The Synoptic Problem

Greetings and salutations!,

I thought it might be interesting to have an update that touches on some of the stuff that gets covered in seminary. So, here’s a couple tidbits about what seminary at Drew is like, from an academic perspective:

-Most students at the seminary are either pursuing a Master of Theological Study (mTS) or a Master of Divinity (mDiv). I’m pursuing the mDiv, which is the longer degree. It’s 84 credits, which equates to usually three years if you go full time. Some of my classmates are stretching it to 4 or more years, which makes sense because you cover a LOT of ground in each class and taking 12 or more credits a semester is quite challenging.

-Classes are offered in 5 different areas: Biblical Studies, Church History, Pastoral Theology, Church and Society, and Theology and Philosophy.

And as an example of something you’d learn in a class, here is what’s called the Synoptic Problem...

OK, look at these two gospel passages:

Matthew 3:7-10 ⁷ But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruit worthy of repentance. ⁹ Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. ¹⁰ Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Luke 3:7-9 ⁷ John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. ⁹ Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

Do you notice that the words of John the Baptist are EXACTLY the same in each passage? Think about the ancient world. They didn’t have video cameras, newspaper reporters, tape recorders, or even printing presses. All writing was hand written and most news spread by word of mouth. If you’ve ever been involved in the rumor mill or played the game ‘telephone’, you know that what someone actually said gets pretty mangled the more times the quote gets passed on.

So how did the writer of Matthew’s gospel and the writer of Luke’s gospel manage to get the quote exactly the same? Chances are pretty low that they were both there when John actually said it and immediately wrote it down. This is the Synoptic Problem. Several examples like this one can be found when comparing the gospels of Matthew, Luke, and Mark (the gospel of John is pretty different from the other three in general). There are various theories put forth by biblical scholars about how to resolve the issue, and I’d be happy to discuss them with you. But for now chew on the problem. Email me or leave a comment on this post if you want to explore this a bit more.

Blessings,

Kevin

Who wants to go to France...on the cheap?!

Hello All:

“Visiting Taize has been one of the highest moments in my spiritual journey. Those who attend Taize come home equipped to energize local churches.” This is quote from our Bishop, Sudarshana Devadhar (its easier to pronounce than it looks).

And here is a quote from our Conference website: “Taizé, in the south of Burgundy, France, is the home of an international, ecumenical community, founded there in 1940 by Brother Roger. The brothers are committed for their whole life to material and spiritual sharing, to celibacy, and to a great simplicity of life. Today, the community is made up of over a hundred brothers, Catholics and from various Protestant backgrounds, from more than twenty-five nations.

At the heart of daily life in Taizé are three times of prayer together. The brothers live by their own work. They do not accept gifts or donations for themselves. Some of the brothers are living in small groups – ‘fraternities’ - among the very poor.

Since the late 1950s, many thousands of young adults from many countries have found their way to Taizé to take part in weekly meetings of prayer and reflection. In addition, Taizé brothers make visits and lead meetings, large and small, in Africa, North and South America, Asia, and in Europe, as part of a ‘pilgrimage of trust on earth’.”

Now for my two cents. I’ve been to the Taize community twice and can confidently say that it was a life changing experience (both times). Here are two things about Taize that blew me away:

1) The worship experience. Singing, scripture, and silence with thousands of people from all over the world (Give a look at the two pics. Combined, this is still only a small part of the sanctuary!). It was absolutely incredible. You will never experience anything like it without being there (and that includes attending a Taize worship service here at BUMC…think of it like enjoying an ice cube in your drink versus witnessing the awesome power of an artic ice flow).

2) The community experience. Living in community with people your own age from literally all over the world, and somehow effectively communicating with each other, was awesome. Bible study, small groups, ‘hang out’ time, chores – during all of it I was learning about not only what makes us different, but also how alike we really are regardless of where we come from.

Here are some specifics about the PILGRIMAGE (this is definitely a spiritual pilgrimage and not just a ‘trip’):

-Logistics/Itinerary: You will be traveling with others from the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the UMC. A couple days are spent touring Paris, and then you will head to Taize by bus. After a week in Taize, its back to Paris and then back home.

-When: July 26^th-August 6^th, 2007. This does conflict with the Young Adult mission trip to Toronto, which is August 5^th-11^th. That being said, I fully support people going to Taize!

-Cost: $1899. That covers air fare, hotel in Paris, a week at Taize, and most meals. There is currently a total of $1500 from BUMC available to be split amongst those who are registered by the deadline. The remainder would need to come out of your pocket or from your personal fundraising or other scholarships (the Conference-level UMW, for example, is offering a limited number of scholarships).

-Required Meetings: There are three pre-pilgrimage meetings that are absolutely, positively required if you go. I don’t have a list of those dates at the moment, but it would probably be monthly meetings in April, May, and June.

-DEADLINE: The deadline for registering is FEBRUARY 15^th, since that is when the first deposit is due. The registration form can be found here. Please read it carefully.

Finally, check out the website for the Taize community here. It will tell you a lot, but please ask me any questions you have…Taize rocks!

Blessings,

Kevin