Theology 231 - Creighton University - Interpretation Exam - Calef

Mark who and where

author is unknown (we assume that it is mark), location unknown

Mark when

shortly before or after 70 CE (68-72 CE) was a time of turmoil in the empire in the wake of the prosecution of christians

Mark whom

adresses a community who is suffering or fearful of suffering, a community concerned with the risks of pledging allegiance to christianity

Mark why

to encourage faith, god will reign

Luke who

author is actually anonymous but it is assumed in the class that it is Luke

Luke where

city somewhere in greece

Luke why

luke defends christianity from the perception that it was ever a danger to the roman empire

Luke when

after the destruction of jerusalem, 80s CE

Luke whom

written for christians coming to terms with the delay of parousia, written for a society that had extreme wealth and extreme poverty, gives hope to the poor

what type of writing are the gospels

historical narrative/biographies, motivated by theological concerns

Borg's gospels as a developing tradition

gospels are a result of a historical process, combine memory/testimony/interpretations of what happened that developed after jesus' death

Two-Source Theory

says that Matthew and Luke have parts that came from Mark and source Q

illness behavior

Ways in which people monitor their bodies, define and interpret their symptoms, take remedial actions, and use the health care system.

sick role

a socially recognized set of rights and obligations linked with illness

Disease vs. Illness

Disease: Physiological condition. Focus of Western biomedicine....Illness: Actual experience of the disease. Varies cross-culturally. Often demands or involves social response.

biological reductionism

the attempt to reduce every disease and illness to a biological cause

personalistic etiology

cause of illness is from an active personal agent acting on an individual (person practicing voodoo/magic)

supernaturalistic etiology

cause of sickness is a spiritual being (God/Goddess/Demon)

naturalistic etiology

natural forces, equilibrium loss, prevention by responsible behavior is expected

emic perspective

the perspective of the insider, the one belonging to the cultural group in question

etic perspective

the perspective of the outside observer

purity

a society's state of ordering in which everything is kept in place

why were the purity laws important

these laws developed in the post-exilic state of the jewish exile when the jews were just trying to find order and separateness (holiness). They were also trying to keep their jewish identity hence the separateness.

holiness

separateness

uncleaness

state of being out of order, not about sin......thought that it was wrong to worship the holy god out of order

translation issue with purity

being impure does not mean sinful, it just means that you are not in the correct state to worship God

hebrew bible: human health

thought of human being as a whole, not individual parts

shalom

well being - fullness of life

prophet

one called to speak on behalf of god

the voice of those who suffer: the lament psalms

address to god, complaint, expression of trust in God based on his past actions, request for action, expression of hope and trust in god (indication that the prayer has been answered)

the law of retribution

actions have consequences, you get what you deserve, suffering as a punishment

suffering as mystery: the book of job

wrestles with the question of why innocent people continue to suffer, suffering is a mystery of divine wisdom

suffering as redemptive: the servant songs in Isaiah

suffering is good for the soul, and can help pay for our sins strengthening our relationship with god

justice deferred: the apocalyptic solution

god's justice will come at a later date, god will make suffering right at a time that only he himself knows

which OT text does a reader need to know when interpreting a text where Jesus encounters someone with leprosy

Leviticus 13-14

Leviticus 13-14

biblical text that described how people with leprosy were treated

the purification ceremony in leviticus was for what purpose?

for re admission into the community of Israel for someone now free of leprosy

the mystery of the reign of god

states that the son of man must die, suffer, and then rise

in mark 8, when jesus asks "who do you say I am" what does peter respond

the messiah "christ"

christ in NT also means

the messiah, anointed one, son of man

when there is a sandwich of stories in mark, what should the reader do to interpret them

compare the stories to each other

When Peter rebukes Jesus for stating that the son of man must die, suffer and rise, Jesus calls peter

satan (adversary)

in the keynote of Luke's gospel, Jesus compares his radically inclusive mission to which two prophets

elijah and elisha

Elijah and Elisha

Prophets in the Northern kingdom whose stories gave hope to those in exile that a true prophetic voice continued despite the wickedness of the kings

to interpret the story of jesus' encounter with the widow of nain, which OT text does the reader have to know to determine why people reacted in the way they did when jesus brought the dead son back to life

story of elijah and the widow of zarephath in 1 kings 17

in mark, what phrase indicates a person who has seen divine power

fear and trembling

at what point in their history did people of israel become concerned with purity and holiness

after the babylonian exile

when a reader comes across a parable in jesus' teachings, what should the reader do in order to interpret the parable

look for the shocking element of the story

3 essential salvation dynamics according to luke

grace/joy/thanksgiving

in reading the story about jesus and the syro phonecian woman, what does the reader need to know about tyre

it is a gentile city outside of jesus' homeland

what is necessary to receive the mercy that jesus wants to give even before asking for forgiveness

acknowledgement of wrong-doing

what is the biblical understanding of faith

confidence and trust

which word (meaning life) does jesus use when the lawyer asks him how to get eternal life in luke 10:25?

zoe

crucial event early in mark that explains the origination of jesus' power

the baptism

jesus's prophetic ways of speaking in luke can be described as

parables

in ancient societies, people thought that there was a limited source of everything, what is this called?

limited good

Israel's system of order in which everything has its proper place based on the creator (God's) will

purity

stuff besides people that can get leprosy (leviticus)

walls of buildings, clothes

person responsible for examining cases of leprosy

priest

purification ceremony

someone with leprosy readmitted to israeli society

who does god heal people through

prophets

how long o lord will my enemy triumph over me

lament

lament

voice of the sufferer

if you live and obey the commandments of the lord, he will bless you, if you don't, you will perish

law of retribution

what do the speeches of jobs friends indicate

they saw job's suffering as a result of job's sinfulness

identified by early tradition as someone involved with peter and rome

mark

parousia

return of jesus in power

who wrote for an audience that was adjusting to the realization that the parousia was delayed?

luke

well educated gentile living in a city that wanted to write an account of history

luke

was luke an evangelist

yes

gospel written to ensure theophilus

luke

theophilus

The name given to the audience of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles; it means "lover of God" or "God fearer."

gospel that presents jesus as christos "anointed one" who inaugurates the reign of god

mark

68-100 CE

when were the four canonical gospels written

the two gospels that used q as a source for their writings

luke and matthew

meaning of gospel

good news

jesus's mission

to inaugurate the reign of god through word and deed

meaning of the hemorrhaging woman text

evidence of the powerful reign of god that jesus is seeking to encourage

meaningfulness about mark's sandwich

the stories are both about how jesus shows mercy to women, god loves all

syrophoenician lady story significance

showed that jesus was out to save gentiles too, not just his own people, the reign of god is coming for all

the meaning of healing in mark

evidence of god's transformative reign, that there is hope

the meaning of healing in john

proof that jesus is a divine man

mark 11-12

arrival and entry into jerusalem, results in rising tensions during the passover festival

mark 14-15

the passion narrative, anointment of God's king by anonymous woman, last supper, arrest and crucifixion

jesus's last words on the cross in mark

"my god, my god, why have you abandoned me?"

jesus's death in mark

served as a ransom for sin, a plunge into the mysterious will of god, seals a new covenant between God and his people

will of god in mark's gospel

that the son of man must die, suffer, and rise

what does "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" mean?

being in human form, jesus completely understood the desires of the flesh (normal human desires), and was saying how some people sacrificed their spirit desires because their flesh desires had taken over

does mark's account of suffering indicate that christians should treat suffering as their cross to bear

yes, it tells us to live selflessly and deal with our suffering

what is jesus' identity according to luke?

son of man

what is jesus' identity according to mark?

son of god, christ / prophetic messiah

what was jesus' mission in luke?

to proclaim good news to the poor and outcast

what does jesus' identity fulfill in the luke gospel?

jesus was the promised fulfillment of messiah prophecies

what does a prophet in ancient israel often experience?

arguments over what they have said, expulsion from their hometowns, verbal abuse, execution

how does what happens in luke 4 16:30 typical of what happens to prophets in israel?

jesus starts a riot with what he says and the people try to throw him off of a cliff for it, this often happened when prophets preached to an unwelcoming audience

Elijah and Elisha: what they did

brought people to god in the kingdom of northern Israel, predicted a three year drought as god's judgement

elements of salvation in luke

grace, joy, thanksgiving

significance of the word "today" in luke's gospel

means salvation is happening here and now

what is the two fold understanding of the passion of christ?

1. a suffering, 2. a passion/exemplifying commitment

jesus' passion

proclamation of the reign of god in this world