bible theology

Theology: The study of the nature of God and religious truth.

Metanarrative: The overarching narrative that gives meaning and purpose to smaller, individual stories. It's like a big picture that ties together, revealing God’s unfolding plan for the world: Creation, fall, redemption, and finally.

Sin: Lawlessness and iniquity; rejection of God and everything contrary to God and His holy nature.

Revelation:

• General revelation: God reveals Himself through nature and humankind.

• Special revelation: Self-revelation of God through: God’s word and history, the person of Jesus, the person and work of the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and the church.

Progressive revelation: God revealed Himself to His people over many centuries, periodically giving new information that built on but did not contradict or deny what came before.

Intertestamental era: 400-year period between the Old Testament and New Testament. Begins at Malachi 4 and ends with the ministry of John the Baptist, also known as the 400 years of silence.

Lingua franca: A language used to facilitate communication between groups of people who do not share a common native language. It often serves as a bridge language in trade, diplomacy, or other interactions where diverse languages are spoken.

Diaspora: Transliteration of the Greek word that meant to sow throughout or to distribute in foreign lands or scatter abroad. Some form of the Greek word is seen in six different New Testament passages and, at its simplest meaning.

Temple of Jerusalem: Either of the temples that were the center of worship and national identity in ancient Israel.

• First temple: Constructed by David's son, Solomon. Destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.

• Second temple: Built 538-515 BC with the permission of Cyrus II.

Synagogue: Substitute location for the temple during the diaspora and after the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar. It was a place of assembly for religious purposes.

Maccabees: Synonymous with Hasmoneans: group of Jews named for Judas Maccabeus who produced a revolt to overthrow the Greek Seleucid ruler Antiochus Epiphanes' unjust rule over them, utilizing guerrilla warfare under leadership.

Fullness of time: The perfect or ideal moment, referring to a time when all necessary conditions are met for something significant to happen in biblical history, describing the moment when God sent Jesus Christ to earth.

Herod the Great: Roman king; killed his family. Clever politician known for beautification of the temple in Jerusalem and killing Jewish baby boys.

Herod Antipas: Son of Herod the Great; ruled Galilee and Perea. His wife, Herodias, had her daughter ask Herod for the head of John the Baptist because John the Baptist rebuked her behavior.

Hellenism: Greek culture that spread throughout the civilized world through trade, colonization, and Alexander's conquest. Produced the lingua franca which helped spread Christianity and the Bible.

Hellenizers: Those who spread Greek culture including especially the Greek language, so as to mix other cultures into the dominant Greek culture.

Logos: Ancient Greek word described as reason, refers to both mind and word, a thought expressed. The Gospel of John identifies the Christian logos through which all things are as divine and further identifies Jesus Christ as the incarnate Logos. God thought up the universe and then expressed it into existence.

Sects: Group of people with different religious and political beliefs from those of the larger group to which they belong (e.g., Rome, Herodian Jews, etc.).

Hasidim: Jews who opposed the paganization of their culture; puritans known for uncompromising observance of Judaic law. Religious-minded, formerly supported Hasmoneans but parted ways because of policy. It is believed the Pharisees and Essenes stemmed from them.

Gentiles: A person who is not a Jew.

Synoptic: Presenting or taking the same or common view, specifically when capitalized, of or relating to the first three Gospels of the New Testament.

Genre: A category of artistic composition as in music or literature characterized by similarities in form, content, technique, style, or subject matter.

Exegesis: Exposition or explanation of a text based on careful objective analysis. The process of critically analyzing and interpreting a biblical text to discover its origins and intended meaning by carefully examining the context, languages, and historical background in which it was written, aiming to understand what the author meant to communicate.

Canon: A collection or list of sacred books accepted as genuine criteria for NT inclusion:

• Authenticity: Apostolic origin based on the experiences of those who knew Jesus.

• Authoritative: Accurately teaching God's will.

• Inspired: Written by people with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

• Acceptance by the church.

Apocrypha: Hidden or obscure, aka Deuterocanonical meaning second canon; ancient texts, religious or related writings written during the intertestamental period; not authoritative, inspired, or historically accurate, contradict the Bible in some areas and are excluded from the accepted canon of scripture.

Discourse: Formal, lengthy treatment of a subject either written or spoken in Christianity. In Matthew, there are five discourses.

Messiah: Hebrew for "anointed one"; a leader or savior of a particular group or cause