Kerygma


Kerygma is a Greek word used in the New Testament for "proclamation". It is related to the Greek verb κηρύσσω kērússō, literally meaning "to cry or proclaim as a herald" and being used in the sense of "to proclaim, announce, preach". Amongst biblical scholars, the term has come to mean the core of the early church's oral tradition about Jesus.

Origins

"Kerygmatic" is sometimes used to express the message of Jesus' whole ministry, as "a proclamation addressed not to the theoretical reason, but to the hearer as a self"; as opposed to the didactic use of Scripture that seeks understanding in the light of what is taught. The meaning of the crucifixion is central to this concept.
In the 4th century, the kerygma will be formally published in the Nicene Creed.
During the mid-20th century, when the literary genre of the New Testament gospels was under debate, scholars like C. H. Dodd and Rudolf Bultmann suggested that the gospels were of a genre unique in the ancient world. They called the genre kerygma and described it as a later development of preaching that had taken a literary form. Scholarship since then has found problems with Bultmann's theory, but in Biblical and theological discussions, the term kerygma has come to denote the irreducible essence of Christian apostolic preaching.
The ancient Christian kerygma as summarized by Dodd from Peter's speeches in the New Testament Book of Acts was:
  1. The Age of Fulfillment has dawned, the "latter days" foretold by the prophets.
  2. This has taken place through the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
  3. By virtue of the resurrection, Jesus has been exalted at the right hand of God as Messianic head of the new Israel.
  4. The Holy Spirit in the church is the sign of Christ's present power and glory.
  5. The Messianic Age will reach its consummation in the return of Christ.
  6. An appeal is made for repentance with the offer of forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, and salvation.
In the 4th century, the kerygma will be formally published in the Nicene Creed.

New Testament

The New Testament is a collection of early Christian writings taken to be holy scripture. It includes many of the same proclamations as the oral tradition that preceded it.
  1. The promises of God made in the Old Testament have now been fulfilled with the coming of Jesus, the Messiah.
  2. Jesus was anointed by God at his baptism as Messiah.
  3. Jesus began his ministry in Galilee after his baptism.
  4. He conducted a beneficent ministry, doing good and performing mighty works by the power of God.
  5. The Messiah was crucified according to the purpose of God.
  6. He was raised from the dead and appeared to his disciples.
  7. Jesus was exalted by God and given the name "Lord".
  8. He gave the Holy Spirit to form the new community of God.
  9. He will come again for judgment and the restoration of all things.
  10. All who hear the message should repent and be baptized.