Topic 1 - Background to Mark's Gospel

Topic 1 - Background to Mark's Gospel

1. Literalism - the direct word of God

   • Fundamentalism - put fundamental beliefs into practice
     • Conservatism - not the direct word of God
       • Liberalism - open to faults and errors

2. Preserve the WoG, Encourage believers, Accurate events, Persecuted Christians

3. Nature of Mark's Gospel

   • to develop/strengthen faith
   • proclaim good news about Jesus

4. Why was it written?

   • Jesus shared stories orally, people wrote them down so they didn't forget
   • share the faith with others

5. Mark wrote his Gospel after Peters death in AD65

6. Different Views of the Gospel

7. Religious Background

   • Sanhedrin - Jewish court of law made up of 72 men (both backgrounds)
   • Pharisees - they believed Jesus was a warrior, the followed the Oral law
   • Sadducees - they didn't believe in the Messiah, the Afterlife or Ressurections

8. Opposition and Persecution

   • Christians were believed to be anti-social, immoral, a threat to the slave trade

9. Religious Background

   • Temple - one temple in Jerusalem (holy place)
     • Rabbi - 'teacher' who leads the Synangogue

10. Proof of Jesus' Real Words

    • Jesus spoke Aramaic, and Mark quoted him using Aramaic in his Gospel

11. How Christianity Came to Jerusalem

    • Church was mainly Jews
      • Then it appealed to non-Jews
    • People dissatisfied with existing religions were attracted to Christianity
    • People converted to Christianity and then told their faith to others
    • Overlooked people formed a social underclass
      • People of different ethnicity lined together in Rome