Podcast
Questions and Answers
The Greek thinkers Pythagoras and Anaximander were born in the decades before the exile.
The Greek thinkers Pythagoras and Anaximander were born in the decades before the exile.
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The absence of God led to thoughts of a narrower presence.
The absence of God led to thoughts of a narrower presence.
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The Wisdom tradition is found in most of the Psalms.
The Wisdom tradition is found in most of the Psalms.
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The Hebrew word for wisdom is 'sophia'.
The Hebrew word for wisdom is 'sophia'.
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The book of Job concludes with a theophany where God remains silent.
The book of Job concludes with a theophany where God remains silent.
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Lady Wisdom is seen as guiding the Jewish people through the time of the kings.
Lady Wisdom is seen as guiding the Jewish people through the time of the kings.
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The prophets saw God as the elusive but ever-present and ever-lovely bride.
The prophets saw God as the elusive but ever-present and ever-lovely bride.
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The understanding of God as the transcendent Creator of the cosmos developed before the exile.
The understanding of God as the transcendent Creator of the cosmos developed before the exile.
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The passage in Deuteronomy 4:33-34a, 35-36 is a depiction of the priestly strand of spirituality.
The passage in Deuteronomy 4:33-34a, 35-36 is a depiction of the priestly strand of spirituality.
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The conquest of other nations is seen as a rejection of God's presence in the Hebrew Bible.
The conquest of other nations is seen as a rejection of God's presence in the Hebrew Bible.
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The Hebrew Bible only presents the prophetic strand of spirituality.
The Hebrew Bible only presents the prophetic strand of spirituality.
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Theophanies in the Old Testament are straightforward descriptions of God's appearances.
Theophanies in the Old Testament are straightforward descriptions of God's appearances.
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Moses and the Elders on the Mountain is a theophany narrated in the book of Genesis.
Moses and the Elders on the Mountain is a theophany narrated in the book of Genesis.
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The destruction of the Temple in 586 BC marked the end of the prophetic tradition.
The destruction of the Temple in 586 BC marked the end of the prophetic tradition.
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Christian spirituality focuses solely on the New Testament.
Christian spirituality focuses solely on the New Testament.
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Apocalyptic writing represents God's presence in the whole creation, similar to wisdom literature.
Apocalyptic writing represents God's presence in the whole creation, similar to wisdom literature.
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Alan Segal believes that apocalypticism and mysticism refer to the same experience.
Alan Segal believes that apocalypticism and mysticism refer to the same experience.
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Paul's conversion experience involved a mystical insight into Jesus provided by wisdom literature.
Paul's conversion experience involved a mystical insight into Jesus provided by wisdom literature.
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The doctrine of the incarnation identifies Christ with the Holy Spirit within the divine Trinity.
The doctrine of the incarnation identifies Christ with the Holy Spirit within the divine Trinity.
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Chariot mysticism is a type of wisdom literature.
Chariot mysticism is a type of wisdom literature.
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Jesus is portrayed as an awe-inspiring theophany in Mark's Gospel and as a living embodiment of God's prophetic Word in John's Gospel
Jesus is portrayed as an awe-inspiring theophany in Mark's Gospel and as a living embodiment of God's prophetic Word in John's Gospel
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The Enlightenment led to a decline in the importance of reason in understanding the world
The Enlightenment led to a decline in the importance of reason in understanding the world
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Charles Taylor's work is a critique of the Enlightenment and its impact on Christian spirituality
Charles Taylor's work is a critique of the Enlightenment and its impact on Christian spirituality
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The Gospel of John emphasizes the theme of mutual indwelling with Christ.
The Gospel of John emphasizes the theme of mutual indwelling with Christ.
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Study Notes
Prophetic Strand of Spirituality
- Characteristics of prophetic strand of spirituality:
- Experiential: based on sights, sounds, and events that manifest God
- Awestruck: exceptional, wonder-inspiring, and miraculous
- Relational: establishes a relationship between God and the hearers
- Corporate: addressed to the whole people of Israel
- Ethical: conveys commandments and challenges to live faithfully
- Theological: establishes God as the one and only effective God
- Imperial: conquests are seen as tokens of God's faithful presence
Theophanies
- Theophany: appearance of God or manifestation of God's presence
- Examples of theophanies in the Old Testament:
- Noah and the Rainbow (Genesis 8:20-9:17)
- Abraham and the three Angels (Genesis 18:1-15)
- Jacob's Ladder (Genesis 28:10-18)
- Jacob wrestling with God (Genesis 32:22-31)
- Moses and the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1-14)
- Elijah and the Still Small Voice (1 Kings 19:4-15)
- Elijah and the Chariot of Fire (2 Kings 2:6-14)
- Isaiah and the shekinah in the Temple (Isaiah 6:1-8)
- Ezekiel's Chariot Vision (Ezekiel 1:4-3:3)
Law, Prophets, and Holiness
- The Hebrew scriptures initially consisted of "the law and the prophets"
- The heart of the law is the call to "be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" (Leviticus 11:45)
- Holiness means separation from other peoples and traditions in imitation of the Hebrew God
- Prophecy was a recall to the initial call to holiness
The Departure of God
- After the chariot vision, Ezekiel narrates a vision of the chariot of God's presence forsaking the Temple (Ezekiel 9:9-10:22)
- The Temple was destroyed in 586 BC, and the Israelites were forced into exile in Babylon
- Events like these led to a sense of God's absence and a bereaved sense of God's absence
Wisdom
- Wisdom tradition: practical wisdom, philosophical contemplation of creation and humanity
- Examples of wisdom literature:
- Psalms
- Proverbs
- Ecclesiastes
- Job
- Song of Songs
- Apocryphal books such as Ecclesiasticus and Wisdom
- Wisdom is personified as a female figure who emanates from God
- Wisdom is seen as guiding the Jewish people through the time of the patriarchs and the exodus
Apocalypse and Mystery
- Apocalyptic writing: represents God's presence as hidden and deferred to the deep future
- Apocalyptic literature developed in the context of long and painful struggles
- Examples of apocalyptic literature:
- Book of Daniel
- Book of the Apocalypse
- Apocalyptic literature contains esoteric meanings that need to be decoded
Christ in Spirituality
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Jesus was a shared spiritual experience for his followers
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For the New Testament writers, Jesus was a spiritual experience that went on being
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Jesus' teaching and spirituality fed into the development of Christian spirituality
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Examples of Jesus' spirituality:
- His conception by Mary
- His baptism
- His transfiguration
- His resurrection
- His appearance to Paul
- His appearance in Revelation 1:10-19### The Enlightenment and Secularization
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The Enlightenment marked a shift in perspective, where the past was seen as a negative weight responsible for war and social injustice.
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Thinkers began to appeal to reason, experience, and common sense, which were believed to be universal.
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Secularization refers to a change in relation to time and hope, replacing traditional Christian eschatology with the hope of establishing a better society on earth.
Traditional Christian Eschatology vs. Enlightenment
- Traditional Christian eschatology believed in judgement, heaven, and hell, and saw society as part of a sacred order made by God.
- The Enlightenment replaced this with the hope of establishing a better society on earth through reason, progress, or revolution.
- Society and its institutions were increasingly seen as constructed by individuals coming together in a 'social contract'.
The Impact of Secularization
- Original sin gave way to a more optimistic belief in 'original innocence'.
- As Rousseau put it, humans are 'born free, but everywhere in chains', and can unite to break their chains.
Four Responses to the Enlightenment
Christian Spirituality
- Fideism: retains Christian understanding and hope of salvation, aligned with a realm of 'faith' or 'experience' beyond rationality.
- Liberationism: harnesses Christian hope and eschatology to socialist and secular understandings of the world and its history.
Secular Reason and Hope
- Liberalism: accepts secular reason and its hope, and spirituality submits to the disciplines they impose.
- Romanticism: trusts human traditions, myths, and stories, including Christian ones, and sees nature, culture, art, and imagination as more trustworthy than reason.
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