Exam 1 Flashcards
God, in Latin
theos
What is theology
Discourse on God
Metaphysical reflection on the nature of God
logos
word, reason, speech, discourse
Plato
“The Republic” - discourse on God
Aristotle
divided philosophy into mathematics, physics, and theology( metaphysical reflection on the nature of God and other incorporeal things)
Varro
divided theo into theogony (creation/genealogy of God/gods), rational theology (rational inquiry into the nature of Gods/god), and civil theology (public/private dimensions of religious practice)
Augustine
“reasoning or discussion concerning the Deity”
Boethius
strengthened Latin division between incorporeality (theology) and corporeality (physics)
Anselm
“fides quarens intellectum” - faith seeking understanding
Aquinas
natural vs revealed
Martin Luther
revelation vs reason
Main areas of academic theology
Systematic - write about theological questions
Historical - how theological ideas and historians’ interpretations have developed over time
Moral Theology - what God and goodness have to do with each other
Liturgical - study of Christian practice of worship and prayer
Biblical - thinking about the bible and its theological meaning
Comparative - comparing religious systems theologically
Theology vs other
engages with other disciplines that arise from the questioning human
spirit and observation of the world
affirm truths of other disciplines
other disciplines question human spirit and the observation of the world
Theology is not…
-Religious Studies
-Philosophy
-Catechesis
-Psychology (by other means)
Theology on faith and reason
Faith and reason are different but complete each other
use reason to articulate our claims better, even if they are not rationally deducible
faith seeking understanding
Aquinas on the necessity of theology and theology as a science
human nature and existence requires God’s self-revelation for human nature and existence
human beings are “directed to God, as to an end that surpasses the grasp of reason”
Human beings must have knowledge of that end (knowledge of God)
Necessary for the salvation that certain truths which exceed human reason should be made known to him by divine revelation
Objective #1: should not seek knowledge above reason
Objective #2: no knowledge can be only concerned with Being theology is a part of theology
Sed Contra - scripture is not a part of philosophy theology is required
Theology is the science that “whereby saving faith is begotten, nourished, protected, and strengthened”.
so it is that sacred doctrine is a science, because it proceeds from higher principles established by the light of a higher science, namely, the science of God and the blessed”
Types of Science
Derivatives from the Principles known by the Light of a Higher Science: Science of perspective from geometry, music from arithmetic
Light of a Higher Science: Science of God and the blessed
3 Major Developments of Divine afflante spiritus
Attention to literary forms (study it like its written)
Attention to historical setting
understand a text more (when we understand the historical context of when it was written)
Attention to literary conventions and cultural assumptions
Significance of Dei verbum
The Inspiration of the Holy Spirit
The Necessity of Human Interpreters
The Role of Textual Analysis
The Importance of the Unity of Scripture
The Persistence of Truth in the Weakness of Human Language
3 areas in which Vatican II promoted the importance of the Bible
Education
Liturgy [public worship]
Ecumenism [promote unity among Christians]
The importance and acceptance of the historical-critical method
Historical-Critical Method - scientific study of the meaning of ancient texts
- because holy scriptures were written by human authors, in order to fully understand the bible one needs to take into account the humanness of its authors
- needs to recognize the historical context in which the books were written
Historical development of biblical interpretation - New Testament
The Bible/Scriptures = The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Interpretive focus: the Hebrew Scriptures fulfilled in the incarnation, life, and death of Jesus Christ
Patristic era
Literal - focus on the historical realities of the text and the intention of the human and divine authors
Allegorical – uncovering the spiritual meaning of the text
Medieval and scholastic eras
Four Senses of Scripture
Literal - what took place and what the author intends to say
Allegorical - the spiritual meaning of the text
Anagogical - the heavenly or soteriological meaning of the text
Tropological - the moral meaning of the text
Renaissance
Interest in the original languages and historical settings of the Bible
The status of the Vulgate (St. Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible)
Reformation
Luther’s sola scriptura (only based on scripture)
The contraction in the modes/senses of biblical interpretation
- The “perspicuity” of the Bible
- Individual v. ecclesial interpretation of the Bible ( have to interpret the Bible on your own)
Enlightenment
rationalism and the hegemony of reason (religion is about mortality)
Pentateuch
the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
Genre – a category or type of literature or art characterized by a particular form, style or context
Context - anything beyond the specific words of a literary work that may be relevant to understanding the meaning (may be economic, social, cultural, historical, literary, biographical, etc.)
Authorship of Pentateuch
Traditional authorship attributed to Moses
Documentary Hypothesis (Julius Wellhausen):
J (“Yahwist”) – 9th century BCE (Southern Judea, semi-nomadic), YHWH
E (“Elohist”) – 8th century BCE (Northern Judea), El
D (“Deutoronomist”) – 7th-6th century BCE (laws, Babylonian exile)
P (“Priestly”) – 6th century BCE, written during Babylonian exile (youngest source, Babylonian exile)
Enuma Elish Origins
written before 1000 BCE on 7 clay tablets, both theogonic and cosmogonic myth (Babylonian)
Enuma Elish Meaning of Title
“when on high..” opening line
Enuma Elish Plot
ritually dramatized during the spring Akitu festival. which commemorated the victory of Marduk over Tiamat
Enuma Elish Conflict
the young gods made too much noise, preventing the older gods from sleeping
Apsu decides to kill the younger gods, Tiamat disagrees, Ea kills Apsu upon hearing his plan and uses Apsu’s body to form the subterranean seas
Tiamat declares war on Apsu’s murdered, creating monster filled with poison
Tiamat marries new King
Upon hearing Tiamat’s plan, he summons his son Marduk to defeat Tiamat, which Marduk leverages to establish his preeminence among the gods
Marduk defeats Tiamat’s monster army lef by the new king
Marduk slays Tiamat by harnessing natural forces, which tears her body apart
Enuma Elish Characters
Apsu- the fresh waters; husband of Tiamat
Tiamat - the salt waters; wife of Apsu
Mummu - the mist between fresh and saltwater; song of Apsu and Tiamat
Ea - god of magic
Brother-sister pairs of gods
1st Genesis Creation Authorship
Priestly Source (7 days)
1st Genesis Creation Historical Context
While the jews were wandering the desert with Moses
1st Genesis vs EE
Genesis is non-theogonic; God pre-exists
sexual differentiation pre-existing creation in EE; in Genesis God created male and female
Genesis is monotheistic; God is absolutely sovereign
Naute is demythologized in Genesis
Human beings created for for fellowship not servitude; created in God’s image and likeness(v. blood of slain god, ANE parallels)
1st Genesis and EE similarities
Both introduced by temporal clauses
primal universe as watery chaos
Lexical similarity between “Tiamat” and tehom (“the deep” in the Hebrew text of Genesis)
Reference to light before the creation of sun and stars
creation of human beings as final act of creation
Divine assembly - Marduk and the less gods in the EE and the “Let us…” in Genesis
1st Genesis literary and theological relationship to EE:
Genesis intentionally subverts EE: elite emulation; parallels to Assyrian use of EE (nationalistic not theological)
primeval chaos is subdued by God’s absolute sovereignty rather than chaos
God tames, Marduk kills
Nature gods are replaced by discrete objects of God’s creative power
1st Genesis Creation Theological orientation
Proto-Israel - the divine gift of land and nomadic religion (world begins when God gives them land in the garden of Eden)
Proto-covenant in the gift of the Garden
J’s anthropology: terrestrial motif of Adam’s creation from clay
2nd Genesis Authorship
Authorship/source: written by Yawhist, c. 950 BCE in Southern Judea
2nd Genesis Historical Context
Context: J’s earlier pre-captivity context
Southern Judea, nomadic
1st Genesis vs 2nd Genesis
Genre: poetry vs prose
Landscape: water v dry
Fundamental act of creation: separation of waters v . planting garden
Order of creation: humans created last v. humans created first
human beings: male and female created together v male than females; absence of fall narrative v, humanity sins against God
Man of creation: divine fiat v God forms creation
2nd Genesis Theological Orientation
Proto-Israel - the divine gift of land and nomadic religion
Proto-covenant in the gift of the garden
J’s Anthropology - terrestrial motif if adam’s creation from clay; formed by God as unique indicator; li8fe is breathed into Adam by God; human beings as communal creatures created as helpers; given the command to be fruitful and multiply
2nd Genesis Terms/Structure
X-shaped story structure
each part of the beginning story is mirrored at the end of the story the climax of the story is the fall of humanity
Nearly all the Genesis narrative cycles have this structure (Noah, Abraham, Joseph, etc)
Chiastic logic and theological meaning of 2nd creation account
God gave adam and eve their names, then uses their names to call them after their sinned
Naked and unashamed to naked and ashamed
See how the consequences are unfolding
Genesis 2 Creation Relationship between good and evil
Adamn and eve knew themselves to be naked and ashamed
Did not get knowledge of good and evil, they simply lost part of their good since they knew what evil was now that they sinner
God’s main command to Adam and Eve
be fruitful and multiply
Cain and Abel Authorship
Jahwist
Nephilim/“sons of God”
interbreeding with the daughters of men (violation of God’s command to be fruitful)
to orient morally the flood story and shortening of lifespans following the noah genealogy
Birth of Seth
in place of Abel, since Cain killed him
Seth’s Son Name
Seth had a son named Enosh and at the time men began to invoke Yahweh by name
Cain and Abel’s father
In jewish tradition, the serpent is considered the father of cain
Unlike Seth who resembles Adam, Cain was not from adam and did not resemble him
Curse of Cain, God’s mercy
curve = must wander the earth forever
Mark so no one kills him
God delivers justice by punishing Cain to toil the land that was created by God
He does show mercy when he decides not to take Cain’s life despite the fact that Cain had just taken the life of his brother
Yahwist distinctives (e.g., use of “Yahweh”)
One of the ket Yahwist distinctions is the fact that they call God by the word “Yahweh”
This is different from the Elohists who use Eloheim to refer to God
Literary functions of biblical genealogies
biblical genealogies - used firstly to pass time as it describes the history of an ancestral line passing into the next period
Peculiarities in descendants of Abraham (Enoch, lifespans, etc.)
it says that seth was a son in his likeness but cain is removed from the descendants of adam and able is not listed
says that Enoch walked with God but then was no more as God took jim
The lifespans are very high as Adam lives until at least 150 years old and Noah has children at the age of 500 years old
Lamech’s blessing on Noah
Methuselah begat Lamech, Lamech begat Noah
Lamech’s prophecy on Noah
After begatting noah, Lamech declared tath this one will ring us relief from the agonizing toil of our hands from the very ground Yahweh that cursed
Authorship in flood narrative (J. vs. P)
Priestly materialL rwo of every animals; the flood comes from the water under and over the earth
orientation = 1st creation account
Yahwist material: seven pairs of every clean animal and two pairs of unclean; the flood comes from the 40 days and nights of rain
orientation = Israel
Flood
command to enter the ark one week before the flood
animals came just as God commanded Noah
everything dies; water stayed for 150 days no details of whats going on in the ark
floodwaters recede; ark rests on Mt Ararat; 3 more months
the emergence of dry land; a raven and dove and dove again
noah leaves the ark builds an altar, makes sacrifice to Yahweh and god is pleased with the sacrifice and promises never to destroy the earth
God’s Words:
human dominion over animals
eating animals instead of only plants
Demand for an account of lifeblood, reference to the imago dei
life spans are shorter so less time on earth to do bad things
