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Biblical worldview and research methods
Biblical worldview and research methods
Biblical worldview and research methods
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The Old Testament and the Bible itself has been studied extensively for centuries. Archeologists and Scholars have labored and pondered over texts trying to decipher its clues. It does not matter how many times the Old Testament has been studied there will always be something new to learn about it or the history surrounding it. In the book Reading the Old Testament: an Introduction, the author Lawrence Boadt presents us with a few different authors of the Old Testament that used different names for God and had a unique insight into the texts. These four sources are titled P for priests, E for Elohim, J for Jehovah, and Y for Yahweh (95). These four unique sources help us realize that there is more than one author of the Pentateuch. These authors took the text and adapted for their culture. This independent source is used by scholars to help gain insight into what was behind the texts of the bible so we are not left with an incomplete picture of what went into the creation of the bible. Julius Wellhausen used these four sources to publish a book to able us to better understand the sources and to give it credibility with the Protestant scholars at the time (Boadt 94). These sources that is independent of the bible as in the DVD Who Wrote the Bible? and the Nova website aide in shedding light on the history that surrounded the writers who wrote the text and what inspired them to write it in the first place. The DVD shows the discovery of The Dead Sea Scrolls and the extensive history of the texts and all its sources in an effort to try to find exactly who wrote the bible (Who Wrote). These scrolls have aided scholars immensely by giving us some of the oldest known manuscripts of the bible in the world today. It shows that the bible w...
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...e to the study of the bible instead of all the doubts that was created by the other criticism. To them all the odd parts and repeated phrases or parts all add to a strikingly beautiful tale. They see the bible as a literary masterpiece in which the authors used gorgeous imagery to strike at the heart of the reader to show them God’s greatness. In essence rhetorical critics want you to see the big picture instead of all the little side pictures. The J story of Genesis as well at times the P story is filled with imagery that is meant to show God’s power.
Works Cited
Boadt, Lawrence. Reading the Old Testament: an Introduction. New York, NY: Paulist, 1984. Print.
Who Wrote the Bible? Volume 1 and 2. Multimedia Entertainment and A&E Television Networks, 1995. DVD.
"NOVA | The Bible's Buried Secrets | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 27 Sept. 2011.
Carson, D. A. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.
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.
The Exodus of the Israelites is the equivalent to our present day Fourth of July or Bastille Day to the French. Israelite writers discuss the Exodus the most out of any other event in history. The story of the Exodus is one of the most famous stories of the Old Testament. Three of the most significant aspects of the story of Exodus are the call of Moses, the use of plagues as miracles, and the Passover.
...yne A. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Edition . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 1645-1722. Print.
Fox, Robin Lane. The Unauthorized Version: Truth and Fiction in the Bible. New York: Vintage, 1991.
The Hebrew Bible, better known as the Old Testament, is a collection of tomes that form part of the Biblical canon. Many scholars around the world do not think that a single author wrote the books contained in the Hebrew Bible, but rather that it represents centuries of stories frequently compiled after the events they describe . The stories were created with visions for the future, in order to allow audiences insight into communities and beliefs that were common thought during their era. The stories responded to the issues and problems of their time, but also addressed contemporary climates. While the stories themselves may not be true, they convey truth without needing literal readings. For example, the creation stories in Genesis, portray God as creating the universe, and while this is considered as not ‘literally true’; the stories communicate theological truths about mankind’s relationship with God through the eyes of Hebrew writers .
The book of Ezekiel is often overlooked and not much is known about his personal life. His name is actually only mentioned twice within the entire book. What is known of this mysterious prophet is that he was the son of Buzi the priest, and his name means "God will strengthen.(Ezekiel)" Ezekiel was a priest who lived during the Israelite exile around 597 BCE, which was a decade before the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. The Israelite exiles settled at a place called Tel-Abib, on the banks of the Chebar, in the land of the Chaldeans(Thomas 24). Ezekeil was said to be about 26 years old when he was put into exile along with King Jehoiachin.
Greg Laurie, General Editor. New Believer's Bible. Ed. Greg Laurie. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2006.
In the days of Christ’s life on this earth, believers did not have access to the Bible in its entirety as we know and are familiar with today. Believers in this ancient time period only had access to the Old Testament. However, through their access to the Old Testament, believers were provided a foundation for New Testament times. This foundation provided New Testament believers with the Lord’s established principles of right and wrong they were expected to follow. In addition, the Old Testament is overflowing with accounts of people whose lives exemplified the future life of Christ on this earth. These pictures allowed the Israelite nation to begin to have an understanding of why Christ needed to come as their Messiah and the work He needed to do on earth. Finally, there are common themes that are interwoven throughout the entire Old Testament. Three of these themes: transgression, redemption, and consummation point to the purpose of Christ’s atoning death on the cross. These themes portray God’s work both in the lives of Old Testament believers, but they also foreshadow God’s desire and plan for believers in New Testament times and beyond.
Sheler, Jeffrey L. "Mysteries of the Bible." U.S. News & World Report 17 Apr. 1995: 8. SIRS Researcher (2001).
There are many Christians, whether you believe or not that question why they should read the Old Testament/Hebrew bible. They feel it is unnecessary because of todays’ times and how things have changed, so they think that the Bible is far behind in what is going on in today’s world. Nevertheless, the Bible is current and is never outdated; therefore, we should never assume, especially as Christians that there is nothing new we can learn from the Bible. Reasons why Christians should read the Old Testament is because we should know that the Bible is still relevant in today’s world, to know God and his nature which in turn can transform one’s life, and to get wisdom and understanding so that they can apply to their lives.
Colorado Christian University has been a building stone in my educational and spiritual growth. The course interpreting the Bible (BIB 230) is no exception to this concept. It challenged me to think critically about the passages I am reading and to look at each word that the author uses. Learning to interpret the Bible takes a lot of research and many hours of reading the scriptures to comprehend how God is speaking through each author, which this course strengthened those habits.
Mears, Henrietta C.. What the Bible Is All About. Rev. and updated. ed. Ventura, Calif., U.S.A.: Regal Books, 1983. Print.
Carson, D, & Moo, D. (2005) An introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Also, Biblical narrative includes groupings or numbers to represent symbolic meanings (Schnittjer 212). Furthermore, biblical narrators of the Pentateuch use repetition as a way of driving home a theme (Schnittjer 239). By understanding each literary device at the disposal of the writers, a reader can grasp the full theological meaning of the Scriptures. Also, Schnittjer points out, “The storyteller controls what readers hear and what they do not hear and how they hear what they hear” (Schnittjer 285). His point doubles down on the intentionality in which the Pentateuch was compiled. The greatest effort a reader can make is to understand the purpose of the