1C: The Bible As A Souce of Wisdom and Authority in Daily Life Flashcards
Apocrypha
‘hidden books’. a collection of books which are NOT seen as canonical but are accepted as useful by Protestants
Canon
a collection of sacred books accepted as genuine. refers to the 66 books which you’d find in a Bible today - 39 in the OT and 27 in the NT
Exile
when the descendants of Abraham were taken away from their home in the ‘promised land’ to live in Babylon. happened in 587BCE. period of exile was 50 years (the exile was many many years after the exodus)
Exodus
when Moses led the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt towards the promised land. (happens before exile)
Key ideas of Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
“Fear God and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone”
- everyone must keep gods commandments, teach us to live a better life
- we must fear god because if we do wrong he will punish us for it
- prompts us to do good
- “fear” symbolises the feeling we have when faced with something powerful
Key ideas of Luke 6:36-37
- “be merciful, just as your father is merciful. […] forgive, and you will be forgiven”
- describes god as treating people as how you would want to be treated
- a very moral way to act
- links to NT “love your neighbour as yourself”
- mercy involves compassion and being able to forgive
Key ideas of Psalm 119:9-16
- “Do not let me stray from your commandments”
- “I will not forget your word”
- morality comes out of a relationship,
a relationship with god in which the person follows his commandments promptly to “keep their way pure”
Key ideas of Psalm 119:105-112
- “Accept my offerings of praise”
- “I do not forget your law”
- wants to live life following gods law
- wants to devote their life to god
Key ideas of Genesis 1:26-28
- “let them have dominion over the fish of the sea”
- “god created humankind in his image”
- “have dominion over the fish of the sea”
- “be fruitful and multiply”
- “fill the earth and subdue it”
- the meaning of life is to, like god, have dominion over everything on earth and to reproduce
- links to stewardship: care and responsibility for the material world
Key ideas of Ecclesiastes 9:5-9
- “the dead know nothing; they have no more reward”
- “their love and their hate and their envy have already perished”
- you only have knowledge and awareness when you’re alive, so enjoy your life while you can and do what makes you happy
- “enjoy life with the wife whom you love”
- do not waste time in hatred, enjoy what you can
Key ideas of Psalm 46:1-3
- “God is our refuge and strength”
- “we will not fear”
- fear is lessened because god is always present and will help us when we’re in danger
- just as when we seek shelter in a natural disaster, so can the believer seek shelter in god
Key ideas of Matthew 6:25
- “do not worry about your life”
- “is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing”
- God is present and cares about our basic needs
2 Timothy 3:16
“all scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness”
Why do Christians believe the Bible has divine authority?
because of God’s creative endeavours. God’s spirit inspires the writers of the bible
How were certain texts canonised?
the Church declared certain texts to be ‘authoritative’ as it recognises by the Spirit certain texts as coming from God - and canonised them as ‘scripture’
How were the texts effective in the lives of believers?
God’s spirit inspires the readers as they read and interact with the bible text
What does ‘Bible’ mean?
the books, Greek = ta biblia
Why is the ‘Bible’ called it’s name?
because of how many books it has (historical accounts, poetry, letters etc) that Christians believe they find the message of God
- a sacred book made of two volumes: OT and NT
When were the canon of the NT writings agreed on?
4th Century
What language was the Old Testament written in?
Hebrew
How many OT books do Protestant bibles have?
39 (same as Hebrew Bible)
How many OT books do Catholic and Orthodox bibles have?
46 because they include the Apocrypha
What is the Apocrypha?
‘hidden books’ - not canonical but seen as useful (deuterocanonical)
Which version of the Bible did Jesus use in his preaching and ministry?
OT - documents of God’s engagement with his people all the way from creation to the return to Israel in 538BCE
(it is also what the members of the early Church mean when they talk of the scriptures)
Quote from Augustine about the OT and NT?
“the New Testament lies hidden in the old, and the Old Testament is unveiled in the new”
What language were the 27 books of the NT originally written in?
Greek
How is the NT organised?
- gospels
- book of acts
- epistles
- revelation
Gospels
4: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. tell the story of Jesus’ life
Book of Acts
records the founding of the early church
Epistles
21 letters written to various churches. Paul supposedly wrote 14 of them, but this is disputed
Revelation
a book of visions by an early Church leader
What does Genesis 1:26-28 teach about the meaning of life?
- humans are uniquely made in gods image and have responsibility for the earth and its creations
- (LINK TO PROBLEM OF EVIL) Irenaeus: made in gods likeness with the potential to be like god - made immature.
What does Ecclesiastes 9 teach about the meaning of life?
life is for living, enjoy life
What does Matthew 6:25 teach about the meaning of life?
- there is more to life than food or clothing
- meaning in life can be found only in god, because god is life
- every single person has been created in gods image and created for eternity
What does John 14:6 teach about the meaning of life?
- the meaning of life is to be found in Jesus
- “I am the way, and the truth and the life”
What is the purpose of life for Christians?
find god, know him and do his will.
- serve him, obey him and worship him.
- Christians believe that those who believe in Jesus will share his resurrection and receive eternal life
Can the Bible offer any value to non Christians on meaning and purpose?
yes
- it reminds us of the important things we sometimes forget about in the 21st century
- it tells us to appreciate the value of life and not waste time dwelling on negativity
- we should spread love in a world full of sin and make the most of the time we have
- (LINK TO ANL) 4 levels of law, no need for people to have a bible because meaning is noble by reason
how do christian’s believe the OT has general guides in how to live?
by direction people to Jesus, as he is the true guide to christian living
- Christians are saved through faith in Jesus, and true faith comes from love for god, not fear of punishment
- when we fail we can repent and ask for forgiveness which will be given to true believers
How does Psalm 119:9-16 guide Christians?
- morality comes out of a relationship with god
- this relationship involves trusting god and his world in our own lives
- to know his power will not fail us and his promises will be fulfilled in the end
- you must accept god as he accepts you
How does Psalm 109:105-112 guide Christians?
- gods word always helps us prevail
- we must trust in it and we can make it through anything
- faith and trust is strong
How does John 5:39 guide Christians?
- summarises the difference between faith and belief
- the Bible never calls on anyone to express “blind faith” (belief without evidence)
- Jesus responds to criticism in this passage by giving 3 separate forms of evidence
- mentions human testimony and direct observation in form of his miracles
- he refers to evidence of gods written scripture which will never be enough for some
What does the Council of Jerusalem say in regards to Jewish law?
Christians do not need to follow their minor laws such as diet and ritual
What is the law of Moses?
the Torah (first 5 books of Hebrew bible)
Some examples of the 613 mitzvot
- not to eat flesh with milk
- not to sell a beautiful woman
- not to do work on shabbat
- to know that god exists
- not to take revenge
- to know that god is one, a complete unity
- to circumcise the male offspring
How does the Bible convey moral advice?
- through the story of gods involvement and interest in human life (creation of the world and incarnation)
- describing the benefits of following gods laws (Eccl12:13-14 and Psalm 119)
- general moral advice by describing gods moral behaviour or how we would want to be treated (“love your neighbour as yourself”
- through stories (the life and works of Jesus)
- through short proverbs and lists of laws (10 commandments)
How do different denominations use the Bible as a moral authority?
- reformed Protestant churches focus on the Bible alone as the sole basis of morality
- Roman Catholic Church believes god works through not only the Bible but also creeds and councils, so there are other sources for morality in daily life
- Catholic church; magisterium. uses the Bible, natural law principles, the judgements of previous councils and previous papal bulls
What moral guidance is included in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14?
- “fear God”
- “keep his commandments”
- must remember that god is omnipotent and omniscient
- both good and bad as we remember our own place and his own omnibenevolant nature but fear him too
What moral guidance is included in Luke 6:36-37?
- “just as your father”
- God is described as everything humanity is not
- we must grow into gods shadow
- not good as humans are nothing like god
- we can be sinful and lack divine attributes
- unrealistic and unfair to ask us of this
How does Psalm 46:1-3 act as a source of comfort and encouragement?
- if you believe in god you can seek shelter in him
- a refuge of temporary restored good and justice even in a world which is sinful
How does Matthew 6:25 act as a source of comfort and encouragement?
- helps us with the worry of death
- god wants us to enjoy our time on earth and to forget about material assets
How is temptation represented in the Bible?
Matthew 6:13: Jesus tempted by the devil in the wilderness. “do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil”
How is bereavement represented in the Bible?
Psalm 34:18: “the Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit”
How is poverty represented in the Bible?
Luke 6:20-21: “blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of god”
How is suffering represented in the Bible?
Pete 3:14: “but even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed!”
How is death represented in the Bible?
John 11:25-26: “Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. those who believe in me, even though they die will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die”
Why might someone think the Psalms doesn’t given a practical guide for Christians today?
because it was written ages ago/ it is temple Judaism/vaguenesss
- Christians faces moral dilemmas and find no advice in the Psalms, however Psalms 51 addresses feelings and connect it back to God.
What are the different ways of reading the Bible?
- instruction manual
- socially important
- selective
- fundamentalist
- historical text
- reader response
What is the instruction manual way of reading the Bible?
picking out and following only clear rules and teachings that you do find. following only rules that have value
What is the socially important way of reading the Bible?
using the laws and teachings of the Bible to construct society eg to legitimise forms of authority, forms of ownership, social duties, ideas of personal responsibility
What is the selective way of reading the Bible?
find and keep those parts you find helpful/inspiring. consider the rest to be outdated
What is the fundamentalist way of reading the Bible?
consider all the Bible to be objectively the word of God as it stands. absolute interpretations, no negotiation about non literal meanings. reject modern scientific world as Bible is the textbook of all knowledge
What is the historical text way of reading the Bible?
the Bible is an interesting ancient document that helps us understand the circumstances in which god revealed himself. descriptions of an ancient society
What is the reader-response way of reading the Bible?
reflect on how the text itself affects us today. too easy to “read in” our own points of view and ideologies into it? eg reading it through a feminist or queer POV
Who was Dietrich Bonhoeffer?
a famous theologian who refused to support Nazism. he was jailed and killed by the Nazis due to playing a small role in an assassination attempt on Hitler’s life
What are 3 reasons that Bonhoeffer gave for meditating on the Bible?
1) he is need of the discipline that comes with prayer. prayer is obligatory and it is required by God that we take time for prayer. “Early in the morning i cry out to you, for in your word is my trust”
2) because he is a Christian, we must spend every day learning gods knowledge, we can only move forward in life with gods words
3) he preaches the word of god, if he doesn’t meditate it upon prayer than he will misuse the word. if the word has no meaning to him then he has not let it speak to him properly. “we will devote ourselves to prayer”
How valuable is the Bible as a guide to the meaning and purpose of life?
- Jesus doesnt give any set rules, he sets a moral example through his ethic of kindness and service to others
- Genesis 1:26-1:28: the purpose of life is to have dominion over all creatures and everything on earth, and to reproduce “be fruitful as multiply”
- Ecclesiastes 9:5-9; the purpose of life is to enjoy it
- Jesus’ 2 mains commandments: “love god” and your “neighbour”
- however god as a creator is challenged due to equality
Why might the value of the Bible depend on it being historically and scientifically sound?
because correct information is factual and more relevant so the Bible’s credibility would increase making it a more SOWA
Why might the value of the Bible NOT depend on it being historically and scientifically sound?
because the Bible isn’t about validity and credibility but instead the teachings it conveys and educates
Why can the stories of the Bible have value in the modern world?
because the Bible has many examples of people messing up but correcting themselves. it reinforces humanity and faith as well as many virtues which develop from a connection to god
Why CANT the stories of the Bible have value in the modern world?
because the stories are ancient and lack applicability to modern times eg blood donation and do not eat an animals blood
Why do the moral teachings have value in the modern world?
because they remind us of the staple things we sometimes forget in modern life
Why do the moral teachings NOT have value in the modern world?
because the world is declining in religion and atheists reject many forms of guidance. they don’t need god to tell them what is right or wrong
Why does the Bible only have value if it comes directly from god?
because some Christians believe god is TTWNGCBC, so if the Bible comes from the greatest being then it must have the most value it possibly can have
Why DOESNT the Bible only have value if it comes directly from god?
because whoever wrote the bible created beautiful scripture which connects to every one of us on an individual level. it shouldn’t matter who the teachers were made by but study the value of its correct and fair moral teachings. the writers SOWA shouldn’t influence the SOWA of the bibles teaching/value
Does the Bible has great value for Christians in terms of the meaning of life?
Yes
- gives a sense of direction and security through Jesus’ commandment to ‘love god’, which is the Christian purpose of life
- the grand narrative of the Bible can be seen as explaining the meaning of life to Christian
- Ecclesiastes 12: “fear god and keep his commandments”
- Psalm 119: “your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” - reflects God’s image and likeness
- “love your neighbour”: goes beyond Christianity. relates to secular ideas of enjoyment of life and being kind
