Outline:
Scripture is a communal work
- As a whole- the Christian Community came together to establish the Canon of Scripture
- In Parts- each book is the work of a specific community within the larger community of God
- Communities in Scripture
- John
- The Johannine Community- specific early Christian community
- Told stories passed down by “the beloved disciple”
- End of John- added later because felt the story needed to be told
- The Last Discourse (Last Supper) is really 2 versions of the discourse
- Isaiah
- First Isaiah (1-39)- Pre-exile
- Second Isaiah (40-55)- Exile
- Third Isaiah (56-66)- Post-exile
- Differences between Communities
- Gospels
- Nativity stories differ in Matthew and Luke
- Response to Peter’s Confession- Matthew 16 only place where Jesus says “on this rock I will build my church"
- Tatian in the early church tried to combine- didn’t last
- Differences in Communities
- Genesis
- Creation stories (Chapters 1 and 2)
- Noah (numbers differ in Chapters 6 and 7)
- Debates between Communites
- Ruth vs. Ezra/Nehemiah
- Written around the same time
- Ezra/Nehemiah- tell people to get rid of foreign wives
- Ruth- points out a foreigner was the great-great-etc. ancestor of David
Note:
- Writers of Scripture wanted to include all stories
- Saw all as holy, even if they disagreed
- Establishers of Scripture Canon felt the same