Exam 3 Study Guide

Question 1

ID three types of feminist interpretation as discussed in IBC

Answer 1

1. Radical: denies all authority of scripture based on its androcentrism
2. Neo- Orthodox: sees the Bible as prophetic insofar as it sides with the oppressed (and thus with women)
3. Critical: seeks to rediscover the status of women in the company of Jesus and Pauline churches; they are seen to have been more equal until male dominance prevailed and obscured their parts of the story.

Question 2

Define round characters

Answer 2

possess a variety of possibly conflicting traits. Jesus’ disciples…are the best example of round characters in Lk. They can be humble (5:8), self-denying (5:11), and loyal (22:28), but they can also be arrogant (22:33), status-conscious (22:24), and cowardly (22:54-62)”

Question 3

The Twelve

Answer 3

A special group of Jesus’ disciples whose number (12) is evidently a sacred number made complete by the choice of Matthias (Acts1:15-26) to echo the twelve tribes of Israel. This group is not considered a perpetual institution, since the condition of membership could not be met except by the first generation of Palestinian Christians. The Twelve are in the first place disciples, yet they are specially chosen by Jesus to be his constant companions, to be sent to proclaim the kingdom and to have authority to expel demons (Mk 3:13-15) and to cure illnesses (Mt 10:1-4). The name apostle is given o the Twelve several times in the gospels, either explicitly or in contexts where it is clear that the Twelve are meant.

Question 4

What is the social and legal setting of the lex talionis, whether in the version included in the Code of Hammurabi or that found in Exodus 21?

Answer 4

Both attempt to provide resolution for common areas of conflict and prescribe appropriate penalties for infractions

Question 5

Explain how the magnitude of what is happening in Mark 4:35-41 is expressed

Answer 5

The adjectives that modify some of the words communicate magnitude: “a VIOLENT squall”, “GREAT calm”, “GREAT awe”

Question 6

Explain possible sources for Mark 4:35-41

Answer 6

As discussed in class, some of the details included in Mark’s account support the story coming from an eyewitness account. The Reading Guide says that the evangelist put together various oral and written sources to create the account.

Question 7

Explain the purpose of The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church

Answer 7

• To help men and women of our time to correctly understand and be nourished by the Word of God.
• Directed to scholars and exegetes as well as the faithful
  To attend to criticisms and complaints and see to the hopes and aspirations to assess the approaches opened up by the new methods.
• PBC publishes this document as a strong rejection of fundamentalism as false certitude

Question 8

Two-Source Theory

Answer 8

an approach to the Synoptic Problem first argued by HJ Holtzmann (1863), which proposes the priority of Mark, the use of Mk and Q (a Sayings Source) as written sources for both Mt and Lk, which are independent of each other and also include oral traditions unique to each of them.

Question 9

Zealots

Answer 9

a politically active group within first century Judaism with roots among those known as leistes (“bandits”) or sicarii (“terrorists”); the zealots extended the Pharisees’ principle of separation from foreign influences to its political conclusion, calling for the ouster of Roman rule and fostering a series of revolts, culminating in the Jewish Wars of 66-72 AD. It is also likely that their thinking influenced the futile Bar-Kochba (Koseba) revolt of 132 AD.

Question 10

Torah

Answer 10

HB “guide,” “teaching,” or “instruction.” the first five books of the Bible (Genesis - Deuteronomy) as the fundamental expression of the teachings of God through Moses to the community of Israel; known in Greek tradition as the Pentateuch

Question 11

Explain what the title Verbum Dei refers to

Answer 11

Verbum Dei - The Word of God (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation)

Verbum Domini - The Word of the Lord (BXVI Post-Synodal exhortation on the Word of God in the life and mission of the church)

Question 12

Explain the PBC’s assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of Narrative Criticism

Answer 12

Strengths: a) well suited to the narrative character of Sacred Scripture b) facilitates transition from the historical, contextual meaning to modern meaning

Weaknesses: a) the real author vs implied author distinction makes interpretation more complex b) NC has a tendency to exclude doctrinal elaboration

Question 13

Explain the Rising and Falling device (aka Quinary Scheme) of Narrative Criticism

Answer 13

1. Introduction - the setting is established
2. Rising Action - a conflict is introduced
3. Climax - the outcome is revealed and conflict resolved
4. Falling Action - reaction to the climax
5. Denouement - final result/resolution

Question 14

Define Dynamic Characters

Answer 14

undergoes a radical change throughout the course of a narrative, displaying new behaviors and changed outlooks. The change can be for the better or for worse, and may be large or small. But the change is not minor or insignificant: it is a basic and important change in the character”. E.g. Zacchaeus.

Question 15

Explain the significance of the term “rebuked” in Mark 4:35-41

Answer 15

Jesus calms the sea using the same method as he uses for exorcisms thereby proving his power over both the supernatural and natural

Question 16

Define Stock Characters

Answer 16

possessing a single trait who performs a perfunctory role in the story. “In Luke’s Gospel, the widow that Jesus praises in 21:1-4 is a stock character. Her only role in the story is to illustrate what it means to be ‘sacrificial’” (p. 55). Resseguie, p. 126, identifies the rich young ruler as an example of the static character, who “undergoes no fundamental change in the narrative – a static character who could be Everyman”.

Question 17

Textual Criticism

Answer 17

the study of copies of any written work of which the original is unknown, with the purpose of ascertaining that original text

Question 18

Explain why the boats mentioned in Mark 4:36b are not mentioned again in the story

Answer 18

It is assumed that they are also rescued by the action of Jesus

Question 19

ID some methods treated in IBC

Answer 19

Historical-Critical
Narrative
Rhetorical

Question 20

ID the various (7) parts of a historical-critical exegesis

Answer 20

1) Select passage and identify the literary context

2) Examine line by line for forms, themes, and sources.

3) Examine parallel passages for similarities and differences

4) Examine significant words

5) Determine the major focus of the text

6) Determine the Sitz im Leben authorship, situation of the writer and the readers

7) Determine the theological dimension of the text

Question 21

ID the verses of Mark 2:1-12 related to respective parts of the Rising and Falling action/Quinary scheme

Answer 21

1. Intro: 1-2
2. Rising Action: 3-7
3. Climax: 8-11
4. Falling Action: 12a
5. Denouement: 12b

Question 22

Describe a literary form

Answer 22

The way a text is structured or presented; as a poem, as a story, as a wise proverb, etc

Question 23

Define Catena

Answer 23

a connected series of texts

Question 24

Temple

Answer 24

The center of the theocratic nation of Israel under priestly leadership, where both legal business and cultic rites were conducted; first built under Solomon (959 BC), destroyed by the Babylonians (586 BC), rebuilt under Zerubbabel (515 BC), fully reconstructed by Herod the Great (20-11 BC) and finally destroyed by the Romans (70 AD)

Question 25

Vulgate

Answer 25

Latin translations of the Bible, based on those HB, GK, and Old Latin texts known at the time, initiated by Jerome at the request of Pope Damasus to provide one standard vernacular version for the Western Church; at Trent (1546) the Vulgate was declared the official text of the Sacred Scriptures for Catholic usage in liturgy, theology, and doctrinal proclamations (the Sisto-Clementine Vulgate). Contemporary scholars have developed a critical edition of the Vulgate based on manuscripts made available in the last two centuries.

Question 26

ID the immediate literary context of Mark 4:35-41

Answer 26

The end of a chapter that is otherwise comprised of parables

Question 27

ID some novel aspects introduced by Dei Verbum

Answer 27

• Personalistic terms (parent, friend, etc) for the relationship with God
• Explanation of scripture and tradition as one unified source of divine revelation
• Analogy of the Incarnation as an image of the divine word becoming human words.
• Explicit acceptance of the three levels of Gospel formation in SME.
• Call for complete and easy access to the Bible in order that all the faithful may read it.
• Call for ecumenical translations of the Bible.
• Replaces “inerrant” with “without error”
• Lack of any anathema despite tensions between Catholics and non-Catholics in the decades prior.

Question 28

Explain the significance of the cushion in Mark 4:38

Answer 28

That level of detail in the report may be evidence that the report comes from an eyewitness.

Question 29

Uncial Greek Manuscripts

Answer 29

the three principal uncial (written on parchment in block letters) GK witnesses to the Bible are:

a) Vaticanus - a 4th c uncial containing most of the Bible (missing Genesis 1-46 & final nine NT books) held at the Vatican Library since 1475;

b) Sinaiticus - a 4th c uncial containing almost all of the Bible (small parts of the OT missing; includes two non-canonical books) found at St. Catherine Monastery, Sinai in 1844, the oldest complete copy of the NT, most of which is now held at the British Library.

c) Alexandrinus - a 5th c uncial containing all OT and almost all NT (missing Matthew 1-25 & a few other pages), now held in the British library

Question 30

ID the literary form of Mark 4:35-41

Answer 30

Narrative; Miracle Story

Question 31

ID the focus/foci in Mark 4:35-41

Answer 31

Jesus shows great care for those in turbulence (much like Mark’s audience was experiencing from persecution); he has power over even the elements/nature

Question 32

Textus Receptus

Answer 32

literally “the received text”; the GK text of the 1663 Elzevir edition of the NT, related to the Byzantine text family and in common usage until the latter part of the 19th c; it is similar to the text base for the King James Bible of 1610 and its subsequent editions

Question 33

ID the historical context of Dei Verbum

Answer 33

• November 18, 1965
• Produced by Vatican II
• One year after Sancta Mater Ecclesiae

Question 34

Wisdom Books

Answer 34

those writings of the OT which reflect a distinctive wisdom perspective on creation, the individual, and the meaning of human life, suffering, and death; the main collection includes Job, Proverbs, Qoheleth, Song of Songs, Psalms, Sirach, and Wisdom of Solomon; some parts of the the Torah and the Prophets are also attributed to wisdom influences.

Question 35

Define flat characters

Answer 35

traits are consistent and predictable Most of the religious leaders should probably be classes as flat characters, for the traits assigned to them (unloving, hypocritical, self-righteous) fall into a consistent pattern”

Question 36

What is the importance of correlative literature in the study of the Scriptures?

Answer 36

Correlative literature provides cultural, historical, contextual clues to meanings that may obscured by history for modern readers who only had the biblical texts.

Question 37

ID some approaches treated in IBC

Answer 37

Canonical
Sociological
Liberationist

Question 38

ID points of continuity between Dei Verbum and previous ecclesial documents on Sacred Scripture

Answer 38

• Continuing references to Trent and Vatican I (among others) re: canon, inspiration, and truth of the scripture
• Affirmation of divine authorship and inspiration
• Reiteration of the concept of revelation as God’s mysterious but direct self-communication to human beings of which Jesus Christ is the goal and foremost expression.
• Affirmation of OT and NT as fully God’s word.
• Encourages the Bible as use as reliable guide
• Mention of the time-honored place of the Vulgate translation
• Preservation of the magisterium’s role to guarantee the faithful interpretation of the bible