Four Portraits, One Jesus Workbook: Guided Reading Projects and Exercises in the Gospels

by Mark L. Strauss

Overview

This workbook accompanies Mark L. Strauss's Four Portraits, One Jesus. Following the textbook's structure, it offers readings from the Gospels, activities, and exercises designed to support the students' learning experience and enhance their comprehension of what can be known from the Gospels about the central defining subject of Christianity, Jesus of Nazareth.

Four Portraits, One Jesus is a thorough yet accessible introduction to the four biblical Gospels and their subject, the life and person of Jesus. Like different artists rendering the same subject using different styles and points of view, the Gospels paint four highly distinctive portraits of the same remarkable Jesus.

With clarity and insight, Mark Strauss illuminates these four books addressing the following important areas:

• First he addresses the nature, origin, methods for study, and historical, religious, and cultural backgrounds of the Gospels.
• He then moves on to closer study of each narrative and its contribution to our understanding of Jesus, investigating things such as plot, characters, and theme.
• Finally, he pulls it all together with a detailed examination of what the Gospels teach about Jesus' ministry, message, death, and resurrection, with excursions into the quest for the historical Jesus and the historical reliability of the Gospels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310109761
Publisher:	Zondervan Academic
Publication date:	03/24/2020
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.95(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Mark L. Strauss (Ph D, Aberdeen) is university professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary, where he has served since 1993. His books include Four Portraits, One Jesus; How to Read the Bible in Changing Times; The Essential Bible Companion; and commentaries on Mark and Luke. He also serves as vice chair of the Committee on Bible Translation for the New International Version translation.

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Four Portraits, One Jesus Workbook

Guided Reading Projects and Exercises in the Gospels

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By Mark L. Strauss

ZONDERVAN

Copyright © 2015 Mark L. Strauss
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-52284-3

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CHAPTER 1

What Are The Gospels?

Assignment 1.1: Overview Questions for Chapter 1

1. Identify the unique portrait of each of the Gospels, as suggested in the textbook.

Matthew: The Gospel of the _______________.

Mark: The Gospel of the _______________.

Luke: The Gospel of the _______________.

John: The Gospel of the _______________.

2. What are the Synoptic Gospels? What are the main differences between the Synoptics and the Gospel of John?

3. Describe the Gospel genre in terms of the three characteristics. What do each of these mean?

History

Narrative

Theology

4. Why were the Gospels written? What suggestions have been made concerning why the authors wrote?

5. To whom were the Gospels written? What does the text say concerning whether the Gospels were written to believers or unbelievers? To a specific or a general audience?

6. Why do we have four Gospels instead of one? Why are there only four in the New Testament?

7. What does it mean to read the Gospels "vertically"? What are the benefits of doing this?

8. What does it mean to read the Gospels "horizontally"? What are the benefits of doing this?

9. When is a harmonistic approach to the Gospels legitimate? When is it not?

Addendum Questions

1. What are some things we learn in the writings of the apostle Paul about the historical Jesus?

2. What do we learn about Jesus in the writings of Flavius Josephus?

3. How helpful are the apocryphal gospels in providing reliable information about the historical Jesus?

CHAPTER 2

Exploring the Origin and Nature of the Gospels

Historical-Critical Methods of Gospel Research

Assignment 2.1: Overview Questions for Chapter 2

1. Summarize the four stages of composition that led to the production of the Gospels, and identify the method that was developed to analyze each stage.

Underline the sentence in Luke 1:1 – 4 corresponding to each stage, and mark that sentence as "stage 1," "stage 2," "stage 3," or "stage 4."

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. — Luke 1:1–4

2. What is the synoptic problem?

3. What is source criticism? What are its goals?

4. What is the most widely held solution to the synoptic problem?

a. What is Markan priority?

b. What is the two-source theory?

c. What is the four-source theory?

5. Draw a chart showing the relationship between Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Q according to (a) Markan priority, (b) the two-source theory, and (c) the four-source theory.

Markan Priority Two-Source Theory
Four-Source Theory

6. What is "Q"? (What is it at its most basic? What additional claims about "Q" have been made?)

7. What is form criticism? What are its goals? What are its main strengths and weaknesses?

Definition

Goals

Strengths

Weaknesses

8. Identify the main "forms" of the Gospel tradition. Use the categories developed by Vincent Taylor (figure 2.10).

9. What is redaction criticism? What are its goals? What are its main strengths and weaknesses?

Definition

Goals

Strengths

Weaknesses

Assignment 2.2: Synoptic Comparison Worksheet

The best way to understand the relationship of the Synoptic Gospels to one another is to carefully compare them yourself This project helps you to do that.

Directions

You can use either a pen to underline or a highlighter to highlight. Use one color (black pen or yellow highlighter) to underline or highlight all of the agreements between Matthew, Mark, and Luke. With blue, underline or highlight all of the agreements between Matthew and Mark. With red, underline or highlight all of the agreements between Mark and Luke With green, underline or highlight all of the agreements between Matthew and Luke

Note: do not worry about getting everything exactly right. (There will be some exact agreements and some with very minor differences.) Your goal is to get general impressions only. If you are not sure whether something is an agreement, make a quick decision and then move on.

Questions

1. Which of the Synoptics agree with each other the most?

2. What is your impression of the similarities between the following?

Matthew and Mark

Matthew and Luke

3. What are your impressions as to which Gospel(s) might be using another (or others) as a source?

Assignment 2.3: Redaction Criticism Project

Redaction criticism examines the process of editing whereby an author/editor (redactor) utilized sources to develop a particular narrative perspective and emphasize certain theological themes. In this assignment, you will compare several synoptic passages, seeking to determine redactional purposes.

Directions

Compare the Synoptic Gospels on each of the following passages.

Answer these questions:

1. What differences do you see?

2. What theological purposes might lie behind these differences?

Be careful about drawing firm conclusions when differences might be of style rather than substance.

[TABLE OMITTED]

(1) What differences do you see?

(2) What theological purposes might lie behind these differences?

[TABLE OMITTED]

(1) What differences do you see?

(2) What theological purposes might lie behind these differences?

[TABLE OMITTED]

(1) What differences do you see?

(2) What theological purposes might lie behind these differences?

[TABLE OMITTED]

(1) What differences do you see?

(2) What theological purposes might lie behind these differences?

CHAPTER 3

Reading and Hearing the Gospel Stories

Literary-Critical Methods of Gospel Research

Assignment 3.1: Overview Questions for Chapter 3

1. What is the difference between historical and literary criticism, as defined in the text?

2. What is the goal of narrative criticism? (See Assignment 3.2 for questions on the categories of narrative analysis.)

3. Summarize the main goal of each of the following other literary methods, and identify one strength and one weakness of each method.

a. Rhetorical criticism

Goal

Strength

Weakness

b. Canon criticism

Goal

Strength

Weakness

c. Structuralism

Goal

Strength

Weakness

d. Reader-response criticism

Goal

Strength

Weakness

e. Liberation and feminist criticism

Goal

Strength

Weakness

f. Deconstruction

Goal

Strength

Weakness

Assignment 3.2: Categories of Narrative Analysis

Summarize the following categories of narrative analysis as discussed in the text. Give an example of each.

1. What is the difference between an author, an implied author, and a narrator?

2. What is the "narrative world" of the text?

3. What is the evaluative point of view? Whose evaluative point of view do we always get in the Gospels?

4. What is an implied reader? How is this different from a real reader?

5. What is an event? A scene? An act?

6. What are the basic features of a plot?

7. What is "story time"? Identify a place in the Gospels where story time speeds up or jumps forward. When does story time slow to the pace of real time?

8. What is the difference between flat and round characters? Dynamic and static characters?

9. What kinds of settings do narratives have? Give an example of each.

10. Define the following terms and give an example of each from the Gospels.

a. Chiasm

b. Inclusio

c. Intercalation

d. Situational irony

e. Verbal irony

Assignment 3.3: Narrative Analysis of a Gospel Text

Read Mark 2:1 – 12

1. What is the setting of this episode? What is the significance of Capernaum (see 1:21; 3:1 – 6)?

2. What role do the crowds play in the drama?

3. What would be the reaction of the "implied reader" in verse 5? In verse 12?

4. How does an "omniscient" narrator aid in the telling of the story?

5. Note some features of the story that provide it with drama and color.

(Continues...)

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Table of Contents

Part One 1. What Are the Gospels? 2. Exploring the Origin and Nature of the Gospels: Historical-Critical Methods of Gospel Research 3. Reading and Hearing the Gospel Stories: Literary-Critical Methods of Gospel Research Part Two 4. The Historical Setting of the Gospels 5. The Religious Setting: First-Century Judaism 6. The Social and Cultural Setting of the Gospels Part Three 7. Mark: The Gospel of the Suffering of the Son of God 8. Matthew: The Gospel of the Messiah 9. Luke: The Gospel of the Savior for All People 10. John: The Gospel of the Son Who Reveals the Father Part Four 11. Searching for the Real Jesus 12. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels 13. The Contours and Chronology of Jesus’ Ministry 14. Jesus’ Birth and Childhood 15. The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry 16. The Message of Jesus 17. The Miracles of Jesus 18. The Messianic Words and Actions of Jesus 19. The Death of Jesus 20. The Resurrection of Jesus Conclusion Glossary Index