Handout, October 29, 2003

RS-2B03: Women in the Biblical Tradition

A. Y. Reed

1. The New Testament (NT) Canon

Gospels

Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke (= Synoptic Gospels)

Gospel of John

Acts (written by author of the Gospel of Luke)

Pauline Epistles

Romans (undisputably authentic)

Galatians (undisputably authentic)

1 and 2 Corinthians (undisputably authentic)

Ephesians (possibly deutero-Pauline)

Philippians (undisputably authentic)

Colossians (possibly deutero-Pauline)

1 Thessalonians (undisputably authentic; probably earliest text in NT)

2 Thessalonians (possibly deutero-Pauline)

1 and 2 Timothy, Titus (= Pastoral Epistles, definitely written later)

Philemon (undisputably authentic)

General Epistles or “Catholic Epistles”:

Hebrews

James

1 and 2 Peter

1, 2, and 3 John

Revelation

2. BRIEF TIMELINE OF PERIOD OF CHRISTIAN ORIGINS

31 BCE – Fall of the Roman Republic; rise of the Roman Empire

6 CE – Birth of Jesus of Nazareth

26-30 CE – Mission of John the Baptist

30 CE – Crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth

35-36 CE – The Pharisee Saul (a student of Rabbi Gamaliel) joins the Jesus Movement, after a revelation on the road to Tarsus, and becomes the Apostle Paul, begins his missionary activities to the gentiles

49-60 CE –Pauline Epistles written

60-65 CE – Death of Paul

66-70 BCE – Jewish Revolt against Rome

70 CE – Roman Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple

70-110 CE –Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and JOHN written

132-135 CE – Jewish messianic uprising lead by “Bar Kokhba,” brutally quelched by Rome

[ca. 200 CE – Compilation of the Mishnah, foundational document of Rabbinic Judaism]

249-251 CE - First major Persecution of Christians under emperor Decius

257-260 CE - Persecution resumes under emperor Valerian

303 CE - Persecution begins under Diocletian

Some Important Proto-Orthodox Christian Writers before Constantine

Ignatius – Early Martyr

Justin Martyr – Philosopher, Apologist, Martyr, also wrote on relationship between Christians and Jews

Clement of Alexandria – Philosopher, Apologist

Tertullian – Apologist, Heresiologist (against Marcion), first proto-orthodox “Church Father” to write in Latin

Irenaeus – Heresiologist (against Gnostics)

312 CE - Battle of Milvian Bridge; the Roman general Constantine adopts Christ as his patron and defeats his rival Maxentius to become sole ruler of Italy, Africa, and the entire western half of the empire.

313 CE - Edict of Milan. Constantine assures full restitution of all confiscated Christian property and full rights for Christian worship in both halves of the Roman empire.

324 CE - Constantine defeats Licinius in a battle near Adrianople. He now becomes ruler of the entire Roman Empire.

325 CE - Council of Nicea -- NICENE CREED composed, laying out the basic foundation of Christian belief in a manner that excluded all so-called “heretics” (gnostics, Marcionites, Docetists, Jewish-Christians, &c.) from the imperially-sanctioned “orthodoxy” of the Church.

367 CE – Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, draws up an official list of the texts in the “Old Testament” and “New Testament” Canon