Literal vs contextual

• A literal reader is someone who reads the bible word for word.

• A literal reader will have a hard time finding the hidden message.

• A contextual reader is a reader who is good at identifying those parts in the bible that should be read literally and those part that should be read contextually.

Types of truth

• Religious truth- Religion is concerned with the relationship between humans and God.

• Moral truth tells us what is right and wrong.

• Symbolic truth- Much of truth in scripture is told in symbols, parables, myths and allegories.

• Proverbial truth are short statements that are easy to remember, that help us to live a better life and we carry with us.

• Historical truth- The bible contains the history of the hebrew people.

• Scientific truth- facts discovered by the scientific method.

Synoptic gospels

• Syn means together and optic means see ( they see together)

• Synoptic means the gospels of Mathew, Mark and Luke saw together, meaning thet they shared similar stories.

• The gospel of John is quite unique, it contains speeches and stories not found in the other gospels. It also does not contain parables.

Covenant, Passion and Paschal mysteries

• A covenant is a relationship between two parties. E.g a solemn agreement between humans and God.

• A vassal treaty is an unequal party. One more powerful than the other.

• The passion narratives are the accounts of the death and suffering of Jesus.

• There are 4 passion naratives which are the 4 gospels.

• From the passion narratives weearn that Jesus is willing to sacrifice his life to save us.

• The suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus represent the Paschal Mystery.

The Gospels

• Exgesis is investigating the original meaning of a text

Mark

• Mark’s portrait of Jesus was influenced by the fact that he wrote for christians mainly in Rome.

• The symbol of Mark’s gospel is the Lion, telling christains to couragous.

• Mark’s portrait of Jesus is the suffering saviour.

Mathew

• Mathew’s potrait of Jesus was influenced by the fact that he wrote mainly for the Jews.

• Mathew stresses how Jesus brough the teaching of Moses to fulfillment.

• The symbol of this gospel is human, teling christians to learn.

• Mathew’s portrait of Jesus is thst of a teaching savior.

Luke

• Luke’s portrait of Jesus was influenced by the fact that it was written for the Gentiles, especially for the poor and outcast of society.

• Luke’s portrait of Jesus is that of a compassionate savoiur.

• The symbol is an Ox telling christians to sacrifice themselves for Jesus.

John

• John’s portrait for Jesus was influenced by the fact that it was written for all christians of all backgrounds.

• Symbol is an eagle soaring the godliness of Jesus

• John’s portrait of Jesus is that of a life-giving saviour.

Hope & despair

• Despair is a complete loss or absence of hope

• Hope is a virtue that requires trust in God and in all the people he has placed in our lives.

• Holy Thursday- The time in your life you felt happy and filled with hope.

• Good Friday- The day you felt despair.

• Holy Saturday- the day you felt like you were waiting for the clouds to disappear.

• Easter Sunday- the times in your life where you felt a renewed sense of hope and everything will be ok.

The Four-Fold gopel

1. Do Not Be Afraid- comfort

• Jesus gives a message of comfort and peace

1. I am with You- reassurance

• Jesus gives messages of support, of not abandoning hos followers now that his mission is complete.

1. Tell the others- witness

• Jesus urges those who have met with him to spread the word that he has rissen and to take that risk even if others do not believe.

1. Continue my work - outreach

• Jesus asked his followers to devote their lives to continue his work of bringing people into the right relationship with god and each other.

3 Main Characteristic

1. Based on everyday

• The story elements in Jesus’ parables came from the everyday cultural reality of his p=listeners.

1. Metaphorical

• In order to explain complex ideas, Jesus often used metaphor

1. A surprise ending

• Jesus would often take a common occurrence of the day and add a surprising twist to it at the end.

• The idea was to make people think critically about his lessons and their application in daily life.

4 Main Themes

1. Description of the king

• These deals primarily with God’s nature, qualities and attitude in dealing with people.

1. Kingdom responses

• How should we act if we hope to enter the kingdom

1. Relationship with our neighbours

• Addresses people's relationship with another and the world at large.

1. The fulfillment of the kingdom

• It refers to the future coming of God’s kingdom in its fullness.