Alex Kollar

October 15, 2015

Midterm Essays

1) Identify the Jewish features of the Gospel of Matthew.

To start out, according to Gundry, Matthew portrays Jesus as the new

and improved Moses. This resonated with the Jewish audience.
Matthew emphasizes the fact that Jesus taught from a top of a
mountain, just like Moses did. He even goes as far as to ad five
discourses, referencing the Pentateuch. Matthew also favors groupings
of threes and sevens, signs that his Jewish readers would recognize
easily.

2) Identify and evaluate the suggested purposes of Marks

writing.

There are many different theories as to why Mark was written. Some
think the book was written for catechetical instruction but since there
is not much written about Jesus teachings, it doesnt seem likely.
Others think it was intended for liturgical use. However, this Gospel
does not have a smooth or refined style of writing so again, it seems
unlikely. Some scholars think that Mark intended to cover up a failing
or soften political offensiveness. However, it seems that the most
likely reason that Mark wrote his Gospel to counteract the shame of
Jesus death on the cross. He emphasizes Jesus power and miracles to
show that He was indeed a mighty God. The book was designed to
convert non-believes, despite the shameful way Jesus died.