Unit 1 Theme 1

Question 1

What would non Christians had thought about the claim of the resurrection at the time of early Christianity?

Answer 1

Resurrection of one person was not an expected thing. - religions at the time would not have accepted this as normal. - It’s a remarkable claim. - Makes us question if this gives it more credibility: why would they have made this up? It wouldn’t have been easily accepted by pagans or Jews, so why claim it if not true?

Question 2

Who was Rudolf Bultmann (1884-1976)?

Answer 2

Bultmann was a German Lutheran theologian. - he rejected the traditional idea that the Gospels were historical documents - instead the stories being entirely mythological.

Question 3

Who is N.T. Wright (1948-present)?

Answer 3

A leading British New Testament scholar and retired Anglican bishop. - advocated for the necessity of scriptural evidence in regards to views on theological matters such as justification, Christ’s bodily resurrection and second coming.

Question 4

What are some differences between the birth narratives?

Answer 4

• No mention of census in Matthew.
• No mention of Herod’s slaughter of infants in Luke.
• Matthew’s is from Joseph’s POV, Luke from Mary’s.
• Luke - Shepherds, Matthew - Magi.
• Matthew - Flight to Egypt.
• Luke - Elizabeth and Zachariah, Simeon and Anna.

Question 5

Why may Matthew have included Herod and the slaughter of infants in his account of Jesus’ birth?

Answer 5

He could have done it to draw paralleled between Jesus and Moses, same with the flight to Egypt. - Concerned with persuading the Jewish audience that Jesus is the messiah. - perhaps poetic license, fits narrative , reaches audience. Or is it simply the historic truth. - but then why would Luke omit such a seemingly significant event? - Different sources could account for this.

Question 6

What is redaction criticism?

Answer 6

Redaction criticism, 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. The arrangement and modification of these pieces, according to this method’s proponents, can reveal something of the author’s intentions and the means by which he hoped to achieve them. - britannica.com

Question 7

What details are the same in both accounts of the birth?

Answer 7

Bethlehem, virgin birth, angels.

Question 8

What makes people question the historicity of the birth narratives?

Answer 8

Quirinius and Herod in Luke. - These didn’t rule at the same time - Luke seems to be mistaken on the chronology - Quirinius was governor of Syria in 6-12 CE, whilst Herod died in 4BCE. - too inaccurate? Dealbreaker? - or do we consider that it was a different time, written from oral sources passed down through years. - yes these details conflict one another, but considering the context of the time, it seems as plausible mistake. - the broad message remains the same between the texts.

Question 9

What supernatural elements appear in the birth narratives?

Answer 9

Angels, star, virgin birth.

Question 10

What factors might make someone doubt the birth narratives?

Answer 10

Differences between accounts, historicity, and the supernatural elements.

Question 11

What is the hypostatic union?

Answer 11

The combination of the divine and human natures in the person of Jesus; Jesus is both fully divine and fully human.

Question 12

Did Jesus pre-exist the incarnation?

Answer 12

God pre-exists the incarnation, therefore so does Jesus. - Jesus is God in human form: God in flesh. - Jesus existed before we knew him. - God has always been there ; the trinity has always been.

Question 13

How is Christianity monotheistic, even when regarding the trinity?

Answer 13

Christians believe in one God. The parts of the trinity are revealed at different times to us, but they have always been and it is all still one God. - different manifestations of God. - still monotheistic.

Question 14

What happened after the resurrection and appearing to the disciples? Where is he now?

Answer 14

He ascended to heaven, returning to God - but he is still God.

Question 15

Is Jesus God?

Answer 15

Jesus is beyond just a preacher or a prophet, or a saint, or even above being just the messiah, he is God.

Question 16

What is a doctrine?

Answer 16

A belief.

Question 17

What is a heresy?

Answer 17

A belief that goes against the mainstream traditional Christian doctrines.

Question 18

Why would God have come to earth as human?

Answer 18

God felt human pain as Jesus - he understands us. - was able to die on the cross for our sins.

Question 19

Is the hypostatic union widely believed?

Answer 19

Yes. The Nicene Creed includes the hypostatic union, and it is still widely believed today.

Question 20

What would other religions think of the incarnation?

Answer 20

Judaism and Islam would suggest it challenges monotheism, but Christians stand by the belief that it is still one God. Some Muslims would argue how can God have been human when God is beyond our comprehension.

Question 21

What is Christology?

Answer 21

The study of Christ.

Question 22

Does the difficulty of the concept of the hypostatic union and the incarnation make it more credible?

Answer 22

Some would argue yes, as why would the church decide to stick to such a confusing concept if not true?

Question 23

Why must Jesus be both God and human?

Answer 23

Because through being human, Jesus can relate to our struggles on Earth. - relate to humanity’s suffering. Through being God, Jesus was able to die for our sins, only God can reverse such. - salvation from original sin - only God is capable of this. - explains miracles - if not God, just a good man, a martyr who died on the cross. - he has to have been God for this act to have saved us.

Question 24

What are some heretic views regarding the hypostatic union?

Answer 24

Arianism, Apollinarianism, Nestorianism, and Eutychianism.

Question 25

What is Arianism?

Answer 25

The belief that Jesus wasn’t God. - a demigod - keep God as God - God sent Jesus, he came into being. - Jesus is still special, but not God.

Question 26

What is Apollinarianism?

Answer 26

The belief that Jesus isn’t fully human - human body but divine mind.

Question 27

What is Nestorianism?

Answer 27

The belief that Jesus is the two natures, but as if two people. - Jesus in heaven is divine, Jesus on earth is human - not simultaneously.

Question 28

What is Eutychianism?

Answer 28

The belief that one nature would overcome the other, not equal parts human and divine simultaneously.

Question 29

What are N.T. Wright’s views on the resurrection?

Answer 29

Rather representative of a mainstream Christian view. He describes ‘life after life after death’. - ‘newly embodied life after a period of being bodily dead’. - Jesus went to heaven and then came back. - dead for a period time. - tomb for 3 days. - unique. - he believes this gives it credibility. - talks of mutations - new, different claims - differs from other views at the time - too much of a mutation to be false. - bizzarre claim, why would they say this if not true - where did it come from if not true? - people were well aware of death, of course they were, this was obviously remarkable and was met with resistance. - wouldn’t have been easily accepted. - an extraordinary claim. N.T wright has stated, ‘it is vital to help people understand that ‘resurrection’ does not mean ‘life after death’ but ‘life after life after death’, that is a newly embodied life after a period of being bodily dead’. - the fact the belief sustained despite being difficult and raising many questions gives it credibility. - if it was fabricated, surely it would not have survived. - where would the idea have come from if it isn’t the truth. - he believes the evidence is in the texts, and that they are credible. - he believes there is enough evidence to say it is true, and that the most logical conclusion is that it is the truth.

Question 30

Theories that reject the resurrection and their counters.

Answer 30

• Jesus somehow survived the crucifixion. - Roman soldiers knew how to kill people, and people were well aware of what death looked like, he would not have been put in the tomb.
• The tomb was empty, but nothing else happened. - Faced with an empty tomb, the disciples would have assumed that Jesus’ body had been stolen, not that it had been resurrected.
• The disciples simply had visions of Jesus. - Visions of someone recently dead are well known, but do not cause people to claim that the departed person has been raised from the dead.

Note that the disciples couldn’t believe it at first, Thomas even had to touch Jesus to believe it was true. - resurrection really was a strange concept - makes it more credible - their natural position wouldn’t have been to blindly believe he had been resurrected.

Question 31

Key quote from N.T. Wright regarding the historical explanation of the resurrection.

Answer 31

‘The best historical explanation is the one which inevitably raises all kinds of theological questions; the tomb was indeed empty, and Jesus was indeed seen alive, because he was truly raised from the dead’.

Question 32

What was the basis for many of Bultmann’s beliefs?

Answer 32

Existentialism. Bultmann was a part of the existentialism movement in the late 19th and early 20th in Europe.

Question 33

What is existentialism?

Answer 33

A philosophical theory r approach which emphasises the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will. - Søren Kierkegaard generally considered to have been the first existentialist philosopher. - He proposed that each individual - not society or religion - is solely responsible for giving meaning to life and living it passionately and authentically.

Question 34

What is Demythologising? What is the approach of Bultmann?

Answer 34

Demythologising is the term given to the approach of Bultmann. - involves stripping away the mythological layers to find the true Gospel message. He believes none of the Gospel stories are supposed to be taken literally. - the word myth means a story pointing to truth. - often has a negative connotation now, as if it only means false. - all convey hidden messages. - For Bultmann, demythologising the New Testament was essential if it was to retain meaning in the modern world. - others would say this is too watered down - either believe it or don’t - almost patronising to compromise - why go for such unfamiliar claims to simply create myths. - Bultmann argued that all that is necessary for Christian belief is the belief that Jesus lived, preached, and died by crucifixion. - Bultmann: ‘If the resurrection were a historical fact, faith would become superfluous. What is decisive is not that Jesus came to life again, but that he is, for you, the Risen One. The one who was crucified is alive again if you see him as such with the eyes of faith’. - In its demythologised form, the resurrection is seen as the realisation that the cross of Christ was not a defeat but a victory. - People receive illumination through preaching, not through any historical resurrection event. - The resurrection takes place within individuals as they hear the word of preaching and experience the rise of faith. - notice the emphasis on individuals and their own faith - existentialism.

Question 35

Luke’s birth narrative.

Answer 35

Luke focuses on Mary, and includes the birth of John the Baptist, Shepherds, the inn/manger, the census, and the three poems (or songs) of key characters: the Magnificat (Mary), the Benedictus (Zechariah), and the Nunc dimittus (Simeon).

• Firstly, the virgin Mary is visited by angel Gabriel, sent by God, to tell her she is pregnant with the ‘Son of the Most High’.
• Mary goes to the house of Zechariah, where it is said that when greeting Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s baby ‘leaped in her womb’, this baby being John the Baptist.
• We hear of the census, where all must enrolled where the father was born, Bethlehem in this case.
• Mary then gives birth to Jesus in a ‘manger’, as there was ‘no place for them at the inn’.
• We then learn of shepherds who have been visited by an angel of the Lord who has informed them of a baby who has been born in the City of David, ‘who is Christ the Lord’, and they go to visit Jesus.
• We then hear of Jewish traditions including circumcision, sacrifice, and the visit to the temple, where we hear of Anna and Simeon. After this they return to Nazareth, where Jesus would grow up.

Question 36

Matthew’s birth narrative.

Answer 36

Matthew focuses on Joseph and includes the Magi, the slaughter of infants, and a variety of quotations from the Hebrew bible to show how Jesus’ birth confirms the Hebrew prophecy.

• We learn that Mary was ‘found to be with child of the holy spirit’, and that an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, informing him that Mary is in fact pregnant, and the baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
• No mention of census, but we are told the birth takes place in Bethlehem.
• Wise men visit Jesus after following a star.
• Jesus said to be in a ‘house’.
• We learn of Herod’s rage and his order to kill all children of Bethlehem under the age of 2.
• Joseph takes Mary and Jesus to Egypt. - Flight to Egypt.
• After Herod’s death, Joseph is told in a dream to return back to Israel, and that Jesus ‘shall be called a Nazarene’.

Question 37

The Psalms.

Answer 37

Provide instruction, inspiration, motivation, and consolation. - a collection of 150 lyric poems. - The Psalms are inspired responses of various individuals to God’s revelation of himself in the Old Testament era.

Question 38

Genesis.

Answer 38

First book of the Bible - a narrative history and genealogies traditionally believed to have been written by Moses. Written to record God’s creation of the world - ‘Genesis’ means ‘in the beginning’.

Question 39

Ecclesiastes.

Answer 39

Contain provers, maxims, sayings, and is largely an autobiographical story of Solomon. - became aware of his mistakes in life - spares future generations - offer wisdom by discovering truth in seeking God.

Question 40

Different ways the Bible is used to provide authority in daily life.

Answer 40

• teaching on the meaning and purpose of life.
• a guide to living.
• a source of comfort and encouragement.

Question 41

Examples of the Bible giving moral advice.

Answer 41

• Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. - ‘Fear God and keep his commandments’/
• Luke 6:36-37 - ‘Be merciful just as your Father is merciful’.

Question 42

Examples of the Bible as a guide to living.

Answer 42

• Psalm 119:9 - 16. - ‘I delight in the way of your decrees’.
• Psalm 119:105-112. - ‘Your word is a lamp to guide my feet’.

Question 43

Examples of the Bible giving meaning and purpose to life.

Answer 43

• Genesis 1:26-28 - ‘God said, let us make humankind in our image… and let them have dominion’.
• Ecclesiastes 9:5-9 - ‘Go eat your bread with enjoyment’

Question 44

Examples of the bible as comfort and encouragement.

Answer 44

• Psalm 46:1-3 - ‘God is our refuge and strength’.
• Matthew 6:25 - ‘is not life more than food… and clothing?’

Question 45

Does the Bible hold value on the meaning and purpose of life through its narrative?

Answer 45

Christians view the Bible as presenting a grand narrative that provides meaning - from the origins of Life in Genesis, and the view that history is under God’s control. However, the value of the Bible’s narrative has been challenged: evolution explains creation.

Question 46

Does the Bible hold value on the meaning and purpose of life through morality?

Answer 46

Some Christians would say that rather than finding meaning only through metaphysical beliefs, they turn to the bible as a source of moral advice. However, Many would say it is possible to be good without God, citing many ethical systems such as utilitarianism as ways to improve oneself without the need of religious text.

Question 47

Does the Bible hold value on the meaning and purpose of life through its influence?

Answer 47

The Bible’s view on the meaning and purpose of life has had a big influence on culture - the relationship between the 10 commandments and our legal system - organisation of our calendar around biblical events - However, Bible does not address many current legal issues, and we now consider Monday to be the start of the week, rather than the ‘sacred’ day of Sunday.

Question 48

The extent to which the Psalms offer a guide to living for Christians.

Answer 48

• Irrelevant context? - originally written for use in the Temple in Jerusalem, an institution that no longer exists - old Jewish scripture. - Christians believe have been suspended by the life, death and resurrection of Christ. - However, Jesus quoted the Psalms often, and Christians believe that the Psalms refers to Jesus (Psalm 22). - Christians view the Bible as unfolding story of salvation. - therefore relevant.
• Most important inspiration? - can be argued that the Psalms are actually the model for Christian worship. - Used in worship services. - monasteries continue to pray through the Psalms - have informed Christian hymnody. - However Christian hymnody draws from many sources. - Christian worship is more diverse than the Psalms. - Some Churches see people sit for the reading of the Psalms, but standing for the Gospels.
• Missing issues? - Ancient texts - do not relate to modern issues - However many would say that the Psalms are still relevant today, addressing issues such as why we are here and why we exist. - Such questions will always be pondered no matter the era.