Bunyan and the Word

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Searle
Keyword(s):  
Word Of God ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Pastoral Practice ◽  
The Way

This chapter examines the changing nature of John Bunyan’s relationship with the Word of God as expressed in the Bible and the way it shaped his life and writing in a range of genres. Bunyan’s own experience of conversion, engendered as it was by his violent encounters with the Word of God both personally and communally, is considered first. This experience shaped Bunyan’s future readings of Scripture as an author and pastor. His biblical hermeneutic is then analysed. Finally, the ways in which Bunyan appropriated and was appropriated by the Bible in his life and works is explored by focusing on two themes that consistently characterize scriptural aspects both of his pastoral practice and of his entire oeuvre: marriage and pilgrimage.

scholarly journals Kerklike inspraak in teologiese opleiding en in die beoefening van teologie?

2001 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Smit
Keyword(s):  
Word Of God ◽  
View Point ◽  
Rational Analysis ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Post Modernism ◽  
Historical Origin ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way ◽  
Theological Training

Should the teaching and practice of theology be dictated by the church? In this article it is argued that the practice of theology as a science, based on the presupposition that the Bible is the word of God, is inherently part of the calling and responsibility of the church. Therefore, practising theology as a science rooted in faith should also be ecclesiastically subservient to theology in general, and should indicate the way for the training of ministers of the Word. In this article it is argued that practising theology as a science rooted in faith is not to be regarded as an old-fashioned approach as this way of practising theology can be related to one of the positive trends in post-modernism: the increasing need for expressed presuppositions. This view stands in opposition to the rationalistic approach of theology in which the Bible is seen as a collection of texts of historical origin. According to the rationalistic view point, the Bible represents a collection of texts which reflect narratives of people’s experiences and should be studied historically-critically. Thus the Bible becomes an object of rational analysis. Should the focus of theology (in contemporary postmodern times) move to the phenomenon of religions emphasizing rational analysis, churches will have to take the sole responsibility for the training of future ministers – even if the consequence implies that the involvement of universities in theological training be excluded.

scholarly journals Psalm 1 jako zachęta do czytania i studiowania Pisma Świętego

2016 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-68
Author(s):  
Tadeusz Knut
Keyword(s):  
Word Of God ◽  
Moral Compass ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The World ◽  
The Law ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Way

The sapiential Psalm 1 contains a teaching on the two paths of the humanlife and the consequences of our choices. It contrasts the just man who is“happy” (v. 1) with the villains who are “lost” (v. 6). According to the psalmistthe man is fulfilled when he radically avoids the ways of the wickedand “delights in the Divine Precepts” which they “meditate tirelessly” (v. 2).The notion of the Law refers here to the books of the Bible – that is thewritten Word of God which the lives of the just are imbibed in and whichserves as the moral compass. God, in response to such a devoted attitude,watches over the life of the righteous and provides for his needs. Psalm 1serves as an encouragement to read the Bible and to meditate upon the willof God which is found on its pages. This is the way to achieve the ultimatehappiness which the man can be experienced in the intimate union withGod both on Earth and in the World to come.

scholarly journals Artikel 2 van die Nederlandse Geloofsbelydenis as geloofsvooronderstelling in die gesprek tussen wetenskap en geloof

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan A. Erasmus
Keyword(s):  
Word Of God ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Scientific Results ◽  
Science And Faith ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Made In ◽  
The Way

Artikel 2 van die Nederlandse Geloofsbelydenis bely dat God deur twee middele geken word, te wete deur middel van die skepping, onderhouding en regering van die wêreld (waaronder die wetenskap) en deur die heilige en goddelike Woord (die Bybel). Hierdie belydenis is van groot belang vir die gesprek tussen Wetenskap en Teologie. In hierdie artikel word gepoog om die verskille, maar ook die ooreenkomste tussen hierdie twee middele van openbaring uit te lig, elkeen tot sy reg te laat kom, maar hulle ook in balans met mekaar te stel. Die wyse waarop te werk gegaan word, is die volgende: eers word gestel wat vooronderstellings is, asook die plek wat vooronderstellings in die beoefening van wetenskap sowel as geloof inneem. Daarna word nagevors watter perspektiewe artikel 2 van die Nederlandse Geloofsbelydenis as geloofsvooronderstelling vir die wetenskaps- en teologiebeoefening respektiewelik bied. Hieruit word ’n aantal gevolgtrekkings gemaak wat kan help om die problematiek in die wetenskap-geloofsgesprek op te los. Die kernbevinding van hierdie artikel is die volgende: Vanweë die verskil in die aard en die doel tussen Bybelfeite en wetenskaplike navorsingsresultate kan en sal klaarblyklike harmonieprobleme tussen die Skrif en die wetenskap ontstaan. Hierdie is egter slegs klaarblyklike probleme, omdat ’n verrekening van die verskil in die aard en die bedoeling van die wetenskapresultate en die Bybelfeite hierdie probleem sal oplos.Article 2 of the Belgic Confession as faith presupposition in the science-faith debate. Article 2 of the Belgic Confession confesses that God can be known by two means: firstly by studying the creation, preservation and government of the universe (i.e. science) and secondly by studying the Word of God (the Bible). This confession is very important for the discussion between science and faith. In this article the similarities, but also the differences between these two means of revelation are researched. The aim is to set them in balance and in order to let each one come to its own right. The way the research is done is as follows: In the first place the role of presuppositions in both science and faith are determined. Secondly research is done on the perspectives obtained for both science and faith when Article 2 of the Belgic Confession is taken as a faith presupposition. Finally conclusions are made in helping to resolve the differences in the science-faith debate. The main finding is that harmony problems between facts from the Bible and scientific results will occur because of the difference in nature and meaning between these two entities. However, when the set difference in nature and meaning are taken into account, these problems can be resolved.

The Quranic Jesus: Prophet and Scapegoat

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-220
Author(s):  
John Ranieri
Keyword(s):  
Major Theme ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Christian Understanding ◽  
The Way

A major theme in René Girard’s work involves the role of the Bible in exposing the scapegoating practices at the basis of culture. The God of the Bible is understood to be a God who takes the side of victims. The God of the Qur’an is also a defender of victims, an idea that recurs throughout the text in the stories of messengers and prophets. In a number of ways, Jesus is unique among the prophets mentioned in the Qur’an. It is argued here that while the Quranic Jesus is distinctly Islamic, and not a Christian derivative, he functions in the Qur’an in a way analogous to the role Jesus plays in the gospels. In its depiction of Jesus, the Qur’an is acutely aware of mimetic rivalry, scapegoating, and the God who comes to the aid of the persecuted. Despite the significant differences between the Christian understanding of Jesus as savior and the way he is understood in the Qur’an, a Girardian interpretation of the Qur’anic Jesus will suggest ways in which Jesus can be a bridge rather than an obstacle in Christian/Muslim dialogue.

Conclusion: The Bible Human and Divine

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jetze Touber
Keyword(s):  
Word Of God ◽  
Biblical Criticism ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Contested Terrain ◽  
Public Church

The conclusion recapitulates the variegated dynamics at play in the interpretation and use of the Bible in the Dutch Public Church when Spinoza articulated his biblical criticism. Spinoza’s Tractatus theologico-politicus did not suddenly open the eyes of his contemporaries to the technical and philosophical problems of identifying a text with the Word of God. Rather it arrived at an extremely delicate moment, when forces from various directions were already contesting one another over the authority to interpret Scripture in their own ways. These forces had their own momentum when refuting Spinoza’s outlandish appeal to biblical philology, and responded in turn to one another inlight of the new reality. In result, by 1700 the space allowed for exegetical variety within the doctrinal enclosure of the Public Church had gradually widened, but it remained a contested terrain where innovations were easily considered, or branded, harmful to ecclesiastical unity.

Spinoza’s Biblical Criticism

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jetze Touber
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
Biblical Criticism ◽  
Major Work ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Divine Election ◽  
Biblical Texts ◽  
The Way

Chapter 1 homes in on Spinoza as a Bible critic. Based on existing historiography, it parses the main relevant historical contexts in which Spinoza came to articulate his analysis of the Bible: the Sephardi community of Amsterdam, freethinking philosophers, and the Reformed Church. It concludes with a detailed examination of the Tractatus theologico-politicus, Spinoza’s major work of biblical criticism. Along the way I highlight themes for which Spinoza appealed to the biblical texts themselves: the textual unity of the Bible, and the biblical concepts of prophecy, divine election, and religious laws. The focus is on the biblical arguments for these propositions, and the philological choices that Spinoza made that enabled him to appeal to those specific biblical texts. This first chapter lays the foundation for the remainder of the book, which examines issues of biblical philology and interpretation discussed among the Dutch Reformed contemporaries of Spinoza.

To Network or Not to Network

2021 ◽  
Vol 101 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 376-398
Author(s):  
Nigel Smith
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Word Of God ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Literal Truth ◽  
Literary Art ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This article contrasts hostility toward visual and literary art in English radical Puritanism before the late seventeenth century with the central role of art for Dutch Mennonites, many involved in the commercial prosperity of Amsterdam. Both 1620s Mennonites and 1650s–1660s Quakers debated the relationship between literal truth of the Bible and claims for the power of a personally felt Holy Spirit. This was the intra-Mennonite “Two-Word Dispute,” and for Quakers an opportunity to attack Puritans who argued that the Bible was literally the Word of God, not the “light within.” Mennonites like Jan Theunisz and Quakers like Samuel Fisher made extensive use of learning, festive subversion and poetry. Texts from the earlier dispute were republished in order to traduce the Quakers when they came to Amsterdam in the 1650s and discovered openness to conversation but not conversion.

Biblical Echoes in Meir Wieseltier’s Hebrew Translation of Macbeth

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-96
Author(s):  
Shiran Avni
Keyword(s):  
The Bible ◽  
The Way

Abstract This article examines the way in which Meir Wieseltier’s translation of Macbeth into Hebrew affects the way Shakespeare’s play is perceived by young Israeli readers. I argue that Hebrew, being the language of the Bible and studied by Israeli youth from childhood, creates instant allusions and intertexts, and therefore alters the way the play is perceived in Israel today.

scholarly journals Permanente homoseksuele verhoudings van liefde en trou

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 174-185
Author(s):  
J Potgieter
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Identity ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Homosexual Relationship ◽  
The Way

In this article, the argument is made that homosexual relationships of love and commitment was known by the writers of the Bible. Though definitions like “gay” or “homosexuality” was not known, sexual identity was known. According to the anthropology of the Mediterranean people, somebody’s identity was found in the way he or she lived: “If I have a homosexual relationship, then my identity was homosexual”. This article shows that permanent homosexual relationships of love and commitment were known among the Greek philosophers. People like Plato, Aristotle and Pausanius had permanent homosexual partners. Even Paul knew about permanent homosexual relationships of love and commitment. Sufficient evidence has been found in cities like Rome, Corinth and Ephesus on the existence of such relationships.

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