RS113 Final Exam

Instructions

• Answer four of the eight questions identified at the beginning of the exam period. For each one, offer a well-developed, full-length essay that reflects a clear understanding of the question, key biblical texts and current scholarly discussion (esp. as summarised by Richard Hays). Do not treat each paragraph below as an outline of your response. Instead, develop your own outline in such a way that it incorporates all important aspects of the question.
• You may use one or more unmarked, non-study Bibles.
• You may not select an essay question which was also the topic of your paper or project. Students whose topic appears on the final will be given one additional question from which to choose.

1. Community, Cross and New Creation. Discuss the usefulness of Hays' three focal images. What does he mean by focal image? Why does he argue for these three? How well do you think they illuminate Scripture's central story? Do they distort it at all? Isn't Hays simply imposing his theology on the NT text? What passages in the NT lend weight to (or undermine) Hays' proposals?

2. Christology in Mark. Review the two conflicting proposals regarding Mark's Christology (handout: Sorting Out Mark's Christology) represented by Hays and Gundry.Which proposal best makes sense of the narrative of Mark's Gospel? Were readers prone to repudiate suffering or to dismiss the Gospel as scandalous? Does Mark strive to link Jesus' identity with suffering, or does he defend Christ's glory in spite of his suffering? Develop your answer by working through Mark's Gospel and commenting on a selection of passages that support one view and/or undermine the other.

3. Israel typology in Matthew. Does Matthew present Jesus as the "new Israel"? Evaluate the evidence that Matthew has correlated Jesus' experiences with the story of Israel as presented in the Pentateuch. How might this correlation shed light on Jesus' identity and significance?

4. Historiography in the Gospels. Discuss how the evangelists wrote history, based upon your observations in two or more episodes, one of which might be the story of Jesus walking on water (Matt 14:22-23 and parallel) and the other the retelling of the Moses episode in Acts 7:22-29. You may want to discuss, or take issue with, my Random Reflections on Historiography in the Canonical Gospels.

5. Luke and the Church in Between the Times. Does Luke think Jesus is coming back? What evidence (from both Luke and Acts) suggests Luke thinks the church will be around for a while? Describe the mission of the church during this present age, according to Luke/Acts.

6. The Historical Jesus. Consider and evaluate arguments by both Richard Hays and Scot McKnight ("The Hermeneutics of Confessing Jesus as Lord") concerning a proper theological starting point. Should we begin with "the real historical Jesus" or with "the moral visions of the individual texts"? Why? What are the strengths of each approach? The problems?

7. Ethical Appeals to Scripture: Four Modes. Evaluate the four modes of appeal to scripture which Hays first identifies, and then employs in his ethical reflections. Are these distinctions legitimate? Are there advantages to drawing such distinctions? Are there other modes? Provide biblical evidence or examples to illustrate how each of these four modes might work.

8. Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage. Discuss the basic NT rule regarding divorce along with its two possible exceptions, and consider several broader biblical principles that might guide the church's reflections on marriage. Might the church today identify any other legitimate grounds for divorce? On what basis might those grounds be justified or denied?

9. Homosexuality in the New Testament. What are Paul's views on homosexuality, and what role does nature (physis) play in his argument? Respond to the suggestion that faithful, monogamous, homosexual unions are, for some people, in no way against nature. As part of your answer, explain biblical principles, recall biblical narratives, and/or sketch the moral vision (or symbolic world) of the NT, in order to provide a context for a respectful and fruitful debate about homosexuality.

10. Anti-judaism in Matthew or John. Discuss Hays' treatment of either Matthew or John on the subject of anti-Judaism. Are Hays' readings of the evangelist fair? Persuasive? Why or why not? Should other alternatives be considered? How is this question important for hermeneutics? For theology? For contemporary Jewish-Christian dialogue?

11. Abortion and the New Testament. How would you go about constructing a biblical "theology of abortion"? What themes and passages (esp. in the NT) would you draw on? How--in what mode--would Scripture speak to this issue? (Don't limit your answer to pronouncing a moral verdict upon the act itself.)

12. A letter to Richard Hays. Write a letter to Richard Hays, discussing what you see to be the pros and cons, the strengths and weaknesses of The Moral Vision of the New Testament. Concentrate on the content, the book's thesis, the argument, the evidence he cites, use of scripture, etc. Write the letter from your own perspective, but show evidence that you have reflected critically on the book. (Don't simply react.) You may select two or three areas to focus on (excluding the area on which you wrote your paper/project.)