At the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus went to the synagogue in Nazareth and read from the prophet Isaiah: 4 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the [...] Read more »
Describe the notion of a missional community as a site for engaging in outreach, ministry of presence and liberation today. Draw from Paul’s Epistles, the Pastoral Epistles and contemporary literature to describe Biblical and current strategic approaches to ministry.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”[1] Thus the writer of the Gospel of John records how God became incarnate, that is he took on human form, as Jesus Christ, and began a ministry of reconciliation between God and man. Jesus, quoting from the prophet Isaiah, explained that his purpose was “to proclaim good news to the poor … to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to [...] Read more »
How far and in what ways is it possible to read OT narrative texts as Christian Scripture? Illustrate your discussion with reference to a specific text.
Numbers 20:1-13 describes an episode in the life of Moses, while he was leading the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt, during their forty year journey. As a consequence of his actions at Kadesh, Moses, the man of God[1] and faithful servant, who spoke with God face to face[2], was not permitted to enter the Promised Land. This story, as part of the Old Testament narrative, had meaning for its original Israelite [...] Read more »
In the synoptic gospels Jesus speaks repeatedly of the ‘Kingdom of God’. What does he mean by this expression?
The writer of the Gospel of Mark introduces the ministry of Jesus by describing how “Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’”[1] The phrase the ‘kingdom of God’ (which in Greek is hē basileia tou theou), or sometimes in Matthew, the ‘kingdom of heaven’ (hē basileia tōn ouranōn), is central [...] Read more »
In what ways do Jesus and his followers affirm and/or redefine the symbols or cardinal tenets of Jewish faith during his ministry?
Jewish faith in the first-century was defined by belief in one god (monotheism), Yahweh, whose presence was in the Temple, which was surrounded by the Land that had been promised to Israel. N.T. Wright explains, “Temple and Land were regulated by the Torah, which formed the covenant charter for all that Israel was and hoped for.”[1] Wright continues, “Israel’s belief in one god… was held in close conjunction with her belief that [...] Read more »
What sort of saviour or messiah was Israel expecting according to diverse Old Testament traditions?
Every king of Israel and Judah was known as “anointed one”, which in Hebrew is “messiah”, because the prophet or high priest anointed him, usually with olive oil, at the time of his enthronement. The anointing symbolised being set apart and made holy so that the king would represent his people before Yahweh, their God.[1] The line of kings came to an end with the exile of Judah to Babylon. Over time [...] Read more »
Describe and evaluate the influence of the Emperor Constantine on the subsequent development of Christianity
“Constantine [was] as an emperor born of an emperor, the pious son of a most pious and virtuous father, and Licinius next to him, were both in great esteem for their moderation and piety.”[1] This is how Eusebius of Caesarea describes the emperor Constantine in his history of the church. Constantine was the first Roman emperor to be baptized as a Christian.[2] The story of how he converted to Christianity and the [...] Read more »
Describe and evaluate Benedictine monasticism
Monasticism can be traced back to the fourth century[1] and over the centuries there were several attempts to write a Rule by which the lives of monks would be ordered. In the sixth century Benedict took one such Rule by an Italian monk known as the Master[2] and developed it into, as Carolinne White comments, “the gold standard against which all later forms of western monasticism measured themselves.”[3] Benedict’s birth and early [...] Read more »