The 'Word of God' as Used in the Old Testament

The introduction deals with the ideas of authority and perspective, and how they function properly in the process of Biblical interpretation. A key idea is that reading is a dialogue between the text and the reader. Both sides have a role to play. If we acknowledge this, then we must also acknowledge that the perspective of the reader has some significance in how the Bible is interpreted and exercises authority. This dialogical reading transcends the categories of ‘objective’ and ‘subjective’, and

American mythologist and writer Joseph Campbell can be quoted, “Computers are like Old Testament (gods), lots of rules and no mercy.” Sadly enough, many people, even some Biblical scholars, hold to this stereotype that the Old and New Testaments display different foundational characteristics of God: law versus grace. As will be examined here, the stories of the OT are abundant in both God’s grace and His holiness, and the histories within these books are saturated with the theological themes of covenant, kingship, grace, sacrifice, and prophetism. Each of the five subsections listed will first answer the “who, what, why, when, where, and how” questions. After a thorough explanation of the historical and theological significance of each theme, this exposition will address a crucial debate concerning the theme, if such is applicable. We begin with the theme of covenant in this study of five prominent OT themes.

The Bible and its text is trustworthy and reliable to its fullest, but on this journey in seeking the word of God can using it in how daily life is where arises an important question; How now is to understand the idea of the ‘Word of God” and its implications for how Christian theology is to be done. Karl Barth (1886-1968) a Swiss Protestant theologian who is one of the most substantial and influential recent works of Christian Theology in the twentieth century. In this text analysis of one of Barth teaching he breaks down in explaining what he means by “reflection” on the Word of God. Barth first address this three part: “the Word of God in a First Address in which God himself and God alone is the speaker, in a second address in which the

Brown and published by Westminster John Know Press is a book that provides basic information

Analysis of the Gospel of John 1:1-6 and its comparison with Genesis 1 and 2: 1-3 and Proverbs 8 gives us insight into how a Christian text references Hebrew texts implicitly and explicitly. In chapter one, verse 1-6, of the Gospel of John, we not only witness the explicit references from Genesis and Proverbs, but also see how different ideas present in the two Hebrew texts have been reframed by the Gospel of John. We see a highlight of this reframing in the verse one of the Gospel of John, which states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In this verse, for instance, the notion of “The Word” is, one could argue, similar in its meaning and connotation to the idea of “Wisdom” present in

In section two of the book, the author focuses on God’s Word and how the reader needs to free Scripture from perceptual framework; in this he provides four approaches. First, Mulholland tells the reader that they are a word of God. Humankind is a word of God because God first chose humankind, He spoke each person forth. Second, humankind is to be incarnate words by living out the Word of God instead of living out the worldly desires. Third, the author now incorporates the previous two conceptions of mankind being a word, and living out the Word of God, into being this created, incarnate word now being shaped by the Word of God. Mulholland then explains the Word by which one is shaped. The Word of God being present in Jesus and active in the Holy Spirit. This Word, he suggests, is like a surgeon who one trusts to cut the core of the problem of one’s physical body; while “the Word cuts the core of one’s being and transforms it into the Word God speaks mankind forth to be in the world.” Mulholland then gives his

When studying the Bible, it is important to understand its origins; for me, I I have become enlightened, but troubled after learning about the subject. I found the unit, as a whole, very important and a positive experience for me. But, with this comes much apprehension and confusion as to the strength of the Bible.

Harris, R. L. (1999). 68 אָחַר. (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke, Eds.)Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press.

The Catholic approach attempts to find the truth by the interpretation and explanation of Scripture includes three exegetical methodologies which are: reading, interpreting, and understanding. Specifically, exegesis takes into account a thorough critical analysis of the meaning of biblical scriptures in terms of their historical and literary context. These methods play a role and contribute to our understanding of Scripture and this includes: 1) ideological criticism, is the examination of bias, assumption, or strongly held beliefs which may influence biases; 2) literary criticism, which focuses on context of the written text including the author, language, time it was written, genre, plot, characters and symbolism; 3) sociohistorical criticism, explores the “conditions of life” (i.e. geography, customs, traditions, religious practices, cultures, social norms, and family life. For example, ideological and sociohistorical criticism is evidenced in the letter to the Ephesians about morality of slavery. This letter reflects the time it was written as slavery was accepted and considered to be the “norm” in those days. However, the author suggests to the Ephesians that they “should be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,

The historical-critical methods used in exegesis by biblical scholars in today’s era can be traced back to a handful of influential men who either, by extreme purposefulness or by no fault of their own, has ultimately turned the truth of the Scriptures against the faith of Church. The common denominator for using the Bible was, for all extensive purposes, political gain. Three significant contributors to “Politicizing the Bible” will be the focus of this paper.

In Dr. Young’s Thy Word is Truth, we travel by faith along Scriptural reasoning exposing the true nature of God’s Word, inerrant, infallible, standing alone in its identity and ability to save our souls. It is this very essential quality of Scripture purely divine, being breathed from God that Young helps us to wrestle with. Modern criticism, philosophical attacks, proof texting, accusing the Word of not being complete by attempting to add to it have all been addressed in a scholarly manner by Young via his extinguishing these doubts and questions through Scripture. We are directed to know the true thereby identifying the counterfeit. We as fallible must look to God listening to Him instead of superimposing our presuppositions upon Scripture. We are created and do not judge the creator. Rather, we challenge the world in Christ with the divine command to repent, receiving saving faith.

The Word Written: For Barth, the written Word can never stand alone as the impartation of knowledge about God, it must always be assumed in the context of relationship. Revelation is thus understood mainly as the communication of a relationship between the spiritual Word and the physical world. The Word written is not simply a collection of personal religious intentions, expressions, and understandings. Barth does not view the written Word as religious views, but as an objective event where Christ is the subject of the revelation. “Scripture is Holy and the Word of God as by the Holy Spirit it became and will become to the church the witness of God’s

If we are to regard Scripture as a source of moral authority, we shall need to understand these writings in their own contexts of: kind of literature, moral content, how they communicate and how (if at all) these texts, written in different time and places to ours, speak to our lives, situations and dilemmas. (Messer p5-6)

Today, the Biblical truths of the Christian worldview are continuously being challenged by the subjective, thinking and criticism, introduced by a relatively new entrant to the religious world stage during the 20th Century, who frequently challenges the validity and credibility of the Bible; they are known as Post-modernist. They subscribe to a model of doctrinal theology, that when it comes to Biblical truths, for example, places greater value on the aspect of experience, more than the concept of reason. In which case, to the Post-modernist, truth becomes relative. Relativity of truth is quite problematic, from a Christian theological perspective, as it contends that the Bible does not present “absolute” truth.

The Bible must be read using Grammatical Historical Hermeneutics as a confessing Christian while we apply our Analogy of Faith to understand God’s