The reason for the change from Simon to Peter can also be credited to the meanings behind the names. The name Simon means “he has heard” (Campbell). This meaning makes sense as Simon had heard about Jesus being the true Messiah from his brother Andrew but had not actually seen him until Andrew introduced them. Once he had been introduced to Jesus, the name Simon was not as fitting anymore since he had now seen Jesus. Now, the name Peter comes from the word “petra”, which means “rock” in Greek. The explanation for this is clearly seen in Matthew 16:18 when Jesus tells Peter that he is the rock on which Jesus will build the church. The importance of Peter’s presence in Jesus’ life and teachings cannot be understated.
Peter comes to be an instrumental character in the
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Gospel of John as he both lives by the teachings of Jesus but also challenges them. When Jesus is washing the feet of the disciples, Peter does not allow him to wash his feet. Peter is also famously known for denying Jesus three times when asked by others if he was a disciple of Jesus. Despite these disobedient tendencies, Peter was a devout follower of Jesus and proclaimed his true faith and devotion to Jesus when Jesus asked if any of the twelve disciples wanted to leave him. Peter replied to him by saying, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the word of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69). After being alerted by Mary Magdalene that the tomb where Jesus was laid to rest after the resurrection was empty, Peter ran to the tomb with John, the beloved disciple, to see for himself that Jesus had resurrected. He does this because he loves Jesus and professes his love for Jesus in John 21 after Jesus asks him if he loves him to which Peter replies “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you” (John 21:17). Even after Jesus was gone, Peter continued to spread the gospel message and wrote his own letters. In these letters, he refers to himself as “I, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ” and recognizes his full name-change (Carolyn). Another important name-change found in the New Testament was the change from Saul to Paul. We are first introduced to Saul in the book of Acts when he witnesses the stoning of Stephen. Saul approved of Stephen’s stoning because he was a Pharisee opposed to The Way, the Jesus movement going on at this time. Saul even went as so far as to threaten the lives of the men and women who were a part of this growing movement. One day on his way to Damascus, Saul heard the voice of Jesus asking why he was persecuting Jesus and his followers. A three-day blindness then came over Saul until Ananias, a disciple sent by the Lord, confronted Saul saying that he was sent by the Lord to help Saul regain his sight. Despite being so opposed to The Way previously, Saul accepted his fate, was baptized, and converted to Christianity. From then on, he joined the other disciples and began proclaiming the message of Jesus and proving that Jesus was the Messiah. While worshipping the Lord with the other disciples at Antioch, the Holy Spirit came upon them and said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2). Preaching in Cyprus, Saul encountered a magician by the name of Elymas who was in opposition to The Way just like Saul previously was and wanted to turn the proconsul of Cyprus away from the movement, as well. Saul then intervened and condemned Elymas saying that the Lord was against him and blindness came upon him. Right before this condemnation, the name-change occurs when Acts 13:9 says, “But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him”. From here on out, Saul is now Paul in the readings that follow. Compared to the other name-changes, this one seems quite abrupt. There is no one person, like with the other name-changes, that is given credit and responsibility for the change. Alternatively, this change was a result of the Hebrew to Latin translation. Since the name-change happens briefly after his conversion, it could be seen that the change from Saul to Paul was driven by his becoming Christian. This was not the case, though. Paul was of Jewish heritage but had Roman citizenship from birth, and it was not uncommon for Jews to employ two names: one to be used in the general community and the other to be used in the Jewish community (Horsley 7). Thus, Saul was his original Jewish name, and Paul was his Roman name. After Acts 13:9, the Bible exclusively refers to him by his Roman name of Paul instead of Saul. This preference is said to reflect his perception that his work of spreading the gospel was to be done among the Gentiles (Horsley 8). According to his namesake, Paul does go on to spread the gospels to the Gentiles and does more to spread Christianity than any of the other disciples. He even documented his travels and teachings through letters, and thirteen of his letters, known as the Pauline Epistles, are books of the New Testament. At the core of his teachings about Jesus is what is known as the cross-centered theology, which states that the death and resurrection of Jesus are what is truly important to the Christian faith. Paul’s cross-centered theology is noted in 1 Corinthians 15:1, 3 when he states, “Now I should remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures”. Paul points out that the one truth that should define the lives of Christians is that Christ died for our sins, and his teachings always reflected this truth (Mahaney 3). Overall, there are some definite connections reflected across these name-changes as God initiated the change in name for Abraham, Sarah, and Jacob; the changes for Jacob and Peter both had to be noted in two separate parts of the Bible; and all of the name-changes marked a significant point in the faith lives of these Biblical characters.
On top of these name-changes for the characters within the pages of the Bible, there is an additional name-change that affects the readers of the Bible and followers of Christianity. “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17). This provides a name-change for all believers that listen to the Lord and overcome the false teachings of the world, which results in a stronger life of faith and a deeper relationship with God. Just when you thought names were supposed to be a permanent form of identification, the book of Revelation challenges this preconception and recognizes that a change in name is not as uncommon as we may have
thought.
According to David M. Carr, the history of Scriptural interpretation indicates that religious texts are popular candidates for reinterpretation and, as such, are spaces wherein the personal identity of the reader frequently inscribes itself at length:
The Importance of Names in Song of Solomon Abstract: In Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, names have great implications. Language is extremely personal and deeply rooted in culture. Names are an integral part of language, and they help to establish identity, define personality, and show ownership through formal and informal usage. "
Names having great meaning in human civilization. They can have personal meaning and help create the foundation for a sense of self and identity. They're often rooted in a persons heritage and culture and therefore can serve to remind a person of where they come from. They help create a sense of recognition and familiarity between people and ultimately a sense of solidarity and community. Names can also be used as a form of respect and affection or as signs of disrespect. These various roles that names serve can be seen through out Lawrence Hills 'Book of Negroes'. In the novel Hill repeatedly makes reference to names and the meaning they carry for the novels heroine, Aminata Diallo and those around her. For Lawrence Hill and his characters naming and names themselves are powerful symbols of identity, family, culture, respect and their erasure is a potent symbol of power and domination.
Paul, also known as Saul, was an apostle of God who wrote the book of Ephesians and was sent to set up churches for Him. He changed his name from Saul to Paul because he wanted to start his life over, follow God, and live for Him. He wanted to start over because he was known as a man who persecuted Christians. Saul did not even notice he was doing wrong until he started to reach Damascus and a voice yelled from the Heavens saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul answered back, “Who are you, Lord?” then the Lord answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But, rise and enter the city, and you will be told what to do.” For three days Saul was made blind by Jesus and did not eat or drink. Then, Ananias walked into where Saul was staying and restored his sight, something like scales fell off his eyes and he could see. After being in Damascus with the disciples he proclaimed that Jesus is the one true God. Then, he fled to Jerusalem where he joined the disciples with the help of Barnabas, changed his name to Paul and became a missionary to Christ. He set out on three missionary journeys where on his third, he was put under house arrest in Rome for two years where he wrote the book of Ephesians. After his release, he left, went to Spain, and was eventually persecuted and martyred by Nero.
Toni Morrison’s novel, Song of Solomon, is a coming of age story, with the main component of a characters identities being connected to their name. Names reflect a character’s personality, and are what influences a characters life. In Milkman’s case, searching for his story is equivalent to searching out his name. With each story he hears about his ancestors, he moves closer to reclaiming the identity of his forefathers. Compelled to find both his individual and collective identity, he wrestles with the beliefs of the black community and the emptiness that haunts him. Milkman, along with the reader, comes to understands that all names have a story to them, and each story plays a pivotal role in the ancestry of his family.
“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). This section of a verse from the NRSV started the grand story of the bible. In the beginning the Bible brings two things to focus. The two things that are focused on is the setting and the main characters of the Bible (Professor Smallbones). The Bible opens in Genesis 1 with God creating. God creates light, the earth, the sun, living creatures, and many other things, but most importantly God creates humans. As God is the main character in the grand story he immediately forms a personal relationship with man and woman. God created Adam the first man and Eve the first woman. In the book, The Unfolding Drama of The Bible, Anderson says, “The
The authors of the Gospel According to Matthew, and the Gospel According to Luke made some considerable modifications, deletions, and additions to the Gospel of Mark. To the average reader the changes seem rather significant and one might ask why these changes were made. Well, there are several reasons why these changes were made. For example, the authors wanted to show readers that Jesus was more holy than the original author set him out to be. Also, the authors sought after to express the gospel in, what they thought, were better words to make it appear more authentic. Furthermore the authors of the Gospel According to Matthew and the Gospel According to Luke wanted simply to modify the text because they didn’t see eye to eye with what the original author said.
A controversy of immense silliness has recently broken out among Evangelicals regarding the validity of modern, conservative translations of the Bible like the New American Standard, the New International, and the New King James. The controversy was ignited by a book written by Gail Riplinger entitled New Age Bible Versions.
The book of Revelation gives us our greatest insight to the use of God's name in the New Testament. The imagery of the book of Revelation is very similar to the prophetic books of the Old Testament where the name was used frequently. But even more, the book of Revelation can be used to disprove most theories as to why the divine name was not used in the NT. The book uses many references to God's name. These are not just some kind of reference to God's character, since we are told this name is written on something on a number of occasions. You can not write someone's character on a forehead. These must be references to a literal name.
The transfiguration as recorded by Matthew, states: “After six days…” (Matt. 17:1). When Mark wrote about this same event he also said, “After six days…” (Mark 9:2). However, when Luke told the story, he said, “After about eight days…” (Luke 9:28).
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.
As defined by Migliore, Revelation means an “unveiling,” uncovering,” or “disclosure” of something previously hidden. Today, Community of Christ affirms the Living God is ever self-revealing to the world through the testimony of Israel and Jesus Christ. Revelation provides important decisions about who God is and how we are to understand the world and ourselves. In seeking to understand, as a member of Community of Christ, we must explore the historical and contextual response of the leaderships to revelation within the setting of the Restoration and the Reorganization era.
No part of the Bible and its interpretation is more controversial than the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation is the last profound book in the New Testament. It conveys the significant purpose of Christianity by describing God’s plan for the world and his final judgment of the people by reinforcing the importance of faith and the concept of Christianity as a whole. This book was written by John in 95 or 96 AD. What is, what has been, and what is to come is the central focus of the content in Revelation.
...Peter with the rest of the disciples, and not that of the “over exalted” view some people of the time had created.
The Book of Exodus encompasses several of the most significant individuals, as well as events. In the Book of Exodus, Moses was a prominent character that was discussed seemingly throughout the text (Harper 's Bible Dictionary 1952, 655). The Book of Exodus is a segment within the Pentateuch, which covers the first five accounts of the Old Testament. There are three noticeable premises that are accentuated in Exodus, which are deliverance, the covenant, and the Promised Land. The opening section of the Book, which is separated into two parts, is the first eighteen chapters, which review Moses’ lifetime, the dilemmas that the Israelites’ met whilst in Egypt, and the events and plagues that drove the Israelites’ to ultimately depart from Egypt.