• The Bible Passages on the Pre-existence of Jesus

• Christophanies (Old Testament appearances of Jesus)

• Messianic Prophecies – about 330 in Old Testament

• New Testament Uses of the Messianic Passages

• Titles of Jesus

• His Role in Creation

• Messianic expectations 4 BC and other first century "Christs"

• Cultic theories

• Jehovah’s Witnesses – "Jesus was an Angel"

• LDS – "We all pre-existed"

• Jesus Seminar – Jesus, as "one sided man", which side today?

• Well's - Jesus Never Existed at all

• Muslim - God has no son

• Christian position

• Two natures, one Divine Person

• Second Person of the Trinity

• Is the doctrine of the Trinity Rational?

• Genealogies of Jesus

  • Old Testament genealogies – Jesus at end

  • His hereditary right to be King of Israel

• Biography of Mary His mother

• Biography of Joseph His step-father

• Role of the Holy Spirit

• Role of Mary (Theotokos)

• Mother of God?

• Ever-virgin?

• Role of Joseph/paternity claims

• Roles of other relatives/John the Baptist

• Jewish claims

• Historical Records of the Life of Jesus

• Gospels 3 + 1

• Comparable historical people – contemporary records

• Josephus

• Tacitus

• Early Church Writers

• Roman Census information

• Christmas and Dec 25^th

• Naming of Jesus

• Humble beginnings

• Betrothal v. marriage

• Visitors

• Wise Men

• Shepherds

• Little Drummer Boy? Other cultural urban legends

• Death of the Sons/Herod

• About Bethlehem

• Circumcision/dedication of Jesus

• Resources: Raymond E. Brown, "The Birth of the Messiah"

• Flight to Egypt (Moses parallels)

• Life in Nazareth

• Visit to Jerusalem at 12 – self-perception

• Pre-ministry

• Did Jesus visit Britain, India, North America?

• Was Jesus Married?

• Temptation by Satan

• Wedding at Canaan

• Way paving ministry of John the Baptist

• Half-Brothers and Half-sisters of Jesus (Perpetual Virginity of Mary?)

• Age at calling about 30 years

• Adoptionism rejected

• Baptism of Jesus

• Role of John the Baptist

• Role of God the Father

• Names/Titles of Jesus during His lifetime

• Geography of Israel and the life of Jesus

• Roman Rulership worldwide

• Hostile territories

• Friendly territories

• Status of Galileans

• Parties at the time

• Saducees

• Pharisees

• Levites

• Scribes

• Lawyers

• Romans

• Other Gentiles

• Others

• Christians as a new party?

• The Apostles

• Callings of the Apostles

• Relatives, prior relationships?

• Previous vocations of Apostles

• Fishermen, tax collectors, publicans

• Seventy others also

• On the job training

• Commissioning

• Paul - a special case

• The harvest metaphore

• We could not heal this one

• Down to twelve then zero at the end

• Cost of discipleship

• Role of women

• Three Year Chart

• Jesus as Wisdom, Servant, Prophet, Priest and King

• Ministry to Women

• Ministry to Children

• Ministry to Gentiles

• Faith of Gentiles

• Healing of Gentiles

• Preaching to Gentiles

• OT relationship to Gentiles

• Overlapping Ministry of John the Baptist

• Claims of Jesus about Himself

• Testimony of God the Father and The Holy Spirit

• Testimonies of other people

• Teachings of Jesus

• Worldview of Jesus

• Authoritative teaching style

• Claims of Jesus about God

• Claims of Jesus about others

• Public/private distinction

• Themes of teachings

• Forgiveness

• Brotherhood of man

• Marriage/divorce

• Church Discipline

• Parables of Jesus

• Purpose of using parables

• Categories of parables

• Hard Words of Jesus

• Christianity as the New Law?

• Moses / Jesus parallels in ministry

• Questions by scribes, Pharisees, and Saducees

• Relationship of Jesus to OT Law

• Corn eating by Apostles

• Healings on the Sabbath

• The ten commandments affirmed or repealed?

• Teachings of Jesus on the Holy Spirit

• Important textual variants

• Ending of Mark

• Woman caught in adultery – John 8

• Preaching of Jesus

  • A Theology of Choice

  • Expectation of faith

• Healings by Jesus (picture)

• Categories of healings

• Sickness vs Suffering

• Raising the dead as special case of healing (picture)

• Faith based

• Sovereign Grace based

• Relationship to the atonement

• Casting out of demons

• Forgiveness of sins

• Misc Miracles

• Curse of the tree

• Stilling the wind

• Feeding of 4000 or 5000?

• Walking on the water

• Relationship of Jesus and the Temple

• Cleansing of the temple

• Temple as His Body, His Body as Temple

• Temple taxes and Jesus

• Spiritual Disciplines of Jesus

• Prayer life

• Fasting

• Money for the poor

• Transfiguration

• Lord’s Supper and Baptism ordinances to church  (Picture)

• Reactions of other people

• Family members

• Triumphal Entry

• Lord’s Supper commemorative event?

• Plots to kill Jesus

• Previous attempts to kill Jesus

• His own death was forseen by Jesus – response of Apostles

• Betrayal

• Pre-ordained

• Arrest

• Denial by closest friends

• Crucifixion

• Trials

• The prosecution’s case

• His defense

• False witnesses

• Barabbas and substitutionary death

• Road to the cross

• At the cross

• Two thieves

• Soldiers, standersby, relatives

• Mary, Mary, Mary?

• Giving of His mother to John

• Last Words

  • My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?

• The Passover and the Lamb of God

• Resource: AT Robertson, "Harmony of the Gospels"

• Burial

• Between cross and resurrection

• Descended into Hell v. "today you will be with Me in Paradise"

• Appearances of Jesus

• Reconciling the disparate Gospel accounts of the resurrection

  • Parallel Accounts of the resurrection

  • Gospel in a nutshell - Paul's independent testimony recorded

• Nature of the resurrection body of Jesus (Luke 24:39)

• Don’t touch me

• Relationship to resurrection of believers

  • Exposition of 1 Cor 15

• Resources: John Wenham, "The Easter Enigma". Norman Geisler, "In Defense of the Resurrection".

• Warnings about the present age from Jesus

• Persecution

• Divisions

• False teachers

• False prophets

• Right Hand of God

• Clouds of Heaven

• Ancient of Days

• Genre of apocalyptic materials

• Destruction of Temple/Destruction of Jerusalem

• How early Christians understood this subject

• Problem passages

• "This generation"

• The Great Tribulation/Jacob’s Trouble

• Second Coming

• Rapture theories

• Millennial theories

• Annotated Bibliography

• Links

• Lyrics to Jesus Music

• Structure of Group

• Notebook Cover Sheet for Study

Copyright 2000-2001 - Douglas Gilliland
Last Updated 10/06/03