.”
(Hosea 2:2, 16-20)

15. The last words of the Prophets
"Remember the law of my servant Moses, the
decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all
Israel.
See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before
that great and dreadful day of the LORD
comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers
to their children, and the hearts of the
children to their fathers; or else I will come
and strike the land with a curse.“
(Malachi 4:4-6)

16. The timing of God
“But when the right time came (when the
time had fully come), God sent his Son,
born of a woman, subject to the law.
God sent him to buy freedom for us
who were slaves to the law, so that he
could adopt us as his very own
children.” (Galatians 4:4-5 NLT)

17. The Good News of JESUS

18. Jesus Christ & Augustus Caesar
“Augustus” (majestic, venerable,
most increased/ illustrious one)
“Caesar” (emperor, ie. Kaiser, Tsar)
“Pater patriae” (father of the country)
“Princeps” (prince; prime minister;
first man, of the senate)
“Pontifex maximus” (high priest)
“Tribune potestas” (most powerful
ruler)
“Divi filius” (son of God/ the gods)

19. The Gospel
“The beginning of the gospel about Jesus
Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1)
godspell (old English for good news)
euangelion (εὐαγγέλιον x75) = good
news
(always referring to a message, not a book)

20. Origin of the title
The earliest extant use of εὐαγγέλιον
"gospel" to denote a particular genre of
writing dates to the 2nd century.
Justin Martyr (c. 155 CE) in 1 Apology 66
writes: "...the apostles, in the memoirs
composed by them, which are called
Gospels".

21. “Good News”
“How beautiful on the mountains are the
feet of those who bring good news, who
proclaim peace, who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion,
‘Your God reigns!’” (Is. 52:7)
“Look, there on the mountains, the feet of
one who brings good news, who
proclaims peace!” (Nahum 1:15)

22. The message of Jesus
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the
wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matt. 3:1-2)
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for
the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matt. 4:17)
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the
Messiah… Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the
good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The
kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the
good news!" (Mark 1:1, 14-15)

23. The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, “The Spirit of the Lord is on
because the LORD has anointed me me because he has
to preach good news to the poor.
anointed me to preach
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, good news to the poor.
to proclaim freedom for the captives
He has sent me to proclaim
and release from darkness for the
prisoners, freedom for the prisoners
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and recovery of sight
and the day of vengeance of our God, for the blind,
to comfort all who mourn, to release the oppressed,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to proclaim the year
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes, of the Lord's favor.”
the oil of gladness
Then…he began by saying to
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise them, “Today this scripture
instead of a spirit of despair. is fulfilled in your hearing”.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, (Luke 4:18-21)
a planting of the LORD, for the display
of his splendor. (Is. 61:1-3)

24. Four Perspectives/ One Gospel
The gospel according to…Matthew (man)
The gospel according to…Mark (lion)
The gospel according to…Luke (ox)
The gospel according to…John (eagle)
The Message: That God has broken into history,
in the person of Jesus Christ, to bring salvation
to all people, and to establish his kingdom (reign)

25. Four living creatures
“In the fire was what looked like four living
creatures. In appearance their form was that of
a man, but each of them had four faces and four
wings…
Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had
the face of a man, and on the right side each had
the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an
ox; each also had the face of an eagle…
This was the appearance of the likeness of the
glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell
facedown.” (Ezekiel 1:5-10, 28)

26. Four living creatures
In the centre, around the throne, were four living
creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in
front and in back. The first living creature was
like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third
had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying
eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six
wings and was covered with eyes all around, even
under his wings. Day and night they never stop
saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God
Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
(Revelation 4:6-8)

27. A man A lion
An ox An eagle

28. Mark John
Matthew Luke

29. Celtic
Church
The Lindisfarne
Gospels (690 CE) The Book of
Kells (800 CE)

30. A nice
Christmas
present!

31. The Gospels: Cautions
There are not four gospels, only one.
There are only four, not forty accounts.
Be very careful harmonizing them.
They are not biographies.
Recognize their unity,
…but don’t ignore their diversity.
Read the gospels as good news
story
history
theology

32. Themes of the gospels
1. Matthew (Jesus = the Messiah of Israel &
fulfillment of the Promise to Abraham)
2. Mark (Jesus = the man of action)
3. Luke (Jesus = the saviour of the world)
4. John (Jesus = the son of God)
 Acts (Jesus = the giver of the Holy Spirit
– his ongoing ministry through his people)

33. Synoptic problem
Synoptic = “see together; see with same eye”
Literary relationship between the gospels
Similarities, differences, order, source, audience
Development: events, testimonies & collected reports
Differences in content
wording
order
Mark = the middle factor
Matthew only one to bear name of an apostle. Most
popular for church fathers (first 400 years).
“According to…” added several hundred years later.

34. Who copied from who?
 Mark – 90% of content, also in Matthew
53% of content, also in Luke
Of Mark’s 661 verses, 500 also appear verbatim in Matthew &
350 verbatim in Luke.
 Another 250 verses in Matthew & Luke parallel each other
(“Q”?)
 Anytime Matthew & Mark differ, Mark & Luke always agree
 Anytime Luke & Mark differ, Mark & Matthew always agree
 Anytime Matthew & Luke differ, they never agree against Mark
 Therefore Mark cut and edited Matthew & Luke –
or Matthew & Luke edited and expanded Mark!

35. Synoptics – an alternative
 The Jerusalem Phase (30-42 CE. Acts 1-12)
…under the leadership of Peter
Matthew’s Gospel: Manifesto of Jerusalem Church. Earliest
Christian document. Teaching manual.
 The Gentile Phase (42-62 CE. Acts 13-28)
…under the leadership of Paul
A new gospel required for a new Church, carefully compiled by
Luke. Universal son of God, for all people.
 The Roman Phase (62-67 CE)
…joint endorsement by Peter & Paul
Peter preaches series of sermons, prior to his death, in Rome.
Based on Matthew & Luke. Mark is his recorder.
 John’s Supplement (90-95 CE The Christ of Faith/ spiritual)

36. Synoptic Gospels - Sources
Q = quelle
Mark
Matthew Luke
M L

37. The gospels: What we can be sure of
“Many have undertaken to draw up an account
of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
just as they were handed down to us by those
who from the first were eyewitnesses and
servants of the word.
Therefore, since I myself have carefully
investigated everything from the beginning, it
seemed good also to me to write an orderly
account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so
that you may know the certainty of the things
you have been taught.” (Luke 1:1-4)

38. Mark’s Jesus

39. Mark’s Jesus
Judea: Preparation for his ministry 1:1-13
Galilee & surroundings 1:14-9:50
Preaching, teaching & healing 1:14-8:26
Impending suffering 8:27-9:50
Return from Galilee to Judea 10:1-52
Judea & Jerusalem 11:1-13:37
Controversy 11:1-12:44
Discourse (signs of the times 13:1-37)
Jerusalem (Last supper to resurrection)
14:1-16:8 [9-20]

40. Mark’s Jesus
Peter’s gospel (1 Pet. 5:13), from Rome
Very earthy, poor grammar. Sermons?
“Beginning of the gospel” (1:14-15)
kai euthus (x11 in chap. 1 & x40 in book)
Use of “historic present” (ie. “He says…”)
Mid-point (8:27-30 “immediately” fades)
Key text (14:45)
The abrupt ending? (16:8)

41. Mark’s Jesus: The roar of the lion
The lion’s appearance (1-8)
 The bounding lion (kai euthus)
 The beast of conflict (first miracle, 1:21-28)
The lion & his pride (1:14; 2:13; 3:13; 6:6; 8:27)
What kind of creature is this? (8-10)
Jerusalem: the lion’s lair or robber’s den (11-13)
In for the kill (14-15)
Risen from it’s prey (16)

42. Mark’s Jesus
Mark presents… Jesus in his claims
Jesus in his mighty works
Jesus in his preaching
Jesus in his suffering
Jesus in his victory
…& the response of ordinary people to Jesus.

43. Matthew’s Jesus

44. Matthew’s Jesus
Introduction (ancestry & birth 1:1-2:23)
Ministry (3:1-25:46):
Events: (3:1-4:25)
Teaching: (5-7)
(8:1-9:34)
(9:35-10:42)
(11-12)
(13)
(14-17)
(18)
(19-23)
(24-25)
Passion & resurrection (26-28)

45. Matthew’s Jesus: The teacher of Israel
God with a human face (1-2)
 Who is the real king of the Jews?
A new Moses (3-8, baptism, desert, people, law)
A new teaching (discourses, ie. 5-7)
Conflict with the teacher (8-23)
The suffering & rejection of the teacher (26-27)
The vindication of the teacher (28)

46. Luke’s Jesus

47. Luke’s Jesus
The prologue (1:1-4)
The birth & boyhood of Jesus (1:15-2:52)
Preparation for the journey (John, Baptism,
Genealogy & Temptation – 3:1-4:13)
The journey
Ministry in Galilee (4:14-9:50)
Return to Jerusalem (9:51-19:27)
Ministry in Jerusalem (19:28-21:38)
The burden of Jesus (22-24)

48. Luke’s Jesus: The bearer of burdens
The powerful ox (1-4)
 The ox in the stall…& in the temple
The ox plods a long, slow journey (4-21)
The ox & the herd (5:1; 6:12; 9:1; 10:1; 14:25)
Those who are burdened (stories & encounters - 15)
 Strength to bear the burdens (ministry – 19:10)
The ox: a sacrificial victim (22-23)
The ox: more fields to plough (24 & beyond)