The Structure of Sacred Scripture and the Beliefs and Teachings in Biblical History

[EllieC]

I am just beginning to understand the Bible and its structure and some questions tend to pervade. It seems that Judaism is an integral part of church history and the lives of those in the New Testament. Correct me if I am wrong, Jews believe that Jesus is not the Messiah and that he has not fulfilled the New Covenant to be the King of the World. Who were the Jews in the Gospel? Were the Apostles and Jesus himself Jews? If this is the case, didn’t the Apostles believe Jesus was the Messiah and the King of the World? So how could they have been Jewish? It seems conflicting that Jesus would be a Jew since he knows and says “I am the Son of God.” Jesus wouldn’t contradict himself. He said and knows he is the Messiah.

Also, who were the four evangelists to write the Gospel? Matthew and John were Jesus’ Apostles but Luke and Mark were not. Who were they and why did they write the Gospel? (over anyone else, two of the other Apostles, for example) What does it mean that Matthew, Mark, and Luke are synoptic? Why is John so inherently different?

And finally, why do I hear so commonly not to read the Bible from cover to cover? How do you begin to read it? What is the structure of the Bible and why can it not be read cover to cover?

Thank you for anyone who replies!
Happy Easter!

 

[awesomecatholic]

The Jews in the Gospels were not the same as they are today. Back then, being Jewish meant you were a descendant of Abraham. Mark and Luke were both close followers of Christ. In my opinion, John was so different because he was the beloved disciple,was there at the crucifixion and did not die the same as the other Apostles. The Bible has so much information in it and it can be a lot to take in. If you read it from cover to cover you would be very overwhelmed and would not be able to take it all in. I think the Bible has 73 books,not including the Apocrypha. It is layed out in old and new Testaments,the old being the one before Jesus, the Apocrypha contains books by anonymous authors. Happy Easter!

 

[Hunho]

I’ll try to answer your questions.

1. You’re right. The Jews of Jesus’ day didn’t accept the idea that Jesus was the Messiah. Jewish authors have made books about why the Jews don’t accept Jesus as the Messiah, but the basic answer seems to be that Jesus didn’t do the major things that Jewish tradition says the Messiah will do. And, in fact, Jesus didn’t do the things their traditions said the Messiah would.
2. Yes, Jesus and his Apostles were Jews.
3. Rather, the Apostles began as Jews, but after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, they became the first Christians. They were willing to see that the things Jesus had done were things that only the Messiah could do, so they believed that Jesus had come from God, regardless of what else he hadn’t done.
4. Jesus didn’t contradict himself; he was simply more than the Jews expected the Messiah to be. Jesus was the divine Messiah, not only the earthly son of David but also the divine son of God.

I’ll leave the rest, the ones about the Bible itself, for another post.

 

[ziapueblo]

Also, who were the four evangelists to write the Gospel?

Saints Matthew, Mark, Like and John.

Who were they and why did they write the Gospel?

Luke and John Mark (Mark) we’re followers of Paul. You can read this on Acts of the Apostles. Mark later became a companion of Peter.

What does it mean that Matthew, Mark, and Luke are synoptic?

Synoptic means the same. They are not identical but similar in the stories and sequence in which the life of Jesus is told.

And finally, why do I hear so commonly not to read the Bible from cover to cover?

I don’t believe that there is anything wrong with reading the Bible cover to cover. Just make sure that it is understood within the tradition of the Church.

ZP

 

[Hunho]

Okay, here are my answers to the second part of your questions.

1. The writers of the four Gospels—the Evangelists— were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Matthew and John were two of Jesus’ Apostles, eye-witnesses to Jesus’ ministry, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. Mark and Luke were what are called Apostolic men, people who were closely associated with the original Apostles (the eleven, not counting Judas Iscarot) and Paul after his encounter with Jesus and his conversion. Mark was an associate of Peter and Luke was a companion of Paul. Both Mark and Luke had plenty of opportunity to know the Apostles.
2. The term synoptic in this case means that they are very similar, that they record many of the same iincidents and often use very similar wording to tell them. John’s gospel, on the other hand, is often more different in how it tells things and even what incidents it tells.
3. Its not that you can’t read the Bible from beginning to end if you want to, but it really wasn’t meant to be done that way. The Bible, as many commentators have pointed out, is really a library of books rather than a single book meant to be read straight through. The Bible is a collection of all the Scriptures that the Catholic Church—the only Church for the first fifteen hundred years—uses in the readings of the Mass. The books in the Old Testament are the Jewish Scriptures and were the only Scripture the Church had in the first years. They were used by the Church from the beginnings of the Christian worship and contain the sacred history on which Judaism and Christianity are based. The books in the New Testament are the specifically Christian Scriptures about Jesus of Nazareth that were written by the first Christians.

Hope that helps.

 

[BartholomewB]

Who were the Jews in the Gospel? Were the Apostles and Jesus himself Jews?

Yes, of course Jesus and the Apostles were all Jews. When the Gospel writers use the expression “the Jews,” it is usually a shorthand form of referring to the Temple authorities, headed by the high priest, Caiaphas at the time of Jesus’s earthly ministry.

Matthew and John were Jesus’ Apostles but Luke and Mark were not. Who were they and why did they write the Gospel?

Their identities are not known for certain, but when Peter and Paul were active in Rome they each had a group of aides, fixers, and secretaries working for them. Luke was one of Paul’s associates and Mark was one of Peter’s.

What does it mean that Matthew, Mark, and Luke are synoptic? Why is John so inherently different?

“Synoptic” is a Greek word that means something like “seeing together”. The first three Gospels are all broadly similar to one another, which is why they are described as “seeing together,” while John, as you say, presents a markedly different view. It is generally accepted that Mark’s Gospel was the first one to be written, followed by Matthew and Luke, who both drew on Mark for a considerable part of their content. John, however, does not draw on the synoptics in the same way. He was probably writing much later, say in the nineties of the first century, though even that is not known for certain.

 

[Bruce_Killian]

Practically everyone in the gospels were Jews, but often the term Jews is used of those who opposed Jesus or Paul, etc. Usually Jews is used for those who do not believe. Mark was Peter’s companion and wrote what Peter taught after he was martyred. Luke was Paul’s companion but interviewed eye witnesses including Jesus’ mother and recorded what they said. Synoptic means see together Matthew, Mark and Luke tell much the same story. John knew what they wrote so he told stories of what happened earlier and often stories with deeper meanings. John is something like 96% unique. When new to the bible it is often best to avoid certain books, e.g. Leviticus, ,uch of the second half of exodus, the first seven or so chapters of 1 Chronicles, etc. Depending of your maturity and level of education it can be good to read the Bible cover to cover, but remember the story is not always in chronological order because some books cover the same period as other books. I would start reading Genesis, and the first 20 or so books of Exodus they switch to A gospel say Luke and then Acts the research which books to read depending on how much you which to absorb.

 

[ontheway1]

I’ll take a slightly different approach.
Jews in the pre-Christian era believed that they had a contract with God. God gave them over 600 rules to follow and in exchange promised them the land to live on. They called it Israel. When they fell under the rule of Roman emperors, they awaited a messiah that would liberate them from Roman rule and give them their land back. As far as I can tell, it had nothing to do with afterlife and was all about the land.
When Christ came, and he was a Jew, he promised a kindgom not of this world. He was the Messiah for all of humanity and not just a few tribes in Palestine. He promised salvation and eternal life, if the people believed in God, love Him and their neighbor.
Jesus did not abolish the law of the Jews (the 10 commandments) which, when analyzed individually, boil down to the two commandments he gave: love your God and love your neighbor.
Some of the Jews of his time believed and followed him. Most of the others wanted the old law and the land.
That’s all.

 

[po18guy]

You might well benefit from a copy of Bible Basics for Catholics by Prof. John Bergsma. It explains God’s various covenants as they are described in scripture in a way that is easily understandable.

 

[fhansen]

A relatively small percentage of the early believers were Jews. Overall the Jewish world rejected Jesus. Soon it became apparent to the early disciples that the message was for all the world, Jews and Gentiles alike, and they had to consider and discuss how they were going to present the faith to the gentile world, with totally different world-views than Israel. And, of course, they had actually been commissioned to spread the message everywhere.