I dont have all the required materials if you can just do your best I would really appreciate it. Thank you for all your hard work and as usual I will give a 10 star rating!!!!

The world we live in tends to no longer believe that the Gospels are historical documents that provide authentic portraits of Jesus Christ. Instead, like peeling back layers of an onion, both scholars and popular culture try to peel back portions of the Gospels that they believe do not provide accurate and authentic information about the “real” Jesus.

Learning about why people question the Gospels’ ability to provide entirely accurate information about Jesus is quite relevant in our society. Christians are facing questions and doubts about our faith all the time, and we need to know what we are defending. Understanding the tools scholars use in analyzing the historicity of the Gospels and communicating to non-believers when they question the Gospels are important skills for any theologian.

Many people fall into a trap of reading the Scriptures apart from their context within particular times and cultures. This may lead to anachronistic interpretations and a disregard for the notion that God used human authors who wrote about real and relevant issues in their respective cultural contexts.

Read the following textbook excerpts and watch the video lecture to better understand the historical context behind which the Gospels were written and the tools of the research used. You will learn about the history of Judaism, the geography of Palestine, and the culture of first-century Palestine to which Jesus Christ ministered.

Strauss, Four Portraits; One Jesus, pages 119165 & pages 189207
Strauss, Four Portraits, One Jesus, pages 463481
Green, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, “Demon, Devil, Satan (Links to an external site.),” Background & Terminology sections
Green, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, “Temptation of Jesus (Links to an external site.),” Background & Terminology sections
Green, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, “Son of God (Links to an external site.),” Divine Sonship in the Old Testament & Judaism and Hellenism sections

After reading and watching the above resources, choose 1 excerpt or presentation that is especially helpful for you in understanding background issues related to Christ’s temptations or conception of research relating to the Gospels and follow these steps:

State the resource which was especially interesting to you.
Explain what you think to be the most significant/influential idea in that article/video in 1 paragraph.
Explain how that idea influences your reading and response to Christ’s wilderness temptations (found in either Matthew 4:111 and Luke 4:114). Start this portion in this manner:
“My reading of Christ’s wilderness temptation narrative is influenced by the idea that ________ [state #2 above]. That information impacts my reading in the following two ways:

I dont have all the required materials if you can do your best it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

As we have seen in previous weeks, the Gospels are remarkably similar in many respects, particularly the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). In these accounts, the chronology, geography, and scenes are often alike. John’s Gospel also intersects with the synoptic at critical points. Because of their similarities we can read the Gospels side by side, experiencing what is called a harmony of the Gospels, and form a basic understanding of the sweep of the narrative and events of Jesus’ earthly ministry. This week we will continue with a harmony of the Gospels, focusing on Christ’s concluding earthly ministryin Judea, Perea, and Jerusalem.

To learn about the fundamental story line of the Gospels and to consider how the narrative of Jesus’ earthly ministry progresses are important for any theologian. Read and view the following resources in order to better understand a harmony of Jesus’ life as it relates to the closing ministry of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Strauss, Four Portraits, One Jesus, pages 493524
Green, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, “Discipleship (Links to an external site.)”
Green, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, “Rich and Poor (Links to an external site.)”only sections titled “Rich and Poor in First-Century Judaism” and “Rich and Poor in the Teaching of Jesus”
Green, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, “Temple Act/Cleansing (Links to an external site.)”
Green, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, “Death of Jesus (Links to an external site.)”only sections 1 and 2 titled “Crucifixion in the Ancient World” and “The Crucifixion of Jesus”
Green, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, “Ascension of Jesus (Links to an external site.)”

Choose 1 of the articles above from the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (do not use the Strauss textbook). Next, analyze and interpret your reading to extract the essential meaning contained in the original source. To demonstrate you have successfully completed this task, you will produce a 25-word summary. The goal of this activity is to demonstrate the depth of your engagement as well as your ability to communicate this depth clearly.

Characteristics of a successful 25-word summary:

The summary contains exactly 25 words. You do not understand the source well enough yet if you cannot write this concisely, so keep working and processing the information until you can. If you believe you have successfully summarized the main idea in under 25 words, you must use the remaining words available to communicate something else you know about the concept.
The summary must be written in a coherent sentence or sentences. Additionally, the summary should not be a simple listing of concepts, terms, or themes. Correct grammar and syntax must be employed.
You only have 25 words, so every word in the summary should have a meaningful purpose.
The summary must accurately reflect the reading’s central or essential message and reflect a personal understanding of the material.
Carefully review the requirements above to ensure your summary meets the intended goals of this activity before submitting for the professor’s review.