...disciplines of theology: biblical theology, historical theology, and philosophical theology. Which of the four approaches is the most important in your current or future ministry context? “Systematic theology thus begins with the totality of biblical revelation and the extra biblical truth, provisionally respects the development of doctrine in the church’s history, draws out the teachings of Scripture via sound grammatical, historical, and cultural exegesis, orders the result into a coherent whole where the interrelatedness of its parts is evidenced, and relates the results to the life and witness of the Christian community.” Systematic theology is the study of Scripture in its entirety. This covers diverse subjects such as both the Old and New Testament, church history, missions, and counseling. “Biblical theology is simply theology that is biblical, that is, based on and faithful to the teachings of the Bible.” Millard J. Erickson also refers to Biblical theology as “the right kind of theology”. Systematic theology that is taken directly from Scripture will correlate similarly with Biblical theology. Historical theology is the study of the church and the theologians from within church history. Systematic theology can relate with historical theology by way of marrying specific Biblical doctrine and how Christian theologians and the church have dealt with these truths throughout history. “If we closely examine some of our new ideas in the light of the history of the church,...
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... of Andrew, Stephen L. “Biblical Inerrancy.” Chafer Theological Seminary Journal 08, no. 1 (January 2002): 2-21. THEO 525-B04 LUO (fall 2013) Systematic Theology I Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary Jennifer C. Wood (ID# L25703677) September 1, 2013 Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………….1 Brief Summary…………………………………………………………………………………….1 Critical Interaction………………………………………………………………………………...2 Conclusion Selected Bibliography Introduction This paper is a critical examination of Stephen Andrew’s “Biblical Inerrancy” as published January of 2002 in the Chafer Theological Seminary Journal. Andrew writes the article as a graduate student at Fuller Theological Seminary pursuing a Master of Arts in Theology. In the exposition he presents a historical overview of the biblical inerrancy debate and reviews arguments concerning inerrancy of the bible as relevant to modern evangelicalism. Due to spatial limitations, Andrew restricts his focus to examining the views in support of and against inerrancy from four major perspectives: the slippery slope, epistemological, historical, and biblical arguments. Brief Summary The article is written as an exhortation for the promotion and defense of the inerrancy doctrine while warning against a universal acceptance of all supporting arguments. Andrew opens by defining inerrancy according to Paul D. Feinberg1, as well as Article XII of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy2; and “limited inerrancy”...
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...Anthony Henderson Turabian Theo-201 D16 Essay on Bibliology: Inspiration and Inerrancy of the Bible I n today’s society many people question the authority and inerrancy of the Bible. They want concrete proof of the inerrancy of the Bible and they question the inspiration and ability of the writers. When we say the Bible has authority, we must also show where the authority comes from. “Authority is the right and power to command, enforce laws, exact obedience, determine or judge”. Many people do not understand how much authority a book written thousands of years ago actually commands. The authority comes from God because the Bible is the Word of God. “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” We know God is truth and the Bible is His word. This knowledge leads us to conclude that the Bible is authoritative and true. The Bible is the inspired Word of God given to the writers of the scripture. “The content of the Bible teaches that it was given by the process of inspiration of God so that the words were God’s Word and that they are accurate and reliable, hence they are authoritative”. We read in the Bible how the prophets did not use their words, but were moved by the Spirit to speak God’s Words. We also see that the Spirit led them to write what God wanted to be written. The Bible is inspired, or “God-breathed”. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”. The question...
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...60 hermeneutics.92 Therefore, there is some urgency to restore for the Christian biblical interpreter a theological understanding of Scripture. C. M. Wood rightly points out, “As theological inquiry, theological hermeneutics is critical reflection upon Christian understanding.”93 Thus, in this section we will explore three aspects that nourish our theological understanding of texts: (1) Divine discourse, (2) Intertextuality, and (3) Canonical-linguistic approach: theo-drama. 92Stephen E. Fowl, Engaging Scripture: A Model for Theological Interpretation (Malden: Blackwell, 1998); idem, The Theological Interpretation of Scripture (Cambridge: Blackwell, 1997); John Webster, “Hermeneutics in Modern Theology: Some Doctrinal Reflections,” SJT 51 (1998):...
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...'inclusion' are… 2. What is the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls? They gave us a much older collection of Old Testament manuscripts 3. According to the readings the Old Testament canon was completed after the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. 4. Old Testament narrative normally does not directly teach a doctrine. True 5. In our readings this week the Bible is described in part as, "the Word of God given in human words in history". True 6. The Modern View of the Bible approaches biblical documents as highly reliable. False 7. Until just after World War II the oldest OT manuscripts we had dated from about 200 B.C. / False 8. According to Fee and Stuart's analysis they think most people do a very good job of handling Old Testament narrative passages /False 9. The focus of the ___________ is on Jesus and his claim to be the Messiah. 10. Which of the following are not among the common causes people misinterpret biblical narratives mentioned in the text? 11. According to Fee and Stuart's analysis God is the hero of all biblical narratives/true 12. According to Fee and Stuart what is the antidote to bad interpretation? Good interpretation, based upon common sense guidelines 13. What do Fee and Stuart say is the "only proper control for hermeneutics"? 14. What three languages were the 66 books of the Protestant Bible originally written? Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek 15. According to our Fee and Stuart readings in their experience they believe...
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...The Biblical Canon: The Movement, Methodologies, and People Who Influenced It Thomas Gainey CHHI 301: History of the Christian Church I February 7, 2016 Introduction In Christianity one of the key factors of its faith is the belief that the Bible is inerrant. Many great Christian leaders have expressed the importance of the Bible. Norman Geisler once stated “The inerrancy of Scripture is the foundational doctrine in which all other doctrines rest, and the Psalmist rightly said, ‘If the foundation be destroyed, then what can the righteous do?’” In his statement he expresses the truth behind the fact that the Christian faith resides on the fact that the Bible is inerrant. Interesting enough the Bible of today with its 66 books, 39 Old Testament, and 27 New Testament are very similar to the bible of the early church. In the words of Herman Ridderbos, "the history of the Canon is the process of the growing consciousness of the Church concerning its ecumenical foundation.” People have often wonder why certain books made into the Bible, but others did not. In this paper will look how we got the Bible we have today and what movements, people, and doctrines effected. Old Testament Canon The Old Testament known to Christians in the Bible is what is known to Jews as the Tanakh. This is made of the writings of the Laws, the Prophets, and the Psalms. Jesus Christ stated in Luke 24:44 “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and...
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...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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...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 the Reformed Protestant churches. Calvin devoted almost his whole life to promoting both Presbyterian and Protestant Reformation, and he made a significant impact that is still seen today in Christianity. Many also consider Calvin as the father of the modern day grammatico-historical method of hermeneutics. Calvin was a true biblical exegete. For Calvin, the meaning of the...
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...other uses, see Bible (disambiguation). The Gutenberg Bible, the first printed Bible Page semi-protected Part of a series on The Bible The Malmesbury Bible Canons · Books [show] Authorship · Development [show] Translations · Manuscripts [show] Biblical studies[show] Interpretation[show] Perspectives[show] Wikipedia book Bible book Portal icon Bible portal v · t · e The Bible (from Koine Greek τὰ βιβλία, tà biblía, "the books") is a canonical collection of texts sacred in Judaism and Christianity. There is no single "Bible" and many Bibles with varying contents exist.[1] The term Bible is shared between Judaism and Christianity, although the contents of each of their collections of canonical texts is not the same. Different religious groups include different books within their Biblical canons, in different orders, and sometimes divide or combine books, or incorporate additional material into canonical books. The Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, contains twenty-four books divided into three parts: the five books of the Torah ("teaching" or "law"), the Nevi'im ("prophets"), and the Ketuvim ("writings"). Christian Bibles range from the sixty-six books of the Protestant canon to the eighty-one...
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...Desiree Savath APA THEO 201-B32 Inerrancy through Inspiration That is a very good question, because in society today there are many people questioning inerrancy and authority of the Bible. They want proof that the Bible is inerrant and wonder about the Writer’s inspiration. By saying that the Bible has authority, one needs to show and prove from where it comes. First, “Authority is the right and power to command, enforce laws, exact obedience, determined or judge.”(Elwell, Walter A., 2001, p. 153.) Many people may not understand how important authority is for a book that had been written centuries ago. This authority comes through God because He says it is so. “…Thus saith the Lord,” (Isaiah 44:6, KJV) has been written throughout the Old Testament to show His authority and truthfulness. This was also proven in the New Testament of God’s word. “…thy word is truth.” (John 17:17b, KJV). One must know that God is Truth and the Holy Bible is His Word. This sort of knowledge will lead one to arrive at the fact that the Bible is true and authoritative. The Bible is God’s inspired Word given to the scripture’s writers. “The content of the Bible teaches that it was given by the process of inspiration of God so that the words were God’s word and that they are accurate and reliable, hence they are authoritative.” (Towns, Elmer L., 2008, p. 66). We read that in the Bible the prophets were “carried along” by the Holy Spirit to speak the Words of God rather than their own. (2 Peter...
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...The Canonization of the New Testament When we think about the New Testament in our Bibles today most of us pay little attention to, or have little regard for the history that surrounds how it came to be. This is partly because of the high position we as Evangelicals have for our Bibles. We are taught that the Bible is infallible and never contradicts itself. I agree whole heartedly that the Bible is God's Holy Word and infallible non contradictory. But two weeks ago if you were to ask me how the Bible was put together or "canonized", I would have told you that there was some sort of council that decided which books should be in there, but ultimately it was God's sovereign will. Now the last part would be correct, but the rest is at best debatable. So how was the Bible put together? Since the argument is extremely complex and much of the details are lost or were never recorded, we will be exploring the different events that drove the movement, along with several different opinions of when the Bible was Complete or Canonized. There were two particular movements during the second century that made the Church realize a need to have a compilation of books that were universally accepted. The first movement, although not as well know, was Marcionism. This heretical sect was started by Marcion who was born into Christianity but had a deep dislike for Judaism and the material world. He believed that the God and Father of Jesus are not the same as the creator Yahweh, and it was...
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...PHIPPS APRIL 20, 2015 1 WILLIAM FOXWELL ALBRIGHT THE PERSON: One of the many contributors to the field of Biblical Archaeology is world renowned Dr. William Foxwell Albright. Born in Conquimbo Chile on May 24, 1891 to missionary parents Wilbur and Zephine Albright. The love of his life whom he married in 1921 in which they had the pleasure of raising four sons. After graduating from John Hopkins University in 1916 with a Ph.D. in Semitic Languages he went on to be a professor and director at the American School of Oriental Research (ASOR) [1]. William while teaching at ASOR fell under the wing of two prominent archaeologists Charles Torrey and James Montgomery. Albright was recognized in 1956 by the American Academy of Arts and Science as an honorable fellow. With this notable recognition lead to a more prestigious tittle which became known as “Nobleman of Jerusalem”, one of Israel’s highest honor. The (ASOR) in Jerusalem was renamed (AIAR) which is to be interpreted as Albright Institute of Archaeological Research. This became the focal research center for the ancient Near Eastern studies in the entire Middle east. Albright is noted as a generous in the eyes of many biblical scholars and Archeologist . Albright is also considered as an orientalist [2]. An orientalists or orientalism...
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...Thousands of years after they were spoken, written, edited and compiled into the books we read today, Bible texts can still say us much to us now as they did in ancient times. It is only natural that the Word of God, through biblical writings, has freed itself from its origins and burst forth into the ears, mind and hearts of modern believers. Fokkelman notes, “Left to its own devices by the maker, the text goes in search of a competent reader. Once it appears, the text travels through constantly changing times and contexts, always meeting new audiences and always subject to new and different views.” 22 While none of the Bible was originally addressed to the modern-day reader and interpreter, it can be argued that the text is living and constantly changes. “It acquires an ever-growing history and ever-richer contents.” Fokkelman 23...
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...of Jesus, the apostles, and other followers, spread the word of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The primary method of teaching was by way of oral communication, spreading the message by word of mouth. As time went by, and the Apostles started to die, the first efforts were made to capture their life with Jesus into written word. The dissemination of these works was a slow process due to the hindrance in transportation and the inability to mass produce the writings. The ability to capture and fully understand these divine works would require over 400 years of evolution to become a complete body of work, and recognized as the canon of the Christian church. To understand how the New Testament achieved canonization requires a study of history, politics, culture, and the dynamics of Christianities development over the four centuries following the death of Jesus. The development of the New Testament scriptures can be...
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...Foundation: The Orthodoxy and the Canon 4/25/2016 Submitted To- Professor C Paul King CHHI-301 2 Foundation: The Orthodoxy and the Canon Many in today’s culture follow this sad, but dangerous view: there is no truth that can be deemed as absolute truth. A few years back, I can recall sitting in a classroom at a Union County High school here in Tennessee, as the teacher begins to introduce himself and his stance on philosophy. The teacher, in his introduction states an ignorant statement in a very arrogant manner: “There is no such thing as absolute truth, just personal opinion.” He continued by stating, “Because there is no absolute truth, there is no absolute truth in the matter of what is right and wrong.” A few students were shocked by this statement and raised their hands to ask about whether certain issues were right or wrong–– such as stealing, murder, drug use, abortion, and similar issues. He attempted to shoot all their examples down, with a sense of arrogance on his face. I slowly slipped my hand up and asked him the following statement: “What about incest, where relatives molest and rape their children?” I will never forget the look on his face, his smirk swiftly dropped to the floor. As he stumbled through his incoherent response, I thought about the importance of absolute truth. Christians need to realize the importance of what our Canon represents: a book of absolute truth given to us by our God. We are living in a generation where...
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