Session 10 (Study Day):

The Restoration & Alternative Visions

Aims

By the end of this session you should be able to: 

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• demonstrate an initial understanding of the historical and religious issues leading to the return of Jewish exiles to the land

• understand some of the theological issues of the restoration period and its literature, especially Ezra, Nehemiah and Ruth

• understand some of the prophetic material around the rebuilding of the temple

• recognise and describe different theologies of inclusion and exclusion in the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament, especially in the post-exilic period

• understand how these theologies affect ancient and contemporary response to "others" and how this might affect the development of contemporary mission

• understand how the Hebrew Bible as a whole views "others" and their cultures

• explore the importance of the Hebrew short story as literature and narrative as a means of communication.

Prayer

Begin your preparation for this session with a time of prayer, asking God to open the scriptures to you in a new way and to reveal something new from your study of this module.

The Restoration: Ezra-Nehmiah, Ruth & Daniel

In preparation for the first part of the Study Days watch Hayes Lecture 22 or read the corresponding chapter from the textbook then do the exercise below, making a note of your thoughts for discussion on the Study Day.

Exercise

Many different pictures of God are painted in the OT  (wrathful, vengeful, judgemental vs merciful, forgiving, gracious) how does this impact on our understanding of the nature of God and how we discern what is the ‘truth’ in all of this?

Make notes of your thoughts for discussion in the group session.

Esther & Jonah

In preparation for the second part of the study day watch Hayes Lecture 24 or read the corresponding chapter of the textbook then do the exercise below, making a note of your thoughts for discussion on the Study Day.

Exercise

What do you think about God’s mercy in the story of Jonah (no sacrifices of any kind are required, either of animals or of one human for the nation, they simply have to repent) how does this compare to other parts of the OT and to our view of God as Christians?

What we can we learn from the book of Jonah for today?

Spotlight on Doctrine

THE INFORMATION FOR THIS SECTION WILL APPEAR HERE AFTER THE STUDY DAY

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Spotlight on Spirituality

THE INFORMATION FOR THIS SECTION WILL APPEAR HERE AFTER THE STUDY DAY

Reflect

Spend some time prayerfully thinking about what you have discovered in this session.  Below, in the Resources section, you will find some resources from the Study Day for you to download and keep.

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Prayer

Blessed are you, Lord our God, all things come from you:

from you come our life, this world

and all that we have and are.

Teach us to love and respect your creation

and give glory to you.

Blessed are you, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.  Amen

To Do in Church This Week

Listen carefully to the words of the service, including the readings, hymns and intercessions.  How much of the hope of the Restoration can you detect?  Where is it located and how is it expressed?

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Post your findings on the discussion board in the Forum.