Day Fourteen: The Bible and the Formation of the Gospels, Part Six

Several years ago I was sponsoring a student of mine for RCIA at a local parish in Memphis. The pastor of that parish played a huge role in that process. I suppose as the Vicar General of the diocese he was about as close to the Bishop as one could be, so it made sense for him to be as hands-on as possible in the teaching of catechumens and candidates. He was hilarious! Many of the folks there were converting from a more evangelical or Baptist community, that is, they were more used to a Scripture-centered tradition. The pastor was explaining the origin of the Gospel as being rooted in Sacred Tradition. I could tell some of the folks there were a bit concerned about this teaching. The pastor could read the consternation and stopped the lesson for a moment. “What do you think happened? Where do you think the Bible came from? Jesus didn’t just throw a copy of the New Testament at His disciples as He ascended to Heaven….” He had a gift for lifting the tension and reason.

Mary Immaculate Refuge of Sinners Catholic Church in Dublin, Ireland. Originally it was the Bishop who instructed catechumens and candidates in doctrine, but as the Church grew, the local parish became the place for catechesis and encounter. (photo P. Smith)

When I teach this to my students I want to give them some technical terms and concepts and little bit of the history to the first seventy years after Jesus. For my students, just having a bit of a timeline helps a lot. There are three main stages in the Formation of the Gospel: Historical Jesus, Oral Tradition, and the actual writing of the New Testament books. I give them the following notes, again, using a timeline to organize these thoughts. Ultimately, I want my students to understand that there was a process by which the New Testament developed, and, perhaps more importantly, that there was something strange happening that seemed to be guiding the development of the New Testament.  I will reveal to them later that it was the Holy Spirit guiding the Tradition of the Church early on and throughout time.

• Historical Jesus (4/6 BC-AD 30/33) Jesus life and ministry.
• Oral Tradition (AD 30/33-50) Stories spread the Good News about Jesus orally.
• Kerygma: Excited to share the news!
• Didache: Start to study the message more!
• Liturgy: Begin living the message!
• Diakonia: Teach others the message!
• The New Testament Writings (AD 50-120?)
• The actual writing down of the 27 books of the New Testament.