Session 15 (Study Day):
The Restoration & Alternative Visions
Aims
By the end of this session you should be able to:
-
demonstrate an initial understanding of the historical and religious issues leading to the return of Jewish exiles to the land
-
understand and outline some of the theological issues of the restoration period and its literature, especially Ezra, Nehemiah and Ruth
-
understand and describe 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 and describe how these theologies affect ancient and contemporary responses to "others" and how this might affect the development of contemporary mission
-
understand and outline 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.
Zoom Link, Programme & Preparation
Please use the meeting ID and passcode below.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82517285345?pwd=T2JYdFNiSU5Ud2QvNm51OHJoT2NiUT09
Meeting ID: 825 1728 5345
Passcode: 953661
The programme for the day can be found here
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?
What do you make of the book Daniel and it's message?
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 do you think about the fact that God is not mentioned in the book of Esther?
What we can we learn from the books of Jonah & Esther for today?
