opinions and musings

Before we look at Philippians 2, let us first summarize the Christological developments in the canonical gospels.     Mark is our first gospel and it was written around 65 AD.   That is followed by Luke (sometime in the 80’s) and then Matthew (later in the 80’s).   These dates are generally accepted by the majority of New Testament scholars. These three gospels are called the Synoptic gospels because they share the same basic story about the life of Jesus.   John’s gospel is very different and we will cover that later. Luke and Matthew have both borrowed heavily from Mark although they make some minor editorial changes to Mark’s account and they re-arrange the order of the stories for their own editorial purposes. Luke and Matthew also include an additional body of material not present in Mark that has come to be called Q from the German word for source. We know that the stories of Jesus’ teachings and miracles first existed in oral tradition and ...

In this study I will focus on the views of the early church about Jesus.  Who was Jesus exactly?  Let’s start with Paul’s letters.   Paul’s undisputed letters are 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 + 2 Corinthians, Romans, Philippians and Philemon.   Paul wrote between 45 and 65 AD. There are serious doubts among scholars about Paul’s authorship of Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 + 2 Timothy, and Titus.   In the ancient world it was not considered morally wrong to write something in the name of one’s teacher or mentor.   The disputed six letters were probably written by disciples of Paul between the years 70 and 100 AD.   They reflect a different Greek vocabulary along with theologies and church government structures not present in the church during Paul's lifetime.  Many of you may not agree with me on that point, but let's move on... What we see in Paul’s undisputed letters is a Messianic-Jewish gospel that has now opened up t...

Recovering the Jewish-Messianic Gospel Part One  Over the past five years, I have been engaged in an intense study of Jewish 2 nd temple literature and the New Testament.   I have come to some startling conclusions, which I will unpack in a series of posts.   My purpose in this study was to pursue truth, wherever it led me.   I believe that God is a God of truth, so that in uncovering truth I will draw closer to God.   This journey has taken me on some unexpected twists and turns, but I am convinced I am on the right track and I am closer to truth and to God than I was five years ago.    When I began this study, I wanted to understand what the New Testament writers were trying to communicate in their writings. I also wanted to understand what their first century Jewish audience would have heard and understood when they read these writings.   I come from a Protestant, Evangelical background and I have served as a “full-time” associ...