...Introduction Devotional Classics is a book which contains writings by a large selection of spiritual giants. It provides an amazing perspective of Christianity from a wide variety of demonstrations, walks of faith, vocations, and time periods which started from the early church fathers up to current writers. It is an excellent compilation of portions of mostly classic Christian works in devotional format. This devotional book offers a full and a complete overview of all sides of devotional life. It is a great companion to the Scriptures as it has biblical references and study questions as part of each reading. Each chapter gives me an excerpt and some thought provoking reflections by Foster and Smith. Most of the readings are profound and worthy of in-depth reading. It has made me think, contemplate and overall grow in my spiritual journey. In this paper, I will demonstrate why John Calvin is important to be studied in the 21st century. I have chosen his devotional writing as a reflection of my spiritual insights and its application to my spiritual journey. Why John Calvin Many theologians such as Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin and more throughout history have made a big impact on their culture, times, society, and/or religion. One of the theologians that stands out to me is John Calvin, who had a great influence during his time, the early to middle sixteenth century. Calvin is considered by many to have been the father and founder of the Presbyterian and...
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...Theology Research Papers Based on the topics provided below, you will be required to submit two theological research papers for this course. Each paper should be 7–9 double-spaced pages in length, with default margins and 12-pt. font in Times New Roman. You should include sources that support and contradict a specific position. Ten sources are required. Each paper should also include a title page and bibliography, each formatted in accordance with Turabian standards. The goal of these papers is to not only conclude with a position (even if tentative) regarding the theological issue investigated, but also to interact with the content and arguments for and against the positions that entail all sides of the issue. In other words, you must interact with and respond to opposing views, as well as seriously consider the strengths and weaknesses of your position. In writing this paper, you should work with the biblical text and interact with theological and exegetical arguments used to support all sides of the issue, but nevertheless come to conclusions based upon the strength of the arguments being studied. In doing research of this kind, you are encouraged to use primary sources written by proponents of the positions being espoused. Do not exclusively use secondary sources that summarize the content of a position. Instead, be sure to use sources that argue in support of a position. The first Theological Research Paper is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week...
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...Theology Research Papers Based on the topics provided below, you will be required to submit two theological research papers for this course. Each paper should be 7–9 double-spaced pages in length, with default margins and 12-pt. font in Times New Roman. You should include sources that support and contradict a specific position. Ten sources are required. Each paper should also include a title page and bibliography, each formatted in accordance with Turabian standards. The goal of these papers is to not only conclude with a position (even if tentative) regarding the theological issue investigated, but also to interact with the content and arguments for and against the positions that entail all sides of the issue. In other words, you must interact with and respond to opposing views, as well as seriously consider the strengths and weaknesses of your position. In writing this paper, you should work with the biblical text and interact with theological and exegetical arguments used to support all sides of the issue, but nevertheless come to conclusions based upon the strength of the arguments being studied. In doing research of this kind, you are encouraged to use primary sources written by proponents of the positions being espoused. Do not exclusively use secondary sources that summarize the content of a position. Instead, be sure to use sources that argue in support of a position. The first Theological Research Paper is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week...
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...What is Midrash? This is quite an intractable issue. It doesn’t only contain very wide and very old texts, but also multitudinous philosophers. Even though Midrash is not a good scientific source for studying Bible today, it powerfully helps us understand the spirit of authors from later the Old Treatment, the developing of Judaism, and the constitution of the New Treatment’s mission. Midrash was an exegetical method used in early Jewish religion. The word usually is used for any written or oral commentary on a biblical text. It is an interpretive act, seeking the answers to religious questions (both practical and theological) by plumbing ?? the meaning of the words of the Torah. (Efron page?) As early as the 1st c. CE rabbinic principles of hermeneutics and philology were used to bring the interpretation of difficult passages in the literal text of scripture into line with the religious and ethical values of the teachers. (Holtz 177-178) One can say that the Midrash on the verse Genesis 1:1 says that “...and some Midrashim interpretation of the verse would go here.”The original purpose of Midrash was to resolve problems in the Hebrew text of the Bible. (Malon) Thus, Midrash exposes the values and worldview of the rabbinic interpreter and audience rather than the original intention of the author of the biblical text. Midrash falls into two categories: Midrash aggada and Midrash halakha. The root of the Hebrew term is used to refer to Jewish law, halakhah, means "go" or "walk...
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...Through midrash we reveal Torah’s meanings. Midrash allows us to posit answers to our questions, to explore hidden motivations for mysterious moments in Torah, to offer explanation. Sometimes through midrash we temper Torah, rendering it more comprehensible to a contemporary audience or more in-tune with contemporary values. Midrash allows us to celebrate the loopholes and inconsistencies in Torah. They are not (only) accidents or signs of where the text was stitched together from disparate elements, but rather the hooks placed there by God precisely for the purpose of giving us something to work with. The body of Jewish midrash not only expands the universe of possible stories in our tradition, but also explores and teaches how we should live. But whether halakhic or aggadic, midrash is transformative work. Midrash is a form of rabbinic literature. There are two types of midrash: midrash aggada and midrash halakha. Midrash aggada can best be described as a form of storytelling that explores ethics and values in biblical texts. ("Aggada" literally means "story" or "telling" in Hebrew.) It can take any biblical word or verse and interpret it to answer a question or explain something in the text. For instance, a midrash may attempt to explain why Adam didn’t stop Eve from eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. One of the best-known midrashim (plural of midrash) deals with Abraham’s childhood in early Mesopotamia, where he is said to have smashed the idols in his...
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...Carroll College | Exegesis of Luke 5:27-32 | Biblical Exegesis Paper | | | | Jennifer Hess | 4/25/2010 Exegesis of Luke 5:27-32 Overview The passage that was chosen was Luke 5:27-32, or the calling of Levi. This passage presents Jesus telling Levi, a tax collector, to follow him. Levi does follow Jesus, and soon after they are having a banquet dinner with other tax collectors. Jesus is asked why he chooses to eat with them, and he simply responds with “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Levi is chosen to emphasize that he is of the worst sinners. The dinner with the sinners is a part of Jesus’ mission of this passage. The sinners were considered unclean and profane, yet Jesus is there to be their physician. He is there to pursue the faith in them (Just 96). Historical Analysis The Gospel of Luke was originally written in Koine Greek (McKenzie 525). The intended audience is Greek-speaking, meaning Christianity was an international religion. The Gospels of Luke, Mark and Matthew have many of the same stories, but sometimes in different words or order. One of the problems of these Synoptic Gospels is the synoptic problem. The synoptic problem is the interrelationship of the three of them and the similarity in content (Mueller 75,77). One solution is that Matthew used information from only Mark, and Luke wrote last, using both of the gospels before him (McKenzie...
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...Exegesis Literary Criticism Context The book of Luke 9: 28-36 talks about “The Transfiguration” of Jesus that happened on a mountain with the presence of Peter, John, and James. Before the event, several other acts involving Jesus had occurred. First, Christ sent his disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God to the people upon given authority and power of casting out demons. Their mission was expected to spread the word in every home they were welcomed. The results of such a mission caused confusion to the Galilean ruler, Herod Antipas. He was wondering who Jesus was, because he was given many names like John the Baptist, Elijah or some of the past prophets who had risen from the dead (“The Transfiguration (Luke 9:27-36)”). The other event before the transfiguration was the feeding of five thousand people. When the disciples had returned from their mission as seen earlier, they relocated to a quiet place for a talk with Jesus; however, a multitude of people followed them upon their prevue to the information. Jesus used five loaves of bread and two fish to feed them after a day’s preaching. Later, when they were alone with Jesus, following the miracle Peter gives his declaration on what he thinks who Jesus was. The last event of the transfiguration was the prediction of Jesus about his death and warning the disciples not to inform people of his true form and nature. After the transfiguration, Jesus was also involved in many other activities. First, He heals a boy who is possessed...
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...Edwina Edney-Hopes Instructor: Rev. Dr Joseph Kimatu Life and Writings of Paul REL-327-DL01 December 7, 2014 Word Count : 3185 Word Count w/outline: 3286 Galatians 3:1-29 Abstract The purpose of this writing is to discuss the book of Galatians Chapter 3 verses 1-29. My goal is to give you the when, what, who, where and why. I will also do some examination of each verse in this chapter. I hope to give further insight to myself and others on this chapter in the bible. A thesis statement and stated approach in the Introduction Paul is writing this letter to the people of Galatia to combat the teachings of the Judaizers. After he came to tell them about God after he left the Juadaizers came in and started to teach them that they had to follow the Jewish laws. Paul felt that they had been led astray and he wanted to get them back on track. Now the where, who and Paul’s occasion for writing. The first where is Galatia located? Galatia is located in Northern Asia Minor. It was originally populated by Celts. It was reorganized into a Province by the Romans after the last Galatian King died. It added other districts to it to make the Province these areas are Isauria, parts of Lycaonia, Palphlagonia, Pisidia, Phrygia and Pontus. Who was Paul writing to? This is up to debate for the people that Paul was writing to. There is a Northern Galatia Theory, Southern Galatia theory. People that favor the Northern Galatia Theory contend this for a couple of reasons. One would be his use of “You...
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...Biblical Exegesis for Preaching I. Get Introduced to the Text 1. Mark 14: 3-9 (KJV) – And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head, And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her; And Jesus said, Let her alone, why trouble ye her? She hath wrought a good work on me. She hath done what she could: She is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying, Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. 2. Author: Mark Theme: Jesus, Servant Son Mark is stated to be the most concise of the four written Gospels. It was written in A.D. 55-65. although the author is not specifically identified by name (as with all of the Gospels), the testimony of the universal church is that John Mark is the author. John Mark was moved by the Holy Spirit to write to the believers in Rome as a prophetic anticipation or pastoral response to the persecution that the believers were experiencing. Many were being treated cruelly by the general population and many were tortured and put to death by the...
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...Revelation 21:1-8 Rachel Ahlberg Theology 213: Book of Revelation December 2, 2014 God the Creator and Redeemer brings all things into completion. Revelation 21:1-8 is the conclusion of everything that has been described throughout the book of Revelation and it is the introduction to eternity. This passage inspires us to stay faithful and steadfast in our Christian life, awaiting the day when there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away. Near the end of the first century, when Revelation was written, the Emperor Domitian began a period of severe persecution against the Christian church. Despite the persecution, this group of believers had faith that Jesus would return. As time passed, however, their hope began to wane. The book of Revelation as a whole is a letter to the early Christian Church to encourage them to maintain faithful witness despite persecution and temptation. Revelation reminds us that, even though Christ is no longer on earth, we have Christ in us. He empowers us and gives us hope for the future. He removes all evil so as to transform and renew His creation. He brings peace and a future to those who are sealed. He promises us all things new and, for those who reject him, all things of judgment. When John refers to a new heaven and a new earth he is not just talking about a new version of the same thing, he is talking about God making a complete transformation of His creation. He does not...
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...HEBREW EXEGESIS BS 016 AN EXEGESIS OF THE BOOK OF AMOS 5:4-6 NAME: TABEA MATAUNICERE LECTURER: REV. PAULINI VUICUVU 13-Aug-15 Hebrew Exegesis BS 016 Introduction Hebrew exegesis is the art of taking out the meaning of the text from that Bible and not adding it on. Many times we have looked at the Bible from our own perspective and not what the real author intended it to be its real meaning. Doing exegesis is just trying to get to the original intention of the author. In this assignment I will be doing an exegesis on the book of Amos 5:4-6 whereby I will try to get closer to the real intention of the author, by looking at different translation, words, background and by following the exegetical processes that was given to us in class. Outline I. Text II. Translation A. Version comparison B. Own translation III. Historical Context and Literary Context A. Immediate background B. Date C. Authorship D. Geographical Setting E. Social Setting IV. Form and Structure A. Genre B. Structural Plan V. Grammatical Data and Lexical Data A. Grammatical issues B. Lexical Data VI. Biblical context and Theology VII. Secondary literature VIII. Application IX. Conclusion I. Text: Amos 5:4-6 I have chosen the text from the book of Amos 5:4-6. Because in the Hebrew bible this is a unit with in itself: NASB: (v4) for thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, "Seek Me that you may live. (v5) "But do not resort to , And do not...
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...An Exegesis of Russell and Frege When people tell people that I’m philosophy major they usually ask two questions: 1. Why would you ever want to study philosophy? and 2. What will you ever to do with a philosophy degree? The way these questions are frame usually come across as a straw-man argument connoting to such a pursuit is a fruitless endeavor. Despite societal preconceived notions of philosopher they fail to see major contributions that they have given society from governments, ethics, and technology. Most people are not aware that without the advancement that were made in the philosophy of language, we wouldn't have the knowledge to build computers. Perhaps computers could be attributed as the major contributors to the advancements that we have seen in our society. Computers have infinitely impacted the way that we approach the world, its impacted the food we eat, security (for better and worse), scholarly pursuits, social networking, etc. its hard to imagine a world that doesn't have computers; without computers we wouldn't have all the inventions and services that have come about because of them. It was the work of four philosophers / logicians: Gottfried Leibniz, Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell, and Alan Turning. Leibniz invented the binary number system which allows all number to be expressed in terms of 0's and 1's. By expressing the numbers as 0's and 1's all you need is a register which has only has to process two options: on and off. But programming...
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...Dr. Na Religion 207 Dec 11, 2015 Stilling of the Storm The canonical gospels are a result of the spreading of the news of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Therefore, they must be studied when interested in gathering an account of Jesus’ life and death. The synoptic gospels include the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is assumed that the author of the Gospel According to Mark wrote his gospel first and therefore becomes a blueprint for the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Therefore the synoptic gospels have similar events, structure, and timeframes. One major event in all three synoptic gospels is the story of the stilling of the storm. Assuming markan priority, this paper will discuss the Gospel According to Mark’s command that Jesus uses to rebuke the wind and sea: “Peace! Be still!” The stilling of the storm is a triple tradition event, meaning it is found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. This event is contained in the passages of Mark 4:35-41, Matt 8:23-27, and Luke 8:22-25. Some similarities throughout this particular event are very evident and can be shown through the main course of events in the pericope. The first similarity is all gospels have Jesus asleep in the boat during a storm. Another similarity is that Jesus rebukes the natural elements and comments on the disciples’ lack of faith. Another important similarity is that the disciples question the authority of Jesus when the wind and water obey him. These three similarities lay out the foundation...
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...Old and New Testament Exegesis The author of Daniel intended to restore hope to the nation of Israel during a time of horrifying persecution. This was done through a combination of narrative stories and apocalyptic revelations, both involving the wise and religious character known as Daniel. The lessons of faithfulness and obedience throughout the book transcend generations and still affect readers today. The setting of Daniel takes place during the “Babylonian exile” within the “courts of Babylonian, Median, and Persian kings” (Collins 33). This exile took place the around the sixth century B.C. Contrary to the setting, though, “critical scholarship has established that the book actually comes from the 2nd century B.C.” (33). During this era, the Jewish population was persecuted by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who went so far as to desecrate the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem by constructing a statue to the Greek god Zeus, much like King Nebuchadnezzar does in chapter 3 (Porteous 57). The biggest clue that Bible scholars notice when questioning the authorship is how accurate the succession of kingdoms is mentioned throughout the book. The author’s ability to hint at events that occur centuries after Daniel’s lifespan lead scholars to suspect an alternative author (Jeffrey 349). The book of Acts seems so straight forward as a mere history of the early Church that one can hardly imagine the controversy behind the tedious details in the critical examination...
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...writer whose area of specialisation is The Old Testament, feminist exegesis and hermeneutics. She is the founder and editor of the first Internet journal for feminist exegesis in Europe, the "Lectio Difficilior". The Job story gives little space to women. In fact, it silences Job's wife in the brief paragraph quoted above and devotes the remainder of the book to men. Women, their world and their experiences, appear in only patriarchal terms and in a most peripheral way. The story must considerably test the patience of female readers given the book’s preoccupation with men who speak and perform in all 42 chapters. Also, to add insult to injury, these are all rich and educated men, and of course God Himself is usually depicted as male. Incidentally,...
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