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The New Testament Cover Image
The New Testament, 4/e
Stephen Harris, California State University - Sacramento
The Two Worlds in Which Christianity Originated: Jewish and Greek

Outline


I. Key topics/themes

II. The one God, Yahweh

  1. The Shema
  2. The divine name
  3. The Jewish Deity's Name in the New Testament

III. The Torah

  1. The Mosaic Covenant
  2. The purity laws
  3. Views of Hebrew Bible authors concerning the applicability of the Mosaic Covenant
  4. Views of New Testament authors concerning the applicability of the Mosaic Covenant

IV. The divine promises

  1. The promise to Abraham
  2. The Hebrew monarchy
  3. Attitudes toward the divine promises after the fall of the Hebrew monarchy

V. The Jerusalem temple

  1. History of the Jerusalem Temple
  2. Significance of the Temple for devout Jews
  3. The Day of Atonement

VI. The world of Greek thought and culture

  1. The impact of Alexander the Great
  2. The Hellenistic period
  3. The impact of Greek culture during the Hellenistic period

VII. Greek Philosophy

  1. Socrates, Plato, and the immortal soul
  1. The life and impact of Socrates
  2. Plato
    1. Plato's philosophical dualism
    2. The impact of Plato on New Testament thought
  1. Stoicism and Stoic endurance
    1. Zeno the founder of Stoicism
    2. The Logos as the divine principle permeating the universe
    3. The influence of Stoicism in the Hellenistic world
  1. Epicureanism
    1. The philosophy of Epicurus
    2. Relationship with the atomism of Democritus
  1. Cynicism
    1. The philosophy of Diogenes and his disciples
    2. Antimaterialism
    3. Opposition to prevailing cultural norms
    4. Relationship to lifestyle of Jesus of Nazareth
  1. Summary: Early Christian encounters with Greek philosophical schools

VIII. Greco-Roman religion

  1. The twelve Olympians
    1. Zeus
    2. Poseidon
    3. Hades
    4. Hera
    5. Demeter
    6. Hestia
    7. Athene
    8. Apollo
    9. Artemis
    10. Hemes
    11. Ares
    12. Aphrodite
  1. The Hymn to Zeus an image of ancient devotion to the Olympian gods
  2. Gods offering worshipers a personal relationship
  1. Asclepius
    1. God of the healing arts
    2. Worshiped at healing shrines throughout the Greco-Roman world
  1. Dionysus of Thebes and Jesus of Nazareth
    1. The myth of Dionysus
    2. Parellels between the myth of Dionysus and life of Jesus of Nazareth
    3. Wine as the beverage of communion between gods and humans

IX. The mystery religions

  1. Dionysus and Orphism
    1. The myth of Orpheus
    2. The theology of Orphism
  1. Mithras and Mithraism
    1. The origins of Mithraism
    2. The myth of Mithras
    3. The impact of Mithras in Hellenistic culture
    4. Mithras as early Christianity's leading competitor
  1. The mother goddess (Isis)
    1. The myth of Isis and Osiris
    2. Religious experience in the Isis cult according to Apuleius

X. Summary









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