2. Form Criticism 1 The Synoptic Gospels Form Criticism

3. 2 If Mark is the first Gospel... what source(s) did Mark use?

4. Form Criticism 3 Oral Tradition ãThe sayings of Jesus and stories about what he did were not written down during his life. ãVarious sayings and stories circulated through the early churches... ãBy means of oral repetition

5. Form Criticism 4 The Nature of Oral Tradition ãConservative ålittle accretion in the oral process ånot like the “gossip game” åmore like “bedtime story” ãPatterns for various stories == FORMS

6. Form Criticism 5 Knock, Knock ãCanoe ãCanoe come out to play?

7. Form Criticism 6 Identify these forms: ã…so help me God. ãHe is survived by his wife, Lisa, three daughters, and a brother in Peoria. ã…and they lived happily ever after. ãLet’s play ball!

8. Form Criticism 7 Definition of FORM ãSmall units of oral or written material ãthat display well-defined characteristics in common ãFor example: åfairy tales åjokes åmiracle stories

9. Form Criticism 8 Some of the Forms found in the New Testament: ãMiracle Stories ãHymns and liturgical materials ãLetters ãSermons ãLegends ãVirtue/Vice Lists ãApocalypses

10. Form Criticism 9 The Study of these (Oral) Forms is referred to as Form Criticism

11. 10 Three Major Axioms of Form Criticism 1. The original source for the material in the Gospel is oral tradition in which the material circulated in small units. 2. This material has been brought together and redacted (=edited) in various ways and at various stages.

12. Form Criticism 11 Major Axioms, continued 3. Such material gives us information about the beliefs and circumstances of the early church as well as about the ministry of Jesus.

13. Form Criticism 12 Identify the context: ã…so help me God. ãHe is survived by his wife, Lisa, three daughters, and a brother in Peoria. ã…and they lived happily ever after. ãLet’s play ball! ãIn what social context are you likely to hear/read each statement? ãCan you identify any “borrowed” contexts?

14. Form Criticism 13 The social context of a form is referred to as its Sitz-im-Leben (“setting-in-life”)

15. Form Criticism 14 The Importance of the Sitz-im-Leben ãEach of these forms served a definite function in the concrete situation in the life of the early church. ãThe main purpose for the creation, circulation, and the use of these forms was not to preserve the history of Jesus, but to strengthen the life of the church.

16. Form Criticism 15 The Tasks of Form Criticism 1. Identify the form åthrough repeated patterns åthrough repetitious phrases 2. Identify the Sitz-im-Leben for each form 3. Identify divergences from the form in particular cases

17. Form Criticism 16 Form Criticism and the Gospels

18. Form Criticism 17 Basic Bibliography ã1919: Martin Dibelius, From Tradition to Gospel ã1921: Rudolf Bultmann, The History of the Synoptic Tradition ã1933: Vincent Taylor, The Formation of the Gospel Tradition

19. Form Criticism 18 The Forms of the Gospel Literature A. SAYINGS 1. Dominical Sayings 2. “I” Sayings 3. Parables 4. Pronouncement Stories B. NARRATIVES 1. Miracle Stories 2. Legends -- Stories about Christ

20. Form Criticism 19 To A.2. “I” Sayings A.1. Dominical Sayings ãProverbs -- Jesus as Teacher of Wisdom ådeclarativedeclarative åimperativeimperative åinterrogativeinterrogative ãProphetic and Apocalyptic Sayings -- Jesus proclaims the arrival of the Kingdom of God ãLegal Sayings -- Jewish law and piety

21. Form Criticism 20 Declarative Proverbs ãMatthew 12:34 -- å“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” ãMatthew 6:34 -- å“Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.” ãMatthew 22:14 -- å“For many are called but few are chosen.”

22. Form Criticism 21 Imperative Proverbs ãMatthew 8:22 -- å“Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

23. Form Criticism 22 Interrogative Proverbs ãMatthew 6:27 -- å“And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his or her life?” ãMark 2:19 -- å“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?”

24. Form Criticism 23 Prophetic and Apocalyptic Sayings ãMark 1:15 -- å“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” ãLuke 6:20-21 -- å“Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh.”

25. Form Criticism 24 Legal Sayings ãMark 7:15 -- å“There is nothing outside you which by going into you can defile you; but the things which come out of you are what defile you.” ãMatthew 23:16-17 -- å“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If any one swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?”

26. Form Criticism 25 A.2. “I” Sayings ãJesus speaks of himself, his work, and his destiny. ãMatthew 5:17 -- å“Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” ãMark 10:45 -- å“For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

27. Form Criticism 26 A.3. Parables ãA parable is a short narrative that ådraws on common experience åteaches a lesson åthrough a !Surprise! ãA parable re-orients the world and the expectations of the hearer.

28. Form Criticism 27 A.4. Pronouncement Stories A short saying of Jesus set in a brief narrative context. ãThe saying may not have been originally uttered in this context. ãFrequently deals with issues of importance to the early church. ãAlso called apophthegms (Bultmann) or paradigms (Taylor).

29. Form Criticism 28 The Form of the Pronouncement Story ãSetting ãAction ãSignificant saying of Jesus ãThe setting and action are relatively brief. ãThe whole interest and purpose of the unit is concentrated on the significant saying, or “punchline.”

30. Form Criticism 29 Types of Pronouncement Stories ãControversy Dialogue åArise in the discussion which the church had with its opponents and within itself on questions of the law. ãScholastic Dialogue åSomeone seeking knowledge initiates the dialogue by asking a question. ãBiographical Apophthegm åPurports to contain information about Jesus….“edifying paradigms for sermons.”

31. Form Criticism 30 Sitz-im-Leben of Pronouncement Stories ãControversy Dialogues arose in response to the church’s controversies with outside opponents. ãScholastic Dialogues arose within the church as teaching tools. ãBiographical Apophthegms had their origin in preaching.

32. Form Criticism 31 A Controversy Dialogue Mark 2:15-17 And as he sat at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

33. Form Criticism 32 A Scholastic Dialogue Mark 12:28-31 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”...

34. Form Criticism 33 A Biographical Apophthegm Luke 9:57-62 As they were going along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”

35. Form Criticism 34 B. Narratives 1. Miracle Stories (=Tales, Dibelius) a.Healing Narratives b.Exorcism Narratives c.Nature Miracles 2. Legends == Stories about Christ

36. Form Criticism 35 The Form of Miracle Stories ãSetting åStatement of the “problem” ãsickness, demon possession, hunger, threat of storm, death åIntensification of the “problem” ãCure åTechnology of the miracle å[The miracle itself is unreported] ãDemonstration åResult -- action of patient åResponse -- crowd responds

37. Form Criticism 36 Healing Narratives ãPeter’s mother-in-law, Mk 1:30-31 parr. ãThe Leper, Mk 1:40-45 ãRaising of Jairus’ Daughter, Mk 5:21-24, 35-43 parr. ãThe Woman with a hemorrhage, Mk 5:24-34 ãThe Deaf-mute, Mk 7:37-37 ãThe blind man of Bethsaida, Mk 8:22-26 ãBlind Bartimaeus, Mk 10:46-52 ãThe Widow’s son of Nain, Lk 7:12-16 ãThe ten lepers, Lk 17:12-16 ãThe bent woman, Lk 13:11-17

38. Form Criticism 37 Exorcisms ãThe Capernaum demoniac, Mk 1:23- 27 parr. ãThe Gadarene Demoniac, Mk 5:1-20 parr. ãThe Daughter of the Syrophoenician woman, Mk 7:24-30 ãThe Epilectic boy -- Mark 9:17-29, parr.

39. Form Criticism 38 Nature Miracles ãThe stilling of the storm, Mark 4:37-41 parr. ãThe feeding of the multitude, Mark 6:34- 44 parr., Mk 8:1-9 parr. ãThe walking on the water, Mk 6:47-51 par. ãThe cursing of the fig-tree, Mk 11:12-14, 20-21 par. ãThe miraculous draft of fishes, Lk 5:1-11

40. Form Criticism 39 Legends -- Stories about Christ ãThe Baptism, Mk 1:9-11 ãThe Temptation -- Mark 1:12-13 ãPeter’s confession, Mk 8:27b-33 parr. ãThe Transfiguration -- Mark 9:2-8 ãEntry into Jerusalem, Mk 11:1-10 parr. ãInstitution of Lord’s Supper, Mk 14:22-25 ãInfancy Narratives, Mt. 1-2; Lk 1-2 ãThe Resurrection Narratives, Mk 16; Mt 28; Lk 24

41. Form Criticism 40 On Mixing Forms -- Sometimes forms are mixed. A miracle story may be used as the setting for a pronouncement story. See Mark 2:1-12 The purpose of the pericope determines the form of the pericope.

42. Form Criticism 41 Results of Form Criticism 1. The gospels are kerygmatic in intention, not biographies of Jesus. 2. The gospel tradition was transmitted orally prior to being written down. The gospels were not written from direct personal reminiscence.

43. Form Criticism 42 Results of FC, continued 3. At every stage in the transmission, the selection and shaping of the material was governed by the practical needs of the early Christian communities. 4. The order of the written gospels is determined by topical and theological considerations rather than the actual course of events.

44. Form Criticism 43 Summary and Review of Form Criticism ãThree major axioms of form criticism ãThe tasks of form criticism ãThe forms of the Gospel Literature ãThe form of Pronouncement Stories ãThe form of Miracle Stories ãThe results of form criticism ãVocabulary

45. Form Criticism 44 Three Major Axioms of Form Criticism 1. The original source for the material in the Gospel is oral tradition. 2. This material has redacted (=edited) in various ways. 3. Such material gives us information about the beliefs and circumstances of the early church as well as about the ministry of Jesus.

46. Form Criticism 45 The Tasks of Form Criticism 1. Identify the form 2. Identify the Sitz-im-Leben for each form 3. Identify divergences from the form in particular cases

47. Form Criticism 46 The Forms of the Gospel Literature A. SAYINGS 1. Dominical Sayings 2. “I” Sayings 3. Parables 4. Pronouncement Stories B. NARRATIVES 1. Miracle Stories 2. Legends -- Stories about Christ

48. Form Criticism 47 The Form of the Pronouncement Story ãSetting ãAction ãSignificant saying of Jesus

49. Form Criticism 48 The Form of Miracle Stories ãSetting ãCure ãDemonstration

50. Form Criticism 49 Results of Form Criticism 1. The kerygmatic intention of the Gospels 2. The oral transmission of the gospel tradition 3. Selection and shaping determined by the practical needs of the early Christian communities 4. Order determined by theological considerations

51. Form Criticism 50 Words and Concepts ãOral Tradition ãForm ãForm Criticism ãRedacted ãSitz-im-Leben ãApophthegm ãParable ãPronouncement Story ãLegend ãKerygmatic

52. Form Criticism 51 More to Learn... ãSource CriticismSource Criticism ãForm CriticismForm Criticism ãRedaction CriticismRedaction Criticism