Reference no: EM133157653

DISCUSSION 1

There were a number of things that contributed to the safeguarding of the "Jesus tradition" during the time between his death and the Gospels being written, as listed in the text book. They are:

(1) The stylistic forms of Jesus' sayings. Jesus used proverbs, parables, moving phrases, riddles, and signature phrases.

(2) The terminology of tradition. There were some of Jesus' hand-chosen men who were trained in the art of oral retention and dissemination.

(3) The function of apostles. The apostles were commissioned with and equipped to witness for Jesus.

(4) The cultural role of memory. The first-century "Jewish" environment expected the young to memorize and retain large amounts of scripture.

(5) Eyewitnesses and lapse of time. Many individuals who lived during the earthly ministry of Jesus were still living during the written distribution of the gospels.

(6) Written records? It is possible that some religious students took written notes of their teachers.

(7) Christian prophecy and caution. Christian prophets as well as Christian congregations, were given guidelines regarding the giving and receiving of prophecy.

(8) Respect for sayings of Jesus. The early believers were careful to distinguish between their words and the words of Jesus.

(9) Dissimilarity of interests. The interests and focus of Jesus were different than that of the early church. If church created sayings were attributed to Jesus, more, time sensitive issue related, teachings would exist.

DISCUSSION 2

Write your reflections from the classmate post by selecting an idea from the reading, describing your thoughts and feelings about it and why you agree.