Persia (539-331 BC)

• Key Word: Restoration
• Cyrus: Decree for Jews to return (Ezra, Nehemiah)
• Rulers: Darius, Cyrus, Artaxerxes I, Xerxes I 
• High Priest- Civil ruler (spiritual and political)

• Key Word: Oppression
• Hellenism- spreading of culture
• Alexander the Great
• 4 Generals (Antigorous, Cassander, Ptolemy, Seleucid)
• Ptolmies: translated bible into Greek-Septuagint (ptolemy I)
• Seleucids: took over after battle of Paneas. Antiochus IV was called the mad man and was responsible for the Abomination of Desolation (Dec 15,168 BC)

• Key Word: Corruption
• Maccabean Revolt: Mattathias (priest at midan), Judas the Maccabee (hammer), Jonathan (diplomat) and Simon (gained independence).
• Hasmonean Rule began when John Hyrcanus reigned.
• Pharisees and Sadducees developed.

Key word: Occupation

• Made Jerusalem fall, start of rome reign
• Herodian Dynasty: Antipater, Herod the Great ("king of judea", architect), sons (archelaus,  philip, Antipas-beheaded John Baptist)
• The Agrippas- agrippa I (executed James, arrested Peter), Agrippa II (questioned Paul)
• Roman rule: Imperial (province governed by emperor) and Senatorial (governed by senate)
• Built roads/buildings, enforced roman law/peace, and appointed tax collectors
• 2 social classes: rich and poor.

• Worship of many deities
• Origin- Greek

• If everyone worshipped the Emperor, then it would be unifying to the empire
• Origin: rome
• Deity of Emperor

• Origin: East
• personal identification with deity
• Similarities to Christianity

• Knowledge leads to god
• Matter was evil and spirit was good (dualism)
• did not exist as a formal religion until the 2nd or 3rd century
• origin: Greece (platonism)

• Reason
• origin: Greece
• epicureanism (pleasure) vs Stoicism (world soul and impersonal)

• Jews who, for one reason or another, lived in Greek and Roman cultures (primarily Hellenistic Jews)

• Those who had not embraced Greek culture and not dispersed.

• Hellenistic Jews
• Hebraic Jews

• Hebrew- language of OT
• Aramaic- result of babylonian conquest (babylonian language)
• Greek- common language as a result of conquest of Alexander

• septuagint (lxx)- Greek translation of the OT
• Apocrypha- 12 books, background info of judaic background, Catholic church, from maccabean revolt
• Pseudepigraphra- "falsely ascribed", gave judaic background
• Dead Sea Scrolls- 1947, copies of OT books (except Esther), 98% agreement to masaretic text, "sons of darkness/light"

• Pharisees: Maccabean, strict legalists, held to oral tradition, main conflict of Jesus
• Sadducees: Maccabean, rationalists, anti-supernaturalists, objected to resurrection
• Essenes: Maccabean, isolated themselves
• Herodians: Roman, politicians
• Zealots: Maccabean/Roman, Nationalists
• Scribes: Babylonian, scholars, interpretation

• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke 
• John
• Acts

• Galatians
• 1 Thess
• 2 Thess
• 1 Corinth
• 2 Corinth
• Romans

• Ephesians
• Colossians
• Philippians
• Philemon

• 1 Timothy
• Titus
• 2 Timothy

• James
• 1 Peter
• 2 Peter
• Hebrews
• Jude
• 1 John
• 2 John
• 3 John

• revelation

• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke 
• John

The Period of Establishment

• Acts 1:1-6:7
• Birth of the Church
• Holy Spirit (pentecost)
• Growth of the Church
• Opposition of the Church (arrest of apostles, Ananias and Sapphira)

• Acts 6:8-9:31 and the book of James
• Martyrdom of Stephen
• Ministry of Philip
• Coversion of Saul

• Acts 9:32- 38:31, Journey Epistles (galatians, 1 2 Thess, 1 2 Corinth, Romans), Prison Epistles (Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, Philippians)
• Cornelius and Peter (unclean animals), Antioch, 1,2,3 Missionary journeys

1. Birth and Childhood
2. Preparation
3. Early Galilean
4. Early Judean
5. Samaritan
6. Great Galilean
7. Later Judean
8. Perean
9. Passion
10. Resurrection and Ascension

• Birth in Bethlehem
• Virgin Birth
• Reaction of Herod
• Jesus visits Temple
• Jesus Grows
• Bethlehem and Nazareth

• Baptism: Jordan River, to "fulfill righteousness" and obedience, received God's spirit and approval
• Temptation: Jesus led by spirit, Central issue-submission to will of God, 3 Temptations (bread, jump, worship satan)

• Water into Wine
• Wedding at Cana
• symbolic miracle- "infinite supply of God's Grace"

• Nicodemus and 2nd Birth
• Spiritual and supernatural
• "born of water and spirit" (2 interpretations)
  • Physical birth and spiritual birth
  • Spiritual cleansing and spiritual birth

• Samaritan Woman at the well
• Broke Cultural barriers: racial, cultural, moral
• Time of day- Noon
• "I who speak to you am he"- The Messiah

• Phase 1- Proclamation and Authentication (Teaching in synagogue, preaching public, healing with authority, proclaiming the Kingdom)
• Phase 2- Opposition (parables, mysteries revealed)
• Phase 3- Instruction (12 disciples), (12 ordinary men, follow Jesus, testimony of Peter, Transfiguration)

• First Claim- "Before abraham was born, I AM", implied pre-existence, deity. Pharisees wanted to stone him.
• Second Claim- "I am and my Father are one"- blasphemy
• Overall Claim- Jesus claims that he is God
• Ministered during the times of the Feast of Tabernacles and Dedication
• Left judea for perea for safety reasons.

• Teaches primarily in parables
• Perean ministry only in Luke
• Purpose: "to clarify kingdom issues"
• parable examples: 
  • wise builder and wise king
  • Lost sheep
  • lost coin
  • prodigal son

• Raising of Lazarus and ministry to Zacchaeus
• Passion Week (Sunday- Sunday)
• Passover Meal
• Gethsemane
• betrayal, trials, crucifixion, resurrection

• Jesus rose from dead
• Proof of resurrection: Circumstantial (empty tomb), Scriptural (OT), Personal eyewitnesses, and Historical (growth of church)
• Why Ascend?- to prepare a place, send holy spirit, intercede for believers, prepare for 2nd coming.

• Exorcisms
• Healings
• Nature

• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke

• Audience- Jews (OT is quoted 43 times)
• Theme- Rule and Reign (key word- King)
• Contains 6 discourses
• Matthew is only Gospel to mention "church"
• Concludes with a universal commission

• Audience: Romans- Gentiles
• Theme: "Serve and Sacrifice" (key word-servant)
• Gospel of Action (18 miracles and only 4 parables, 1 discourse)
• Peter was main source of info
• The word "immediately" used 40 times.

• Audience: Greeks
• Theme: "Seek and Save" (keyword- perfect man)
• recipient: Theolopius
• only Gentile writer in NT
• records 4 hymns of praise
• 22 parables, 17 are unique to luke
• Roles of women are emphasized
• Showed Jesus' priority of prayer

• Audience: All, universal
• Theme: "Believe and Live" (keyword- Son of God)
• Not synoptic, the book is explicitly theological and interpretive
• Miracles=signs
• Christ's deity is revealed in every chapter!

• Intro (1-4): "Fulfilled Prophecy"
• Instruction (5-7): "Sermon on the Mount"
• Authentication (8-10): "Miracles"
• Opposition (11-13): "Pharisees/Parables"
• Explanation (14-18):"Church"
• Rejection (19-25): "Crucifixion"
• Confirmation (26-28): "Resurrection/commisision"

• Prologue
• The Book of Signs (2-12)
  • 7 discourses, 7 signs
• The book of Service (13-17)
  • Teaching
• The book of Sacrifice (18-20)
  • His glorification
• Epilogue

• Establishment of Church (1-6:7)
  • Birth of Church
  • Growth of Church
• Extension of Church (6:8-9:31)
  • stephen, philip, Saul
• Expansion (9:32-28:31)
  • Antioch
  • 3 Missionary Journeys
  • Rome

• Intro: (1:1-17)
• Evidence for the Need of God's Righteousness- Condemnation (1:18-3:20)
• Method of attaining God's righteousness- Justification (3:21-5:21)
• Method of appropriating God's Righteousness- Sanctification (6:1-8:39)
• Explanation of God's Righteousness in Relation to Israel-Explanation (9:1-11:36)
• Guidelines for applying God's Righteousness- Living Sacrifices (12:1-15:13)
• Conclusion: (15:14-16:27)

• Superiority of Christ's Person (1:1-7:17)
• Superiority of Christ's Work (8:1-10:39)
• Superiority of the Christian's Walk by Faith (11:1-13:25)
• Epilogue (13:1-25)

• Part one: "The things which you have seen" (1:1-20)
• Part two: "The things which are" (2:1-3:22)
• Part Three: "The ghings which will take place after this" (4:1-22:5)
• Conclusion: 22:6-21

• Past: Introductory vision of the triumphant Christ (1)
• Present: Letters to the Churches (2-3)
• Future: Tribulation (4-19), Millenium (20), Eternal State (21-22)

John Key Word

Commander in Chief

(Preeminence in Christ)