Reflection Paper Assignment: The Meaning of the Bible.
Levine, Amy –Jill and Douglas Knight. The Meaning of the Bible: What Jewish and Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us. New York: HarperOne, 2011.
Intro
The assignment is reflect on my own assumptions about the Bible, and bible interpretation, based on the journey, or “deep dive” I have taken into the Hebrew Bible this semester through various writing and discussions, and the reflections garnered in my sojourn with Levine and Knight. This is, indeed, a foreboding task, given it has to be accomplished in 10 pages or less. Where is God’s justice when you need it?
About the Bible.
In exploring the question, how my views about the Bible have been modified or confirmed as a result of this course on the Hebrew Bible, I would say that it has been impacted in various and sundry ways, because of space concerns, I will speak to: a. Historicity of the Bible, b. the history of ancient Israel and how it relates to the current geopolitical environment in the Middle East.
a. Historicity of the Bible.
One of the biggest issues for me was a lack of historicity of the Bible. This is true generally for the history of ancient Israel and specifically for events like the Creation Story, the Exodus, the conquests of the Promised Land, and the Kingdoms of David and Solomon. While I generally knew that the creation story was not factually true, prior to this course, I tended to overlook the details of the untruth, i.e., the implications of this inaccuracy. What the course made me confront was how I conveyed this information to those who believed every word. What is it truth that would emanate from the story of creation that I could convey those who held fast in that faith and belief in the accuracy of...
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...ly true, for a race of people still suffering from the injustice of racism globally, in part, because of the proliferation of false hoods emanating from interpretation of biblical history itself. And, particularly in the U.S., who’s readily known history of African Americans, begins with the Emancipation Proclamation.
Do you think you’ll use the bible in a different way after considering the issues raised in this course?
For sure,for sure. I don’t know that I could ever see the Bible the same after this course! But it does indeed open me up to new approaches in my own analysis and study, as well as how I talk about the Bible moving forward. Best of all, My Faith has Survived!, and was even a bit enhanced.
Works Cited
Levine, Amy –Jill and Douglas Knight. The Meaning of the Bible: What Jewish and Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us. New York: HarperOne, 2011
The Bible: The Old Testament. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 47-97.
New Testament. Vol. 2. Edited by Gerhard Kittel. Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1964.
Robinson, B. A. (2008, March 30). Books of the Hebrew Scripture . Retrieved May 7, 2011, from Religious Tolerance: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_otb3.htm
Harris, Stephen. Understanding The Bible. 6 ed. New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2002. Print.
While reading the ESV Bible has changed me as a person it has also changed me as a reader. When I began to read larger books when I was younger I used to speed read through books. I remember reading the Harry Potter series as a child and when I was finished there would be large portions of the book that
The New Interpreter's Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha. Nashville: Abingdon Press, ©2003.
New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997. Osborne, Grant R. Revelation. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002.
Mears, Henrietta C.. What the Bible Is All About. Rev. and updated. ed. Ventura, Calif., U.S.A.: Regal Books, 1983. Print.
Cosby, Michael R. Interpreting Biblical Literature: An Introduction to Biblical Studies. Grantham: Stony Run, 2009. 120-25. Print.
...le writing this paper, I was very distracted with trials that the Lord was throwing my way. Family problems, relationship stress, and the overwhelming reality that this paper dictated my grade and academic progress. I spent more than 8 hours researching reading different commentaries. I put forth more effort than I have for any paper in my educational history. It was surprised to realize that this paper wasn’t hard, but very time consuming. I enjoyed this assignment mainly because is presented me with thoughts that I never would have come across on my own. Reading through the entire book of Matthew helped me comfort some life obstacles that I have recently been praying about. I feel as if I have conquered the fear of feeling inadequate when I read the gospel, and now read the bible with an open heart and the knowledge that I am always going to learn something new.
Stuart has authored commentaries and articles in journals and magazines. The authors acknowledge that many books have been written on this topic. Their goal is to be unique by focusing on different types of literature (genres) so their readers will understand how to properly interpret them in the context they were written. This review will examine the principles the authors use to interpret the Bible. The review will summarize the book, followed by a critique, and a conclusion.
LaSor, W., Hubbard, D., Bush, F., & Allen, L. (1996). Old Testament survey: The message, form, and background of the Old Testament (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans
Thiselton, A.C. (2005). Can the Bible mean whatever we want it to mean? Chester, U.K.: Chester Acadamic Press, 10-11.
Phillips, W. G., Brown, W. E., Stonestreet, J. (2008) Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview. Salem, Wisconsin: Sheffield Publishing Company
Starting classes at Vanguard was a terrifying experience for me, I didn’t really know anyone and I had been homeschooled most of my life, as soon as I walked into New Testament Survey I felt at peace. If there was any class that I was going to really enjoy and take things from and apply them to my every day life I knew it would be this one. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the bible, and gaining more and more insight each time I went to class. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 4:30 I was excited to be going to class. Each week when I did the reading for the quizzes I learned more and more and each day I developed a stronger knowledge of why I believe exactly what I believe.