The appearance of the plague brought with it a radical shift in the very fabric of society. With some death statistics measured as high as one out of every three people in some regions, the losses impacted agriculture, economics, and family dynamics. But the church was also affected as clergy and communities suffering the devastation of the plague struggled for survival and wrestled with questions of theodicy writ large in the unprecedented scale of suffering.
Author: Bryce
The Rise of Scholasticism
With the rise of scholasticism, people of faith began for the first time to use their rational minds as a way of more deeply understanding those things which they already accepted on the basis of faith. Moreover, in an attempt to find harmony between scripture, traditional authorities (e.g., early Church fathers), philosophy and the observable world, the scholastics attempted to address identified contradictions between (or within) authorities and to work out solutions that would allow each authority to be understood as in agreement.
25 Random Things About Me
Based on an Internet meme that ran through Facebook a few years ago…
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Faith of Christ in Paul’s Writings
In Paul’s undisputed writings, various phrases referring to faith of Jesus Christ appear seven times.[1] While a literal translation for these phrases (pistis + genitive) using the words "faith of" is found in the King James Version, English translations common since the Protestant Reformation tend to translate these passages using the phrase "faith in" (Bassler 28). For many, rallied by Luther’s doctrine of sola fide, there is little difference between "faith of Christ" and "faith in Christ." But for a growing body of scholars the question of whether "faith of Christ" can justifiably be translated as "Christ’s faith" (a subjective genitive) has become a heated debate (Bassler 27). For several reasons it appears that rendering these passages as referring to Christ’s own faith may be an acceptable interpretation. [Instructor’s Comment: weak claim, which is ok]
Of Olive Trees and Unnatural Acts
In Romans 11:16b-24 Paul presents a word picture in which the branches of a cultivated olive tree have been broken off and a wild olive branch has been engrafted into the cultivated root. The resulting image of a whole tree consisting of differentiated parts is particularly useful in the Roman church context where tensions have arisen between Christians of different ethnic identities. But hidden within the metaphor is the repetition of two key phrases (according to nature/contrary to nature) that harken back to the argument put forth by Paul’s rhetorical spokesperson in Romans 1:18-32 and to the response that begins in chapter two. The olive tree metaphor contributes to a larger rhetorical argument in which Paul deconstructs[1] [Instructor’s Comment: ambitious] an earlier polemic presented in chapter one by describing accepted acts of both human and divine agency that are "contrary to nature."
How Paul’s Autobiography Functions in his Letter to the Galatians
In the letter to the Galatians, Paul makes the case that salvation comes to Gentiles through faith in Christ alone (Ehrman 348). From the letter we are able to deduce that other missionaries, claiming that observance of Torah as summed up in the rite of circumcision (Osiek 424), have arrived in Galatia, introducing new criteria for salvation. Based on what Paul says in the letter, it appears that these missionaries may also charge that Paul has tampered with the gospel received from Jesus’ own followers. [Instructor’s Comment: Bingo – strong insight] In response to these claims, Paul includes within the epistle a large passage of autobiographical information (Galatians 1:11-2:21), which can be broken down into several episodes, each of which is designed to lend support to Paul’s gospel of salvation through faith alone.
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The Dreams and Visions in The Acts of the Apostles
The book of Acts tells us that on the day of Pentecost, following the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus into heaven, the Holy Spirit came and filled the apostles and they began to speak in other languages (Acts 2:4). In his subsequent explanation of this strange event, Luke has Peter quote from the Old Testament prophet Joel, explaining that in the last days, the Holy Spirit will be poured out on all people with attendant signs that include prophecy, dreams and visions (Acts 2:17).
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From the Peanut Gallery – Part 2
Well, while I’m updating the web site to include lots of new content, I figured I could, yet again, be less than modest and seek new insights from folks I’ve met since moving to Pennsylvania.
So here we go again:
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From the Peanut Gallery – Part 1
In a less than modest moment, I wrote an e-mail to a few people who serve as a cross-section of my closer relationships over the past several years. I said:
Mr. Kiso (my cat)
A page dedicated to the idea that family members who can’t type should nonetheless have their chance at WWW fame…
