Author Archives: kdellenb

What does Scripture mean by “fulfillment”? (Use the citation from Hosea as an example in your answer.) Second, identify anything you can see in these opening chapters of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke that addresses the elements of the Old Testament narrative that we discussed last class. As we discussed last time in class,Continue reading “Daily Question Mar 3”

(1) By your reading of the chapters in Numbers, what would you say it is that leads to the wilderness generation’s condemnation? What is it that leads to Moses’? (2) Why is it, do you think, that they closed the Pentateuch with the death of Moses? It’s kind of a let down, no? (3) HowContinue reading “Daily Question Feb 20”

(1) What is purity / impurity? (2) Why does God require the maintenance of purity? (3) What is the logic of the laws we encounter related to purity, specifically the food laws? 1. Purity in a very general sense is the state of being clean, unmarred, uncontaminated, even perfect, whereas impurity is the opposite. In a biblicalContinue reading “Daily Question Feb 18”

Read the chapters from Exodus and the excerpt from Ratzinger. Then, answer the question “Who is God?” Before anything else, I think it’s important to note that answering the question, “who is God?” is not an easy, nor even possible, task. Any single description or depiction of who He is, however accurate it may be,Continue reading “Daily Question Feb 11”

Why does Joseph plant the silver cup? What is the ultimate aim of such a move? How does this relate to his status as the beloved son? Appeal explicitly to the story as a whole (i.e. Gen 37-50) and to the article from Anderson in your answer. In Genesis 44, when Joseph is in Egypt,Continue reading “Daily Question Feb 6”

Consider the scene of Jacob’s wrestling and answer two simple questions. Who wins, really? And who is his opponent? In the scene of Jacob’s wrestling, described in Genesis 32, “a man wrestles with [Jacob] until the break of dawn.” Jacob then says “I will not let you go unless you bless me” and Jacob receivesContinue reading “Daily Question Feb 4”

What is religion? Religion is a nuanced and confounding term, and it seems that even dictionaries, whose sole tasks are to supply adequate definitions of terms, fail to reach a consensus on what religion truly is. For instance, Merriam-Webster offers several definitions: “the service and worship of God or the supernatural,” “commitment or devotion toContinue reading “Daily Question Jan 30”

According to Wilken (and Augustine from whom Wilken draws his thought), why is faith unavoidable? Why is it beneficial? Cite some passages. Wilken first defends early Christian thinkers in their rationality, claiming that they were no less thoughtful and reasonable than pagan philosophers at the time, and were open to debate and appealed to evidenceContinue reading “Daily Question Jan 28”

(1) Why does Abraham agree to the request made of him by God? (2) Is Abraham lying in 22:5 and 22:8? (3) What is God’s intention in making Abraham go through with this ordeal? (4) Is Abraham praiseworthy? Is God? I think Abraham agrees to God’s request to sacrifice his son Isaac because of aContinue reading “Daily Question Jan 23”

Leon Kass is a secular (as in not-religious) Jewish medical doctor from Chicago. His book, The Beginning of Wisdom, is a careful literary reflection about this first book of the Bible. Drawing on what Kass has to say, please say a few words about how the narrative about Noah furthers the concerns present in the account ofContinue reading “Daily Question Jan 21”