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A2 Philosophy > Revelation and Holy Scripture > Flashcards

Revelation and Holy Scripture Flashcards

1
Q

What is natural theology/general revelation?

A

It is the process of learning about God from the Natural world through reason. It is information that is available about God to all people at all time.

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2
Q

What is an example of natural theology/general revelation?

A

Examples of these type of revelations would include the beauty of creation and the ‘still small voice’ of conscience, which is interpreted as the voice of God.

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3
Q

What is revealed theology/special revelation?

A

This is information revealed about God to certain people at certain times and places.

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4
Q

What are examples of revealed theology/special revelation?

A

The revelation of sacred writings, for example the revelation of the Torah to Moses.

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5
Q

What type of revelation is the Bible?

A

Revealed/Special

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6
Q

What argument did Emil Brunner give for the existence of God?

A

They were a theologian who proposed that general revelation, through natural theology, could be used as an argument for the existence of God.

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7
Q

Why did Karl Barth disagree with Emil Brunner?

A

He argued that the only way in which people gain true knowledge of God is through revealed theology, not natural theology.

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8
Q

Why did Karl Barth reject the ideas of thinkers like Thomas Aquinas?

A

Thinkers like Thomas Aquinas tried to combine faith with reason, which Barth rejected because he thought that their views led away from the truth of the Bible.

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9
Q

What did Karl Barth believe about revelation and God?

A

He followed the view of Kierkegaard that all efforts to discover the truth about God, apart from God’s revelation to us in Jesus Christ, were only likely to lead to error.

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10
Q

What are the two important implications of Barth’s thinking on revelation and God?

A
  1. That knowledge of God can only be found in Christianity, and other religions therefore are considered not to have any truth except where they agree with Christian teaching.
  2. The Old Testament is open to testing to see how far it meets the revelation of God in Christ. The New Testament is seen as superior in truth to the old.
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11
Q

What points did Barth’s concept of revelation include?

A
  • God reveals to humans when he wants, not when man wants
  • Divine revelation is not the same as human insight
  • Ordinary language is inadequate to convey revelation
  • Revelation is a personal disclosure of God’s being and nature.
  • Revelation is conveyed through the witness of the Bible.
  • Revelation is only given in Jesus Christ.
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12
Q

What is revelation?

A

Revelation refers to any act in which God is revealed to human beings. It reveals knowledge of God/ God’s nature.

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13
Q

What are the two ways that the special revelation /revealed theology is revealed in the Bible?

A
  1. Non-propositional revelation.

2. Propositional revelation.

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14
Q

What is non-propositional revelation?

A

Non-propositional revelation refers to the idea that God does no reveal facts or truths to people; instead the religious believer recognises God acting in human history and human experience. This needs interpretation.

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15
Q

What is propositional revelation?

A

Propositional revelation refers to God revealing facts or information about his nature to people.

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16
Q

What is the fundamentalist approach to propositional revelation?

A

Biblical fundamentalists believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and that there are no errors. They believe in verbal inspiration/ divine dictation/ amannensis; God dictated every single word of the Bible to the writers. It is therefore without error and cannot be questioned. The words are ‘god breathed’ through the Holy Spirit, and the writer knows exactly what to write down. The role of the author is a passive recorder.

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17
Q

What is the alternative approach to propositional revelation?

A

These Christians believe that the Bible reveals true propositions about God but the revelations have been recorded by human beings in their own language and in different styles or manners. In this sense the reader of the Bible also has to interpret and understand it in order to know the revelation it contains from God.

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18
Q

What does both the alternative approach and the fundamentalist approach claim about the Bible?

A

That it is without errors.

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19
Q

What is non-propositional revelation?

A

It refers to the idea that God does not reveal facts or truths to people; instead the religious believer recognises God acting in human history and human experience.

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20
Q

What does non-propositional revelation claim about a religious book such as the Bible?

A

That it is a witness to and record of how the revelation of God has been understood in history by religious believers. God has acted in history and the perceptions of people who witness these revelatory acts are what are recorded.

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21
Q

What do non-propositional revelations do?

A

They are indirect experiences of God which lead a person to understand something about God.

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22
Q

If the Bible is a non-propositional revelation, what is the role of the reader?

A

The role of the reader and how the reader interprets the Bible will be of crucial importance, because the non-propositional revelation takes place in the life of the believer.

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23
Q

Where does the authority of non-propositional revelation stem from?

A

The fact that human beings are free to respond to God’s revelation or not, since the revelation is not received passively.

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24
Q

What does Divine inspiration mean?

A

It refers to the belief among Christians that God inspired the writers of the books of the Bible.

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25
Q

Why would the Bible be divinely inspired according to the non-propositional view?

A

The Bible is still divinely inspired, but the inspiration of God makes the author write down their experiences and understanding of God and God’s action in the world.

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26
Q

How would the writer record their revelation according to the non-propositional revelation view?

A

They would not be divinely dictated, but would use their own skills and understanding to record the revelation of God.

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27
Q

How would non-propositional revelation claim God is revealed through the Bible?

A

They see Biblical scriptures as presenting pictures and images of God’s revelation. You read the Bible and then work out what the revelation means to you today.

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28
Q

What interpretation is the non-propositional understanding of revelation in the Bible often associated with?

A

Liberal Biblical Interpretation.

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29
Q

What did Friedrich Schleiermacher believe about faith and revelation?

A

He supported the liberal Biblical Interpretation and believed that faith was a matter of experience and feeling in the life of the believer. Thus the religious believer in their time has to interpret the revelation from the Bible. It is our reaction that reveals God.

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30
Q

What did Schleiermacher conclude that the bible revealed?

A

That Jesus’ mission was not about saving people, but about raising people’s awareness of God.

31
Q

What are the criticisms of non-propositional revelation?

A
  1. There is no direct knowledge revealed as the revelation is the result of human understanding and the interpretation of events.
  2. There is no absolute certainty what is revealed, unlike propositional revelation.
  3. The content needs interpreting and may not lead a believer to God.
32
Q

What do we mean when we criticise non-propositional revelation as there is no direct knowledge revealed?

A

As non-propositional revelations are the result of human understanding and interpretation of events, they do not reveal direct knowledge of God, nor can they be considered as errorless (infallible). Thus there is no way of resolving theological debates apart from appealing to one’s own experience, whereas the propositional view appeal to facts revealed by God as a basis for a theological debate.

33
Q

What do we mean when we criticise non-propositional revelation because there is no absolute certainty about what is revealed?

A

Religious faith that is based solely on religious experience of a non-propositional revelation cannot claim absolute certainty about its belief systems in the way a believer in propositional revelation can. In the non-propositional view of revelation, the content of the revelation is a matter of interpretation. It is not possible to appeal to facts of belief according to the non-propositional view of revelation.

34
Q

What is the distinctive feature of propositional revelation?

A

Is that it reveals knowledge from God which is without error or in need of reinterpretation.

35
Q

How do people who hold that the Bible is a propositional revelation of God acknowledge this?

A

By stating that the Bible is the word of God.

36
Q

What is the role of the authors according to a propositional approach?

A

The role of the authors of the books of the Bible is limited or non-existent since the Bible is God’s revelation. The author’s role is limited to that of a passive recorder of God’s revelation.

37
Q

Where does the authority of the Bible derive from according to propositional revelation?

A

It derives from the fact that the Bible is a propositional revelation from God that reveals knowledge about God to people and is divinely inspired.

38
Q

What does the term verbal inspiration mean?

A

Among fundamentalist Christians it is used to indicate the divine origins or authorship of every word in the Bible which the authors of the biblical books were inspired to write. God effectively dictates the books of the Bible.

39
Q

What would a believer in divine dictation hold?

A

That the Bible is inerrant (without error).

40
Q

What is verbal inspiration also known as?

A

Amanuensis or divine dictation.

41
Q

What are the advantages of propositional revelation?

A
  • You can consult the Bible for guidance about moral dilemmas and problems in life.
  • 2 Peter reassures readers that that they can be confident that they are reading God’s words rather than the prophets’ ideas.
  • It gives the Bible the status of an infallible sources
  • We need not doubt statements as everything can be taken as accurate accounts of what happened. Therefore no need do debate whether it actually happened.
  • It accounts for passages where the Biblical writer seems to know details of events that they could not have possibly experienced, and where he could not have gathered the information from a human source.
42
Q

What quote from 2 Peter shows that the words come from God?

A

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

43
Q

What quote from Job 1 supports propositional revelation by revealing information that could not have been known from a human source?

A

“One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan ‘where have you come from?’. Satan answered the Lord ‘from roaming through the earth and going to and fro.’

44
Q

What are the criticisms of the fundamentalist approach to propositional revelation?

A
  • There are passages where it appears the voice of the human writer comes across strongly.
  • Philosophers have suggested that information could not be received, as psychologically the mind actively receives knowledge
  • The human memory makes mistakes, so it may not be recorded accurately.
  • How can one know which revelations are true propositions? There is no way to verify that propsitional revelations happen
  • Different religions claim to have received propositional revelations, yet the truth claims of different religions conflict.
  • There are different styles of writing suggesting a variety of different human authors
  • does not help you to interpret
  • It is a subjective view with no true proof.
  • If God dictated it, there should just be one gospel.
45
Q

What do we mean when we criticise propositional revelation because there are passages where it appears the voice of the human writer comes across strongly?

A

It challenges the amanuensis view of the writers. The words can sometimes sound very human, and it could be difficult to imagine God dictating these words. One could argue that that it is still the infallible word of God, choosing this form of expression, but a simpler explanation could be that the words come from a human author inspired by his relationship with God to express his feelings in his own way.

46
Q

What quote from Psalm 13 seems to show a human voice coming across that challenges the amanuensis view?

A

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me ever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?”

47
Q

What do we mean when we criticise propositional revelation because many philosophers have suggested that the mind does not receive knowledge passively?

A

Propositional revelation suggests that the receiver of the revelation is passive and just receives the revelation. However, many philosophers have suggested the psychologically the human mind does not passively receive knowledge; rather the human mind actively receives knowledge.

48
Q

What do we mean when we criticise propositional revelation because the human mind might not record it accurately?

A

We make mistakes even when trying to learn things accurately. This could mean that propositional revelations of God may not be recorded accurately, as the human mind makes mistakes.

49
Q

What do we mean when we criticise propositional revelation because we can not know which revelations are true propositions?

A

Despite the suggested criteria of fitting in which accepted Church teaching, this does not guarantee that a revelation is genuine. While the after-effects of a revelation could be pointed out, this is not absolute proof of the genuineness of the revelation.

50
Q

What do we mean when we criticise propositional revelations because of conflicting truth claims?

A

Different religions claim to have received propositional revelations, yet sometimes the truth claims of different religions conflict. How can these contradictions be resolved? How can you know which truth claim is correct? Or does this mean that all revelations from God are limited by the fact that when they are revealed to human beings the person experiencing the revelation may misunderstand it?

51
Q

What do we mean when we criticise propositional revelation because there are many different styles of writing?

A

Within the Bible, there are many different styles of writing, suggesting a variety of different human authors. The 4 Gospels, for example are written in at least 4 distinct style.

52
Q

What are the distinct style of writing in the Gospels?

A
  • Matthew’s Gospel; many allusions to Jewish culture and scripture. Implied he was Jewish and expected his readers to be.
  • Luke’s Gospel; Stops to explain aspects of Judaism in case his readers are unfamiliar with them.
  • Mark’s Gospel; Written in poor Greek compared to the others
  • John’s Gospel; more mystical, theological flavour. Perhaps more influenced by first century philosophy than the other evangelists.
53
Q

What do we mean when we criticise the propositional revelation view because there are four gospels?

A

If God really did dictate every word of the Bible, it is difficult to understand why there are four gospels at all, rather than just one. Additionally, it is difficult to see why these Gospels contain some passages that are almost identical; and why sometimes the stories are not consistent with each other.

54
Q

What do we mean when we criticise propositional revelation because it does not help you interpret the Bible?

A

Fundamentalism does not help you to interpret the Bible. The Bible’s authoritative status may be accepted, but unless the reader is also inspired to read the Bible in the way God wants, how is the Bible’s message any clearer?

55
Q

What do we mean when we criticise propositional revelation because it is only a subjective view?

A

A fundamentalist only accepts one way of interpreting the Bible, but there is no proof that the fundamentalist’s approach is the correct one. All the fundamentalists can do is claim their view is correct, but this is a subjective view.

56
Q

Is the view of divine dictation a mainstream Christian view?

A

No. Although many Christians believe that the Bible has no mistakes, the view that every word of the Bible was spoken by God as dictation is not a mainstream Christian view.

57
Q

What is the more mainstream, alternative approach to Propositional revelation?

A

Many believe that the different books of the bible were written as different believers were guided by the Holy Spirit to record their experiences and their relationship with God in their own words, including their own feelings and interpretations as well as being driven by God to say the right thing. In this view, the Bible is still ‘inspired’, but not in the sense of being inerrant in every syllable.

58
Q

What do all Christians who believe that the Bible contains propositional revelation also believe?

A

That the Bible reveals propositions about God and God’s wishes for human beings that are true.

59
Q

What does the Roman Catholic Church believe about revelation?

A

They take the propositional revelation approach, and teachers that the Bible is indeed the word of God, and is the author of Sacred scripture. They however emphasise the role of the human authors, and that God communicates to Christians through the Bible in a human way. Thus the reader has to try to understand the intentions of the authors, who wrote their books using the language and ideas of the time.

60
Q

What quote does the Catechism of the Catholic Church say about sacred scripture?

A

“The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of sacred scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.”

61
Q

What quote does the Catechism of the Catholic church use about the interpretation of sacred scripture?

A

“In order to discover the sacred authors’ intention, the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture. The literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking and narrating then current. For the fact is that truth is differently presented and expressed in the various types of historical writing, prophetical and poetical texts, and in other forms of literary expression.”

62
Q

What is God revealing himself to a person often called?

A

An act of divine disclosure.

63
Q

What is it common for believers in the Christian tradition to suggest about the Bible as opposed to other religious experiences?

A

It is common for them to suggest that the Bible is a propositional revelation, but that all other religious experiences are non-propositional revelations of God.

64
Q

What does Thomas Aquinas argue about faith?

A

He suggested that ‘faith’ concerns knowledge about God who is transcendent. Although this is more certain that opinion, it is not as certain as scientific knowledge. He argued that faith is better than opinions because it is based on something factual whilst opinion is not. But faith is not as certain as science because faith cannot be proved true by reason. Propositional revelations are truths revealed by God but they are not demonstrable using human reason.

65
Q

Why do believers in propositional revelations not reject the use of reason?

A

They do not reject the reason. What they are saying is that God’s revelations are not provable by human reason, but they would also say that God can be revealed through using reason in the world. For example, using the cosmological and teleological arguments.

66
Q

What does natural theology refer to?

A

To the process of learning about God from the natural world by using reason.

67
Q

What does Aquinas say about revelation?

A

He emphasises the use of natural theology and propositional revelation. In Aquinas’ thought revelations can be accepted as genuine if they accord with Church teaching because the existence of God who makes the revelations may be demonstrated using arguments for God’s existence.

68
Q

What is divine inspiration?

A

Refers to the belief among Christians that God inspired the writers of the books of the Bible.

69
Q

What two sources of authority are found in Christianity?

A
  1. The rule of Faith.

2. The Bible: the Old and New testament

70
Q

What is the Rule of Faith?

A

It referred to the traditions, teachings of leaders and beliefs of Christians that had been passed on in Christian communities from the time of the Apostles.

71
Q

What does Maurice Wiles say about authority?

A

He pointed out that authority may have more than one sense. In a ‘hard’ sense, authority implies something having the status of a law. On the other hand, saying someone is an authority on racing cars, doe example, is a statement about the way a person speaks on a subject; it does not necessarily imply that the speaker is always correct. This is a soft view of authority.

72
Q

What consequences and issues arise if the Bible is formed through verbal inspiration?

A

If the Bible is verbally inspired, every word comes from God, and the implication is that every word should be respected and followed as it is God’s word. What this mean though is disputed: many punishments seem overly harsh to modern readers, the meaning of the Genesis story is much disputed, can the Bible be disobeyed as it would be a rejection of God’s revealed commands?

73
Q

What are the consequences and issues if the Bible is divinely inspired?

A

The majority of Christians believe that the Bible is divinely inspired, but this still raises questions about the way in which the Bible is to be read and interpreted;
-Identifying the exact nature of the revelation could be problematic, and therefore disobeying biblical instructions is debatable, some of the laws about moral behaviour are no longer accepted in our modern society, some passages within the Bible conflict with Christians’ views today.

74
Q

Why could it be argued that the bible has authority?

A

Many books of the Bible had a claim that they had a direct link with the Apostles or Jesus, if not actual apostolic authorship.

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