Pre-Pauline Creeds
Critically accepted Pre-Pauline creeds about Jesus with high christology are embedded in the Biblical text from 30 AD to 55 AD, admitted by the liberal Rudolph Bultmann. (Pre-Pauline means before Paul put them to writing).
The following creeds date to the AD 30's. The agnostic New Testament textual scholar Bart Ehrman says that these creeds may all come from Jerusalem. He also said that every creed Paul quoted may have been in existence before he took his walk to Damascus. Ehrman says virtually no critical theologian today doubts that this material was in circulation in the 30's, and that Paul knew about it. The critics allow that the sources for these creeds are the apostles. Ehrman says that probably many of these creeds that Paul got that were in existence before he was on the way to Damascus probably came from Peter and James, whom Paul met at plus 5 years after the crucifixion.
The earliest emphasized teaching of the apostles is Jesus' deity, death, his resurrection, and the importance of receiving him.
Early Creedal Formulas:
Luke 24:34: “saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
Romans 1:3-4: “ Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:”
Romans 4:25: “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”
Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
(Bultmann said 10:9 is a baptismal creed. A confession that believers make).
1Corinthians 8:6: “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”
Philippians 2:6. “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:”
(The Greek term for “form” is morphe, which means nature. Christ is the nature of God).
1Corinthians 11:23: “ For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:”
(The non-conservative German New Testament scholar Ulrich Wilkens believed that this creed goes back to Jesus himself).
1Corinthians 15:3-5: “ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:”
(Earliest list of resurrection appearances. Six appearances, and three are to groups. The New Testament scholar James Dunn says that this creed was probably in existence months after the crucifixion. The non-Christian Jewish scholar Pinches Lapide thinks that this text is the strongest evidence for the resurrection. He gives about nine evidences that this is a very early report from possibly a year after the crucifixion.—see "The Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective.” Lapide said that this creed is so strong, it may be used as evidence of eye-witnesses. Lapide admits he is Jewish, but he believes Jesus was raised from the dead. The German critical and non-conservative historian Hans von Campenhausen said 1Cor. 15:3 and following gives you everything you can possibly ask for from an ancient historical text.-Habermas lecture at Purdue). The agnostic biblical scholar Howard Clark Kee said that the material of 1Cor. 15:3-7 is so early and historical, you can take it into a court of law and get a positive verdict.—see “What Can We Know About Jesus”. The following New Testament scholars argue that the material of 1Cor. 15:3-7 goes back to 30 AD: Larry Hurtado, Richard Bauckham, James Dunn—Habermas lecture at Purdue). Dunn said that this material had to be credalized within six months of the crucifixion.-ibid. These same scholars also said that the earliest teaching about Jesus was deity and resurrection -ibid. Baucham says that the consensus of scholars today is that this material dates to 35 AD.-ibid. This is very early information).
Book of Acts sermon summaries are not the same as the creeds, but they're put in the same category. The agnostic New Testament textual scholar Bart Ehrman dates many of these sermons to 1 to 2 years after Jesus' crucifixion: Acts 2:22-26. Acts 3:13-15. Acts 10:39-43. C.H. Dodd says that one of the things that make these sermons early is the Aramaic wording. Dodd says Acts 10 is the clearest one with an Aramaic root. See also Acts 13:28-31.