6/14: Catching Chiasms/ Salvation Process/KIngdom as Presence of the Future/Resurrection and Singular Plural/NT Wright on Module D/Distributed Set Theory

LITERARY STRUCTURE/CHIASMS:

We added some more elements to our structural diagram of Acts

____Many have seen that the Asencion of Jesus forms a chiastic centerpoint of Luke-Acts (as one volume),
and the frame is geographic progression towards (Luke) and away from (Acts) Jerusalem.

What is so central about the asencion and  Jerusalem?


_____It appears that both halves of the book feature a chiastic form: The first half features/frames Saul's call;  the second half frames Saul (now Paul) preaching at Mars Hill Aeropagus in Athens.  Why are these two stories so key to the narrative and theme of Acts?

____One might also suggest the Jerusalem Council decision at Antioch  is central.
If so, what is so central about it (Is it the "elbow": of the whole book, as today's article suggests>)

See below
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Ascension as center of Luke/Acts

This structure is directly  to the purpose of Luke’s 
two volume work, as Miesner has pointed out: 


The symboìic efïect is to show that the redemptive events of Jesus'
ministry progressively moved toward the capital of the Jews to 
whom salvation was first offered, while in the book of Acts the 
opposite direction of movement takes place. As the Jews repeatedîy 
repudiate the good news, it is carried to the capital of the Gentßes.”  LINK



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JERUSALEM COUNCIL AS CENTRAL:



This next section of Acts deals with the going forward of the Good News from Antioch and also follows a chiastic pattern covering the twofold ministry of Paul, with two missions from Antioch sandwiching the Gathering at Jerusalem of the Apostles and elders in order to decide the terms on which Gentiles can become Christians, thus emphasising the freedom of the Gentiles from the Law of Moses. It analyses as follows:

• a Paul and Barnabas are sent forth from Antioch (12.25-13.3).
• b Ministry in Cyprus results in their being brought before the pro-consul Sergius Paulus who believes their word (13.4-13).
• c Ministry in Pisidian Antioch results in a major speech to the Jews with its consequences, including a description of those who desire to hear him again (13.14-52).
• d Successful ministry in Iconium results in the crowd being stirred up and their having to flee (14.1-6).
• e A remarkable healing in Lystra results in false worship which is rejected and the crowds being stirred up by the Jews. Paul is stoned and flees the city (14.7-21).
• f Ministry in Derbe is followed by a round trip confirming the churches and return to Antioch (14.21b-28).
• g The Gathering in Jerusalem of the Apostles and elders of Jerusalem and the Antiochene representatives resulting in acknowledgement that the Gentiles are not to be bound by the Law or required to be circumcised because God had established the everlasting house of David (15).
• f Paul and Silas (and Barnabas and Mark) leave Antioch to go on a round trip confirming the churches (15.36-16.5).
• e A remarkable healing in Philippi results in true worship which is accepted (the Philippian jailer and his household) and in Paul’s stripes being washed by a Roman jailer. The authorities declare them innocent and they leave the city (16.6-40).
• d Successful ministries in Thessalonica and Berea result in the crowds being stirred up and their having to flee (17.1-14).
• c Ministry in Athens results in a major speech to the Gentiles with its consequences including a description of those who desire to hear him again (17.15-34).
• b Ministry in Corinth results in their being brought before the pro-consul Gallio who dismisses the suggestion that their actions are illegal (18.1-17).
• a Paul returns to Antioch (18.18-22).

We note here from ‘c’ and parallel the movement from Jew to Gentile in the proclamation of the word. Athens is no doubt partly chosen because although small, its reputation was worldwide.

http://www.angelfire.com/planet/lifetruth/acts7.html
LINK

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PAUL AT AEROPAGUS/MARS HILL AS CENTRAL:

Donald R. Meisner argued that the structure of the record of Paul's missionary journeys in Acts 12:25-21:16 is chiastic.⁷²⁴

Chiasm is "a stylistic literary figure which consists of a series of two or more elements (words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or longer sections) followed by a presentation of corresponding elements in reverse order."⁷²⁵

Writers use this device to highlight the central elements in the structure and or to clarify the meaning of paired elements. The central section of the 12:25-21:16 chiasm, as Meisner saw it, is Paul's sermon in 17:16-34.

"The chiastic structure of the missionary journeys narrative suggests that, of all the places on the itinerary, Athens is the most significant intermediate point as the gospel moves to the end of the earth. . . .

"The Areopagus speech . . . is the only sermon reported by Luke which is preached to Gentiles by the apostle to the Gentiles' (except for the brief Lystra sermon [14:15-17]). . . . Now that Paul had preached the word in the spiritual capital of the Greek world, he turned his face toward the imperial capital of the Greco-Roman world. It is only after the Athens climax that Luke noted Paul's expression of his necessity to go to Rome, which he stated both at Ephesus (19:21), and at Jerusalem (23:11)."⁷²⁶

To the Philippian jailer Paul preached Christ as the personal savior of individuals. To the Jews in Thessalonica he presented Him as the promised Messiah. To the intellectual Gentiles in Athens he proclaimed Him as the proven judge of all humankind appointed by the one true God.  LINK

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We had good discussion r: helpful or provocative parts of the Stott textbook.
I highlighted this explosive sentence:

"Although no fixed ministerial order is laid down in the New Testament, some form of pastoral oversight (episkope), doubtless adapted to local needs, is regarded as indispensable to the welfare of the church. We notice that is was both local and plural -- local in that the elders were chosen from within the congregation, not imposed from without, and plural in that the 

familiar modern pattern of 'one pastor one church' 

was

simply unknown.

 Instead, there was a pastoral team, which is likely to have included (depending on the size of the church) full-time and part- time ministers, paid and voluntary workers, presbyters, deacons and deaconesses. Their qualifications Paul laid down in writing later (1 Tim. 3; Tit. 1). These were mostly matters of moral integrity, but loyalty to the apostles' teaching and a gift for teaching it were also essential (Tit. 1:9; 1 Tim. 3:2). Thus the shepherds would tend Christ's sheep by feeding them, in other words care for them by teaching them."

-John R.W. Stott, "The Message of Acts Today," p.236-

emphasis mine

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We enjoyed some great discussion around these ttwo charts.  Issues of what is the normative conversion process, and the elements/components of conversion ensued.

 Red chart:

See discussion of Acts 19 by Stott.  This strange encounter with the Ephesians raises questions like

Whose discioles were they?  Were they believers?

  Then we asked question like: Is the R>F>B>HS a normative expected formula for conversion in every day?  Can these elements happen ":out of order"?  Can one element be missing?

Of course, the whole Mennonite emphasis ("Anabaptism" =Re-baptism) came into the discussion.

Is it ever legitimate/normative for infants (pre-believers) to be baptized (see the Phillipian jailor in Acts, who was encouraged to be baptized, "you and your household".  Is it normative to receive a filling or baptism of the Holy Spirit later (even years later) than conversion? .etc

Blue chart:

Are we saved by Grace?  Grace and Faith?  Faith?  Faith and Works?  Works?   Another combination?  All of the above?    Fuzzy set? What if you had to only pick one?  Can you find Scriptures for each??  

Ephesians 2: 8-10          SAVED by grace/faith...which has nothing to do with works
James 3: 16                  JUSTIFIED by works and not by faith alone
Is this a contradiction? Fuzzy set?  Drop down box?etc

CHECK OUT THIS FACEBOOK SURVEY:

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_-KINGDOM

>>How does the Kingdom "come" from the "future"?:

Many Jews of Jesus' day (and actually, the Greeks) thought of the Kingdom of God as largely a  future identity/reality/location.
So when Jesus, in Matthew 4:17 announces that he, as King, is ALREADY bringing in the Kingdom,

this not only subverted expectations, but sounded crazy....and like he was claiming to bring the future into the present.

The Jews talked often about "this age" (earth/now) and "the age to come." (heaven/future).
"Age to come" was used in a way that it was virtually synonymous with "The Kingdom."

Scripture suggests that:

The "age to come"  (the Kingdom) 
has in large part already come (from the future/heaven)

into "this age"
 (in the present/on the earth




by means of the earthy ministry of Jesus: King of the Kingdom.



Thus, Hebrews 6:4-8 offers that disciples ("tamidim") of Jesus have
"already (in this age) tasted the powers of the age to come."


In Jesus, in large part, the age to come has come.
The Future has visited the present,

"The presence of the Kingdom of God was seen as God’s dynamic reign invading the present age without (completely) transforming it into the age to come ” (George Eldon Ladd, p.149,The Presence of the Future.)

Here are some articles that may help:

• Kingdom of God: by George Ladd
• THE KINGDOM'S RETROACTIVE RETROFUTURE
• The "Lord's Prayer" does NOT say "daily bread". 

• Kingdom Now and Not Yet

SINGULAR PLURAL

We looked at this in detail last time, but we noted Ephesians 2:6: "We have been raised up (resurrected) with Christ into the heavenly realms," which suggests that the resurrection births the church.

We noted how important it is to see church as a community/group/set...and not just through me as an individual.  Mark Baker (last class) talks in his book on the atonment about how hard it is to subvert individualism with an individuallstic gospel ("Jesus died for ME..)/

The letters of Paul to the Romans, Ephesians, etc. are to a church; a body.  Thus what we read in English as "you" singular, is in the Greek "you" plural.  We re-read verses that in English sound singular but are in fact plural.  Better yet, singular plural.

Ephesians:\

 2:8-10: IT IS BY GRACE THAT YOU (PLURAL) HAVE BEEN SAVED, BY YOUR (CORPORATE) FAITH..

3;16 THAT GOD MAY STRENGTHEN YOU WITH MIGHT IN YOUR  (singular plural) INNER BEING"

6:10-20: TAKE UP YOUR (ONE COMMON, CORPORATE) SHIELD OF FAITH..

see:

A Crash of Rhinos...a Committee ofBuzzards

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Finishing NT Wright Videos in class today:
MODULE D:

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Two intriguing parts of the above video:

1)Wright suggest that Luke goes out of his way to compare Jesus (in Luke) and Paul (Acts).

We see Paul as being like Jesus: trials, passed around jurisdictions.  And we almost expect Paul to be killed in Rome to make the parallel complete.  He suggests that instead we get Paul's shipwreck as the parallel to Jesus' death.  Why?

2)Wright offers some "historical world insight" into the famous passage where Jesus suggests he is like a mother hen, wanted to gather up chicks and protect them.
This was often protection from a  fire.

Lessons about suffering and "shipwrecks" on life?

In light of Acts 27:20
("When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved."),    I made the comment,

"Until you've gotten to the point where you have  given up all hope of being saved;\
                                                                                            you can't be saved.
  Discuss?

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DISCUSSION OF TODAY"S (WEEK 5) READING RESPONSE ARTICLE
 
- Here is Christian's response to teh Week 5: Theory than olractice" set tehgory

We noted that often there is no "The" in the Greek: Not "The  Holy Spirit," but "Holy Spirit."
Hmmm, does this make him seem more of a person than a generic influence or an "It" (as in King James)


Have five people fill in the blank, "In our day, The Holy Spirit is poured out on___________."
What "boinded set" did they answer with?:  Christians?  Note this text message from Acts 2:
"The Holy Spirit is poured out on all flesh."    Hmmm, implications?


Re-read the article, and ask, can a "church" be composed of believers and non-believers?

Re-look at the first half of Acts as a bounded set (Jerusalem church) and the second half as centered se+ (Antioch church).  Is it inevitable that in  the process from bounded to centered one must pass through a time of fuzzy set (the elbow of Acts, ch 10-14, as the article calls it?

Finally. we put together this puzzle/map of Fresno. There are several reasons why. We;ll discuss them Tuesday as (after we meet in the classroom for half hour), we actually take a filed trip to...well, I bet you can guess).