FERDINAND S.

ABING

June 18, 2016

TH203

2nd Assignment
CHAPTER 2 Redaction Criticism

1. What is the most important achievement of Redaction Criticism?

Redaction Criticism goes beyond the limits of Form Criticism. The scholars corrected
and completed the seemingly neglecting the scholarly work of the evangelists or the Gospel
writers thus lessening them into merely collectors and transmitters of pre-literary forms and not
writers of the Gospel.
2. How did the Redaction Criticism treat the evangelists as compared to the Form Criticism?
While Form Criticism sees the Gospel writers as merely transmitters and compilers of
oral traditions putting them together as literary units, Redaction Criticism on the other hand sees
the Gospel writers to be both a true writers and theologians. Thus, the evangelists for Redaction
Criticism were not merely collectors but the writers of those literary units that comprise the
Gospels.
3. How did the evangelists-redactors interpret and explain the words and deeds of Jesus?
The evangelists-redactors did not just give and explain the words and/or deeds of Jesus
by way of commenting on what they have heard and seen on and about Jesus but it is a direct
inclusion of himself in the said event in the life of Jesus. For example, on the teachings of
Jesus, the redactors interpreted it as it flows from the very mouth of the Great Teacher Jesus
Christ; what comes out from the mouth of the teacher is what transpires in the redactors notes.
4. The work of redaction is expressed itself in the structure of the entire work or in a particular
literary form.
4.1) Illustrate how Matthew structured and divided his Gospel to give his own unique literary
form.
Matthew divided his Gospel into lengthy speeches of Jesus Christ then He will move to
another place and start with another lengthy speeches then move to another place and so on
and so forth.

4.2) Illustrate how Luke highlighted Jerusalem as the hinge between his Gospel and the
Acts.
For Luke, Jerusalem became the central point of Gods saving mission for humanity. As
God sent Jesus for the salvation of humanity, He journeyed from Galilee through Samaria then
end in Jerusalem where He died, resurrected, and ascended back to heaven, thus completed
His mission of saving the lost humanity. Jerusalem then became the starting point of reaching
out the lost world by God sending the Holy Spirit to the disciples who are waiting in Jerusalem
which to be disperse from there through Samaria then to the ends of the earth.
Jerusalem then became the point of Arrival for the saving mission of Jesus as pointed in
the Gospel of Luke and the point of departure for the mission of the disciples turned to be
apostles as recorded in the Book of Acts.
5. What are the two ways in which exegetical research can uncover the editorial work of the
evangelists? (Illustrate them through an example.)
The two ways of uncovering the editorial work of the evangelist through exegetical
research are:
a. Comparing the same incidents or words found in the Synoptics. Example is the
description on the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river where in the Gospel of Matthew, the
evangelist- redactor made a special mention on the conversation of John the Baptist to Jesus
where the former tried to dissuade the latter in submitting himself to water baptism.
b. Examine the words, style, and composition of the said addition and determine whether
it has something peculiar to the evangelist. The word righteousness for example is a favourite
topic for Matthew hence this addition is an editorial work of the evangelist-redactor.
6. What can one get by uncovering the motives of the evangelists according to Biblical
scholars?
By uncovering the motives we get to know the theology of the evangelist-redactor. The
statement of John the Baptist which then added by Matthew in His Gospel during the baptism of
Jesus shows Jesus superiority over John and the reply from the Great Teacher signifies the
need to fulfil what Gods will is. Hence we learn that Matthew is very particular when it comes to
following and/or obeying the will of God.

7. What motives influenced Matthew to include the dialogue of John the Baptist with Jesus in
his description of the baptism in the Jordan? Explain thoroughly.
Matthew introduces Jesus as the promised Messiah, the deliverer of the Jews and this
premise prompted the evangelist-redactor to answer the seemingly profound irony on that day
when the promised Messiah would submit Himself into water baptism. Why would the Messiah
submit Himself into a person named John the Baptist? Is John superior to Jesus, for even the
Pharisees and teachers of the law came to John to be baptized on that same day? From the
very mouth of John the Baptist, the evangelist-redactor made it very clear that Jesus is never
inferior to John or to anyone else for that matter. Johns statement, it is I who need to be
baptized by you must have call the attention of the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law who
were also there to be baptize by John though perhaps out of hypocrisy that this Jesus is
superior than him and that Jesus is superior to everyone present on that occasion.
8. Why was Luke silent about the person of John the Baptist in his description of Jesus
baptism?
Luke believed that John the Baptist still belongs to the Old Testament. And now God is
unveiling a new covenant between God and man through the perfect man Jesus Christ and His
baptism by John signals the start of His earthly ministry. Giving focus to John the Baptist who
belonged to the Old Testament during the inauguration of Jesus earthly ministry would
somehow deviate the attention of the people from the new covenant that God wanted to
introduce in the person of Jesus Christ.
9. What did the Redaction Criticism method has proven concerning the evangelists after its
research into Gospels?
According to the method of redaction criticism, it has now proven that the evangelistsredactors were not simply compilers but authentic writers and theologians. They do not just
record an event; they interpreted it in its truest sense.