New Testament World Reflection Questions

Due Date Question of the Week
9-2 Based especially on Jeffers' Appendix A, what historical moment, movement or figure from the Roman empire do you think might have left the greatest mark on the Jewish world of Jesus? Why? There is no "correct" answer here, but be prepared to explain your thinking to others.
9-14 Steve Mason contends that Christians have "grotesquely distorted" Josephus' account of the Jewish War (p.20) by using it to argue that "the Jews had become God's enemies by rejecting Christ and persecuting his followers" (19). Read Luke 19:41-44 and 21:20-24. Are you inclined to link the crucifixion of Jesus in, say, 30 C.E. and the destruction of Jerusalem 40 years later? Why or why not? Was God using Rome to punish Israel for rejecting Jesus? Is God finished with the Jewish people as a nation?
9-28 Compare and contrast Genesis 22:1-19 with Josephus "rewritten" account in Antiquities I.222-236. Observe the way he supplements and interprets the Biblical account. What stands out to you? What are the more significant differences between the two? Given what you know about Josephus' agenda, can you explain any of his more notable changes?
10-7 The "quest for the Historical Pilate" must integrate evidence from two main sources: the Gospels and Josephus. Are these sources compatible? What are the chief points of overlap, and how are the various portrayals different? Using at least two Gospels and the Pilate references in Josephus (War 2.169-177 and Antiquites 18.55-64, 85-89), discuss the figure of Pilate and the nature of his involvement in Jesus' crucifixion. Helpful in your reflection will by Mason 166-180 and, perhaps, Fisk's essay on Mel Gibson's film.
10-28 Compose an expanded outline of Josephus' anti-suicide speech (War III.355-382; Penguin edition, pp.217-219). Then distinguish those elements that seem to you to be particularly Jewish from those that seem more Roman. Why wasn't the speech persuasive, in your view? If you get inspired, you might compare Eleazar's pro-suicide speech in War VIII.320-388 (Penguin ed., pp. 398-403)