Category: Bible

In a simple definition, evidence could mean anything that furnishes proof. It could also mean an outward indication or sign that holds something to be true or proved.

In a literal sense, evidence means proof that validates the establishment of something with the view of arriving at a certain conclusion or a chosen matter. Evidence could either be scientific or historical.

Scientific evidence focuses on anything that should be repeatable, observable, and testable, even though it negates historical events. While historical evidence mainly consists of concrete historical data confirmed by an eyewitness, archeological findings, and written documents. It is this type of evidence that shows the occurrence or existence of a particular event or person.

Existence, on the other hand, is a state of coming into being whether in physical, material, or spiritual form. It connotes the state and reality of coming into being.

Coming back to our main topic: The existence of Jesus is still being doubted by so many people around the globe, scholars and none scholars.

Some of them based their point of argument on the fact that all the sources referred to on the existence of Jesus Christ come from hearsay accounts, which means the information came from the writings of people who have not lived during the time of Jesus.

Another group also went on to repudiate all the Gospels written about Jesus because they were written by unknown authors after the time and that none of the books’ original manuscripts exist.

Elain, Pagels, was of this view when he stated in his book, that; “Although the Gospels of the New Testaments- like those discovered at Nag Hammadi- are attributed to Jesus’ followers, no one knows who actually wrote them” (Pagels, 1995).

But despite this denial, a considerable number of scholars used concrete evidence outside the Bible to confirm that Jesus lived roughly around 2 BC and 33 AD.

One of the well-known none Christian historians, Will Durant, wrote on the historical validity of Jesus Christ in his book. H e says, “The denial of the existence seemed never to have occurred even to the bitterest gentile, Jewish opponents of nascent Christianity” (Durant. P. 557).

Also, a famous Jewish historian and writer for the Roman government in the 70’S AD, Josephus, has recorded the death of John the Baptist in the hands of Herod and the Christ, who was the brother of Jesus, by stoning, “The brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James….. He delivered them to be stoned”, (Antiquities of The Jews).

This is significant evidence out of the Bible for the existence of Jesus, as both John the Baptist and James (Christ) were somehow related to him. Another important thing attached to this evidence is the fact that Josephus was believed to have lived during the time of Christ.

The foremost evidence outside the Bible for the existence of Jesus are those that came from the Holy Quran. This was due to the undisputed Divine nature of the Holy Book.

The Quran has given an extensive story of Jesus Christ right from the womb to his prophetic life as in the following chapter and verses: Chapter 19: 16-34:

“Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.

She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then, We sent her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.

She said: “I seek refuge from thee to ((Allah)) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah.”

He said: “Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.

She said: “How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?”

He said: “So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, ‘that is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us’: It is a matter (so) decreed.”

So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place.

And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree: She cried (in her anguish): “Ah! Would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!”

But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): “Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;

“And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.

“So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to ((Allah)) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being’”

At length, she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: “O Mary! Truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!

“O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!”

But she pointed to the babe. They said: “How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?”

He said: “I am indeed a servant of Allah. He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;

“And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I will be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live;

“(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable;

“So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)”!

Such (was) Jesus, the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute.

These are a few pieces of evidence out of the Holy Bible which proved the existence of Jesus Christ.

Annotated bibliography

1. Pagels, Elaine, “The origin of Satan,” Random House, New York, 1995.

Summary

This book has talked extensively about the denial of evidence that proves the existence of Jesus Christ and even other prophets. And it has been the book of citation as far as the negation of evidence on highly esteemed personalities is concerned.

Quotation

(“Although the Gospels of the New Testaments- like those discovered at Nag Hammadi- are attributed to Jesus’ followers, no one knows who actually wrote them” (Pagels, 1995.)

Reliability of sources

The author, Pagels, Alain, has been outspoken on this issue and is well known on the Criticisms of evidence.

2. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XVIII, ch. V, p. 20.

Summary

This book is one of the most authentic in the history of the Jews. It has been the source of research for most students on historical facts. The book has also given strength to the followers of the Christian Faith in as much as the historical evidence about the existence of Jesus is a concern.

Quotation

“The brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James….. He delivered them to be stoned” (Antiquities of The Jews).

Reliability of sources.

Josephus has been one of the leading historians who excelled in Jewish history. His book, the “Antiquities of The Jews,” is widely consulted as a major source of Jewish traditions.

3. Abdullahi, Yusuf, Ali, “The Meaning of the Holy Quran, New Edition, with revised Translation and commentary, Amana Corporation, Brentwood, Maryland, USA, 1989.

Summary

The Quranic Translation of Abdullahi Yusuf Ali has one of the best, if not the best English version of this Holy Book. It has almost clocked a century and is still widely acceptable to students and teachers on Quranic textual studies. It will continue to excel in this field.

Quotation

“Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.

She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then, We sent her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.

She said: “I seek refuge from thee to ((Allah)) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah.”

He said: “Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.

She said: “How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?”

He said: “So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, ‘that is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men, and a Mercy from Us’:It is a

matter (so) decreed.”

So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place………………,

Reliability of source.

Late Abdullahi, Yusuf Ali, has been outstanding in the field of Quranic studies. He spent most of his life in studies until he becomes an authority in translation and commentaries. He has studied from well-known scholars all over the Muslim World.

Philippians 2:5-11.

This is a letter written by Apostle Paul to encourage and his fellow believers. He wrote this letter in a prison argued to be in Rome. His main aim in writing this letter is to thank his friends for the gift they had sent him after them learning that he had been detained. He also used the letter to describe the special circumstances (detention for spreading the word of Jesus Christ) that had befallen him and also to encourage them to stand firm in their faith despite them being threatened with prosecution.

In this verse, Paul urges the believers to emulate the example of Jesus Christ by being of a humble nature and obedient. He tells them that these virtues can lead to receiving a blessing from God just like He rewarded Jesus by exalting His name so that it is worshipped by all creatures.

The key theological themes in this passage are:-

• Meekness – Paul urges his friends to be of the same line of thought as Jesus Christ portrayed by choosing not to equalize himself with God but instead he chose to do the will of the Father.
• Obedience – He urges them to emulate Christ’s example of obedience like when he obeyed God’s command to die on the cross for our sins even though he felt that this burden was heavy.
• Humility – He cites the example of Jesus Christ regarding himself as a servant, for example the time he was born on a manger and the time he rode on a donkey, while we know he was the son of a King.
• Reward – According to the verse, God rewarded this son for his virtue of obedience by exalting him to the highest place and giving him a very powerful name
• Unity – By encouraging them to relate to one another with the humble nature of Jesus, Paul was encouraging unity among the Christian fraternity.

Below is a short real-life story that can be used to better explain how this particular passage can be applied in this day and age.

Smith was the brightest boy in my class when I was in high school. He knew the answer to almost all questions, even on topics that were far much complex for our young minds to comprehend. In fact even teachers used to refer to questions they found difficult to him. He was popularly known as the walking Encyclopedia. I remember almost everyone wanted to be associated with him. Our school was especially proud to be associated with him because of the many trophies he had won the school.

Despite him being very intelligent Smith was just like every other human being.

He began to feel superior above the rest including his parents and teachers. Believing he knew it all, he started missing classes and sneaking out of school during class time. Not even punishment would change the bad attitude he had adopted.

The situation was not any different at all at home. Considering himself to be of a higher level of intelligence he did not listen to anything his parents told him. Every time they suggested helping out in the house he would rudely retort that his level of intelligence did not allow him to do a servant’s work and insisted that his parents refrain from insulting his intelligence.

Everyone gave up on him and much to his shock and to everyone’s expectations he failed miserably in the end-of-semester exams. It took a lot of counseling for him to realize that for him to be the best he can be he had to work with others, more so his teachers. Finally he realized that knowledge cannot be exhausted.

One can never learn enough.

Therefore we all need to adopt a humble nature and listen and learn from others. It is only then that we can grow mentally. Not many people will want to help you if all you do is look down on them and criticize what they do.

Apart from humility, the story also teaches us about obedience. Smith should have been obedient to his parents (In Ephesians, this command comes with a promise of everlasting life to anyone who obeys his parents). His parents would have managed to veer him to the right path had he listened to them and so he would not have endured the shame and embarrassment that came with his failure.

The story also teaches us about unity which is necessary for the development and advancement of our social, economic and academic aspects. Smith should have worked in unity with his fellow students, teachers and parents for him to fully achieve his abilities.

Had he put all this into practice, he would have been rewarded with passing his exams, earning himself a place in a good college and consequently a good career that would ensure a good life.

Works cited

Introductions to the Books of the Bible. Web.

When one thinks about the various social stigmas attached to the acceptance of same sex marriages, one would discover that the prevalent notions are based on stereotypes. It is quite common for people to say that gay individuals are frivolous and lack the dependability required in a marriage. This is partly true and so is the fact that a majority of the “straight” crowd also suffers from the maladies. However, it could be stated that the stereotype of marriage is largely formed by the biblical approach towards marriage.

Marriage is a socially accepted institution and the Bible approves it. That is a widely accepted notion. However, what is surprising is that people tend to believe that marriage between two individuals always implies marriage between two individuals of the opposite sex. This is a social norm and not one, which can be definitely affirmed to be borne out of a rational mind. The reason being, marriage implies the social announcement of two individuals regarding their love for each other and willingness to stay together for the rest of their lives. If that can be held to be true, it automatically implies that it can be any two individuals irrespective of their sexes. It can be stated the this mode of heterosexual marriage is linked to the bible and its teachings.

Genesis 2:21-24 talks about God’s original plan for marriage: “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought, and brought her unto the man.” (Genesis 2:21-24) The first few chapters of Genesis show that God filled the earth with many different kinds of life. “He did not just put a few fish into the ocean; it abounds with them. But he created just one male and one female, and they were to become “one flesh”. Does this mean one woman for one man for an entire lifetime? When the Jewish leaders brought up the topic of divorce Jesus said, …Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Mark 10:6-9).

Some of God’s purposes of marriage as stated in the Bible are: companionship (Genesis 2:18), representing the spiritual relationship between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33) and the raising of godly descendants (Malachi 2:13-16). When respected the bonds of marriage leads to the good not only of the couple and their children, but also to the good of society as a whole. In our society, marriage is the central institution of the family and plays a key role in developing the social, economic and emotional bonds between a husband and wife, parents and children, and the family and larger community.

Thus, marriage in bible is “Marriage is the union of a man and a woman, creating a new entity… a new “whole” (one flesh). The union is brought about by a mutual commitment before God, to forsake all others, to keep themselves only unto their new partner, and to act in the best interest of the other, to keep themselves only unto their new partner, and to act in the best interest of the other, and to seek to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives as a new unit. This commitment is to last as long as they both shall live.” (Corinthians 7:39).

This is the most conflicting part of Bible in relation to gay or same sex marriage. Pro-same sex marriage lobbies have articulated that these need to be treated on par with conventional marriages. They believe that since most of the parameters that apply to heterosexual marriages, such as love, caring, commitment, fidelity, promiscuity and so on apply to these marriages as well. They see it as the exercise of natural choice, and refute the procreation aspect by claiming that they can have offspring, too. Testimony to this claim is the fact that no less than a quarter of the estimated 600,000 same sex couples in the US have adopted children. (D’Cruz, 387-8) They claim, with credibility, and backed up by facts, that when it comes to habitation, they go by the same set of conditions –they have the same commitment to their children as heterosexual people, live a life in which they cooperate with each other in all major aspects of life, pay taxes and contribute to society. Thus, according to this segment, there should not be nay moral exclusion by these people should be viewed as the main stream of the society. However, they ignore the moral and religious grounds. In a country where currency notes contain the words, “In God We believe”, it is a blasphemy to encourage this segment of thought process and legalize it. (D’Cruz, 384).

The total percentage of gay and lesbian population is about 10% (D’Cruz, 380) of the population and their ways of life significantly ramify the normal ways, livelihood, religion and beliefs of the rest 90%. (D’Cruz, 380). Thus, it is recommended that the authorities should restrain from legalizing these minority population in favor of the majority as it is expected of a democratic society. Measures should be taken to make the authorities understand the good of the greater mass. It should be noted that marriage should be defined in constitution to be between a man and a woman but gay couples or those who chose this life style should be awarded the same benefits as heterosexual couples and it should not be called marriage but may be civil union since that is what these same sex couples want. This is the only possible way to help solve this same sex marriage issue without hurting the social and religious sentiments.

In the simplest terms, same sex marriage, as the term indicates, is the marriage between individuals of the same sex. There is disagreement over whether this term is analogous to gay marriage, since some people can be homosexual, and could still be in a heterosexual marriage. Those who oppose the usage of the term ‘gay marriage’ do so because they would like the genealogy to include what are called ‘LGBT’, or lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender relationships (D’Cruz, 385).

By whatever names they were called, unions between people of the same sex have existed since ancient times in almost all parts of the world; some prominent examples are those of Greece, in which an elderly man would cohabit with a younger male, in a manner strikingly similar to heterosexual practice. Acquiescing with an elderly man of considerable social standing was perhaps a way to climb the social or intellectual ladder. In ancient Rome, too, this practice is believed to have existed for centuries before the advent of Christianity. Once this religion was born, with its firm accent on marriage as a means for procreation, same sex relationships started to go underground, perhaps in view of the enormous influence the Church held over people’s daily lives. In the US, as late as the 19th century, two women would cohabit and make commitments to each other, in what was known as Boston Marriage in a system (D’Cruz, 382).

There is the argument that same sex marriages can never exist, since marriage is one that is a union between a male and female; hence, in this sense, the idea of same sex marriages is a kind of oxymoron, since same sex couples can never meet the most essential purpose of a marriage in the Judeo-Christian sense or Bible, procreation. Courts have traditionally held the view that marriage is untenable if it does not lead to procreation; seen in this sense, supporters of same sex marriages argue that even old people and sterile heterosexuals should be denied marriage. This argument, though, is defeated by the allusion to the point that with the advancement of science, it is possible for same sex couples also to have children. (Alderson, 1)

The argument that children of same sex parents suffer ostracism and become objects of ridicule in society is countered by the fact that once these couples of civil unions separate, due legal protection is offered to the children. This protection is far superior to and more solid than what is offered to children of heterosexual parents, who are not obliged to provide financial support for their children. (Bolte, 1) Because gays are a minority of society, their will to marry cannot interfere with the beliefs of the majority of Americans.

In accordance to Bible, same sex marriage is contrary to nature’s creation; they term homosexuality the height of deviant behavior comparable to some of the most heinous acts, and equate its very existence to promiscuity and sexual depravity. Another extremely important factor these opponents of same sex marriages put forward is that one of the prime functions of marriage is biological; when same sex marriages render this impossible, how can this be considered as any kind of marriage? (Wardle, Strasser, Duncan, and Coolidge, 97-100).

However, a different and opposite view can be seen in biblical context too. In the article “A Marriage in Full” by Gary A. Anderson, the authors puts his emphasis on the aspects of the institution of marriage. The author considers examples from the Old Testament to prove that marriage is just about individual application of love and has nothing to do with future development or God’s will. The narration of Book of Ruth and Ruth’s story indicates that there is more to love than a simple man-woman relationship beyond materialism and God or divinity graces this metaphysical element. However, the author is quick to remind us that it is the common love that makes a marriage successful and not the other way around or the intervention of divinity.

This visualization of love and marriage, as seen by the author is in alignment with the modern world, it is the materialistic feeling between a man, and a woman is what marriage is all about. The author indicates, as an advocacy of this thesis, that “What makes Ruth particularly virtuous is not simply her desire to marry and have children but a willingness to understand her marriage in a way that will favor her adopted mother-in-law.” (Anderson, 4) He also states that in the parameter of modern time, having children in marriage is optional and economical and that proves the unworthiness of biblical social system and pre-modern views on marriage and love. The results of this Bible induced view on marriage are truly difficult for the gay couples.

The two people in the relation feel that they are being threatened by the world and this affects their families too. In case of lesbian headed family the women slowly tend to deny themselves which in turn diminishes their interest in each other making the relationship difficult and sometimes even leads to its termination. The emotional intensity among the relationship of two people in a family can be sometimes misinterpreted as it is based on equality, interdependence, mutuality and on intimacy rather than on power, thus creating problems among the couples. With a decrease in the intensity of their intimacy, they often find themselves in a disadvantage, which further decreases their trust and safety in each other. Families headed by gay couples face issues of other kinds. They are haunted by social image, which portrays them to be immoral and flamboyant making their couple hood a complete anomaly (Anderson, 92).

There are certain other issues too, which gay and lesbian headed families have to face. Like for example even in our modern day society these families sometimes fail to meet the social and legal demands of a family. Today any document or form regarding a child requires the names of its mother and father, which most of these families are not able to fulfill, rendering the couples in the family unable to identify them. If they choose total openness then most of them have to face the neighbors, doctors and even their own family, who may not always support them (Anderson, 98).

Another issue, which these families have to face, is that since most of the times they do not receive the services and support of society and family around them, a genuine and authentic intimate relationship is not developed among them and they do not receive any mutual help either. The gay and lesbian headed families, and especially their children, also have to face homophobic insults from others, which may even result in their loss of housing and job and family support. These insults sometimes even turn violent for them. These gay and lesbian couples most of the times have to face legal issues, like loosing the custody of their child from previous heterosexual marriages. Just the notion that such a frightening prospect might happen in gay and lesbian parented families further creates a lot of tension and anxiety among the members, as it requires lot of complicated decisions (Anderson, 103).

Gay and lesbian parented families are exceptionally diverse in nature and most of their issues are due to the noxious homophobic and heterosexist environment around them. If their couple relationship is not satisfying then they will not be able to facilitate for the health, security and gender flexibility in their children. These gay and lesbian parented families are also faced with the issue of having to teach their child how to deal with homophobic reactions and not just deal with the issue by avoiding it or being silent. Also due to the lack of official credibility for a non-biological parent affects their family dynamics creating anxiety among a gay or lesbian parent who gives their full effort in raising the child along with the biological parent. However, if the later dies or the relation ends then they have no right in the well-being of that child. This issue creates a lot of stress in the gay and lesbian parented families. They are not called upon if the child is in trouble or in emergencies. They are usually under tremendous social pressure but manage to thrive even through these obstacles. They have to deal with custody issues and are quite aware that they will barely succeed in a court challenge. Sometimes in a gay or lesbian headed family is supported by only a single parent, who does not come out with his or her sexual orientation openly (Anderson, 117).

Nevertheless, in spite of its acknowledged problems and flaws, marriage remains a vital source of social good, individual benefits, care giving, emotional attachments and long-term commitments. People, who are married, though far from perfect, try to behave in ways that benefit themselves, their children and society as a whole. Thus, marriage is more about practicality and materialism rather than divinity accomplished. If such is the case then it should be stated that the interpretation of Biblical idea of marriage has been grossly misplaced as it easily allows gay marriage based on love and caring.

Works Cited:

1. Anderson, Gary A; A Marriage in Full; London: First Things, 2008
2. Bible. The Complete Bible. Auckland: Union Books, 2007
3. Bolte, Angela. “Do Wedding Dresses Come in Lavender? the Prospects and Implications of Same-Sex Marriage.” Social Theory and Practice 24.1.1998: 111+.
4. D’Cruz, Shani; Family and Sexuality the American Way; Gender & History; 13: 2; 380-388, 2001
5. Wardle, Lynn D., Mark Strasser, William C. Duncan, and David Orgon Coolidge, eds. “Marriage and Same-Sex Unions: A Debate”. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003.

Human beings are social beings who live together and set some mechanisms of governing their interactions; according to Versluis, 2008, religion is an aspect of human social life which provides for virtues and vises among a particular society. Religion is defined as an institutional system of belief, symbols, value, and practices that followers to the religion should adhere to; the concept of religion brings forth the need for a central source of power, guidance, reference, and direction.

In the Christian religion, the bible is used as the source document where Christians should refer to and follow the teachings of in the book. The bible has sixty six books which Christians belief they were written with the inspiration of God (God is the Supreme Being worshiped by the religion).

The bible was written over two thousand years ago however the Christians believe it is still applicable in modern changed lifestyle; the age gap between current generation and the time the bible was written creates the question of how reliable the bible is in modern Christian lives.

Other than the difference, there are a number of stories, parables, historical analysis, and teachings that are written in context of older generations mostly the Jews. Depending with once understanding and believes about the bible, there have been numerous questions that seek to challenge the level at which modern generation can rely with the bible; this is so despite the book having been existence and bestselling book since its publishing.

Thesis Statement

A number of people in the world today approach historical books with some sense of uncritical and have trust with what they see or read to be accurate and authoritative; despite the notion, when historical material becomes the moral guidance, then people seems to be uncomfortable with the material.

The bible has fallen in the trap of some of the world historical books that have been criticized and faces feign intellectual objections, claiming alleged contradictions in its teachings; this creates the question of how reliable the bible is. This paper discusses the reliability of the bible in modern lifestyle; it will discuss some of the contradictions that some scholars and laymen people have brought up about the holy book.

The reliability of the bible

It is evident that some scholars, locals, illiterates and literates do not trust the bible and some of its translations that have been made to the historical book; other people, either believers, non believers, and other religions have considered the bible as a mere derivate of Babylonian and Assyrian believes/way of life and law codes; some people are of the opinion that the reliability of the bible can be challenged by its contradictions that exists; for example phrases like “Cleanliness is next to godliness,” is challenging in meaning and context.

To test the reliability of the bible, this paper will focus or discuss three main lines of evidence that will illustrate the reliability of the bible and send some light on areas that the bible seems to mislead.

The bibliographic test

Under this title the paper will be concerned on the transmission of the bible texts in the old testament to the new covenant; it will evaluate how the book moves from original autographs to the modern contemporary society despite the prevailing differences in economic standings; under the bibliographic test the main context will be on quality, quantity, and time span of the material.

• The quality of the manuscript

When reading the Old Testament, one notes of small number of Hebrew manuscripts as the Jewish had the tradition of burying inappropriate and unwanted manuscripts; most of the materials were also lost or destroyed during turbulent Israel’s history; it was in the sixth century, the manuscripts of the old testaments where standardized by the Masoretic Jews and the Hebrew manuscripts was supplemented by the Dead Deas Scrolls commonly referred to as Targums.

When referring to the New Testament, there are over 5000 Greek manuscripts, 1000 of other languages like Syriac and about 8000 Latin manuscripts; other than the materials the bible has thousand of citations/references copies in works of early Latin authors like Plato.

According to the Bible, Almighty God is the most powerful creature that is responsible for creating the earth and heaven; the earth is where we life but one day if we maintain the faith and act according to the will of God, we will rejoice in heaven with him. The principle of having an eternal life with the Supreme Being works to the good of uploading high moral standings and virtues within the communities. In the bible, it is considered prestigious that people will live with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

The Bible recognizes the works of early prophets in their works of developing the religion; it brings forth the struggles they had in the efforts of instilling handwork as a virtue among communities.

They specifically recognize the work of Abraham, Mosses, Isaac, and Jesus; these people where portrayed as men of high moral standings, handworkers and people of high integrity, when the bible brings such issues, it aims at improving people’s virtues. The appealing stories presented in the bible are applicable in modern lifestyle where people are expected to have high moral standing and be handworkers.

Quantity of manuscript

The Bible teachings influences human beings and the observance of the world by the believers Man has also to adjust himself to align him with the teachings of the bible. The teachings are bidding at all the times and the punishment of those who do the opposite is left as the work of the super national being. Some regard religion as immorality of the soul especially the earthiest. Earthiest are people who don’t belief in the existence of religion. Under the frameworks of quantity, there are some facts that can show that the bible can be relied upon, they include:

• The Bible is a Unique Book

The bible has been written by over forty people of different lifestyles ranging from immerse poverty to very wealthy people the people ranged from kings and paupers, statesmen and fishermen, poets and physicians who used to live in more than one continent.

• The Bible is unique in its survival

The period that the book has stayed and still has some relevance in modern life is an indication and test of time; the material can be relied to offer numerous explanations and seems to understand situations well.

Christian’s belief recognizes the existence of a super national force or power that have control over men and the activities that man do. The super natural may take any form of three supreme beings that is Holy Spirit, Jesus and God. In bible the phrase “by the power of the Holy Spirit” is recognition of the existence of a supreme power which has control over humanity.

Respect to the Supreme Being is highly adhered to and there is always a set mode through which the community or individual communicates with the supreme power. In the teachings of the bible, there are some aspects or doings that are considered sinful and anyone who contravenes them is believed that he will get punishment in an appropriate method according to the discretion of the supreme power.

Christianity recognizes the works of early prophets in their works of developing the religion. They specifically recognize the work of Abraham, Mosses, Isaac and Jesus. The power of God is seen an incomparable. He is seen as one who the early prophets served and the today’s people have no alternative than to follow his teaching, the early prophets were seen as the ones who were to ensure that the religion and respect is accorded to God. He is invisible but omnipresent.

This means that the misfortunes in the life’s of the Christians is as a result of the action of the supreme power. On the other hand, there is a book called the bible that governs the religion. If a believer does not comply with the requirement of the bible then the God’s power is supposed to punish the individual.

The Time manuscript

Christianity, whose teachings are advocated in the bible, influences human life and the observance of the world by the believers Man has also to adjust himself to align him with the requirements of the religion and not the religion to adjust in a way that suits everybody. Each religion has either written or unwritten laws that govern the religion.

They are bidding at all the times and the punishment of those who do the opposite is left as the work of the super national being. Some regard religion as immorality of the soul especially the earthiest. Earthiest are people who don’t belief in the existence of religion. In sociology the word religion is used to means a wide range of activities.

Religion is thus an institutional system of belief, symbols, values and practice that provide men solutions to their questions that the mere world that man can explain can’t give. On the other hand it always gives a solution to what man always seem not to have an answer.

A common characteristic found among all religion is that they present a complex of emotional feelings and attitudes towards mysteries in life. Thus religion comprises of systems of attitude, beliefs and symbols which are based on the assumption that certain kind of social elements are sacred and supreme. There is also a structure of activities governed or influenced by this system.

The religion of Christianity assumes that when someone has been saved, then he has been delivered from sins and oppression of different kinds. The deliverance is in the form of liberty they enjoy after the delivery in the form of salvation. The perception of the religion is that the issues and milestones that can be attained with salvation goes further than “admission to heaven” but it includes having a virtuous life on earth as one prepares good relationship with God.

The most important aspects brought about by the topic is how people should respect each other and how the respect can build a community that is well interlinked and cares for each other. The topic seem to suggest that evil prevail in the community because people have little or minimal regard for each other; there is no mutual respect and people seem to be selfish and act as individuals.

One of the most interesting aspects brought about by the topic is the role played by religion as an ethical principle; the chapter shows that people can live in harmony and liberate each other from social, economic, and political. Christians are supposed to think about each other and how they can solve problems of other people in the community.

When reading the chapter, one gets the feeling that dignity in the world can be restored by people respecting and having value for each other; despite the differences in the community, Christianity always offers the people a chance to solve their differences and assist each other improve their living conditions, socially and economically.

The role of the church has been brought about in the chapter; the church should have frameworks that ensure its people live well amongst each other. The following are the questions that came into the picture:

• How will the religion ensure that the virtues have been adhered to?
• Who should set the standards of the religion?

Are the deviant people expelled from the religion?

Though Christianity is a highly personal issue, it has a social impact to the entire society. It is a very powerful tool in the society and performs a lot of important social functions in the society (Brümmer 101). It is through religion that suffering can be justified to be good and necessary; this was portrayed by Frederick Douglass, an American Slave deliberator when he accused the Americans of using Christianity particularly the bible as the mode of oppression.

When reading the bible there are some verses that seem to support that when someone is suffering then he is more likely to go to heaven. In Matthew 19:24, English Standard Version states “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God,” the statement seems to strengthen that being poor Is a virtue in the Christian religion.

When following the bible there can be some justification that someone needs not to be rich as when he get rich he is likely to be detached from his creator. When such notion as created is employed in modern life, then people are likely not to work hard nor accumulate wealth, this is not right. The bible generally gives an accepted mode of living and doing some functions, it is seen as an effective way that bring people together for a social good. It also emphasizes on the importance of each and every societal member.

Conclusion

Different people practice different forms of religion. Christianity is one of the oldest and most practiced religions in the world. The bible recognizes God as the Supreme Being who has super powers to influence mankind in all aspects. It believes that all glory and power belong to God and thus he should be worshiped alone. The religion believes in the son of God, Jesus Christ and believes that the world is ruled through Holy Spirit.

Reference List

Brümmer Vincent. 2006. Brümmer on meaning and the Christian faith: collected writings of Vincent Brümmer. New Jersey: Ashgate publishing.

Mackintosh, Helen. 2003. Christian Experience of Forgiveness. New York: Kessinger publishing.

Tinder, Glenn. 2001. The Fabric of Hope: An Essay Issue 6 of Emory University Studies in Law and Religion. New York: Eerdmans publishing.

Trombley, Frank. 2001. Hellenic religion and Christianization. New Jersey: Brill.

Versluis Arthur. 1993. American transcendentalism and Asian religions. London: Oxford university press

There are several aspects in human life that never leave any person indifferent. Everyone has a particular point of view concerning these areas of human life and society, though they may be contrary and opposite, every person forms his own attitude towards this sphere and adheres to this opining during his life. Faith, religion, and attitude to church are among the most important matters in the life of a person, they shape a person’s view of life, influence his/her behavior in different situations in life that demand active response. Since human society has been constantly developing and moving forward, the values of people have been constantly changing depending on the appearance of new inventions and changing economic situation in the world. On the whole, a human being is rather a fickle creature, this may be easily observed in the changing attitude towards church, especially if we choose to compare the primitive church as it is presented in the Acts and the church of nowadays. The choice of the attitude towards church should be a strictly individual matter; however, we believe that the church should cultivate the feeling of generosity in a person.

There is no denying the fact that the primitive church of the time of apostles can be characterized by the generous attitude of people. The text of the Acts can vividly prove it by such ideas as the following: “And all that believed were together, and had all things common” (King James Version Acts 2:44).

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things common (Acts 4:32).

This attitude towards the church of that time may be explained by the power of the Word of God among people and the Power of the Holy Spirit. The Acts illustrate the miracles that were worked by the apostles (Acts 2:8). The situation described in the acts really proves that the believers were really united and the church was the organization that made people closer, sincere, and more generous. The primitive church was the place where people became united because it started to be their soul and heart, it made people not only closer to one another, it almost turned them into relatives that became related with the power of the Holy Spirit. As Jerusalem has always been the place of pilgrimage for the faithful, it was natural to provide shelter and food for those who were on their way to a sacred place.

As for the church of nowadays, I believe that it cannot be characterized by such generosity as in the time of the primitive church. The reason for that is that people have become more cynical, we always beware of strangers because of menacing dangers that come with them. We lock our doors, we are scared of walking in the dark, this is all because we are not driven by the Word of God anymore. It would be absolutely absurd to abandon everything, to sell all your property and share profit with people around you. The absurdity of the situation is the worst thing because it shows that humanity is mercenary nowadays. The church can be the place that can change us for the better, make us more humane and tolerant if we try to treat it as the people of the time of the primitive church.

Drawing a conclusion, it should be stated that the Holy Bible is the eternal source of wisdom that is always topical. If it suggests the description of society where people had “one heart and one soul” it should not be left without attention (Acts 4:32). In a democratic society, everyone is free to choose one’s own way but I believe that the church can be the place where people are united.

References

The holy Bible: Containing the old and new testaments. (1879).

Genesis from the Holy Bible gives an idea of how the Earth was created and how people who originated from Adam and Eve lived. The Holy Bible is arranged like an ordinary book where all the characters have their own personalities and can be judged by the readers according to their actions. The narrator, however, is unknown and the fact that this book is holy implies that God himself is a narrator, which excludes him from the range of characters to analyze. Thus, though Genesis abounds with a variety of characters, God, who is the most important in Genesis, is rarely discussed as a separate character having distinctive features. If God is perceived as a character in Genesis, he can be stated to possess such character features as rationality and discretion, authoritativeness, vindictiveness, and mercifulness.

What should be mentioned above all is that God is reasonable and rational judging from the order in which he created the Earth. All the steps of this procedure testify to the fact that God acted according to a carefully designed plan. Thus, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (The Holy Bible 1:1). After this, God created light and the opposition of light, the darkness. The rationality of such actions lies in further division of the Earth into firmament and water, as well as into day and night: “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night” (Holy Bible 1:5). It also seems prudent that he created grass, seed, and fruit tree before creating living creatures, as well as it was no less reasonable to create living beings prior to the creation of a man for the man was blessed by God to “multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (The Holy Bible 1:28). Therefore, some of God’s character features in Genesis are prudence and rationality.

Divine intervention and divine selection prove further these features of God’s character emphasizing that God is an authority who rules over all creatures. Genesis shows that God’s authority is unquestionable and only he is able to intervene in people’s lives and even deprive them of these lives: “The end of all flesh comes before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth” (The Holy Bible 6:13). In this way, divine intervention may either save or destroy a person. In addition, without divine intervention Isaac would have never been born and, similarly, without God’s intervention Jacob would have never returned from Aram. The idea of divine selection further proves God’s authority for only God could select Noah as the chosen one and command him to take “every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort” and “bring into the ark, to keep them alive” (The Holy Bible 6:19). Thus, God’s authority is exhibited through his abilities to select the chosen ones and to intervene into the people’s lives.

Moreover, Genesis shows that God can be merciful, but since he is also just, he can be vengeful. God’s mercy consists in helping even in judgment: “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them” (The Holy Bible 3:21). His vindictiveness falls on those who oppose him. For instance, God set a mark upon Cain “lest any finding him should kill him” (The Holy Bible 4:15) for Cain to remain vagabond till the rest of his life. Another example of God’s being vengeful is his sending forth Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden after their eating the forbidden fruit. Therefore, God can be merciless for he loves those he has created, but at the same time he can be vengeful for he wants people to obey his rules.

Finally, God is just and his creation the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil proves this. God created the Tree of Life to once give Adam and Eve an eternal life and to make them his family. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, however, was created to give Adam and Eve a possibility of choice, as well as to test their loyalty to God and observance of his commandments. God prevented Adam and Eve that eating fruits from that tree was forbidden: “Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (The Holy Bible 3:3). Despite this, Adam and Eve consciously broke the rules and were deservedly punished for this. They made their choice and by eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they discovered what the evil was like. This is why just can be regarded as God’s character feature.

In conclusion, discussing God as a character in Genesis, it can be stated that he is reasonable and rational for he created the world according to a definite plan. Moreover, he is authoritative for he possesses the right of divine intervention and divine selection and through exercising this right he is able to save and destroy people. God is also merciful for he pities and helps those who are in need; he can be vengeful for he avenges those who disobey him. And lastly, God is just because through creating the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil he gave Adam and Eve a possibility to choose and warned them about the consequences of the wrong choice. Adam and Eve made their choice and were deservedly driven forth from the Garden of Eden and turned into ordinary mortals.

Works Cited

The Holy Bible. Sydney: William Collins, Sons, & Co., 1830.

Introduction

Insatiable nature of human needs and wants has been a subject, which has been explored in various academic, social, and economic fields. In religious circles, the bible forms the backbone of the Christian faith, and it houses sixty-six books written in different genres and by different authors.

According to Christians, God inspired all the forty authors of the bible, which renders the bible inerrancy and infallible. Significantly, the many genres of the bible enable Christians to understand the word of God easily.

However, since the bible is the central book in Christianity, its inerrancy and inspiration has triggered endless and unquenchable desire for better and newer things among humanity.

Christian’s perception/definition on bible inerrancy

Intellectual realm is where the insatiability of human nature lies, and thus there is need to go beyond what is attainable by mere human ability. In the process of searching for the meaning of existence, human beings have proliferated thousands of different religions in different societies throughout the world, and countless religious writings and sacred texts attempting to satisfy their intellectual conundrum (Imperato 85).

Christians are propagating the bible teachings because they view them as inerrant. Inerrancy is in different categories, strict/absolute, limited, or no inerrancy at all. According to Catholics, strict inerrancy means that the bible is free of errors because God inspired the authors (Lindsell 90).

On the contrary, the concept of limited inerrancy speculates that, the bible is true on specified areas about morality and faith among others. However, it is errant on matters pertaining scientific or historical events (Stuart 80).

Strict inerrancy seems more convincing because the content or words of the bible are from God. According to Grudem, bible inerrancy means, “the inerrancy of Scripture means that Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact” (49) while others, think there is no scripture, which confirms God inspired the authors.

Relationship between inerrancy and inspiration

The liberal Protestants and some Catholics disagree with strict inerrancy of the bible because it is inaccurate on scientific and historical matters and has religious politics (Stuart 67). Catholicism firmly support that the bible is inerrant (Imperato 100).

For instance, some of the leaders acknowledge the bible as a firm and faithful book written without error; a book that teaches about God’s salvation (Geisler 294), which means the issue is not debatable per their doctrines. The catholic doctrines teach that God cannot inspire people to write untrue events in the bible (Geisler 86). Therefore, God inspired both the words and the authors.

Inspiration is a strong influence by God to human minds. Catholicism asserts that the words in the bible came directly from God but through the authors (Albl 79). On the other hand, some Protestants assert that, God inspired the original bible writings only (Greek, Armenian) and not the translated versions.

“No single view of inspiration conveys the total and so true picture” (Earle 319). Therefore, God inspired different people to write the bible, which led to many genres.

God guided each author to write in a different way depending on the applicable genre during the contemporary times. In relation to inspiration and inerrancy, the genres in the bible open up the human mind to understand God’s message.

The various genres of the bible

The diverse views about the inerrancy and inspirational nature of the bible remain debatable in churches except in Catholicism. This exemplifies that human will is human characteristic that is never satisfied. If satisfied, it lasts only for a while, which leaves the individual to desire more.

Since human will stems from the individual, the general expectation is that the decisions and actions that actualize themselves through free will lead to the long-lasting satisfaction for the individual. However, that is never the case.

Works Cited

Albl, Martin. Reason, Faith, and Tradition: Explorations in Catholic Theology. Winona, MN: Anselm Academic, 2009

Earle, Ralph. “Revelation and Inspiration: The Spoken Word of God”. A Contemporary Wesleyan Theology 1.1 (1983): 319.

Geisler, Norman. William E. Nix. A General Introduction to the Bible. England: Moody Publishers, 1986.

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.

Imperato, Robert. Footings: Creation, World Religions, Personalism, Revelation, and Jesus Revised. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 2009.

Lindsell, Harold. Battle for the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976.

Stuart, Douglas. Inerrancy and Common Sense. Ed. Roger Nicole and Ramsey, Michaels. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980.

The last supper is recorded by four of the canonical gospels in the bible namely Mathew, Mark, Luke and John (Harris). Based on the history of religion, there are two analogical interpretation of this religious landmark that bears significance from a theological perspective.

Notably the Hellenistic influence over Judaism from the 3rd century B.C had an impact on most aspects of life, particularly table customs and feasts which relate greatly, if not entirely, to the subject in question.

The initial analogical provision with regards to the last supper was pegged on the reports of the festival as found in the bible—where God is said to have instructed the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb on the 14th day of the month Nisan just before the sunset (Klawans). On that particular night, the Israelites engaging in the festivity were to eat the sacrificial lamb with bitter herbs and unleavened bread (Klawans).

In addition, the lamb’s blood was to be smeared on the Israelites’ house doorposts as an outward sign and symbol of them being part of the festivity. Seeing the smeared blood sign on the doorposts, God would then pass-over these houses (Exodus 12:13). And while doing so, God would smite the Egyptians and non-conforming Israelites (those who did not swab their doors with the blood) with the tenth plague—which entailed killing of the first-born sons.

In the years that followed, this became a Jewish festive meal thereafter known as the Passover. It is commonly perceived to be the frame work of the last supper, offering background interpretation of the actions and words of Jesus that night but as will later be discussed, not necessarily the Passover festival itself.

Essentially, most Christians celebrate the last supper primarily because Jesus Christ told them to do so in remembrance of the sacrifice he made on the cross. The last supper also resembles a farewell meal. As brought out in the context of Luke 22:14-38 and John 13-17 (living bible) Jesus constantly makes remarks that imply his departure.

The solemn words of Jesus such as: “For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come….This is my body, given for you. Eat it in the remembrance of me,” create an unmistakable setting of him saying goodbye.

However, in the anchor bible dictionary, Freedman states that the significance of the day varies across different Christian factions. For instance, among the catholic Christians, as well as other historical Christian churches like Anglicans, Lutherans, Episcopalians or even the byzantine Christians; the belief is on the literal words of Jesus that the bread represents his body while the wine represents his blood.

To this group of Christians, emphasis is laid on the principal of hermeneutics and the nature of faith in the apostolic times where biblical interpretations were based literal words.

On the other hand, the Christians who emerged recently tend to be of the opinion that the bread and wine symbolically represent Christians being part and parcel of Christ’s suffering on the cross. To this latter group, God’s passion to humanity through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is greatly emphasized with all Christians being called to obedience and emulation of Christ’s perfect example.

The other analogical perspective of the last supper as influenced by contemporary Judaism is characterized by the use of eschatological metaphors related to the meal. It is this aspect that sets aside all other earthly meals that Jesus may have had before his death. It explains why, these otherwise normal and common gestures of breaking bread and drinking from a cup bears profound significance that it should be commemorated, terming them as ‘prophetic symbolic signs.’

Jesus identified himself with the bread and the wine, engaging in symbolic interpretation of the events as follows: “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant’” (Matthew 26:26–28=Mark 14:22; see also Luke 22:19–20).

As highlighted by Leon-Dufour, the word ‘symbolic’ here does not dilute or in any way invalidate the reality of the matter but offers a deeper dimension of the same. For instance his acceptance of sinners and out casts to the table implies forgiveness which became their inheritance following his crucifixion as foreshadowed by the wine and bread during the last supper.

Also, we are told that at some point in the last supper, Jesus says “Go in peace, your sins are forgiven.” Here, Christians get to be reminded that through the sacrifice on the cross, victory over sins is ensued through forgiveness (Freedman).

Even more importantly, we are informed that in the last supper, the disciples and got to meet together with Christ and fellowship with one another. Here, the significance of fellowship—especially during trying times (just in the same way Christ was undergoing trying moments—is greatly stressed. In addition, the fellowship signifies unity in the body of Christ thus encouraging Christians towards the same (Freedman).

One of the most fundamental questions that have haunted scholars for years and perhaps to date remains debatable is whether the last supper was in fact the Passover meal? This controversy was perhaps born of the conflicting accounts between the Synoptic Gospels that identify the last supper as the Passover and that of John, who does not.

The very word ‘synoptic’ as implied by the Greek etymology means ‘seen together’ meaning these books (Mathew, Mark and Luke) are better studies together. Jonathan Klawens interprets this fact by suggesting that these three accounts are therefore not independent sources at all but a copy of each other (3).

Before indulging into the intricate analysis of the synoptic account versus John’s account to answer or at least attempt to shed light on the Passover and last supper controversy it is important to highlight the journey of the Passover through history. The Passover began before the temple was destroyed, dating to about 70 C.E.

The order of the rituals was as follows: Unleavened bread was broken, wine was served, the diners reclined and hymns were sung. In addition, when partaking of the Passover meal, the Israelites’ Exodus story was retold while the significance of the entire meal and celebration was explained to the audience (Klawans).

It is in fact this order that many scholars use to argue why the last supper was the Passover meal because as noted in the synoptic Jesus and the disciples did nearly all of the rituals (O’Toole). The key word here however is ‘nearly’ meaning it lacks conclusiveness. The breaking of the unleavened bread, serving of wine, reclines of diner and the singing of hymns was part of the last supper.

In fact scholars interpret Jesus’ explanation of the symbolic meaning of the bread and wine to be similar with the re-telling of significance of the unleavened bread, bitter herbs and wine during the Passover meal.

According to Jeremias (15-88), who provides one of the best known studies of the Last supper, points out several parallels of the last supper and the Passover, inclusive of the already mentioned points above. He remarkably notes down that the Last supper took place in the evening, stretching into the night when the Passover was required to be eaten.

Giving of alms to the poor was customary of the Passover, which as noted by John happened during the last supper whereby Judas was said to have left the room that night to do so. The breaking of wine and the serving of bread, also obligatory to the Passover, were present during the Last supper.

However these parallels are not utterly satisfactory to a significant number of scholars who then oppose the idea on the basis that the argument has a myriad of missing links and facts. For instance according to Klawans, wine and bread, the only foods mentioned during the last supper were the basic foods in of any formal Jewish meal. Where was the Passover lamb or the bitter herbs? In addition, during the Passover individual cups were used but in the last supper one cup was used (4).

Moreover, a good number of scholars speculate that considering that the last supper happened just before the arrest of Jesus when there were security reasons for meeting at night, not that it was necessarily the Passover. It was customary for the Passover meal to be a family affair whereas Jesus shared the last supper with only twelve men leaving out women and children.

It is here that John differs with the synoptic as he points out that Jesus in fact died when the Passover sacrifice was being offered and any last meal recorded was that of the previous night. Essentially, the timing of John’s analogy of Passover events is widely believed to immensely compliment the Christianity claim that Jesus was a sacrifice and that his sacrificial death on the cross heralds a new redemption; just in the same way the Passover offering recalled an old order of events (Klawans).

All these divergent belief therefore begs the question, should we follow John’s assertions or should we stand by the synoptic? Or perhaps the unwavering doubt on both sides should persuade us to plead ignorance of the matter? When push comes to a shove, john’s account is more plausible than that of the synoptic.

However, this does not in any way mean that his account is entirely accurate. Nonetheless, if forced to choose between the two inaccuracies, John’s account and analogy is more believable based on scrutinized facts in history and the timeline of events during that time.

Nonetheless, scholars who reject the idea of the last supper being the Passover try to account for the synoptic Gospels claim. For one the proximity of the Passover itself to the last supper creates one motive. Klawans further points out that Christian communities, who were primarily Jews, began to question how, when and whether they should celebrate the Passover in the years after Jesus’ death.

In conclusion, the last supper might have been the Passover, or not. Without a time-travel machine to determine the case of the matter, the truth becomes rather hard to detect. It could be that the right question is not ‘what it was not’ but ‘what it was or is.’ The last supper was a thanksgiving and a blessing.

It was the indiscriminate acceptance of everyone, sinners and saints, a meal, a communion, a proclamation, a messianic banquet and a farewell in anticipation of the coming Kingdom. But on top of the face-value and literal importance of these activities and ventures to Christians, symbolic significances such as the redemption of humanity, costly forgiveness of sins, fellowship and unity among the body of Christ (and the non-Christians as well), among many other symbolic meanings that were discussed herein.

It is only by considering both the symbolic and literal meanings of the last supper that we can be able to utterly decipher the true meaning of the day and celebrate it accordingly (Freedman).

Works Cited

Freedman, David Noel. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992. Print.

Harris, Stephen L. The New Testament: A student’s Introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., 2011. Print.

Klawans, Jonathan. Was Jesus’ Last Supper a Seder? Bar Magazine, 2010. Web.

O’Toole, Robert F. “Last Supper.” The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1992. Print.

Jeremias, Joachim. The Eucharistic Words of Jesus. 3^rd. London: SCM Press, 1966. Print.

According to the Good News Bible, God is the creator of the universe and all forms of life including the human person. The Bible presents a theory of creation in which God existed as spirit in a void world with the earth covered by water and darkness. The Bible portrays a picture of a formless and desolate earth devoid of any form of life in the pre-creation era (Genesis 1: 1-2).

According to Good News Bible, “God created the heavens and stretched them out; he fashioned the earth and all that lives there; he gave all life and breath to all its people” (Isaiah 42: 5). The current essay seeks to bring out what the Bible says about the mysteries of god and the human person.

It is stated in the Good News Bible, “……and now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small. So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female…” (Genesis 1: 26-27). The human person was created on the sixth day of creation.

God created the human in his own image and gave him power over all creation (Genesis 1: 26-27). The Bible depicts God as a mysterious being who appears in miraculous ways to the human person, especially when he wants to communicate to his people.

The Good News Bible describes the mysterious way in which God reveals himself to Moses in the book of Exodus Chapter 3:1-7. God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush that was not consumed by the fire. In Good News Bible, Moses wondered, “Why isn’t the bush burning up?”(Exodus 3:3).

According to the Good News Bible, God reveals himself to Zachariah through an angle (1:1-8). This is another mystery of God in relation to the human person, revealing himself through his angles. The Good News Bible states, “An angle of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right of the alter where the incense was burnt.

When Zachariah saw him, he was alarmed and felt afraid” (Luke 1:11-12). In the same way as shown in Genesis, God is depicted as the source of human life. In the Good News Bible, angle Gabriel was used by God to deliver the message about the birth of Jesus to Mary. Angel Gabriel tells Mary, “You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus” (Good News Bible, Luke 1:31).

The Bible brings out the role of God as the creator of humans because although Jesus was the son of God, he was conceived by a human. This mysterious role of God as the creator is brought out in this case. Even Mary wonders how she can possibly give birth as she is still a virgin. In the Good News Bible, angle Gabriel answers her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you and God’s power will rest upon you” (Luke 1:35).

The Good News Bible brings out the mysterious power of God as one who can bring a human person back to life after death (John 12:1). According to the Good News Bible, “…Jesus went to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, the man had risen from death” (John 12:1). The Bible brings out the mysterious role of God as the creator of the human beings. The human person is depicted as a creation of God in God’s own image and dependent on God in all his provisions.

Works Cited

Good News Bible. Ed. American Bible Society. UK: Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, 1992. Print.

Revelation

In Christian perspective, revelation is the communication or disclosure of spiritual truth by God to a rational creature through active or passive means which are extraordinary and not naturally easy to comprehend.

In The Quest for the Plausible Jesus, Winter Dagmar points out that “God reveals Himself to mankind through the Physical Universe and also through Human Conscience (inherent ability of humanity to judge right from wrong)”¹.

These two forms of revelation are universal and are thus commonly referred to as General revelation as it is available to all people and at all time. General revelation discloses to us God’s existence, power, supremacy, greatness, kindness, goodness and wisdom.

God also reveals Himself and His truth at specific times and to specific people through Special Revelation. These include personal experiences and encounters such as having dreams (like in the story of Joseph), seeing a vision (like Paul) and getting express information from an angel (like Mary).

Revelation is both past and present and, like in the story of Samuel in the Bible, God can communicate directly with human beings. This is another form of Special revelation referred to as verbal revelation.

All these forms of revelation, however, have various significant limitations. General revelation (Physical universe), for example, contains no information regarding Christ and his death and therefore does not provide concrete reasons that can result in spiritual salvation.

Human conscience, on the other hand, has no revelation through it of redemption and does not therefore provide enough truth to believe. Special revelation also does not usually seem revelatory to us today and few people can believe or even feel obliged to follow another person’s spiritual revelation.

The Bible

The Bible contains a collection of books or sacred writings and religious texts of Judaism and Christian religions. It is the world’s all time best seller and consists of the inspired Word of God, written down by humans. The textual content and order in which the books are arranged vary among the different denominations.

As a result, there is no single common version of the Bible. Protestant Christian Bibles, for example, only consider 39 books of Hebrew Scripture as Old Testament books, while Ethiopian Orthodox Church Bible has a total of 81 books. The Roman Catholic Church, on the other hand, recognizes several other books as canonical and has a Bible with 46 Old Testament books.

Critical methods by which modern biblical scholars seek to understand biblical texts

The Bible, being a library or large collection of books, contains a whole range of scripture teachings, genealogies, poems, gospels which recounts the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and epistles or letters. Therefore, to establish the presumptive purpose and meaning of the text, biblical scholars apply a number of critical methods and perspectives in their study.

In Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem explains that “many modern biblical scholars use sociological interpretation or socio-scientific criticism, by drawing on the social sciences, to understand the sociological backgrounds to a text”².

Redaction criticism is another method employed by today’s scholars to analyze how the writers in the bible shaped their source material, to reconstruct the community and to establish the role of the writers of the text. Today, liberal biblical scholars also use Narrative criticism method to discern authorial intent, to resolve implications of multiple interpretations and to restore the sense of the story within the Bible.

The gospels are not necessarily historically factual or biographical accounts of the life of Jesus, but they contain the truth about who he was and about his message. The gospels in the New Testament also reflect the intended message on the part of the writers to the target audience.

The four gospels present different narratives that portray Jesus as the son of God, a leader of a group of disciples, a healer and a preacher of the word of God. The book of Mathew, for example, carefully records Christ’s major speeches and recollects the Savior’s miraculous work.

Though it underscores the deeds of Christ by recording only one major sermon, the gospel of Mark (written for Roman audience) depicts Jesus Christ as a heroic, servant-like figure and a charismatic man of action.

In his part, the solitary Gentile writer Luke underscores the human aspects and character of Jesus Christ, His deep concern for the sick, weak and poor and the action of the Holy Spirit. The gospel which was written by the medical physician (Colossians 4:14) also emphasizes the value of prayer and the importance of salvation offered by Christ.

The book of John, on the other hand, establishes the divinity of Jesus Christ. As one of the members that inner circle of disciples (Mark 5:37; 9:2; 14:33), John strongly argues the case for the deity of Christ.

The book is characterized by a number of word signs and work signs: “I am the light of the world” (8:12), “the bread of life” (6:35), “the way, the truth, and the life” (14:6), all which affirm that Christ is indeed the savior and son of God.

Bibliography

Dagmar, Winter. The Quest for the Plausible Jesus: The Question of Criteria. Westminster: John Knox Press, 2002.

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Leicester. England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.