New Testament Narratives- Gospels and Acts

Learning Objectives

• Explain how the NT narrative genres work
• Describe the Gospels and Acts as literature and some of the unique features within them
• Discuss guidelines for interpreting the literature of the Gospels and Acts

Begin this module by viewing the following YouTube video that provides a short introduction to phenomenology, types of phenomenology research, methods, and limitations.

Introduction

Having now examined the various literary genres found in the OT, in this section we turn our attention to the NT literature. We begin with the Gospels and Acts, which provide two NT examples of a narrative genre.

What are the Gospels?

The word “gospel” simply means “good news.” In this sense, the Gospels are narratives telling the “good news” of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. As narratives, they include many of the features of the historical narratives we examined in module 4 (e.g., setting, character, dialogue). However, Gospels are more than mere narratives, for “at one and the same time they record the facts about Jesus, recall the teachings of Jesus, and bear witness to Jesus” (Fee and Stuart, 2003, p. 130). This unique genre may be best described as a “theological biography” (Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard, 2017, p. 512).   

The four Gospels include Matthew, Mark, Luke (the “synoptics”) and the book of John, all of which are named after their respective historical authors. That there are four Gospels with four authors gives insight into their purpose: they were written to inform at least four different communities about the story of Jesus, though they would be circulated more widely (see Blomberg, 2009, pp. 111-133). While there is parallel literature found in the gospels, the four gospels are not identical. Each Gospel has unique themes that display something of the emphases of their authors and perhaps the needs of their intended audiences.

Important Themes and Features

To interpret the Gospels accurately, there are a few features that must be properly understood. One such feature is the Kingdom of God, a theme that is pervasive in Jesus’ teaching. According to the Gospel writers, the Kingdom of God is something that is “at hand” in Jesus’ ministry (Mk 1:15), and Jesus preaches the “good news” of the Kingdom of God (Lk 4:43). The Kingdom is not political in the Gospels, but represents God’s kingship or reign (see Blomberg, 2009, 448-452; Marshall, 2004, pp. 78-81). That the Kingdom is “at hand” illustrates the already but not-yet eschatological nature of the Kingdom – it has arrived in a spiritual sense, but its full manifestation remains future. 

Another important issue in Gospel interpretation (and in New Testament interpretation more generally) relates to the use of the OT. In the Gospels we find the narratives aimed toward demonstrating that Jesus fulfills the story of Israel (see McKnight, 2011, pp. 78-112), thus one they regularly employ the OT the show this. For example, the reader finds numerous fulfillment statements throughout the Gospel of Matthew (e.g., 1:22; 2:15, 17, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4). Such uses of the OT are varied, but one important method is known as typology. Typology describes how the apostles would identify various events, objects, ideas, or symbols within the OT that they saw to be anticipating God’s activity later in history and interpret the later event or idea in light of the earlier one (Klein et al., 2017, pp. 79-81).

Yet another important feature of the Gospels is their regular use of parables, which make up nearly one-third of Jesus’ teaching. While the parabolic material found in the Gospels is somewhat diverse, we can say that parables are essentially short stories with a message that calls for a response of some kind. As in other stories, they have characters and settings that are essential to pay attention to, but one of the unique features is that there often is a point for each character in triadic parables (see Blomberg, 2012, pp. 197-339). In reading the parables one must keep in mind the contextual audience as well as the Gospel’s audience. What was the audience of the parable to learn? What was the audience of the Gospel to learn? 

In John’s Gospel, alternatively, the reader finds the seven “signs” – turning water into wine (John 2:1-11); cleansing the temple (2:12-17); healing the nobleman's son (John 4:46-54); healing a lame man (John 5:1-15); feeding the multitude (John 6:1-15); healing a blind man (John 9); and raising Lazarus (John 11) – that function to support belief in Jesus. Indeed, this is found to be in line with the purpose of the Gospel: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:30-31).

Principles for Interpreting the Gospels

1. Many of the principles discussed in previous module on narratives apply to Gospels. For example, one must consider the narrator, point of view, the characters, audience, and plot. 
2. Pay attention to the historical context of the passage under study.
3. Remember the two contextual levels – the life setting of Jesus’ day, and the life-setting of the four audiences; both are important when we examine the details of the passage.
4. Pay attention to the literary context of the passage, such as how it fits in its immediate context and how it fits in the structure of the Gospel as a whole (“vertical reading”). 
5. An added element to this that is unique to the Gospels has been called the “horizontal reading” (Fee and Stuart, 2003, pp. 135-139). Given the unique four-fold nature of the Gospels, when a passage has a parallel in another Gospel, one must consider the episodes in light of each other – what differences are there in the details, context, or positioning in the letter? This can often highlight each author’s distinct emphases. 
6. Pay attention to the chronology of each book. Each of the Gospels narrates the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. However, each Gospel does so with a slightly different arrangement and pacing of time. 

Acts

The book of Acts is a form of “theological history” (Klein et al., 2017, p. 532) that continues the story started in the Gospel of Luke (see Acts 1:1-3). It. That is, following the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, it describes the spread of the gospel (and thus the church) from Jerusalem to Samaria to “the ends of the earth” (1:8). Involved in this, crucially, is the spread of the gospel to Gentiles. The geographic and cultural spread of the church provides the framework for understanding the powerful movement of the gospel message; and these different settings establish the framework for many of the epistles of the New Testament. The geographical detail gives great insight into the historical-cultural background that may be essential for proper interpretation of the key episodes (e.g., Paul’s sermon at the Areopogus in Athens). Of paramount importance is the account of Pentecost, which describes the foretold arrival of the Spirit, who will empower the mission (2:1-4). Indeed, at Pentecost we see the turning of the ages, a turn that indicates Acts and the NT literature that follows Pentecost operates under the New Covenant rather than the Mosaic Covenant.

Principles for Interpreting Acts

1. Many of the same principles previously discussed related to interpreting narratives (character, plot, etc.) are again useful here. 
2. The issue of setting is essential for interpreting Acts since the narrative moves with the geographic spread of the gospel.
3. Pay attention to literary context. Smaller accounts should be read in reference to their immediate context and subsections, and Acts should also be read “vertically” in light of the larger narrative flow of the book.
4. Another aspect that is essential for interpreting Acts is the distinction between descriptive and prescriptive narrative. A descriptive narrative simply offers an author’s account of what happened. A prescriptive narrative, on the other hand, provides an account of what the author intends as a normative truth for his or her readers (Klein et al., 2017, p. 539).

References

Blomberg, C. (2009). Jesus and the gospels: An introduction and survey. Second edition. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic.

–. (2012). Interpreting the parables. Second edition. Downers Grove, IL: IVP.

Fee, G. & Stuart, D. (2003). How to read the bible for all its worth. Third edition. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan.

Klein, W., Blomberg, C., & Hubbard, R. (2017). Introduction to biblical interpretation: Third edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Köstenberger, A. & Patterson, R. (2011). Invitation to biblical interpretation: Exploring the hermeneutical triad of history, literature, and theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel. 

Marshall, I. (2004). New Testament theology: Many witnesses, one gospel. Downers Grove, IL: IVP.

McKnight, S. (2011). The king Jesus gospel: The original good news revisited. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.