The Bible- Historical Background and Structure (U1) Flashcards
What is the Bible?
Complete list/collection of writings written under divine inspiration by God
- Intended to help his people and lead them towards good
What are the two canons?
Old testament- Jewish Scripture
New testament- Christian writings
Canon definition?
Complete collection of scripture
Traits of the Old Testament?
- Verbally passed down then written
- May be 3,400 years old
- Scriptures developed and added over time
- Current completed version made 2000-2200 years ago
Traits of the New Testament?
- Developed over time, contains verballed passed down Scripture
- 4 Gospels, tells Jesus’ birth till death, written between 60-90 AD
- Early church debate what writings are canon, early writing are an indication of which are authorative
What were the debates in the Catholic church about the Scripture?
After 100 years of scripture examination in 352 AD at the Council of Rome
- Debates in mid 500s of legitimate scripture with the Protestant Reformation
- Martin Luther translated the Bible to German in 1534, and categorized the books according to his understanding of legitimacy, lead to the Protestant Reformation
- Luther excluded 7 Old Testament books, deeming them unequal to the other books
- Books excluded called: Apocrypha (Luther and Protestants), Deuterocanonical (Catholics)
- Protestant translations= 66 books, Catholics= 73
How should we interpret the Scripture?
- God speaks in a human way
- Understand the author’s intention and what God wanted to reveal
- Catechism of the Catholic church ‘attentive to the content and unity of the whole scripture’
- Seems disconnected, but reveals the overall truth of Jesus being the centre of the truth and the plan it reveals
What are the two sense of Scripture?
Literal and spiritual
What is literal scripture understanding?
Understanding based on taking words of the Scripture as real world events and truths
- To properly understand, proper analysis of words is important (word usage/meaning changes over time)
- Catholics accept some part of the Bible as non literal, other use complex analysis and start with literal analysis first
What are the three spiritual scripture understanding?
Allegorical sense, moral sense and anagogical sense
What is allegorical sense?
Symbolical meanings in Bible events that reveal the truth of God’s plan
What is moral sense?
Truths in scripture that informs and provides examples on how to live justly/morally
What is anagogical sense?
Through reading scripture, directed towards eternal/ultimate goal which is heaven
- Anagoge= leading (Greek)
- Glimpse of truth about heaven and how to get there
What is the use of literary genres?
To properly understand and interpret the bible as there are multiple types of writing
- Each communicates in a different way and purpose
What are all the literary genres?
Historical account, law, prophecy, wisdom, poetry, letters, gospels, parables, apocalypse
Historical account literary genre?
Story about people’s lives and deeds, normally historical events
Law literary genre?
Set rules of conduct/moral principles guiding one’s relationship with God and others
Prophecy literary genre?
Accounts and words of messengers of God’s word, brought His message to a group of people
- Words of comfort/call to conversion
Wisdom literary genre?
Statements giving instructions, usually sort and to the point advice
Poetry literary genre?
Sacred poems/songs, meant to express a relationship with God and others
- Expresses hopes/fears of a person/nation
Letters literary genre?
Specific communication, usually describes events/gives guidance
- Usually a targeted audience
Gospels literary genre?
Faith accounts of life, death and resurrection of Jesus (his stories and sayings)
Parables literary genre?
Stories based on ordinary life, usually contains a twist/surprise, used to teach by comparing a familiar understanding with a new/unfamiliar understanding
Apocalypse literary genre?
Revealing/uncovering of new knowledge, usually seen as God’s victory over forces of evil
- Message of hope for the faithful
Exegesis definition?
Critical interpretation and explanation of biblical text
- Thoughtful and thorough review, takes into account all aspects and senses
- Understands language symbols, history, and culture human author was influenced by
- Understands human author’s intention- in writing the book, and what is revealed through their words
Difference between exegesis and hermeneutics?
Hermeneutics= grammar
Exegesis= language, sets guiding principles
Hermeneutics definition?
Way of interpreting texts and events to help understand its meaning in the 21st century
- Understand first exegesis, then hermeneutics