U. Schnelle on North American Jesus Research
12/Aug/2015 00:10
In some streams of North American Jesus research there was and is a clear tendency to promote real or postulated extra canonical tradition to a rank prior or parallel to the Jesus tradition of the Synoptics and the Johannine writings (H. Koester; J. M. Robinson; J. D. Crossan; B. L. Mack). The goal of such constructions is clearly to break the hold of the canonical gospels and to establish an alternative picture of Jesus based on other interpretations of the tradition. To do this, frequent use is made of the lust for sensationalism (Jesus and women; homosexual love; Jesus as prototype of alternative lifestyles; non theological, undogmatic beginnings of Christianity). Mere supposition and unproven postulates are asserted as stimulants for a debate intended to have public effects. Such constructions do not stand up to historical criticism, for neither the existence of a Secret Gospel of Mark nor a Signs Source can be made probable, and the Gospel of Thomas belongs to the second century.
Schnelle, U. (2009) Theology of the New Testament. Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, p. 65.
Schnelle, U. (2009) Theology of the New Testament. Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, p. 65.
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Brunner on God's Plan for the World
08/Aug/2015 14:21
We live in a vast universe and we are very small in it. We do not see the whole in its entirety. We manage to understand a little of all its complexity. When we ask about the purpose of all that is around us the answer is not clear. We do not know where the world is headed. We do not know where we are going. This is a deep mystery. Read More...
Brunner on Creation and Creator
23/Jul/2015 13:17
The first word of the Bible is about the Creator and the creation. This is the fundamental affirmation on which all the other affirmations are based. The world is the house of the Great King and Great Artist.
Man can not see him, man can only see the world. The world is his creation and it speaks about him. Even so the man does not know God. Men are are obsessed by their own achievements and they do not discern the miraculous deeds of God. Think at what a miracle is the human eye. The eye is the window of the soul, is the soul looking outside and in the same time the soul himself can be looked upon. Is the hazard making seeing possible? This would be an absurd superstition. We are like dogs in an art gallery. We see the pictures on the walls, but we do not discern them. The cause for our failure is our foolishness, our arrogance, and our lack of respect. Read More...
Man can not see him, man can only see the world. The world is his creation and it speaks about him. Even so the man does not know God. Men are are obsessed by their own achievements and they do not discern the miraculous deeds of God. Think at what a miracle is the human eye. The eye is the window of the soul, is the soul looking outside and in the same time the soul himself can be looked upon. Is the hazard making seeing possible? This would be an absurd superstition. We are like dogs in an art gallery. We see the pictures on the walls, but we do not discern them. The cause for our failure is our foolishness, our arrogance, and our lack of respect. Read More...
Brunner on the Mystery of God
10/Jul/2015 10:15
If somebody speaks about God as he speaks about his cousin he knows nothing about God. We do not know anything about God unless he reveals it to us. When he reveals himself to us we understand, again, how inaccessible is he for our thinking. He is above our world. He is a mystery. We are not able to unlock the mystery about him. Never. Read More...
Luther's Seal and Theology
09/Jul/2015 12:43
Martin Luther designed his seal to depict his theology. This is a good example of clarity, communication and boldness. Both the seal and the letter, that explains it, are presented here. The seal is a sign of maturity and it has to be seen as the compendium of his theology, and, as such, as the hermeneutical key for his writings. Read More...
Brunner on the Bible as the Word of God
07/May/2015 08:33
The Christian Church believes that the Bible is the Word of God. The Christians are the product of the Bible. There are Christians because there is the Bible. The Bible is the soil in which the Christian faith grows. The Christian faith is the faith in Christ, and we can find Christ in the Bible, and from there he speaks to us. Read More...
Brunner on the Existence of God
21/Apr/2015 18:07
I share with you my thoughts on some of my daily readings. These days I read Emil Brunner (Unse Glaube, 1935). I make available these notes because I believe that we have many things to learn from this theologian, even if we disagree at certain points (i.e. the character of revelation, infallibility of Scripture). Enjoy reading!
If somebody asks about God's existence the polite answer is silence, and the proper answer is 'You fool!' God is not an object of knowledge; we cannot investigate God as we do with people, objects or natural phenomena. God is not from this world, he is not of this world, he is not an object among other objects. That is why, he can't be the object of our knowledge. Read More...
The existence of God
If somebody asks about God's existence the polite answer is silence, and the proper answer is 'You fool!' God is not an object of knowledge; we cannot investigate God as we do with people, objects or natural phenomena. God is not from this world, he is not of this world, he is not an object among other objects. That is why, he can't be the object of our knowledge. Read More...
Life, good, and blessings
21/Apr/2015 17:51
The theological horizon for life in the people of God is given at the end of Deuteronomy. The chapters 28-30 are a summary of the first five books in the Bible, focusing on the faithfulness to the covenant. The prophets, Jesus and the apostles understood their ministries in the light of this theological horizon. Read More...
The Cross to Rome, Studies in Romans
22/Nov/2014 23:14
The Early Christians took their 'good tidings' to Rome. Their main spokesman was Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. In his Letter to the Romans he touches on the theme of the cross. This is the subject of this collection of studies.
This book is available HERE.
The Son from Above
10/Jul/2014 19:27
This paper is in the area of New Testament Christology. It is a comparison study on some of the main christological texts, namely, Philippians 2 and John 1. The main Christological outlook of New Testament is present in these texts, so this study will help in understanding of what we have in this area of New Testament study. These samples illuminate the concepts and the contexts in which New Testament tackles this subject. The area covered is large, Pauline and Johanine communities at worship and reflection. I will approach them in the accepted historical order of their writing: Philippians 2 and John 1. I will focus on their specific outlook, their relationship with the supposed intended setting, their common ground, and their particularities. The purpose of this paper is to explore the variety of ways in which Christ was seen and integrated in the early Christian matrix.
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Philippians 2.5-11 - The Christ event and life as a citizen
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Jurnal teologic 13.1 (2014)
31/May/2014 07:11
SABOU, Sorin. ‘Human Nature and Moral Principles.’ Jurnal teologic Vol 13, Nr 1 (2014): 5-16.
Baptist Theological Institute of Bucharest; Liberty University
Abstract
In broad general terms human nature matters to which moral principles we should endorse. Moral and political principles exist for the good of human persons. There is a link between our basic abilities as humans and the moral and political principles we endorse. Our basic abilities to live, love and choose should inform our judgments for preserving and fostering life, love and liberty.
Keywords: human nature, ethics, moral principles, abilities
Augustine on Time
29/May/2014 14:13
For Augustine the time itself is created by God: ‘there was no time before heaven and earth’ (Conf. 11.13.15); there is no ‘then’ where there is no time. God is understood to exist in an ‘ever-present eternity’ (Conf. 11.13.16; Russell, 2009) beyond time where his ‘today’ is eternity. To underlay the beginning of time and the distinction from eternity Augustine says that ’there was never a time when there was no time’ (Conf. 11.13.16). In other words God is not coeternal with time (Conf. 11.13.17).
Sequence and Time
Read More...Averroës on the Existence of God
14/May/2014 11:00
This summary is based on my readings in ‘Religion and Philosophy’ (Kitab fasl al-maqal, c. 1190 CE) in which I follow Averroës’s arguments for the existence of God. The main point of departure is the fact that ‘God has invited men to a knowledge of His existence, and informed them of it through the intelligence which He has implanted in their nature’ (Introduction; ‘God has borne witness, that there is no God, but He.’ Qur’an 3.16; see also Russell 2009, 345). That is the business of philosophy, ‘to look into creation and to ponder over it in order to be guided to the Creator.’ A believer needs ‘instruments of observation’ such as ‘various kinds of reasoning’ before he begins to look into creation. If someone follows the purpose of philosophy in investigating the existence of things, it would try to know the cause which led to its creation, and the purpose of it would know the argument of kindness.
Arguments for the existence of God
Read More...Love as the Sign of New Life in New Testament
10/May/2014 23:46
Love is a fact of life. People are able to love. When people are in love they are captivated and they are totally for something or someone. That attitude is seen by others. Love is something that is recognized as such by other people. The New Testament writings speak about love. The main family of words for love are phileō and agapaō. They are used almost interchangeably, but there are some differences.
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