In this session, we’re going to talk about historical criticism as a discipline in biblical studies. We’ll also talk about its relationship to Christian faith. We’re going to ask a bunch of questions like, “Is it a good way to interpret the Bible?” and “Does it help or hurt Christian faith?”

We have taken a couple of looks at Papyrus Berlin 11710 in the past. It is a small 6th-century piece of an apocryphal gospel. Now, we are going to examine the saying of Jesus in this text and compare it to similar sayings in the Johannine writings (e.g., the gospel and epistles of John). Sources Ehrman, Bart, and Zlatko Plese. The Apocryphal Gospels: Texts and Translations. Oxford. Oxford University Press, 2011. Society of Biblical Literature Greek New Testament. For the images of the papyrus, I used the Berlin museum papyrus database: https://berlpap.smb.museum/record/?result=0&Alle=11710&lang=en.

In this presentation, we will talk about one method of interpreting the Bible: the historical. In other videos, we will talk about literary and theological interpretations, so stay tuned for those as well. Visit jdreiner.com to read or listen to more content and learn about my work. Email me at jonathandreiner@gmail.com to get in touch. To donate through PayPal, paste this link into your browser: paypal.me/jonathandreiner To donate Bitcoin for my work, use this public key: bc1qwnu9exmhp3ugcepvxvhn5tyw765zgeskgfm200 Footnotes from Web Post: 1. For a discussion of the historical method of biblical interpretation, see Michael Coogan, “The Interpretation of the Bible from the Nineteenth to the Mid-Twentieth Centuries,” in the New Oxford Annotated Bible, with the Apocrypha, 5th ed., ed. Michael Coogan (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018), 1877. 2. John 1:1-5, KJV; for the original language, see the passage as found in the SBL Greek New Testament: “Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν. πάντα διʼ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν. ὃ γέγονεν ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων· καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν.” 3. For a discussion of "The Word" in John, see Craig Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 264.

In a previous post, we looked at the character of Judas Iscariot in the Gospel of Mark. Today, we will see how he is portrayed in Matthew's gospel. Visit jdreiner.com to read or listen to more content and learn about my work. Email me at jonathandreiner@gmail.com to get in touch. To donate through PayPal, paste this link into your browser: paypal.me/jonathandreiner To donate Bitcoin for my work, use this public key: bc1qwnu9exmhp3ugcepvxvhn5tyw765zgeskgfm200 Footnotes from Web Post: 1. The Gospels, ed. John Barton and John Muddiman (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), 27-28. 2. Matthew 10:4, KJV. 3. 1 Corinthians 11:23-24, KJV. 4. Matthew 26:14-16, KJV. For the Greek text, see the SBLGNT rendering: "Τότε πορευθεὶς εἷς τῶν δώδεκα, ὁ λεγόμενος Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης, πρὸς τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς εἶπεν· Τί θέλετέ μοι δοῦναι κἀγὼ ὑμῖν παραδώσω αὐτόν; οἱ δὲ ἔστησαν αὐτῷ τριάκοντα ἀργύρια. καὶ ἀπὸ τότε ἐζήτει εὐκαιρίαν ἵνα αὐτὸν παραδῷ." 5. Matthew 26:21-25, KJV. For the Greek text, see the SBLGNT rendering: "καὶ ἐσθιόντων αὐτῶν εἶπεν· Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με. καὶ λυπούμενοι σφόδρα ἤρξαντο λέγειν αὐτῷ ⸂εἷς ἕκαστος⸃· Μήτι ἐγώ εἰμι, κύριε; ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· Ὁ ἐμβάψας μετʼ ἐμοῦ ⸂τὴν χεῖρα ἐν τῷ τρυβλίῳ⸃ οὗτός με παραδώσει· ὁ μὲν υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὑπάγει καθὼς γέγραπται περὶ αὐτοῦ, οὐαὶ δὲ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐκείνῳ διʼ οὗ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδίδοται· καλὸν ἦν αὐτῷ εἰ οὐκ ἐγεννήθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος. ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Ἰούδας ὁ παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν εἶπεν· Μήτι ἐγώ εἰμι, ῥαββί; λέγει αὐτῷ· Σὺ εἶπας." 6. Matthew 26:47-50, KJV. For the Greek text, see the SBLGNT rendering:"Καὶ ἔτι αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος ἰδοὺ Ἰούδας εἷς τῶν δώδεκα ἦλθεν καὶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ ὄχλος πολὺς μετὰ μαχαιρῶν καὶ ξύλων ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρχιερέων καὶ πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ λαοῦ. ὁ δὲ παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς σημεῖον λέγων· Ὃν ἂν φιλήσω αὐτός ἐστιν· κρατήσατε αὐτόν. καὶ εὐθέως προσελθὼν τῷ Ἰησοῦ εἶπεν· Χαῖρε, ῥαββί· καὶ κατεφίλησεν αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἑταῖρε, ἐφʼ ⸀ὃ πάρει. τότε προσελθόντες ἐπέβαλον τὰς χεῖρας ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ ἐκράτησαν αὐτόν. 7. Matthew 27:3-5, KJV. For the Greek texst, see the SBLGNT rendering:"Τότε ἰδὼν Ἰούδας ὁ ⸀παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν ὅτι κατεκρίθη μεταμεληθεὶς ⸀ἔστρεψεν τὰ τριάκοντα ἀργύρια τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσιν ⸀καὶ πρεσβυτέροις λέγων· Ἥμαρτον παραδοὺς αἷμα ⸀ἀθῷον. οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· Τί πρὸς ἡμᾶς; σὺ ⸀ὄψῃ. καὶ ῥίψας τὰ ἀργύρια ⸂εἰς τὸν ναὸν⸃ ἀνεχώρησεν, καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἀπήγξατο."