UNIT A: Introduction to Theology("Words about God")

Contents and page numbers for Unit A

UNIT A: Introduction to Theology...............................................................................................

Session 1: You too can be a theologian!................................................................................

Session 2: You already are a theologian!..............................................................................

Session 3: Being a specifically Christian theologian..............................................................

Session 4: Reading the Bible in a Christian way....................................................................

Session 5: The Church of England and Christian theology....................................................

Right at the beginning of the Course you might be surprised to find the word ‘theology.’ This unit will show you that anyone who thinks about God is a theologian. They are using what

they know from their own lives to know more about God. And we each bring our own experience, and our knowledge of the Bible, our Christian lives and the world around us to

this task. In this unit everyone can be an expert at some point – everyone can say what they have known of God!

This unit has been prepared by Rev John Richardson, assisted by the CCS Revision Group

Session 1: You too can be a theologian!

Opening worship

The Aim of this first session is for members of the group to introduce themselves to each other and to find out what being a 'theologian' means.

1. Group introductions

a. Group members should introduce themselves — who they are, which church they belong to and where it is, etc., and say why they want to do the Course in Christian Studies.

b. They might also like to add one amusing fact about themselves e.g.: ‘The best meal I ever had’, ‘The worst item of clothing I ever bought’, ‘The thing that made me laugh the most in public’.

c. Group members are invited to identify something in the news which has been about differing ideas about God.,

2. Group work: encountering theology

a. Continue the group session with the following scenario: a Jehovah’s Witness comes to your door. What do you do?

i. Tell them you’re busy, (but actually you might be be too nervous to try and argue with them).

ii. Politely tell them you’re not interested because you’ve spoken with Witnesses before and think it is a waste of time.

iii. Argue with them, because you enjoy a good argument.iv. Engage them in conversation because it will stop them visiting other people in

your street who might be persuaded by them.v. Seek to share the gospel with them because Jehovah’s Witnesses need saving

too.vi. Some other response.

The example of Jehovah's Witnesses has been chosen because they do talk to strangers, visiting door to door. But perhaps there are other groups who do this in your area, either Christian or non Christian? If so, you could think about your experiences of talking to them. Take some time to tell your story and to listen to other people’s.

b. Going on from the scenario above, for whatever reason, you find yourself in conversation with the visitor. If it is a Jehovah's Witness she may say that Christians who believe in the Trinity are wrong. “After all,” she says, “the literal translation of the first verse of John’s Gospel should be ‘the word was “a” god’, not ‘the word was God’. The Greek text doesn’t have an article before the word ‘god’, so it should be ‘a god’. This means that Jesus is a divine being, but he is not God.” (This is how Jehovah's Witnesses actually argue. Non Christian religions also do not believe in the Trinity) What are you thinking?

i. I’ve no idea what the Greek text says. Are they right about that?ii. I don’t care what the Greek text says, I just assume that’s what Christians are

supposed to believe because that’s what we say on Sundays in the Creed.iii. I’m not so sure about the Trinity myself.iv. I know they’re wrong about the Trinity, and if this woman will stop talking long

enough I’ll try to show her why.v. I don’t think it matters what you think about the Trinity.

c. Discuss the following points:

i. Are these visitors very different from other people in their age, class, race, gender, education or background, or are they much the same?

ii. Why do you think it is that Jehovah’s Witnesses and others are so ready to argue for their beliefs and so confident in doing so, when so few Christians seem able to do this?

iii. Can we be as good at talking about God in our own way as Jehovah’s Witnesses are in theirs? What might be stopping us?

2. Tutor input

The tutor should:

a. Explain the meaning of the word 'theology' and encourage students to think about how they can do ‘theology’.

b. explain what the students will need for the adventure ahead of them, becoming ‘theologians’. What attitudes, resources, etc. should they bring to the task?

3. Group work

a. Share some of the words you already use about God. These may be in favourite hymns or prayers, for example, or a Bible verse that means a lot to you.

b. Share one or two things that you would like others to pray for you as you begin this Course in Christian Studies.

Closing worship: as you close, pray together for God’s help in this new venture of discovery.

4. For reflection:

"Mission goes out from God. Mission is God's way of loving and saving the world..." (Lambeth Conference 1998, Section II p121).

As Christians we follow Jesus who said "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." (John 20.21). We are called to serve God's mission by living and proclaiming the good news. "It's not the church of God that has a mission, but the God of mission who has a church".https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/mission/missionevangelism.aspx

Do you think God could ever use you to "live and proclaim the good news"? What might stop you speaking out about God's love for the world?

Make some notes in your journal on what you think so far about the journey towards becoming a ‘theologian’.

Preparation for Session 2 (do this at home)

a. Consider the following words said to God, all taken from Genesis:

i. Genesis 3:10: I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.

ii. Genesis 18:15: I did not laugh.

iii. Genesis 18:25: Far be it from you to do such a thing — to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

iv. Genesis 28:20-22: If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.

b. Make notes on the following for each passage:

i. Why is this person talking to God in this way?

ii. What ‘theology’ do they have — i.e. what do their words say about God,

iii. about themselves and about their relationship with God?

iv. What practical difference does this make to them?

v. Any thoughts, questions or challenges this exercise prompts for you.

Session 2: You already are a theologian!

Opening worship

The Aim of this second session is to see how our experiences and the world around us reveal what God is like.

Group work

a. Take plenty of time to share your conclusions about the four Bible passages studied in your preparation. The tutor should be present to help you reflect on this.

b. Are there times you have found yourselves in the same ‘shoes’ as some of the characters you have studied — saying similar things, thinking similar thoughts, having the same relationship with God? Share an ‘encounter’ you have had with God — how it has shaped the way you think and speak about God.

Tutor input

a. So far, the Course members have spoken largely from their own experience. It is time to consider how ‘doing theology’ can draw on more than personal experiences and opinions. The tutor and course members should read the following passages (this should be done from an actual Bible to allow reflection on the wider context):

i “Natural theology” is talk about God that starts from reason and our experience of the natural world. What are the possibilities and limitations of ‘natural theology’? The tutor could help the group members to compare Psalm 19 with Romans 1:18-20, for example.

ii.             How does God use the Scriptures to speak to us? How has God spoken to us “through the prophets” and “by his Son”? Compare what Hebrews 1: 1-2 has to say with 1 Peter 1:10-12.

 iii.          What is the role of the Church and tradition in passing on the Gospel? How are we able to have the “knowledge of the Son of God” through the ministries Christ has given to the Church, and what is the outcome of this? Compare Ephesians 4: 11-13 with 1 John 1:1-4.

3. Group work

a. Reflect briefly on what you’ve just been discussing and hearing. Are there any thoughts you’d want to share, clarifications you’d like to seek, etc?

b. People often speak of Scripture, Tradition and Reason forming the basis for Anglican theology like a ‘three-legged stool’ – much more stable than a one-legged one!. To this we might also add Experience, as we have seen from our own examples and the examples in Genesis. Discuss together the following points:

i. Are these four all ‘equal’ resources for our theology?

ii. How do they work together?

iii. When do we give priority to one or the other?

Closing worship

5. For reflection

Does the word 'theology mean anything different after these two sessions? When we 'do theology' what are the sources of our knowledge and understanding of God in general and as revealed to us through his Son, Jesus, in particular? Make notes in your journal.

1. Preparation for Session 3

The world is full of people doing ‘theology’, but they aren’t all Christians. Not even everyone who uses the Bible is a Christian. What we call the Old Testament also forms the Jewish scriptures and is revered by Muslims. So we now have to begin to think what is distinct about Christian theology.

Consider Hebrews 12: 2-3:

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

What does the writer say about Jesus and the cross?

How does he apply this to his audience?

Now consider the following quote from the 16th century Reformer, Martin Luther:

"Living, or rather dying and being damned make a theologian, not understanding, reading or speculating." *

In the light of what it says in Hebrews, why do you think Luther makes so much of “dying and being damned” rather than “understanding, reading or speculating” when it comes to being a specifically Christian theologian?

How does the cross of Christ shape our theology — our understanding of God, of ourselves and of life — and help us interpret our experience? Make notes.

*(WA 5/163:28-29 — This is the standard way of referencing original sources of the works of Martin Luther, in the so-called Weimarer Ausgabe or ‘Weimar Edition’.)

Session 3: Being a specifically Christian theologian

Opening worship

The Aim of this session is to explore what the life death and resurrection of Jesus teaches us about being a Christian theologian.

1. Group work

a. Look at and share any questions raised by your preparation. You may want your tutors’ help on this.

b. Acts 11:26 tells us that the disciples were first called “Christians” at Antioch. Clearly people were beginning to realize that their attitude to Christ was what made them different. Read the following from Paul’s letter to the Colossians: (Chapter 1:15-20)

He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

In your own words, what things does the Apostle say about Christ, about the world, about the Church and about our relationship with God?

In the light of this passage, can you say why Christ is the centre of Christianity? Is there anything here that excites you that you would want to share with others?

2. Tutor input: the person and work of Christ

a. The tutor should say more about the person of Christ and why who He is is important to his work and to what we sometimes call the missio Dei — the ‘mission of God’ to the world.

b. The tutor should take the group through 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures … (NRSV)

c. The tutor should address the following points:

i. What the passage tell us about ‘proclamation’.

ii. What the passage tell us about Christ.

iii. What it tells us about sin and ourselves.

iv. What it tells us about Scripture.

v. Why Paul say these things are ‘of first importance’.

3. Group work

a. As before, reflect briefly on what you’ve just been discussing and hearing. Are there any thoughts you’d want to share, clarifications you’d like to seek, etc?

b. Imagine someone says, “I believe in the teachings of Jesus, but you don’t have to believe all that stuff about his miracles, the resurrection and so on?” In the light of what he wrote to the Colossians, what do you think St Paul would say to this person?

c. How would you describe Christ to someone who had never heard of him?

Closing worship

4. For reflectionWhy do we believe the things we say we believe about Jesus? Where do we get our information and ideas from? Make notes in your journal.

1. Preparation for Session 4a. The Bible is obviously a key resource for Christian theology. But the Jews have had

their Scriptures, which we share, for thousands of years and many of them aren’t Christians. The Muslims revere the Bible as a holy book, and they aren’t Christians either. This raises the question how and why we read the Bible in a Christian way - in a manner that stems from and feeds into our Christian theology. It is relatively easy to read the New Testament in a Christian way, but what about the Old? How do we make sense of it?

b. At the end of his introductory genealogy (1:1-16), Matthew gives the following summary of biblical history:

Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ. (Matt 1:17)

c. Read the following passages about the key ‘stages’ Matthew identifies — Abra(ha)m, David, the Exile and the Christ:

Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3:

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

David, 2 Samuel 7:11b-16:

… the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.

The Exile, 2 Kings 17:13-20:

… the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the law that I commanded your ancestors and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.” They would not listen but were stubborn, as their ancestors had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God. They despised his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their ancestors, and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false; they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do as they did. They rejected all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves cast images of two calves; they made a sacred pole, worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. They made their sons and their daughters pass through fire; they used divination and augury; and they sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight; none was left but the tribe of Judah alone.

Judah also did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced. The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel; he punished them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had banished them from his presence.

The Christ, Matthew 2:1-6: … after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

d. Make notes on the following questions on the next page . . .

What did God promise Abraham? What effect would this have on the rest of the world?

What did God promise David? What would his son do?

Why did God send his people into Exile? What would be needed to prevent this happening again?

What role was the Messiah to have in Israel? What did the visit of the Magi mean in terms of its effect on the world as a whole?

What do you think the Messiah (Christ) would have to do in order to deal with the problems that caused the Exile?

Matthew sees the story of the Bible as leading up to Christ. Why does he see it this way?

Session 4: Reading the Bible in a Christian way

Opening worship

The Aim of this session is to see how the Bible helps us to be Christian theologians.

1. Group work

a. Share the results of your preparation, especially your answers to the questions under (d) above.

b. Why, in the light of this, do we read the Bible as being about Jesus?

 

2. Tutor input:

Note that the next unit, Unit B, looks at the Old Testament in the light of the Christian Good News of Jesus Christ.

The tutor should give some input about aids to Bible reading. Students should be shown how to use a Concordance and how this can help overcome the limitations of not being able to read Greek or Hebrew. Where possible for the tutor to do this, students might be pointed to computerised Bible-study resources such as Bible Gateway, Quickverse or Logos. The tutor should also give some guidance about choosing and using Bible commentaries.

3. Group work:

a. Share how you read the Bible at the moment and what help you would like to understand it better.

a. Read the account of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch Acts 8:26-35Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:

“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus

b. Consider the following questions:

What was the Ethiopian reading and what was the question puzzling him?

How did Philip answer the question?

Does that settle the issue, or could we, as Christians, say, “Actually he wasn’t talking about Jesus, he was talking about himself or someone else?”

What does this tell us about how to read and understand the Bible?

Closing worship

For reflection:

Read 2 Corinthians 3:13-16:… not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

Can an unbeliever ever read Scripture properly, or is there always a ‘veil’ over their hearts that stops them ‘getting’ it? What do you think? Make notes in your journal.

1. Preparation for Session 5

a. Consider these contrasting statements from works by two eminent 19th century clergy. The first is John Henry Newman, a former Anglican who left the Church of England and become a Roman Catholic. The words are from an address he aimed at non-Catholics entitled ‘Faith and Private Judgement’:

This is what faith was in the time of the Apostles … Men were told to submit their reason to a living authority. Moreover, whatever an Apostle said, his converts were bound to believe; when they entered the Church, they entered it in order to learn. The Church was their teacher; they did not come to argue, to examine, to pick and choose, but to accept whatever was put before them … The world had either to become Christian, or to let it alone; there was no room for private tastes and fancies, no room for private judgement.

(See, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/newman-faithprivate.asp)

The second is from John Charles Ryle, the Anglican evangelical Bishop of Liverpool, from an essay titled ‘Prove All Things’:

Reader, this is private judgment. This is the right you are to exercise if you love your soul. You are not to believe things in religion merely because they are said by Popes or Cardinals — by Bishops or Priests — by Presbyters or Deacons — by Churches, Councils, or Synods —by Fathers, Puritans, or Reformers. You are not to argue, ‘Such and such things must be true, because these men say so.’ You are not to do so. You are to prove all things by the Word of God.

(See, http://www.gotothebible.com/HTML/proveallthings.html)

b. Make notes ready to share with the group. These well respected Christians are saying opposite things! What are the strengths and weaknesses of each position?

c. With which position do you have the most sympathy?

Session 5: The Church of England and Christian theology

Opening worship

The Aim of this session is to think about the role of the church as we do theology.

1. Group work

a. Share your thoughts on the positions adopted by Newman and Ryle.

b. What, in practice, does Newman mean by ‘the Church’? How does his view of the Church differ (if at all) from the Anglican view?

c. What does Ryle say should control private judgement? How practicable is his suggestion?

d. Consider Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom ...”. Does this help achieve a balance between Newman and Ryle? How do we apply this verse in practice?

2. Tutor input

a. Introduce the group to Canon A5 ‘Of the doctrine of the Church of England’:

The doctrine of the Church of England is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures.

In particular such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal.

b. Encourage the group to think about how we make decisions in matters of theology. Help them especially to think about the role of the Church in forming and testing our theological views, both as an institution and as the local expression of the Body of Christ. Group members should be helped to see that whilst personal belief is vital, personal opinion is not the same thing and is not necessarily the supreme authority in matters of faith.

3. Group work

Alister McGrath comments:

The dangerous new idea, firmly embodied at the heart of the Protestant revolution, was that all Christians have the right to interpret the Bible for themselves. (Christianity’s Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution- a History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First, London: SPCK, 2007, 2)

a. How do we arrive at good theology? Is there any way to avoid our theology — the way we speak about God and ourselves — being just a matter of personal experience and our own, individual, opinion of what the Bible says? How, for example, could a group of church members 'do theology' together?

b. What are your thoughts now about being theologians, about to begin the task of doing theology?

Closing worship

4. For reflection, using your journal

o Consider where you want to go next in your journey as a theologian. You may like to read the following words of Rowan Williams summary "on being a Christian" https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/being-a-christian.aspx

Christian life is lived in relationship with God through Jesus Christ and, in common with other Christians, seeking to deepen that relationship and to follow the way that Jesus taught.

Central to that relationship is knowing we can trust God.  Saint Paul says at the end of the eighth chapter of his letter to the Church in Rome, 'if God is for us, who can be against us?' And this is the heart of faith.

How do we know that 'God is for us'? Because Jesus Christ, the one human being who is completely in tune with God - with what God wants and what God is doing - has carried the burden of our human betrayals of God and running away from goodness.  He has let himself be betrayed and rejected, executed in a humiliating and agonising way, and yet has not turned his back on us.  Death did not succeed in silencing him or removing him from the world.  He is alive; and that means that his love is alive, having survived the worst we can do.

Nothing - says St Paul in the same passage - can separate us from this love.  But this isn't an excuse for doing what we like, knowing we can get away with it.  Once we know that God is 'for us', we open up to the gift that God wants to give us - which is a share in his own love and freedom and mercy.  We breathe with his breath - that's part of what it means to say that we receive God's 'Spirit', which makes us live like Jesus 'in tune' with God.  If we have really taken the message in, we shall live lives of selfless generosity, always asking how the gifts given us - material or imaginative or spiritual or whatever - can be shared in a way that brings other people more fully alive.  And we shall be able to trust the generosity of others and be free to receive what they have to give us.

Generosity, gratitude, confidence that when we fail we are still loved - all of this focused on Jesus' life and death and resurrection.  That's where we start in the lifelong job of being a Christian.

Read this passage prayerfully; mark or underline any ideas or phrases you find helpful. How might you "breathe with his breath" today?

Further resources you may find useful

L. Green, Let’s do Theology (London: Mowbray, 2009). An account of how ‘ordinary people’ can be theologians, by the former Bishop of Bradwell.

Gerald Bray, The Faith We Confess: an Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles (London: Latimer Trust, 2009). One of the most recent introductions to the Articles of the Church of England.

The Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty-nine Articles online at http://churchofengland.org/prayer-worship/worship/book-of-common-prayer.aspx

Canons of the Church of England, online at http://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/structure/churchlawlegis/canons/canons-7th-edition.aspx

Martin Davie, A Guide to the Church of England (London: Mowbray, 2008). Another handy introduction to the Church of England.

Michael Jensen, How to Write a Theology Essay (London: The Latimer Trust, 2012). You’re probably not planning to, but this short booklet has some helpful hints about approaching the theologian’s task

Preparing for Unit B Introduction to the Bible and Old Testament

This unit will:o Look at different kinds of writing in the Old Testament and why it is important

to identify this variety. o Examine the Old Testament as it has been understood by Christians. These

books are, of course, the scriptures of the Jewish people and are reverenced by Muslims, but the focus of this module is on the knowledge essential for understanding the Christian Gospel.

o Look at the questions and longings that arose from Israel’s relationship with God which Christians believe are answered by Jesus Christ.

Prepare for this module by discovering examples of different kinds of literature in the Bible.

In the first unit we examined some of the ways in which we might understand the ways of God better; through our own and other people’s experience, through the revelation of Jesus Christ, through the study of others, and so on. In this unit we will be looking at the way that God was revealed to the Ancient Israelites. What we now call the Old Testament is the Jews’ record of the experiences and revelations that shaped their understanding.

But first, what kind of ‘book’ is the Old Testament? It is, in fact, a collection of books, with a wide variety of types of writing, dating from many different periods and written by many different people. Parts of it have always been written down; other parts of it were spoken before they were written. Some parts probably circulated for generations or even centuries in oral form before they were committed to writing. Other parts are sustained narrative – accounts of what happened and what was done. Still other parts are reflections on the narrative, or records of what people said or thought about what happened or what was done. There are rules and regulations for the life of the people in the story, the prayers they prayed, the stories they told themselves about who they were and the world they lived in. We will also find reflections and meditations (sometimes arguments) about what it meant to be the chosen people of God, and to live in the world they lived in.

All these different kinds of writing look much the same when printed in similar type on the same size page in our Bibles. But, at the beginning of study of the Old

Each week there will be some preparation work which will be essential if you are going to participate in the following session – but it will be very short. Then there will be reading or some other activity which is highly recommended – the expectation is that you will do this if at all possible. Thirdly there will be recommendation of study to do if you really want to examine a topic more deeply.

Testament, you are encouraged to read as many of the following passages as you can. This is the way to become more familiar with the rich variety that is there.

Activity:

Read as many of these passages from the Old Testament as you can. Use the questions below, decide (if you can) what kind of writing each might be.

o Genesis 11

o Leviticus 23:1–22

o 1 Samuel 16

o Psalms 22 and 23

o Proverbs 10:1–17

o Song of Solomon 5:10–16

o Daniel 7:1–10

o Amos 7:1–9

o Jonah 1To help you identify different kinds of writing, some possible questions are:

o Is this a story?

o Is this poetry?

o Is it about the writer’s feelings?

o Is it a prayer?

o Does it seem to be about/related to) real events, or does it seem to come from the imagination?

o Is there more than one kind of writing in the passage? (if so, list both).

o Why might it have been written (e.g. to inform people, to move them, to inspire them, etc.)?