Election
to choose, to elect; Israel is set apart as God's special people
- Purpose: demonstrates the unmerited grace of God
- Does not mean that God has rejected other nations
Theology
the study of the nature of God and religious belief
- Theology is from within a particular religious tradition
- Reflections of others are theology (noun)
- Tradition as well as culture shape the faith experience
Eschatology
the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind
Resurrection
Christ's rising from the dead, early proclamations of Jesus' Resurrection rest on two pillars:
The discovery of the empty tomb
Tradition of Resurrection appearances
Salvation
deliverance from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ
Transcendence
transcendence refers to the aspect of a god's nature and power which is wholly independent of the material universe, beyond all known physical laws
Exodus
the departure of the Israelites from Egypt
Miracles
an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause
- One way God shows the Kingdom of God (Other ways include: Parables and Table Fellowship)
Covenant
Promise between God and human beings, agreement that binds two parties; each has specific responsibilities to each other
Epistle
a book of the New Testament in the form of a letter from an Apostle, think Saint Paul
Immanent
(of God) permanently being present and sustaining the universe
Kingdom of God
Jesus' ministry centered on the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, the time is fulfilled, The Kingdom of God has come near, Repent, and believe in the good news
- The Kingdom of God is not heaven
- The Kingdom of God is a concrete reality
- It is somethi
Theodicy
the vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil
Prophet
for Jews, they are the primary interpreters of the Torah, individuals who bring messages of judgement and salvation
Parable
a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels
Gospel
Good News" or "Good Announcement"
- used to describe the message of salvation through Jesus
- narrative stories about Jesus' life, ministry, and death
- also has narratives and parables (stories with a message inside)
- each Gospel writer is trying to co
Redaction
in the study of biblical literature, method of criticism of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament that examines the way the various pieces of the tradition have been assembled into the final literary composition by an author or editor
Conversion
the turning of a sinner to God ( Acts 15:3 )
Canon
rule" or "measuring stick," A group or body of related works sanctioned by an accepted authority and taken as normative for that group
Revelation
God reveals God's self directly (Fundamentalist)
God reveals God's self through human experience of the world, self, and others; the Bible is human reflection on the experience (Non-Fundamentalist) (indirect)
Exegesis
Biblical interpretation
Messiah/Christ
Jesus, the Suffering Messiah
- Jesus and the Messianic secret: Jesus is portrayed as instructing his followers to maintain silence about his messianic mission
- In Abrahamic religions, the Messiah or Messias is a saviour or liberator of a group of people
Apostle
each of the twelve chief disciples of Jesus Christ
any important early Christian teacher, especially St. Paul.
Pentecost
Related in Acts of the Apostles (written by Luke)
Ascension of Jesus: visibly terminates the activity of Jesus on earth at the end of gospel, now prepares Apostles to take over
What Jesus began is continued through the same Spirit working in the Apostles
Original Sin
Human disobedience, The "Fall"= Sin and suffering in the world are a result of disobedience, all of us are heirs to the sins of Adam
Gnosticism
a prominent heretical movement of the 2nd-century Christian Church, partly of pre-Christian origin. Gnostic doctrine taught that the world was created and ruled by a lesser divinity, the demiurge, and that Christ was an emissary of the remote supreme divi
Synoptic
Seeing Together," Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Share so much material, there must be some shared sources
Pentateuch/Torah
Law, 5 books of Moses
Different definitions of theology from the Portier article
Anselm of Canterbury: "Faith seeking understanding"
- Believing comes first
- Intellectual Activity
- "Lifting human thinking to the thinking of God"
Thomas Aquinas: Sacred Doctrine
- Revelation is starting point, is not discounted
- "Science of Faith"
Jo
Two sources of Revelation and how is Revelation transmitted?
Tradition and Scripture
Transmitted by: Oral and written teachings from theologians, New + Old Testament, Example, Observances, writing down messages of salvation
What does the Documentary Hypothesis explain? Before the Documentary Hypothesis, who was thought to have written the Torah?
Explains who wrote (sources) and composed the first five books; Moses.
Yahwist (J) (God immanently involved), Elohist (E), Deuteronomist (D), Priestly (P) (transcendent)
- Shows why we see discrepancies
Which source is in the creation story?
First creation story: Priestly (P)
Second creation story: Yahwist (J)
What are the three stages of Gospel formation?
Actions of Jesus
Apostles' teachings
Written Gospels
What do the creation stories say about the nature of God and the relationship of human beings to creation?
Book 1: humans are distinct from other creatures, but similar
God's transcendent
Babylonian Creation Story:
- Only one God in the Hebrew story
- No theogony in Hebrew
- Helps us understand the theological differences
Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and Protestant Bible: Their roles
Hebrew Bible:
- Thought to mainly interpret the Torah
- Amos was calling everyone back to the Torah, says God is going to punish them if they don't change
- Prophets came after the Torah
Protestant Bible:
- Prophets came at the end
- Predicted coming of J
3 Main Divisions of the Hebrew Bible. What books make up the Torah?
The three are:
- Torah
- Prophets
- Writings
Books that make up the Torah:
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
What are the primary narratives of Israel? In other words, what are the important themes?
Two main themes: Election and Covenant
Primary Narratives of Israel:
- Election
- Covenant
- Exodus
Covenant Relationships with God
Noahic Covenant:
- God will not destroy the world again
- God makes a covenant with Noah after the Flood in Genesis 9: 8-17
- Applies to all humanity (Noah's descendants) and all living creatures (not just with Israelites)
Abrahamic Covenant:
- God promis
Long Essay
- Kingdom of God is not heaven
- Talking about concrete reality
- God is coming into the world, broke into it
- Isn't complete
- Requires some complete change in world view
- Salvation
- The "Kingdom of God" is symbolic
- It is a symbol
- Parables
How doe
Know how the infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke demonstrate their main themes, know how each one starts (i.e. why does Matthew have a genealogy) and why
- Beginning had the birth of Jesus in Matthew, Luke has the birth of John
- Matthew had the killing of Infants, Luke did not have it
- Mary visited in Luke, and they didn't talk about it in Matthew
- Both had the same kings (Herod)
- Both had announcement
In order to do good interpretation, one must keep in mind the three different angles of the text:
The world behind the text (author centered)
The world within the text (text centered)
The world before the text (reader centered)
Amos
Farmer/herder from the southern kingdom of Judah (not a "professional" prophet or part of prophetic guild
- Amos was calling everyone back to the Torah, says God is going to punish them if they don't change
What is the relationship between the Old and New Testaments?
It is valuable for Christians to read the Old Testament; the Old Testament gives context for the New Testament and the NT fully explains the OT
- New Testament does not abolish the OT
or succeed
- NT= "New Covenant"
- OT= "Old Covenant
What does "gospel" mean? What are the gospels? What are they not? For example, are they eye-witness accounts?
- Gospels= "Good News" or "good announcement"
- used to describe the message of salvation through Jesus
- Narrative stories about Jesus' life, ministry, and death
- Each Gospel writer is trying to convey a particular image of Jesus
- Matthew, Mark (earlie
The Synoptic Gospels
- Synoptic= "seeing together" (syn=together) (optics=seeing)
- Matthew, Mark, and Luke
- Share so much material, there must be some shared sources
Theory: Q- "Q" stands for Quelle (German word for source)
-Matthew's own special material
- Luke's own speci
Mark (65-70 CE)
- Shortest; very abrupt style
- Originally was a preaching, so no frills in language; action centered
- Luke and Matthew improve on the style
- Mark's Jesus: "The Suffering Messiah"
- Written in a time of conflict
- Also a story of conflict
- Jesus has to
Mark's Jesus
The Suffering Messiah"
- written in a time of conflict
- also a story of conflict
- Jesus has to suffer and die in order to demonstrate power over death through Resurrection
Matthew (80-85 CE)
-Context: struggle for leadership and direction in early Christian community; serious debate over which laws and traditions should govern Israel
Matthew's Jesus: "The New Moses"
- Emphasis on Jesus' Jewish origin and identity
- Jesus as fulfillment of bib
Matthew's Jesus
The New Moses"
- Emphasis on Jesus' Jewish origin and identity
- Jesus as fulfillment of biblical prophecies
- Strong emphasis on interpretation
- Jesus is the new Moses predicted in O.T.
Luke (80-85 CE)
- Luke also wrote The Acts of the Apostles
- Mixed Christian/Gentile audience
- Luke's Jesus: "The Universal Savior"
- Emphasized that the Gospel was also meant for Gentiles
Luke's Jesus
The Universal Savior"
- Emphasized that the Gospel was also meant for Gentiles
John (90 CE)
- Last written of the four Gospels
- Not much similar material
- John's Jesus: "The Divine Mystery"
- Emphasizes Jesus' divinity
- Jesus rose from the dead (resurrection)
- Rose Lazarus from the dead
- Very Gnostic in NATURE
John's Jesus
The Divine Mystery"
- Emphasizes Jesus' divinity
- Jesus rose from the dead (Resurrection)
- Rose Lazarus from the dead
- Very Gnostic in NATURE
Who killed Jesus? Why? What does it mean to say Jesus had to die? What is the significance of the Resurrection?
- Jesus is arrested and brought to trial in front of the Sanhedrin a formal assembly of chief priests, elders, and scribes), then handed over to the Romans to be killed
- Who killed Jesus? Both Roman and Jewish authorities were involved
- Jesus' death is
Paul and The Epistles
Letters of Paul were the earliest texts in the New Testament
Addressed to individual communities that Paul founded or had a connection to
- Paul wrote many more letters than we have and communities wrote back
- Paul used letters to stay in touch with comm
Parts of the Epistle
1. The name of the writer
2. The name of the recipient
3. ...
4. ...
5. ...
How to read an Epistle: Galatians
Author: Paul an Apostle- sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead- and all the members of God's family who are with me... (Gal 1: 1-2)
- Paul assumes authority a
What does Augustine observe about the sins of his youth? What two main sins did he articulates in Book II?
- All of us are heirs to the sins of Adam
- First sin: lust, misdirected love
- Second sin: theft, love of wrongdoing or misdirected love of self
As a follower of Manicheism, what did Augustine believe about evil? What did he come to realize about evil from the Neo/Platonists?
Manicheism: Founded by the Persian Mani, synthesis of several religious systems, emphasis on dualism of light and dark, a struggle between the good spiritual...
- Manichaeism is a form of Gnosticism, which was a major competitor for the early Christian Ch
Augustine desires to follow God, but what is holding him back?
He cannot break free of his old habits, which take pleasure in lust and material things
Election
to choose, to elect; Israel is set apart as God's special people
- Purpose: demonstrates the unmerited grace of God
- Does not mean that God has rejected other nations
Theology
the study of the nature of God and religious belief
- Theology is from within a particular religious tradition
- Reflections of others are theology (noun)
- Tradition as well as culture shape the faith experience
Eschatology
the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind
Resurrection
Christ's rising from the dead, early proclamations of Jesus' Resurrection rest on two pillars:
The discovery of the empty tomb
Tradition of Resurrection appearances
Salvation
deliverance from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ
Transcendence
transcendence refers to the aspect of a god's nature and power which is wholly independent of the material universe, beyond all known physical laws
Exodus
the departure of the Israelites from Egypt
Miracles
an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause
- One way God shows the Kingdom of God (Other ways include: Parables and Table Fellowship)
Covenant
Promise between God and human beings, agreement that binds two parties; each has specific responsibilities to each other
Epistle
a book of the New Testament in the form of a letter from an Apostle, think Saint Paul
Immanent
(of God) permanently being present and sustaining the universe
Kingdom of God
Jesus' ministry centered on the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, the time is fulfilled, The Kingdom of God has come near, Repent, and believe in the good news
- The Kingdom of God is not heaven
- The Kingdom of God is a concrete reality
- It is somethi
Theodicy
the vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil
Prophet
for Jews, they are the primary interpreters of the Torah, individuals who bring messages of judgement and salvation
Parable
a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels
Gospel
Good News" or "Good Announcement"
- used to describe the message of salvation through Jesus
- narrative stories about Jesus' life, ministry, and death
- also has narratives and parables (stories with a message inside)
- each Gospel writer is trying to co
Redaction
in the study of biblical literature, method of criticism of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament that examines the way the various pieces of the tradition have been assembled into the final literary composition by an author or editor
Conversion
the turning of a sinner to God ( Acts 15:3 )
Canon
rule" or "measuring stick," A group or body of related works sanctioned by an accepted authority and taken as normative for that group
Revelation
God reveals God's self directly (Fundamentalist)
God reveals God's self through human experience of the world, self, and others; the Bible is human reflection on the experience (Non-Fundamentalist) (indirect)
Exegesis
Biblical interpretation
Messiah/Christ
Jesus, the Suffering Messiah
- Jesus and the Messianic secret: Jesus is portrayed as instructing his followers to maintain silence about his messianic mission
- In Abrahamic religions, the Messiah or Messias is a saviour or liberator of a group of people
Apostle
each of the twelve chief disciples of Jesus Christ
any important early Christian teacher, especially St. Paul.
Pentecost
Related in Acts of the Apostles (written by Luke)
Ascension of Jesus: visibly terminates the activity of Jesus on earth at the end of gospel, now prepares Apostles to take over
What Jesus began is continued through the same Spirit working in the Apostles
Original Sin
Human disobedience, The "Fall"= Sin and suffering in the world are a result of disobedience, all of us are heirs to the sins of Adam
Gnosticism
a prominent heretical movement of the 2nd-century Christian Church, partly of pre-Christian origin. Gnostic doctrine taught that the world was created and ruled by a lesser divinity, the demiurge, and that Christ was an emissary of the remote supreme divi
Synoptic
Seeing Together," Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Share so much material, there must be some shared sources
Pentateuch/Torah
Law, 5 books of Moses
Different definitions of theology from the Portier article
Anselm of Canterbury: "Faith seeking understanding"
- Believing comes first
- Intellectual Activity
- "Lifting human thinking to the thinking of God"
Thomas Aquinas: Sacred Doctrine
- Revelation is starting point, is not discounted
- "Science of Faith"
Jo
Two sources of Revelation and how is Revelation transmitted?
Tradition and Scripture
Transmitted by: Oral and written teachings from theologians, New + Old Testament, Example, Observances, writing down messages of salvation
What does the Documentary Hypothesis explain? Before the Documentary Hypothesis, who was thought to have written the Torah?
Explains who wrote (sources) and composed the first five books; Moses.
Yahwist (J) (God immanently involved), Elohist (E), Deuteronomist (D), Priestly (P) (transcendent)
- Shows why we see discrepancies
Which source is in the creation story?
First creation story: Priestly (P)
Second creation story: Yahwist (J)
What are the three stages of Gospel formation?
Actions of Jesus
Apostles' teachings
Written Gospels
What do the creation stories say about the nature of God and the relationship of human beings to creation?
Book 1: humans are distinct from other creatures, but similar
God's transcendent
Babylonian Creation Story:
- Only one God in the Hebrew story
- No theogony in Hebrew
- Helps us understand the theological differences
Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and Protestant Bible: Their roles
Hebrew Bible:
- Thought to mainly interpret the Torah
- Amos was calling everyone back to the Torah, says God is going to punish them if they don't change
- Prophets came after the Torah
Protestant Bible:
- Prophets came at the end
- Predicted coming of J
3 Main Divisions of the Hebrew Bible. What books make up the Torah?
The three are:
- Torah
- Prophets
- Writings
Books that make up the Torah:
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
What are the primary narratives of Israel? In other words, what are the important themes?
Two main themes: Election and Covenant
Primary Narratives of Israel:
- Election
- Covenant
- Exodus
Covenant Relationships with God
Noahic Covenant:
- God will not destroy the world again
- God makes a covenant with Noah after the Flood in Genesis 9: 8-17
- Applies to all humanity (Noah's descendants) and all living creatures (not just with Israelites)
Abrahamic Covenant:
- God promis
Long Essay
- Kingdom of God is not heaven
- Talking about concrete reality
- God is coming into the world, broke into it
- Isn't complete
- Requires some complete change in world view
- Salvation
- The "Kingdom of God" is symbolic
- It is a symbol
- Parables
How doe
Know how the infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke demonstrate their main themes, know how each one starts (i.e. why does Matthew have a genealogy) and why
- Beginning had the birth of Jesus in Matthew, Luke has the birth of John
- Matthew had the killing of Infants, Luke did not have it
- Mary visited in Luke, and they didn't talk about it in Matthew
- Both had the same kings (Herod)
- Both had announcement
In order to do good interpretation, one must keep in mind the three different angles of the text:
The world behind the text (author centered)
The world within the text (text centered)
The world before the text (reader centered)
Amos
Farmer/herder from the southern kingdom of Judah (not a "professional" prophet or part of prophetic guild
- Amos was calling everyone back to the Torah, says God is going to punish them if they don't change
What is the relationship between the Old and New Testaments?
It is valuable for Christians to read the Old Testament; the Old Testament gives context for the New Testament and the NT fully explains the OT
- New Testament does not abolish the OT
or succeed
- NT= "New Covenant"
- OT= "Old Covenant
What does "gospel" mean? What are the gospels? What are they not? For example, are they eye-witness accounts?
- Gospels= "Good News" or "good announcement"
- used to describe the message of salvation through Jesus
- Narrative stories about Jesus' life, ministry, and death
- Each Gospel writer is trying to convey a particular image of Jesus
- Matthew, Mark (earlie
The Synoptic Gospels
- Synoptic= "seeing together" (syn=together) (optics=seeing)
- Matthew, Mark, and Luke
- Share so much material, there must be some shared sources
Theory: Q- "Q" stands for Quelle (German word for source)
-Matthew's own special material
- Luke's own speci
Mark (65-70 CE)
- Shortest; very abrupt style
- Originally was a preaching, so no frills in language; action centered
- Luke and Matthew improve on the style
- Mark's Jesus: "The Suffering Messiah"
- Written in a time of conflict
- Also a story of conflict
- Jesus has to
Mark's Jesus
The Suffering Messiah"
- written in a time of conflict
- also a story of conflict
- Jesus has to suffer and die in order to demonstrate power over death through Resurrection
Matthew (80-85 CE)
-Context: struggle for leadership and direction in early Christian community; serious debate over which laws and traditions should govern Israel
Matthew's Jesus: "The New Moses"
- Emphasis on Jesus' Jewish origin and identity
- Jesus as fulfillment of bib
Matthew's Jesus
The New Moses"
- Emphasis on Jesus' Jewish origin and identity
- Jesus as fulfillment of biblical prophecies
- Strong emphasis on interpretation
- Jesus is the new Moses predicted in O.T.
Luke (80-85 CE)
- Luke also wrote The Acts of the Apostles
- Mixed Christian/Gentile audience
- Luke's Jesus: "The Universal Savior"
- Emphasized that the Gospel was also meant for Gentiles
Luke's Jesus
The Universal Savior"
- Emphasized that the Gospel was also meant for Gentiles
John (90 CE)
- Last written of the four Gospels
- Not much similar material
- John's Jesus: "The Divine Mystery"
- Emphasizes Jesus' divinity
- Jesus rose from the dead (resurrection)
- Rose Lazarus from the dead
- Very Gnostic in NATURE
John's Jesus
The Divine Mystery"
- Emphasizes Jesus' divinity
- Jesus rose from the dead (Resurrection)
- Rose Lazarus from the dead
- Very Gnostic in NATURE
Who killed Jesus? Why? What does it mean to say Jesus had to die? What is the significance of the Resurrection?
- Jesus is arrested and brought to trial in front of the Sanhedrin a formal assembly of chief priests, elders, and scribes), then handed over to the Romans to be killed
- Who killed Jesus? Both Roman and Jewish authorities were involved
- Jesus' death is
Paul and The Epistles
Letters of Paul were the earliest texts in the New Testament
Addressed to individual communities that Paul founded or had a connection to
- Paul wrote many more letters than we have and communities wrote back
- Paul used letters to stay in touch with comm
Parts of the Epistle
1. The name of the writer
2. The name of the recipient
3. ...
4. ...
5. ...
How to read an Epistle: Galatians
Author: Paul an Apostle- sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead- and all the members of God's family who are with me... (Gal 1: 1-2)
- Paul assumes authority a
What does Augustine observe about the sins of his youth? What two main sins did he articulates in Book II?
- All of us are heirs to the sins of Adam
- First sin: lust, misdirected love
- Second sin: theft, love of wrongdoing or misdirected love of self
As a follower of Manicheism, what did Augustine believe about evil? What did he come to realize about evil from the Neo/Platonists?
Manicheism: Founded by the Persian Mani, synthesis of several religious systems, emphasis on dualism of light and dark, a struggle between the good spiritual...
- Manichaeism is a form of Gnosticism, which was a major competitor for the early Christian Ch
Augustine desires to follow God, but what is holding him back?
He cannot break free of his old habits, which take pleasure in lust and material things