Session 1

Introduction to the Gospels

An Introduction to the Gospels with a View of Stewardship
as a Way of Faithful Living

Session 1
Intro Gospels

Session 2
Mark

Session 3
Matthew

Session 4
Luke

Session 5
John

In Powell's The Gospels, read the Introduction and Chapter 1 (pages 1-37)

As you are reading focus on the following questions:

Be able to describe the four stages for the concept of "gospel" in the early church. (pp8-9)
Be able to describe the Two Source Hypothesis. (pp16-17)
What are three things form critics seek to do in their investigation of gospel texts? (p20)
Be able to define redaction criticism. (pp23-24)
Be able to define textual criticism. (p28)

It is assumed that the first group meeting will take the necessary time for introductions, explaining class procedure, etc.

When you hear the word "stewardship," what are some of the first things that it brings to mind for you?
Is it really going to make any difference for you to know about such things as "Redaction Criticism" or the "Two Source Hypothesis"? Isn't that kind of stuff only important for church professionals to worry about?
Why four Gospels? In the second century, a Syrian Christian named Tatian composed a harmony of the gospels called the Diatesseron because it certainly seemed to make more sense to have one coherent account of Jesus' life than four accounts which differed and sometimes even conflicted in content and detail. Discuss why you think the early Church decided to keep the four Gospels with all their messiness and how this affects your / our understanding of Jesus today.
Imagine for a moment that you are "Luke." You know about and have a copy of the Gospel of "Mark." You also know some additional information about Jesus from other sources. You decide to write a new and improved version of the Gospel. Do you understand yourself to be simply updating the story of Jesus? Are you writing the "Word of God" that you hope will hope become part of the "Bible"?
Now, in what you say about Jesus today and how you live your life as a Christian, what relationship does this have to the living Word of God?

As starting points to discover useful online resources, I can recommend the following:

Mark Vitalis Hoffman
mhoffman@ltsg.edu