Date of Award
5-1955
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Seminary
Abstract
The Jew of every age has anxiously awaited the coming of his promised Messiah. The Jews just previous to the birth of Jesus Christ were no exception. Although they had a well-organized system of religion they still lacked one thing -- their Messiah. He came and with Him came an immense change in the whole system of worship. Many of the previous institutions, ordinances, and rituals were omitted, others were changed and invested with new meaning, as Christ through the apostles set up the new Christian form of worship and organization. Certain of these institutions which became part of the early New Testament Church were selected as the object of this study.
Certain New Testament institutions were chosen which have a counterpart or some relationship to other earlier Jewish institutions. The problem was to discover to what extent these earlier Jewish institutions have influenced both the formation and the meaning of the later Apostolic institutions.
The following objectives guided the study:
1. To discover if there was any vital connection between the institutions of the Old and New Testaments which are usually associated, and if so, how much.
2. To determine the influence of the Jewish institutions upon the New Testament institutions in the following areas: a) How the earlier institutions influenced the choice of the later institutions, b) To what extent the earlier institutions influenced the meaning of the later ones, c) How much resemblance there is in the forms between the old and the new, and d) If there were any similarities in the personal qualifications necessary for the participating individuals.
Recommended Citation
Reinhardt, Herbert F., "A Study of the Extent of the Influence of Selected Jewish Institutions upon the Apostolic Church of the First Century" (1955). Western Evangelical Seminary Theses. 36.
https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/wes_theses/36