...Orlene Parks Draft Author White’s writings also serve as a Biblical interpretative aide in the 21st Century Seventh-day Adventist denomination. Those of her books most taken advantage of for biblical interpretations are the Seventh Day Adventist Bible Commentary, Patriarchs and Prophets, Prophets and Kings, Acts of the Apostles, The Desire of Ages, the Great Controversy and Steps to Christ. While the Bible is of it's self, self-interpretive, Author White’s writing is only or should only be used as an aide. Her writing should not be used to substitute the need for the illumination of the Holy Spirit, or to eliminate individual exegesis of the scripture under consideration. Author White’s writings are use by various categories of people for various reasons. Pastors and scholars used her writings for additional enlightenment; church members use them because they provide good readings for Christian growth, and even her critics read her writings in order to discredit her. Lastly, there are those who use it just to prove a point. For example in 2001when the USA experienced the 911 terrorist attack, a lot of non Seventh-day Adventist started to purchase her writings hoping to find the reason and interpretation of the madness that had just transpired. The reasons these book are considered beneficial for biblical interpretation is because her writings have proved to be inline with the Bible, her predictions come to past and her ethos/character complements her work and ministry...
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...Grace School of Theology NORTH OR SOUTH: Destination and Date of Galatians A Paper Submitted to Gregory P. Sapaugh, Th.M. Ph.D In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of RS-503: Research Methods, Writing, and Technology by William (Brant) Wallace Houston, Texas February 25, 2015 Contents Introduction 1 General Debate 1 Geography of Galatia 2 Diversity and Strategy 2 Advantage for Missional Activities 3 The North 3 Evidence for the Northern Theory 4 History 4 Biblical Reference 4 Character 5 The South 5 Evidence for the Southern Theory 6 Establishment of Churches 6 Inclusion of Galatian Churches 6 Judaizing Controversy 7 The Date 7 Southern Theory 8 Northern Theory 8 Conclusion 9 Bibliography 10 Introduction The date and destination of the Apostle Epistle to the Galatians is a topic of debate.1 The general debate is framed around when and to whom Paul wrote the letter. The two theories surrounding when and to whom Galatians was written are: (1) The North Galatia Theory; and, (2) The South Galatia Theory.2 In an attempt to address the questions of when and to whom Paul wrote Galatians, this paper will address both theories. General Debate In order to understand the prevailing theories, it is important to understand the positions of the general debate. The general debate is whether the letter was addressed to the churches...
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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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... 8 Works Cited 10 Introduction The Bible is one of the most intriguing books ever written. There is no other book in history that covers the same amount of time or the comprehensive aggregation of people and cultures as found in the pages of the Bible. The mysteries and wisdom of the Bible have held the attention of Biblical and non-biblical scholars for centuries. We know from the study of history that not all Jews agreed on which books belonged in the Bible. As a matter of fact Christians also debated what to include and exclude in the New Testament Scriptures. This was a major problem in the first two centuries of Christianity. Biblical historian Paul Johnson wrote in his book entitled History of Christianity, “After more than two centuries since the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christians faced a terrifying jungle of scholarly contradictions.” In light of this fascination and controversy with the Bible, this research paper will focus on some of the key events and movements that were influential in the recognition of the canonical books. This paper will also attempt to shed some light on some of the methodologies employed by...
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...The reliability and authenticity of the Bible The Bible claims to be the inspired word of God (2 Tim. 3:16, TEV). Yet much controversy and criticism exists over this book. If we are to accept and base our lives on the Bible as the word of God, then we need to have confidence in the reliability and the authenticity of the Bible. That is, we need to have confidence that the Bible is dependable and trustworthy and that what was written did happen. This essay outlines some convincing evidence to prove that this is the case. I will summarize and discuss bibliographical, external and internal evidence which confirms the reliability and authenticity of the bible. One of the first pieces of evidence lies in the uniformity of the message of the Bible. It is a collection of sixty-six books written over a period of approximately fifteen hundred years in three languages on three continents by forty authors. Kings, peasants, educated men, a doctor, a prime minister, a tax collector a rabbi, a fisherman are among the authors (McDowell, 1973). While it discusses numerous issues, and each book has different purposes, the overall themes of creation, the fall of man and redemption are clear throughout (Williams, 2002). Military historian Chauncy Sanders mentions three criteria scholars use in historiography (Williams, 2002). When applied to test whether the scriptures we have are the same as the original documents, that is to test their accuracy, these are manuscript evidence (textual)...
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...the New Testament, the Historical Jesus, and How Manuscripts Can Reveal What Texts Conceal Tom Dykstra I grew up with a picture of Paul traveling through Asia and Europe, founding congregations, counseling and teaching the men and women who had given their life to Jesus. If he could not visit them, he sent letters. When Paul died, his letters were kept as treasures. Each church that had received one of his letters saved it, had it read during worship services, and exchanged copies of the letter with other congregations close by. Later the congregations tried to complete their collection. But this view does not match the uniformity of manuscript evidence. --David Trobisch 1 It is even more remarkable that attempts to reconstruct the supposed document 'Q' (the lost collection used by both Matthew and Luke postulated by those who argue that Matthew and Luke are independent) use text-critical terminology to describe their activities. However, since all they are doing is making selections from a twentieth-century printed text, which does not even presume to provide confidently the text of the four-Gospel collection, never mind that of the independent first-century texts, this use of language must be dismissed as illusory. --David Parker 2 Modern scholarship has produced detailed biographies of Paul, massive multi-volume inquiries into “the historical Jesus,” and mountains of exegetical literature that claims to extract the author’s meaning from each word of each New Testament book...
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...its meaning, relevance and contribution to humanity. There have been many speculations upon the nature and historical background of Jesus Christ. Many scholars have tried to dig into the few clues as to His identity and come up with a human side to which we can all relate. The study of Christianity and how it relates to Jesus Christ is very important to the whole world. Concerning the issue of Christianity, for example, the majority of people are taught in most schools and churches that Jesus Christ was an actual historical figure and that the only controversy regarding him is that some people accept him as the Son of God and the Messiah, while others do not. While the historicity of Jesus is the most debated subject in the field of religion today, the most enduring and profound controversy in this subject is whether or not Jesus Christ really existed. This paper will discuss who Jesus is, the controversy and biblical sources based on the views of scholars surrounding the historicity of Jesus. Finally, this paper will give Biblical evidence that Jesus existed. WHO IS JESUS? It is generally accepted that Jesus was truly a man who walked the earth 2000 years ago. Almost every religion teaches that Jesus was a prophet, excellent teacher or a Godly man. The Bible tells us, “I and the Father are one.” This indicates that Jesus was saying that He was God by declaring, “I and the Father are one”. The Bible also tells us, “The Word was God,” and...
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...Conversion/Call: A Comparative Analysis of the Three Reports in Acts.” Journal of Biblical Literature 100, no. 3 (September 1981): 415–432. Of great significance is the fact that Saul’s conversion experience is recounted three times in Acts. Scholars note this as being an important fact regarding the writings. The imagery of blindness is brought to the forefront. Saul was so blinded with his zeal to persecute something he felt so grievously wronged God that he tried to eliminate all who practiced this newfound religion. God blinded him to show him how much he had failed to see. When his sight is restored, he sees things from a new perspective. This is similar to the experience of those who undergo a conversion experience. Hoerber, Robert G. “Paul's Conversion/Call.” Concordia Journal 22, no. 2 (April 1996): 186–188. The controversy over whether Saul’s experience on the Damascus road was a conversion experience or simply the call to ministry. It has been suggested that Western culture has influenced the truth behind the story and what was beautiful calling of a devout man to reach the Gentiles, was turned into a conversion. There is no discounting the 180-degree turn around in Paul’s life. He went from murderous threats of anyone who called the name of Jesus to professing Jesus publically and being arrested, beaten and jailed for such. Late in Acts Saul, now called Paul, speaks out against actions of the apostles that he was guilty of early on such as segregating...
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...priest, Arius, the interpretation of Proverbs 8:22 ("The Lord created me and before the ages He established me...") plays a key role. Explain how Arius understood this passage and what implications it had for his Christology. What was the response of his theological opponents, and what was the outcome of the debate for Arius, and for the Church? 2. Marcion initiated an important debate that has been held responsible for the impetus in the Church to establish a New Testament canon. Explain Marcion’s view of Christian scriptures. What position did he take concerning the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament? Why? What did his position imply concerning the nature of the Old Testament God, and the relationship between Judaism and Christianity? How did the Church respond? 3. Roman and North African churches were beset by conflict during the third century concerning the Church’s ability to forgive certain egregious sins, which entailed a larger concern for moral requirements for membership in the Church. Explain how the controversy between Hippolytus and Callistus, and between Novatian, Cornelius, and Cyprian of Carthage drew...
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...Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary An Exegetical Paper of James 2:18-26 Submitted to Professor Dr. Steve Waechter In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course “Greek Language Tools” – NGRK505 By Steven B. Darden Burleson, TX March 8, 2015 Contents Introduction 4 Context 5 Historical-Cultural Context 5 Literary Context 6 Analysis of Text 7 James 2:18-19: Objections to False Faith 7 James 2:20-24: Examples of Faith 9 Verses 2:25-26: Rahab 11 Conclusion 11 Appendix A: Block Diagram of James 2:18-26 Using the ESV Bible 13 Introduction Throughout the history of the Bible, few words have had more controversy than the words, faith, works, and justification. James’ uses a powerful interrogative to pose the rhetorical question about helping those in need. However, James’ apparent statement concerning these acts has led many to argue that “good works” equals “faith”. Paul expounds on the belief that justification is produced solely by faith in Jesus Christ. James makes a statement in 2:16-26 that many people believe rationalizes faith as equal with good deeds. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the context and to provide a thorough exegesis of the passage of scripture located in James 2:16-26. James’s use a type of koine Greek that indicates an educated writer with a greater than average familiarity with the language of that era’s culture. While doubtful a scholar, the writer of James, none the less, describes a faith...
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...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY INERRANCY IN SCRIPTURE: RELEVANCY IN MODERN SOCIETY SUBMITTED TO DR. AIDOO. IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COMPLETION OF THE COURSE, SEMI 500. ATLANTA, GA AUGUST 31, 2014 Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away,” implying that the word of God will never change. However, with the evolution of modern society and its amended laws of the land is it even remotely possible for God’s word to never change—can it still relevant? Is it truly without error? Bibliography Baum, Armin D. "IS NEW TESTAMENT INERRANCY A NEW TESTAMENT CONCEPT? A TRADITIONAL AND THEREFORE OPEN-MINDED ANSWER." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 57, no. 2 (06, 2014): 265-80, http://search.proquest.com/docview/1545898719?accountid=458. Carson, D. A., John Frame, and Witherington,Ben, I.,II. "PLENARY DISCUSSION ON BIBLICAL INERRANCY." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 57, no. 1 (03, 2014): 41-62, http://search.proquest.com/docview/1534298070?accountid=12085. Grisanti, Michael A. "Inspiration, Inerrancy, and the OT Canon: The Place of Textual Updating in an Inerrant View of Scripture." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 44, no. 4 (12, 2001): 577, http://search.proquest.com/docview/211197951?accountid=12085. Nicholls, Jason A. "Openness and Inerrancy: Can they be Compatible?" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 45, no. 4 (12, 2002): 629, http://search.proquest...
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...to undergo a second baptism as an adult. The second baptism is said to signify the aspect of being born again and washing off the sinful nature. This debate has been raging for many yeas causing confusion in the Christian circles. This discussion seeks to examine both sides of the debate and ascertain the Biblical position on the issue. The Concept of Baptism Perhaps before looking at the concept of infant baptism versus adult baptism, it may be crucial to look at the entire concept as a whole. Baptism as concept is an act of cleansing that is done for purposes of washing off one’s sinful nature. It was therefore done symbolically to signify that one’s past has been washed off. One was therefore considered a new creature after going through baptism . The New Testament has covered quite extensively the issue of baptism. It begins with the Jesus Christ the Son of God. He approached John the Baptist and requested that he (John) should baptize Him. When Jesus was baptized, the heavens opened and God the father expressed His pleasure on His son (Matthew 3: 13). In the book of Ephesians, Paul also talks about the great baptism, which seeks to unite the body of Christ (the church) as one. The same applies to the book of Romans where there is emphasis of baptism. Paul says that it is only through baptism that the church of Christ can be united with him. In the book of Matthew, Christ also commissioned...
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...They might not know everything there is to know about him but it is clear that people know who this man is. If this Jesus died over 2,000 years ago then how is it even possible to know what really happened back then? “The internal consistency of the New Testament documents is about 99.5% textually pure. That is an amazing accuracy. In addition, there are over 19,000 copies in the Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and Aramaic languages. The total supporting New Testament manuscript base is over 24,000”(Slick).”One of the most important archaeological finds that actually dates to the time of Jesus may or may not provide evidence of his existence, depending on who you ask. The Dead Sea Scrolls, a vast trove of parchment and papyrus documents found in a cave in Israel in the 1940s, were written sometime between 150 B.C. and A.D. 70. In one place, the scrolls refer to a “teacher of righteousness.” Some say that teacher is Jesus. Others argue that he could be anyone.”(Wolchover, 2013). There is no other document that has so much substantial prove and evidence that what the bible says has stayed the same over...
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...REL-A 250 Introduction to Christianity Study Guide Pre-Midterm: Old Testament = books of Tanak Covenant – agreement, call of Abram (promises/requirements, Isaac, promise land= Canaan aka Israel and Palestine); Call of Moses= burning bush, Exodus (Passover), 10 commandments, Messiah sent to establish new covenant Kingdom – Judges; Kingship= Saul, David, Solomon; Divided Kingdom= Judah and Israel; temple destroyed Exile – Babylonian Captivity (587-538 BCE) * Second Temple * Hellenization- Alexander the Great (357-323 BCE) * Greeks conquered “the world” * Common language, culture, religion, intermarriage * Jews resisted- Antiochus IV (c. 168 BCE) * Desecrated Temple (Zeus) * Forbade Torah/dietary laws, persecution/torture * Jewish control (143-63 BCE) (Maccabee brothers drove out Greeks (Hanukkah) * Roman conquest (63 BCE) Messiah— Expect God to send new king (messiah/anointed one) to establish new covenant Rescue from evil embodied by Romans What would messiah be like? Saducees (aristocratic temple leaders): status quo, Pharisees (lay artisans/merchants): observe law, Zealots (descended from Maccabees): armed revolution, Essenes (desert ascetics): overthrow Rome Tanak – Christians trace roots through Judaism back to creation Christian Scriptures include Jewish Scriptures Tanak: acronym for Torah (law), Neviim (prophets), Ketuvim (writings); Torah may have been collected soon after Babylonian Exile (c. 538...
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...Christianity and Its Relationship with the Environment McFague (2000) defines the term environment as the surroundings or conditions in which a human being, an animal or plants lives and operates within. In the context of theology advanced by Christians, the environment refers to the world that God created and humans are part and parcel of that creation. Modern and old works on Christianity, which includes the Bible, have advanced several thoughts regarding the environment and man. These thoughts can be classified into four categories, which include historical, modern, philosophical and theological perspectives about man and environment. In this context, this paper seeks to explore the manner in which Christianity perceive the environment and man. Particularly, the paper will evaluate the historical, modern, philosophical and theological perspectives. The historical thoughts about the environment and man can be derived from the Bible. As McFague (2000) indicates, the foremost chapter in the Bible presents two accounts regarding the creation of the Earth by God. The book, Genesis, indicates that when looking on each and every creation, God finds it “good”. Usually, most Christians fail to see these accounts as literal scientific explanations regarding the manner in which the world began. Rather, they see it as containing fundamental understanding regarding the relationship that exists between God and the Earth that God made for human beings to enjoy. Such a relationship is...
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