| How many books contained in the Catholic Bible? | 73 |
| How are the OT writings grouped? What are the Groupings? | o Pentateuch
o Historical Books
o Wisdom and Poetry
o writing prophets |
| How are the New Testament writings grouped? What are the groupings? | o Gospels
o Acts of the Apostles
o Epistles
o The Apocalypse |
| What Literary genres do we find? | o Poetry
o Law
o Narrative
o Letters (epistles)
o Homilies and songs
o Myths |
| What are the key themes of the Old Testament? | o The importance of covenant with God
o Sin and human nature
o The creation of the world and how it came to be
o Prophecy
o Biblical law. |
| Explain the three reasons that makes a book or writing sacred | • history or context for a religion.
• important source of spiritual or moral guidance.
• ‘Word of God’. |
| What are the three worlds of the text? | o The World in Front of the Text
o The World Behind the Text
o The World of the Text |
| Explain how each of the world’s helps us to understand the Bible? | - understand scriptures with deeper meaning |
| What is form criticism? | - Form criticism is the identification of the literary structures and genres of texts, allowing readers to understand and interpret texts by their form and content. |
| What are the main features of Form Criticism? | o Genre / Literary form
o Literary structure
o Textual features
o Rules and conventions of the text type |
| What is narrative criticism? | - Narrative criticism focuses on the literary shape of the story or text. |
| What are the main features of Narrative criticism? | - Character and setting
- Plot and Themes (message / meaning)
- Author’s purpose and audience
- Narrative structure – prelude, introduction / orientation, body / rising action, climax, resolution |
| What books are included in the Pentateuch? | o Genesis
o Exodus
o Leviticus
o Numbers
o Deuteronomy |
| Who are considered the four authors involved in its construction? | o Yahwist (J)
o Elohist (E)
o Priestly (P)
o Deuteronomist (D) |
| Over what time do they believe the construction and writing took place? | - The Pentateuch was written between 950 – 450 BCE |
| - Yahwist: | o God is referred to as Yahweh
o God is Anthropomorphised
o Teller of vivid stories
o God is always forgiving |
| - Elohist | o Referred to as Lord God / Elohim
o Transcendent, does not encounter people in person – speaks in dream, angels, nature
o Spectacular manifestations |
| - Priestly | o Emphasis on temple cult and worship
o Emphasis on role of Levites
o Style is dry with love for numbers and lists
o Often repeats information twice
o Laws are attached to Narrative |
| - Deuteronomist | o Israel’s history as cycle of God’s forgiveness and renewal of covenant, and breaking of covenant
o Emphasises Laws and Morals
o Writing style is very emotional and designed to elicit obedience
o Israelites as the Chosen People
o The Lord is the sole God of Israel |
| How do sources change our understanding of the Pentateuch? | BY understanding the different authors of the Pentateuch, we gain a deeper understanding of how it was written, who it was written by, and why different parts of the Pentateuch may seem different to other sections. |
| What are the Synoptic Gospels? | o Matthew
o Mark
o Luke |
| What is the 4 source theory | - The four-source theory is the theory that the 3 Synoptic Gospels in the Triple Tradition was written with four different sources
- The two earlier sources were Mark (Luke and Matthew both contain a large portion of content that is similar or identical to Mark’s), and ‘Q source’ – material that sits within the ‘Double Tradition’, and is common to both Luke and Matthew but is not found in Mark.
- Matthew and Luke also contained their own unique information (the Single Tradition) |
| Evidence to support 4 source theory | - Evidence to support this theory is that at least 45% of both Matthew and Luke contain much information already seen in Mark, using very similar wording.
- Both Matthew and Luke contain approximately ¼ shared material (not common to Mark, but shared between Matthew and Luke), suggesting the existence of a second ‘earlier’ source, Q source, used by both Gospel authors. |
| Matthew Audience | - Matthew was written for Jews who converted to Christianity, as well as a Gentile wealthy urban community. |
| Mark Audience | - Mark was written for a predominantly Gentile community; he was writing for Christians with a non-Jewish background. |
| Luke Audience | - Luke was written for Gentile Christians with a Greek influence. His Gospel was dedicated to someone with a Greek name – Theophilus. |
| John Audience | - John’s Gospel was written for Hellenic (Greek) Jews. His Gospel uses everyday Greek terms. |
| What is a parable | o A parable is a story with a double meaning
o It has a clear surface meaning
o The other meaning is a deeper in the complexities of the story
o It challenges the hearer to action: to question and change his / her understanding, attitudes and behaviour |
| What narrative structure was usually associated with a parable? | - Parables have a classic narrative structure: Prelude (describing who Jesus is teaching / preaching to); Orientation, Body or Rising Action, Climax and Resolution |
| What is a miracle story? | - A miracle story is a story that challenges faith and is used to show the intervention of God through Jesus |
| What was the structure normally associated with a healing miracle? | o Problem
o Action
o Reaction |
| Why is it important to understand what was happening at the time the Gospels were written? | - why it was written
- intended audience and their differences (law, customs and society)
- Deeper meaning of context |
| Explain how understanding of what was happening in the gospels at their time affects our understanding of the meaning of the text? | By having this understanding of the audience and the intention for the Gospels being written, we can identify the meaning of the text in terms of how it relates to us / our society. |
| Why is the New Testament important to Christians? | The new Testament is extremely important to Christians as it tells the stories of Jesus and his teachings and life. It re-shapes our view of God, and acknowledges the existence of the Holy Trinity – God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit – which is fundamental to the Christian faith. |
| Parable 7 stage analysis | Narrative Structure
Setting
Characters
Plot of parable
Themes
Authors Purpose
Intended Audience |
