The New Testament as Jewish Literature

We propose to define each term of the title, in order to understand the cultural background that was the matrix of Christianity.

Bible seminar from April 9 to June 3, 2018

Professor: Agnès Bruyère
Dr. Olivier-Thomas Venard

Steps of the seminar

1. Literature

Definition: Literature
1. A Fine Art ;
2. Sociological Definition

Sources: Ancient Jewish Versions of Scriptures: (Proto)TM and Other Hebrew Versions (DSS); G; Tg; Sam. Canonization, Tradition, Authority: Diversity of Included Books, of versions.

2. Jewish

Definition: Judaism
1: the Rabbinic Account
2: Historical Questions;
3: Jewish Palestine between (Western) Diaspora and (Eastern) Geoula

Sources: Maccabees; Josephus Flavius; Philo of Alexandria
NT: Acts; Gospels as Ancient Biographies?; John’s contacts with Jewish philosophical speculations like those of Philo.

3. Second Temple

Definition: An Approximate Designation.

Sources: Panorama of peri-testamental, apocalyptic and deuterocanonical/apocryphal works
NT: apocalyptic passages in the Gospels.

4. New Testament

Definition : New Testament
Diathêkê kainê as Paradox or Dialectics; specificity: biography of the Master; letters?
One Study Case: Reading the Prologue of John as 1st c. Messianic Literature.

Source: John 1:1-18