The New Testament The Bible as Literature

John the Baptist

• Born about six months before Jesus• Called “the Precursor” because he told of the

coming of Christ and taught the people of his greatness before his arrival. His office ended when he baptized Jesus.

• Shortly thereafter, Salome, Herod’s daughter asks her father for John’s head on a platter. He concedes and John the Baptist is beheaded.

Miracles of Jesus

• Marriage at Cana-turns water into wine• Several Cures-that of a leper and blood disease• Three raisings of the dead-most famously, Lazarus, a

friend of Jesus, dead for four days• Several demonic exorcisms – the story of the pigs• Fed 5,000 with 2 fish, and 5 loaves of bread• Shows several powers over weather, calming storms,

transfigurations, walking on water at the Sea of Galilee…

• Culminates finally in his own resurrection

Sermon on the mount

• Most famous of Jesus’ teaching sessions, the sermon on the mount lays out much of Jesus’ message and separates his teachings in part from those of the OT

• Begins with the Beatitudes (Happiness) which gives characterizations of people not regularly seen as blessed, but shown in the sermon as “truly blessed”. Parallels Jesus’ MO as a leader of those that have been cast aside.

• Famous portions of the sermon: “salt of the earth,” The Lord’s Prayer, “turn the other cheek,” The Golden Rule

Mary and Martha

• Mary and Martha lived in Bethany• Their brother Lazarus falls ill and Jesus is

sent for• Lazarus dies before Jesus can arrive• Mary yells at Jesus and Lazarus is

resurrected• Mary worships the NTG and lives an easy

life because of it

Prodigal Son

• A parable told by Jesus• Son demands his inheritance early and leaves

for town to squander it• The other son stays and works with the father• The son returns expecting to beg for

forgiveness, but is greeted warmly by his father. The Fatted Calf is cooked in his honor.

• The “good” son asks why he gets this treatment and the father explains that because, “for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found”

The Talents (money and responsibility)

• Three servants are given gold by their master who was going away on a trip

• On his return, he asks what happened with the money• The first, given five, doubled it to ten. He is praised by

the master • The second, given two, doubled it to four. He is

praised by the master• The third buried his one talent and returned it. He is

called wicked and lazy. His talent is given to the servant with ten. He is thrown outside, into the darkness.

The White Washed Sepulcher

• Literally a tomb that has been painted white• Jesus uses this analogy to point out the

hypocrisy of the Pharisees• They are like painted tombs, lovely on the

outside but the inside is nothing but decay and bones

• Today is commonly used to reference any hypocritical person

The Good Samaritan

• A man is attacked and left to die on the side of the road.

• A priest of the man’s religion sees him and leaves him afraid he is impure.

• A man from his homeland sees him and is afraid he is diseased.

• A man from Samaria, and therefore a natural enemy to the man, stops and helps the man.

• Jesus gives us the moral to this tale in a question, “Who is this man’s neighbor?”

The Death and Resurrection of Jesus

• Jesus and his disciples are allowed into Jerusalem.• Jesus holds a supper at which he prophesizes his

death, the betrayal of Judas, and the three forsakings by Peter

• He tells his followers to drink of wine and bread that he calls his own flesh and blood

• Judas, possessed by the devil, sells information leading to the capture of Jesus for 30 pieces of silver

• Tormented by guilt at the sight of Jesus’ capture, Judas returns the money and hangs himself

The Death and Resurrection of J.C. Cont.

• The night before he was crucified, Jesus weeps for the sins of humanity at the Garden of Gethsemane.

• Jesus is brought for sentencing the next day and Pontius Pilate questions him.

• Jesus claims that “Everyone who is on the side of truth listens to me.” Pilate asks “What is truth?” and goes out to the people saying he finds no fault in JC, and believes he should be released.

• At further pressure by the people, Pilate orders Jesus to be whipped.

The Death and Resurrection of J.C. Cont.

• After this punishment, the people still desired more.

• Pilate places Jesus next to Barabbas, a known thief and evil-doer, and promises to release one of them for Passover.

• The crowd chooses to release Barabbas• Seeing that he can do no more, Pilate allows for

the crucifixion and washes his hands• This later became a symbol for giving up

The Death and Resurrection of J.C. Cont.

• Jesus is made to carry his cross to Calvary, Golgotha Hill, to be crucified

• Unable to go any further, Simone of Cyrene helps to bare the burden

• On the cross, Jesus says several poignant and famous things:– In reference to the soldiers that harmed him, “Forgive them

father, they know not what they do.”– At the ninth hour, “My God, my God, why have you

forsaken me?”– And finally, “Father into your hands, I commend my spirit,”

at which he, “Gives up the ghost”– Jesus is stabbed in the side with a spear to ensure his

death– Jesus was 33 when he died

The Death and Resurrection of J.C. Cont.

• Of the two thieves crucified with Jesus, one is forgiven due to his belief

• At the moment of his death there is an eclipse of the sun and an earthquake

• Jesus is lain in the tomb, by a man named Joseph of Arimathea

• Some scholars believe it was a tomb meant for Joseph himself

• A large stone is placed in the entry • After three days, Jesus is resurrected. This is

commemorated in the holiday Easter

Mary Magdalene

• Called a prostitute, but described simply as a woman who had fallen into evil ways

• Is healed of her sins by Jesus

• Appears at the crucifixion

• Sees Jesus first after his resurrection

Road to Emmaus

• Three men are traveling to Emmaus talking about the recent death of Jesus. It is Easter day.

• The resurrected Jesus joins them and discusses his own life with them. They do not recognize him.

• They eat with him and finally see him. • They return to the eleven apostles and tell

them of the resurrection of Jesus.

Doubting Thomas

• A phrase meaning a person who has difficulty believing.

• Thomas was a disciple of Jesus whom, after the resurrection, thought that Jesus was an imposter.

• Demanded, as proof, to see Jesus’ wounds.

• Jesus shows him and he believes.

Peter

• One of the twelve apostles told to unify the church after Jesus’ returned to Heaven

• Was the only follower to walk with Jesus on the water.

• To save himself before the crucifixion, he renounced Jesus 3 times.

• Later established the first Christian church but is martyred for doing so.

• Rome honors St Peter with a great tomb in the Vatican.

Pentecost

• Occurs 50 days after Easter.

• Commemorates the day the apostles met together to witness the descent upon man of the “Holy Spirit,” a kind of internal, everywhere conception of the NTG.

• Parallels the Jewish holiday Shavuot.

Stephen

• First Christian Martyr.

• A prophet for Christ after His death.

• Is pulled out of town for having too many followers and is stoned to death.

• The apostle Paul/Saul is present at the stoning, and may have partaken.

Saul/Paul

• Saul is a hunter of Christians and is charged with killing many of them in his lifetime.

• He meets Jesus and is stricken blind for a few days and instantly becomes a believer.

• His sight is returned • Gradually his name is changed to Paul.• He spend the last half of his life as Paul, who

spreads the teachings of Jesus and builds churches in his name all around the world.

Revelation

• The Biblical end of the world• Seen by the apostle John who makes note of it,

it is a different tone than the rest of NT.• Seven signs are to usher in the end. • Four horsemen bring about the destruction of

the world.• Jesus returns to bring the good to heaven and

send the bad to hell.

The Ten Commandments• This section deals with the Ten Commandments which appears in three

places in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). These have historically been accepted by Judaism, Christianity and Islam as a summary of the most important rules of behavior God expects of humanity.

• ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.‘• TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of

anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.‘

• THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.‘• FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.‘• FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.‘• SIX: 'You shall not murder.‘• SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.‘• EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.‘• NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.' (don’t lie)• TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your

neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'