...Midrash is the act and process of interpretation of the Bible, but there is no one midrash. To fully understand this concept we must look at the purpose of midrashic methodology and how it works. In doing this we will be looking at Midrash Rabbah for the Book of Genesis or Bereshit. Midrash Rabbah contains two interpretations of the account of creation, which will allow us to better analyze midrashic methodology. Unlike the Talmud or Zohar, midrash does not refer to a single text but a type of text. In Back to the Sources, Barry Holtz defines midrash as, first, “(deriving from the Hebrew root ‘to search out’) is the process of interpreting. The object of interpretation is the Bible or, on occasion, other sacred texts; second, Midrash refers to the corpus of work that has collected these interpretations.” (Holtz, p.178) Midrash interprets in both halachic and aggadic aspects. As we learned in the Efron text, The Jews, halacha refers to text discussing civil and religious law. Although really all law was seen as religious, there wasn’t a specific separation between what we look at today as civil and religious respectively. Aggadah on the other hand is a nonlegal text of rabbinical Judaism that is more theological or ethics based. What does this mean for midrash? A midrash will look at biblical text and interpret its meaning in both legal and nonlegal ways. Midrash is able to account for the gaps in biblical text by giving an interpretation of what may have been meant, which...
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...exegesis the word of God is crucial. Not eliminating the bible as the concrete foundation of our Christian knowledge but allowing other resources to become windows in our biblical mansion. The author Mr. Black is sharing with us the necessity of having the right tools to properly make application of the word of God. Greek is the language used by the Gentiles in the New Testament and to adequately teach or preached the New Testament scriptures one need understand Greek translations. There are tools to assist in understanding Greek and we must take advantage of them just like a mechanic always update their tools according to modernization of cars. Paul writes to Timothy and states “to study to show ourselves approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”, (II Tim. 2:15). The author recommends ten essential tools in using and understanding Greek in ministry, which six of those tools will be discussed in this assignment. Let me establish that all of the tools are essential although I am discussing only six. The first tool is an English bible, whether the King James, (which is the recommended one), the Amplified Bible or whatever your preference is, one need a bible that adequately explains in English for easy comprehension. Secondly, one will need a modern edition of Greek New Testament, to go in to detail what the scripture is saying. It also assists to avoid loss of meaning through translation. Thirdly, one needs an Exegetical...
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...What is not the aim? To get at the plain meaning of a txt. Uniqueness is not the aim pg 18 3. According to Fee and Stuart, what is the antidote to bad interpretation? Good interpretation based on commonsense guidelines. Pg 21 4. They define “The Bible” in part as… The Bible is not a series of… Propositions & imperatives it is not simply a collection of “Sayings from Chairman God” pg 22 5. Know the kinds of “communication” mentioned that God uses to convey his Word. Narrative history, genealogies, chronicles, laws of all kinds, poetry of all kinds, proverbs, prophetic oracles, riddles, drama,biographical sketches, parables, letters, sermons, & apocalypses. Pg 22 6. “To interpret properly the “then and there” of the biblical texts, you must…” Not only know some general rules that apply to all the words of the bible but you also need to lean the special rules that apply to each of these literacy forms (generes) pg 23 7. Know and be able to discuss the two types of ‘context’ mentioned in the reading. Why are these items important? The historical Context & The Literary Context. Pg 26 & Pg 27 8. What do Fee and Stuart say is the “only proper control for hermeneutics”? Is to be found in yhe origincal inyeny of the biblical text. Pg 29 9. According to the authors, “The true meaning of the biblical text for us is…” hermeneutics 10. What are potential problems with a “fuller” or “deeper” meaning? Who speaks for God? Pg 31 11....
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...In chapter thirty five Hendrick explains the importance of terms. Terms are implemented into writing for a purpose. Arthur's use terms to get their message across to the reader. Two ways arthur's install the use of the terms is through repetition and emphasising. Sometimes that isn't enough and readers need further guidance to understand the term. Therefore, Hendrick teaches us how to use a concordance and a Bible dictionary. Using a concordance is simple and helpful. For example, say while reading the word love is appearing repeatedly. As readers we then can search for the word love in the concordance. The word love appears many times in the Bible. To get more familiar with the meaning, skimming through the passages that the concordance has refered can further our knowledge about the term. Hopefully the definition of the word is understandable and is able to...
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...The Bible is one of the most reflective and influential texts in human history. Thus there are Jewish Bibles, Protestant Bibles, and Catholic Bibles, and Bibles which all claim to represent the Churches. However, every Bible has its own unique qualities making careful inspection of these qualities essential in picking the right Bible. Aside from the different number of books that were included by certain Churches, these marginal attributes play the biggest role of how each Bible differentiates from each other. The way the text was translated in the matter of which the text is rendered, linguistic differences that separate literary tradition, and doctrinal issues. Once these differences are understood, picking the right Bible should turn into a walk in the park. As new versions of the New Testament were published, many began to see once familiar passages disappear from the text. An example that which demonstrates textual differences is the version of the Lord’s Prayer in the Authorized Version and the Revised Version of the New Testament. The Authorized Version begins as “Our father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth”, turns into “Father, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come” when translated into the Revised Version. Even though the descriptors were omitted, the strength of the passage does not necessarily decimate. In fact, without the blockade caused by the descriptors the message of the passage has the...
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...explain a number of beliefs and scientific happenings. Truth is, it has found itself to be both the ‘chicken and the egg’ to most arguments. Numerical significance can be both a proof, demonstration of an idea, or it can be the reason for the thought, concept, or philosophy. By definition, scholars believe that numerology is the placing of meaning on numbers in the Scriptures. Numerology is by no means restricted to Christianity, even though we choose to make it our focus for the purpose of this paper. Numerology attempts to explain the reason why God used numbers as he did, and what he was potentially trying to tell us. Thorough analysis and interpretation efforts have taken place along the years, in other to find meaning behind this scientific, most often philosophical, symbol use. “The Pythagoreans made number games philosophically respectable, and the great authority of Plato raised mathematics into theological realms. But at the lowest level, numbers remained magical.” The fall of the Roman Empire, caused a challenging transition for many, especially in terms of religion. From Paganism to Christianity, many had to look for a meaning, and be convinced, or understand, regardless of doubts that a new religion was to emerge. The early years of Christianity revolved around strong thinkers who were able to establish arguments in order to defend a newborn faith. Those strong thinkers, not always referred to as Saints, are known to us as the Fathers of the Church. The three...
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...Tall Tales The Bible, as with most religious texts, uses metaphors, verbal illustrations, and allegory throughout. Regardless of historical fact or accuracy, the use of these conventions gives most biblical stories their meaning and importance. While most of the Bible makes some sense to the modern reader, there are those stories that defy the basic laws of science and fact. One such story in the Bible is a rather famous one and quite possibly the most confusing and scientifically baseless. In fact, the story is so improbable that it has been relegated to the status of a children’s story by all accounts. The tale comes from the Book of Jonah in the Old Testament and is simply known to the modern world as “Jonah and the Whale.” Sadly, the story, while good, contains two fundamental flaws; one flaw based in science the other based in meaning. While most stories in the bible are symbolic in nature, this particular one really stretches the boundaries of the imagination. Jonah, a minor prophet, was ordered by God to go to the city of Nineveh and preach to the residents about their shortcomings in the eyes of the Lord. Jonah decided against going and instead tried to escape to another city by ship to avoid his task. While at sea, a terrible storm descended upon the ship Jonah was on. Instead of praying to God for the ships survival like the other shipmates, Jonah went below deck and fell asleep. Upon seeing Jonah sleeping, the captain of the ship woke Jonah up and begged...
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...to the bible, Jesus, who is also God’s only son, was crucified to save everyone from their inevitable death because of their sin (The Bible, Romans 6:13). This was also the purpose of him being sent to the Earth in the first place (The Bible, John 3:16-17). Jesus was born in approximately 4 BC in Bethlehem of the virgin Mary (“Jesus of Nazareth”). Though it was God’s intention for Jesus to die on the cross, the Roman officials are responsible for his crucifiction (“Why did Jesus die?”). Because of Jesus’s declaration that he was God’s son and the prophesized messiah, the Roman officials as well as the Jews disliked Jesus and his ministry (“Jesus of Nazareth”). Jesus was tried by the Sanhedrin and it was concluded that he was a blasphemer, and that he should be executed. (“Jesus of Nazareth”). At this point in time, the Sanhedrin didn’t have the power to give anyone the death sentence, so a group of priests took the trial to a Roman governor, Pontius Pilate (“Jesus of Nazareth”). Pilate approved of the Sanhedrin’s decision and Jesus was crucified soon after (“Jesus of...
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...Week 2 Reflection Case study 1.1 The Bible and Tradition A major issue in Christian Theology is in the way which the Bible was interpreted. There was controversy over two interpretations of Arianism and Pelegianism. Condemned as heretical, their opponents argued that they did not interpret in an orthodox manner. But who decides what is orthodox? An appeal to tradition was of importance in challenging unorthodox interpretations of the Scripture. Tradition refers to the way the gospels we handed down from teacher to teacher. Examples of this are known in the writings of Matthew, Mark, & Luke. It is known that Matthew used Mark as a source for his writings. Luke also used Mark and possible Matthew in his writings. This is known as the synoptic gospels. Gnosticism is another issue of tradition. Gnosticism was a major threat to the Christian church because some of their teachings were very similar to the Christians. However, their belief in Salvation was significantly different. Gnostic writers wrote of a secret teaching which ensured the believer would be saved. They taught the idea that the secret knowledge was required to pass into Heaven. The Gnostic writers argued that this secret oral teaching had been passed down from the apostles in a veiled form in the Bible. In response to Gnosticism, Christian theologians began to develop a traditional method of understanding Scripture, known as a single-source theory of tradition. Irenaeus of Lyons is noted...
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...as verbally, with actions, with facial expression, images, writing, formal, explanation, and discussion. • Recognise truth in sacred scripture. Scientific: People who wrote the bible had little knowledge about science, like they thought the world was flat. Biblical account of how the world was created differs from the scientific version. Writers were concerned with religious truth not science. When looking behind the inaccurate scientific theories you find it expresses a truth about God, people and their relationship. Historical: The bible contains some historical truth, but the information is not like the recounts in textbooks. The stories from the bible were passed on by generations, they were told so the listener heard the religious truth, not necessarily the facts. The gospels are reliable historical records, but they are presented in different ways. It is religious history, not accurate recounts of dates and events. The Bible is not to be read as a history book. Symbolic: The religious truth in the bible is told in symbols. We have to read behind the symbols to find the meaning. Example eve and the talking snake, it’s not that a snake could talk but a symbol for the devil trying to worm its way into the human heart. The garden is a symbol for all that God gives us. The symbolic meaning behind this story is about the struggle of good and evil in a person that tempts them to sin. Proverbial: found in the Old Testament, it is everyday wisdom and advice about life that...
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...Elements of Religious Rona Williams REL/133 May 26, 2014 Elements of Religious Religion is significant to many who believe in the bible and so are all of their religious traditions. In describing the basic components of religious traditions and their relationship to the sacred. It offers many seculars a reason for wanting to live and a comfort of security, The knowledge or awareness’s is the driving force behind the belief of one God a higher power and for some the sacred. I will include what a religious tradition says including its teachings, texts, doctrine, stories, myths, and others, What a religious tradition does including worship, prayer, pilgrimage, ritual, and so forth, and how a religious tradition organizes including leadership, relationships among members, and so forth. Christianity and its teachings was organized Religious tradition is a custom that people of one religion do because it was done for many years by supernatural beings or idols. These traditions are different for each different religion. In studying each religion, it is noted that each has texts, stories, myths, and other traditional aspects that permits others or bible believers read about the traditions of that religion. The Hindu religion is known to be the hardest religion to study and many other texts that tell the stories of the lives of certain high gods, goddesses, and/or heroes. It also explains why we must celebrate certain holidays and how we should celebrate them. Most of...
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...interpretation of literature and more specifically, the Bible The primary goal of their book seems to be to provide the interpreter with a variety of tools to assist in properly interpreting scripture. From the beginning Stuart and Fee provide reasons for the need of accurately interpreting scripture. For example, the letters and writing of the Bible were written in various times, in various cultures, and in different languages. All of these factors must be taken into account when discerning the original meaning of the text. In addition, I specifically appreciate the fact that Stuart and Fee from very beginning of their book explained that a temptation in exegeting scripture is the motivation of pride. I completely agree that the learning of and teaching of God’s Word should be done in confident humility. In regards to the Old Testament, for example, Stuart and Fee give great caution to properly understanding the nuances of the Old Testament narratives. The Old Testament narratives are primarily, thought not solely, there to gives us a better understand of who God is. The temptation is that New Testament believers read the Old Testament and use it as way to live by rules and deeds. This misunderstanding leads to a life lived in bondage to the Law and in essence paralyzes us on the mission that we are told to be on in the New Testament. Stuart says, “Do not be a monkey-see-monkey-do reader of the Bible. No Bible narrative was written specifically...
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...“Is Religion Relevant?” The question at hand “Is Religion Relevant?” is often very hard to answer with a simple YES or NO. It takes time, with deep thought and seeking information for unanswerable questions. Even philosophical experts, creative thinkers, and students alike have most likely contemplated and thoroughly thought out this question into detail, yet still failed to give a definite, precise answer for such a complex, powerful statement. In this paper, I consider Leo Tolstoy’s view on “Is Religion Relevant?” through a well-known work of his called “The Confession”. Is Tolstoy right in claiming that to understand the importance of living a life full of meaning, truth, and understanding, one does need to experience the relevance and power of religion in their life? The answer is YES, Tolstoy is right, one can find through seeking out meaning, truth, and understanding that religion is relevant. I believe it is relevant based upon the truth founded in accordance to God’s grace to provide hope and guidance to man. Even though it could be argued that the relevance of religion isn’t valuable in society or God’s grace, through Tolstoy’s article “The Confession” I will show its essence and impact on life. It is important that religion “deal with the total concrete fact, even as love must. It must stretch the understanding to the dimensions of the Fact, nor cut down the Fact to the dimensions of the understanding.” [p.53 Wieman(1)] It shouldn’t tone down or hold back anything...
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...understand prophecy, it is important to realize that prophecy does not pertain to what may occur in our future but that which was to occur in the future of the people of the Old Testament. A Prophet was not one who spoke to God but an individual who presented God’s word to His people. There are two types of prophets; Major and Minor Prophets. The terms do not assert one’s importance over another, they were merely utilized to identify longer books/messages and were often not in any chronological order. The function of prophecy in Israel can be broken down into four basics thought. “1. The prophets were covenant enforcement mediators.” (Stuart, 2003) “2. The prophets’ message was not their own, but God’s.” (Stuart, 2003) “3. The prophets were God’s direct representatives.” (Stuart, 2003) “4. The prophets’ message is unoriginal. The meaning is that of God but the wording and vocabulary is that of the individual presenting the prophecy.” (Stuart, 2003) It can be necessary to utilize outside resources for the exegetical task. These resources include Bible dictionaries, commentaries, Bible handbooks, and “How to Read the Bible Book by Book” by Fee and Stuart. The three hundred years from Amos (ca.760BC) to Malachi (ca. 460BC) form the most context of covenant...
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...awareness be part of society in general. It is also a fact that moral rules need to be established to keep us functioning as society. Basically, we all need to understand, and be aware of how far we can go to avoid damaging other people. Moral rules are necessary and exist to remind us of what is right and what is wrong. At the same time, they also protect us from being threaten by others possible intentions. Smith states in his book, The World’s Religions, that the Hebrew Bible contains 613 commandments to guarantee the integrity of the vital relationship among human beings. The commandments mentioned, cover four important factors of Human Beings lives believed to be the basic factors that dictates it. Without monitoring them, Human race existence would be jeopardized. It is interesting how force, wealth, sex and speech do have a huge impact in the way we rule our lives. It is doubtless that no having a moral control of each of these factors would probably make our lives impossible. I do believe in the importance of such guidelines. Although I agree with its accuracy because they can serve us as a reference, or a reminder of how to act in an ethical way, society itself might be able to provide us with such moral knowledge. Our families or our first care providers play an important role too. In other words, such guidelines are important not only to keep others but also our own integrity in the way we interact with others. However, we should naturally have the knowledge of such important...
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