Define Sitz im Leben and discuss the role it plays in Form Criticism.
situated in life
A particular situation or life event in the early church that would cause them to write the forms that they did.
In form criticism, this concept is used to attempt to understand sociological setting of the genre of a particular passage in order to determine how these passages contribute to the text as a whole.
So, form criticism follows these general steps:
- Identify the form or genre (parables, proverbs, hyperbole, epistle, love poem, song, etc)
- Determine the “situation in life” in which this form or genre is used (Sitz Im Leben)
- Find out how passages with similar genres contribute to their text and attempt to apply those concepts to the passage in question
What are the positives and negatives of Form Criticism?
1. Positive
a. It is true that the Gospels have stories that circulated over time. (Luke 1)
b. Helps us realize that each story has specific genres or sub-genres.
c. Nothing wrong with asking what is the situation going on in the church.
2. Negative
a. Form criticism is not a story about Jesus. It’s a story of the early church and what was happening at the time.
i. Gospels are not about Jesus history
ii. Gospels are about church history
b. Form criticism mistakenly assumes that the early church would have either created or substantially changed the tradition along the way
i. Problem with this is memorization.
i. Birger Gerhardsson quoted: “A good Jewish disciple is like a well-constructed cistern and does not lose a drop”
ii. Considerable work around memorization studies
iii. Use of notebooks.
C . Problems with “Criteria of Authenticity”
i. Form criticism requires the separation of tradition and redaction, and there is simply no certain way to know which parts were supposedly added.
D. Eyewitnesses to “Control” the Tradition.
i. Jesus tradition was in the hands of key individuals
ii. “if the form critics are right, the disciples must have been translated to heaven immediately after the Resurrection.”- Vincent Taylor, Formation of the Gospel Tradition.
iii. NT evidence that the Tradition was being carefully passed down
1 Corinthians 15:3- “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.”
iv. From church history: Mark is a record of what Peter remembered.
What is the Synoptics Problem? What solutions have been proposed?
Synopics Problem:
a. Deals with the relationship between the Gospels.
b. Did the Gospel writers know each other.
c. Similarities in wording
i. Example: Jesus Blessing the Little Children
d. Similarities in order
Solutions:
- Augustinian Hypothesis
a. Description: Matthew first (then Mark, then Luke)
i. The order of the Gospels in the cannon = order of writing.
b. Evaluation
i. Most have abandoned this today. - Griesbach Hypothesis- J.J. Griesbach (1745-1812), William Farmer
a. Description: Matthew, then Luke, then mark
b. Evaluation
i. Does explain the long ending in Mark
ii. Easier for Mark to come first and Matthew and Luke to come secondary. - Two Source Hypothesis- Karl Lachmann (1830s); most popular is B.H. Streeter
a. Description: Mark first; Matthew and Luke copied Mark
b. Evaluation:
i. Evidence for Markan Priority
ii. Length
iii. Verbal Agreements
iv. Sequence Agreements
v. Style
vi. Grammatical
vii. Theological
viii. Patristic Evidence
ix. The “Q” source
d. Implications of Q.
i. Scholars draw conclusions about Jesus and what was happening earlier and contradict the varsity of the Gospels.
e. Criticism of Q
xii. No manuscript evidence
xiii. Minor agreements between Matthew and Luke - Farrer Hypothesis
a. Description: Mark first, then Matthew using Mark, then Luke using both (no Q)
b. Evaluation
i. Simpler
ii. Maintains Mark as priority
iii. Means that Luke modified Matthew’s material and made it jumbled and less “tight”
The two-source hypothesis is probably the best explanation, as long as the details of “Q” are not pushed too far.
What is Redaction Criticism? Give its origins, main elements, and contributions to the study of the text.
- An attempt to describe the distinctive theological emphases of each gospel writer by analyzing the way each of them use their sources
- Does the writer have a bias or agenda?
- The bias is revealed in the way the writer uses, edits, or changes sources.
* Origins:
a. William Wrede (Messianic Secret): Mark has a theological agenda
c. Wrede argues that the Gospel of Mark was written to explain away this problem- the reason Jesus never publicly claimed to be the Messiah is because he did so in secret!b. Gunther Bornkhamm- 1948 article “The Stilling of the Storm in Matthew” : Matthew reinterpreted the story that was originally contained in Mark. c. Hans Conzelmann (The Theology of St. Luke [1954]): Luke’s goal was to address the delay of the Parousia by show that there is a continuing role for the church until Christ comes back *** Main Elements:** a. Distinction between Tradition and Redaction i. Tradition = source material ii. Redaction = changes made. b. Patterns of Changes/Redaction can reveal theological concerns of the author i. Spot patterns or changes and link them to theological concerns c. Criteria for how to spot redactional activity: i. Order of the material- Ex. Order of temptations in Matt and Luke. Matt ends with Jesus on the mountain, Luke ends with Jesus above the temple. Matt is seen as original. Luke is thought to change to emphasize his focus on the temple. ii. Omission of material- Ex. Luke 9:27 leaves out the “in power” of Mark 9:1 iii. Addition/Change of material- Ex. In Mark 14:62, Jesus says the high priest will see him at the right hand of God; in Luke 22:69, he says he will simply be at the right hand of God iv. Historical Context or Seams- Ex. Parable of the Lost Sheep is told to disciples in Matt; in Luke, Jesus gives the parable to the Pharisees d. The theological concern of the evangelist is given its own Sitz Im Leben **Contributions** a. Positives i. Redaction Critics are correct in saying the authors have an agenda or theological perspective. ii. Each gospel author has a theology that they are emphasizing b. Criticisms i. Cannot always distinguish between tradition and redaction ii. Not all changes are theological iii. Can’t determine an author’s theology just by what they changed iv. Sometimes used to show the gospels are not historical
Why are the apocryphal Gospels not included in the canon? Give examples of such “gospels”, their origins, discovery, and impact.
- Correct Response: The apocryphal traditions that have the most historical credibility tend to look a lot like the material in the canonical Gospels
i. Apocryphal material could be true while not inspired. - Particular apocryphal Gospels
a.** Gospel of Thomas**
i. Description - The one that gets mentioned the most
- Darling of most modern scholars
- Discovered in Nagamatie
- 114 sayings of Jesus (list of sayings)
- Different Jesus – might be gnostic
- Not orthodox – Jesus is not divine
- You have divine spark inside of you
- Last saying (114) = For every Woman that makes herself male, will enter the kingdom of heaven.
ii. Evaluation - Was not written by Thomas the Apostles
- Probably 150 AD
- Regarded as heretical
- Never considered for Cannon
- Late, unreliable text.
5. Gospel of Peter
i. Description - Found 8th century
- Documents the death and resurrection of Christ
- Narrative text
- Dependent on other Gospels and does not add much
- Docetistic – denied Jesus had a real physical body
- Suggests that Jesus feels no pain when on the Cross
- Speaks of Jesus’s head reaching towards the clouds
- Speaks of the Cross following Jesus out of the tomb and then speaks.
ii. Evaluation - Does not go back to Apostle Peter
- Seems like it is filling in the gaps of the canonical Gospels
- Shows us the resurrection happening live
- Heretical and late written.
6. Papyrus Egerton 2
i. Description - Fragments of stories of Jesus
- Named after manuscript
- Early Dating = Dated 150 – 200 AD
- Five stories of Jesus
- Sounds orthodox
- Have mix of John and synoptic Gospels
- No obvious heretical viewpoint.
ii. Evaluation - Not considered cannon.
From your reading in Ferguson, summarize the various sects and organizations found in the Jewish culture into which Jesus was born.
1. Pharisees
A. From Hebrew Parush meaning separate or interpret
B. Rejected Hyrcanus’s right to be both king and priest
C. Josephus views them as a political party trying to imporse their religious beliefs upon the people of Israel.
D. The twin systems were Torah and Tradition
E. They disagrees with the Sadducees regarding giving interpretation and applicaiton of the law divine authority.
F. Thought of the Torah is being for ALL the people where the Sadducees felt the Torah was given to the priests to interpret and apply for the people.
G. Believed in both fate and free will
H. Hillel -> Gamaliel -> Paul
2. Sadducees
A. Party of wealthy priests
B. They controlled the Temple and thus Isreal’s religious life.
C. Believed that the Torah was for the priests to interpret and apply.
D. They did not believe in the resurrection
E. They lost significant influence after the fall of the Temple in A.D. 70.
3. Qumram Community, Essenes, and Therapeutae
A. Were discovered after the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
B. Lived in the Qumram
C. Lived by the Solar Calendar
D. It is throught that John the Baptists came from this community
E. Saw themselves as a redeemed, elect, community were you had to be part of the community to be saved.
** C. ESSENES: **
1. Communal in their living
2. Following strick Torah Laws
4. They saw themselves as the genuine remnant of Israel
5. According to Jewish writer Josephus, the Essenes numbered around four thousand
6. There was a 1 yr waiting period and 2 yr probation for Essene membership.
** D. Therapeutae**
1. Lived near Lake Mareotis in lower Egypt
2. Therapeutae = Healers, worshipers, or miracle workers.
3. They prayed at Sunrise and Sunset and stuied the scriptures in-between.
4. Men and Women were separted during Sabbath worship.
5. Lived similar to a “monastic” life.
4. Zealots
A. Extreem revolutionaries
B. Lead the revolt in A.D. 66
C. Simon was called a Zealot in Luke 6:15 and meant either part of the Zealot party or he had great religeous zeal.
5. Herodians
A. Only mentioned in the Gospels
B. A political party and adherents to Herod
C. Supporters of the Herodian dynasty
6. Samaritans
A.
What is the two source hypothisis.
