SHT 210/211/212
Graham Smith
, MCGRATH (CHAPTER 7)
HOW CAN THE CONCEPT REVELATION BE UNDERSTOOD FROM THE OT AND NT?
Revelation comes from the Greek word apokalupto (removing a veil so that something can be seen) and refers to
making things known that were formerly unknown. In the Old and New Testaments, historical events, nature,
visions and dreams, as well as the person of Jesus Christ act as revelations from God to humanity. Across the
Bible, the theme of revelation can be found.
Revelation can be seen in events in history, for example, when God delivers Israel from Egypt through the exodus
reveals God’s love and power which is celebrated through an annual Passover.
The beauty and majesty of creation/nature reveal God as being the all-powerful Creator. The natural world
glorifies God, and the final section of the book of Job serves as an invitation to Job and the reader to reflect on
nature as God’s creation.
Visions, dreams, and personal disclosures to individuals like Abraham and Moses in the Bible also serve as
revelations of God through the Old and New Testaments. The person of Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God’s
revelation and, therefore, acts as the ultimate self-revelation of God as can be read in the New Testament.
NAME AND BRIEFLY DISCUSS THE 4 MODELS OF REVELATION.
Dogma/doctrine: God has revealed knowledge about God-self. This model of revelation
concerns itself with convictions about Go which are revealed in truth and context. This approach
regards revelation as taking the form of doctrinal statements which are set forth by the church,
whether in Scripture or unwritten tradition (even though human language seems incapable of
representing God fully). Faith is understood as assent to revealed truth.
Presence: This model of revelation revolves around the personal revelation that one
experiences in one’s life. In personal relationships, God is made known. Revelation is to be
understood in terms of a relationship with an individual believer, or presence within that believer.
revelation as a personal communication of God – that is to say, a communication or impartation
of the personal presence of God within the believer. Revelation is teleological, a process
directed toward a goal – and that goal is the establishment of a mutual relationship between the
revealing God and responding humanity.
Experience: In this model, revelation is related to a lived faith of the believer that reveals God.
Emphasis is placed upon a personal devotion to Christ and the importance of a personal
awareness of conversion. The primary religious truth of the experience of redemption is the
focus of this model. The essence of Christian piety is not some rational or moral principle, but
“feeling” (das Gefühl), the immediate self-consciousness. It is this “feeling of absolute
dependence” which is the starting point for Christian theology. The human intellect thus reflects
upon human feeling, and by doing so interprets it.
History: Contrasting the previous model, this model of revelation expresses that Christian
theology is based upon an analysis of universal and publicly accessible history, rather than the
inward subjectivity of personal human existence or a special interpretation of that history. God
has revealed Himself in many ways throughout time. History itself is (or has the capacity to
become) revelation. Five of Pannenberg’s seven theses concerning Dogmatics is relevant to this
1 © Copyright reserved/Kopiereg voorbehou Graham Smith ©
Questions and answers based on McGrath, Alister 2017. Christian Theology. Oxford: Blackwell.
Graham Smith
, MCGRATH (CHAPTER 7)
HOW CAN THE CONCEPT REVELATION BE UNDERSTOOD FROM THE OT AND NT?
Revelation comes from the Greek word apokalupto (removing a veil so that something can be seen) and refers to
making things known that were formerly unknown. In the Old and New Testaments, historical events, nature,
visions and dreams, as well as the person of Jesus Christ act as revelations from God to humanity. Across the
Bible, the theme of revelation can be found.
Revelation can be seen in events in history, for example, when God delivers Israel from Egypt through the exodus
reveals God’s love and power which is celebrated through an annual Passover.
The beauty and majesty of creation/nature reveal God as being the all-powerful Creator. The natural world
glorifies God, and the final section of the book of Job serves as an invitation to Job and the reader to reflect on
nature as God’s creation.
Visions, dreams, and personal disclosures to individuals like Abraham and Moses in the Bible also serve as
revelations of God through the Old and New Testaments. The person of Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God’s
revelation and, therefore, acts as the ultimate self-revelation of God as can be read in the New Testament.
NAME AND BRIEFLY DISCUSS THE 4 MODELS OF REVELATION.
Dogma/doctrine: God has revealed knowledge about God-self. This model of revelation
concerns itself with convictions about Go which are revealed in truth and context. This approach
regards revelation as taking the form of doctrinal statements which are set forth by the church,
whether in Scripture or unwritten tradition (even though human language seems incapable of
representing God fully). Faith is understood as assent to revealed truth.
Presence: This model of revelation revolves around the personal revelation that one
experiences in one’s life. In personal relationships, God is made known. Revelation is to be
understood in terms of a relationship with an individual believer, or presence within that believer.
revelation as a personal communication of God – that is to say, a communication or impartation
of the personal presence of God within the believer. Revelation is teleological, a process
directed toward a goal – and that goal is the establishment of a mutual relationship between the
revealing God and responding humanity.
Experience: In this model, revelation is related to a lived faith of the believer that reveals God.
Emphasis is placed upon a personal devotion to Christ and the importance of a personal
awareness of conversion. The primary religious truth of the experience of redemption is the
focus of this model. The essence of Christian piety is not some rational or moral principle, but
“feeling” (das Gefühl), the immediate self-consciousness. It is this “feeling of absolute
dependence” which is the starting point for Christian theology. The human intellect thus reflects
upon human feeling, and by doing so interprets it.
History: Contrasting the previous model, this model of revelation expresses that Christian
theology is based upon an analysis of universal and publicly accessible history, rather than the
inward subjectivity of personal human existence or a special interpretation of that history. God
has revealed Himself in many ways throughout time. History itself is (or has the capacity to
become) revelation. Five of Pannenberg’s seven theses concerning Dogmatics is relevant to this
1 © Copyright reserved/Kopiereg voorbehou Graham Smith ©
Questions and answers based on McGrath, Alister 2017. Christian Theology. Oxford: Blackwell.
