Ways of interpreting the Scripture

Question 1

What does it mean by “The Bible as inspired”?

Answer 1

Guided by God

Question 2

What further meanings can be depicted based on the general meaning of “The Bible as inspired”?

Answer 2

• Bible incapable of being wrong as it is God’s word
• God inspired authors to create writings through gift of the Holy Spirit
• Writers inspired by God and teachings of Jesus

Question 3

How does Aquinas address the nature of theology?

Answer 3

For him:
- Philosophy is built upon human reason and Scripture is another form of knowledge inspired by God
- Purpose of Scripture is to make known the truths necessary for salvation

Question 4

Aquinas says the Scripture can be seen to have different levels of meaning or senses. What are these two main ways? (and sub-categories)

Answer 4

• Literal
• Spiritual (Allegorical, Moral, Analogical)

Question 5

What is the literal sense of Scripture?

Answer 5

• Follows the sense of the words themselves, as expressed by human authors
• Text should be read in its ‘historical’ sense; dealing with actual events, people and statements
• Example: Temple as the actual building Jesus visited

Question 6

What is the allegorical sense of Scripture?

Answer 6

• The meaning behind the text (‘disguised language’. The words are just a symbol of reality.
• Example: Temple pointing to Jesus’s body and death

Question 7

What is the moral sense of Scripture?

Answer 7

• The lessons that can be learnt from the text (e.g., how we should live)
• Example: the body seen as a temple

Question 8

Provide some background information on the Enlightenment period?

Answer 8

• The idea that the progress of humanity could be advanced through thinking
• Empirical observation reveals the truth behind human society and the universe
• Questioning the truth of knowledge
• Favouring deism

Question 9

What is the Fundamentalist approach?

Answer 9

• The Bible is read literally, it is God’s word and has absolute authority
• The Bible is never wrong (it conflicts with science instead)

Question 10

Schliermacher suggested that the Scripture should be interpreted as a hermeneutic circle. What does this mean?

Answer 10

• The meaning is found within its historical, cultural, and literal setting
• Circle is never-ending as there are improvements in understanding of language and history
• Text cannot have a fixed meaning

Question 11

Alister McGrath came up with four modern approaches to biblical interpretation. What are they and what do they mean?

Answer 11

• Rational: truth found through reason
• Historical: seeks to find original meaning in contect
• Sociological: uses knowledge of sociology to explain society at the time of the Bible
• Literary: looks as biblical texts as literature

Question 12

Provide some strengths and weaknesses on the rational approach.

Answer 12

• S: Religion and rationalism can coexist (e.g., deisim and Bultmann)
• W: ‘Pick and mix’ approach
• W: only what is rational is the divine truth

Question 13

Provide some strengths and weaknesses on the historical approach.

Answer 13

• S: helps modern world get closer to the early church
• S: allows us to understand original meaning of the text
• W: does not take into account the divine nature of the text
• W: revisionist ~ reflect scholars’ biases (e.g., Wrede on Messianic secret)

Question 14

Provide some strengths and weaknesses on the sociological approach.

Answer 14

• S: helps in understanding the meaning and significance of Jesus’s life/teachings
• S: helps understand political situation in Palestine to why Jesus was crucified
• W: imposes modern assumptions on earlier believers
• W: ignores unique nature of Christian message that God became man

Question 15

Provide some strengths and weaknesses on the literary approach.

Answer 15

• S: literary comparison provides insight into beliefs of the early Church
• S: focuses on the whole text, theological truths become evident
• W: subjective, open to creating meaning that was never intended

Question 16

What are the different approaches to biblical scholarship and what do they mean?

Answer 16

• Liberal (modernism): embraces methods of the Enlightenment; evidence and reason
• Conservative (fundamentalist): Bible is the world of God; therefore Jesus’ teachings are historically accurate
• Neo-orthodoxy: God reveals himself in Christ through Scripture

Question 17

What are Barth’s overall views on the Scripture being the ‘Word of God’?

Answer 17

• The Bible should be read as a story in which one can encounter God
• The most ‘human’ parts are not lesser value and should not be prejudged (e.g., birth narrative of Matthew may be viewed as unhistorical with factual inaccuracies)

Question 18

Why does Barth argue that the Bible is not revelation in itself?

Answer 18

Treating the Bible as revelation becomes a form of idolatry. The Bible is a human construct with errors, and only transforms when God chooses to speak to the reader.

Question 19

How is Barth’s approach significant and relevant?

Answer 19

• Liberal theology had become human. But Barth attempted to halt this by stressing the central role of Jesus
• His view challenged those who believed that it was God’s revelation in itself to think differently about nature of the Bible
• He does not take scholarship much forward (so becomes circular)

Question 20

How does Rudolph Bultmann demythologise Scripture? (provide some of his claims)

Answer 20

• NT used myths of the day to understand who Jesus is
• Only thing required is to know about the historical Jesus is that he existed
• Scripture provides a way of living (‘Word of God’ needs separating from mythology)
• Life should be lived as if the stories are true rather than being convinced they are true

Question 21

How is Bultmann’s approach significant and relevant?

Answer 21

• He focuses more on Jesus’ teachings, not the keryma
• By identifying mythical elements, original kergyma is saved
• Presents how ‘mythical language’ can convey important truths, that can be relevant to the reader