Theology Final Exam Notes 2026 | Biblical Theology, Christology, Ecclesiology & Vatican II Study Guide

BackgroundvonvhowvtovreadvthevBible
Howvisvitvtovreadvthevbiblevtheologically?//BackgroundvforvunderstandingvthevHebrewvbo
ok
A. Biblev→vsacredvscripture
● vDividedvinvnewvandvoldvtestament
a. Testimonyv“beingvwitness”
● Bibliav=vbooks
a. Booksvofvbooksv→vbutvstartedvoffvasvscrolls
- Complexvsetvofvbooksvofvbooks;vputvtogethervovervtime
b. REFERENCE:vBKv→vchv→vverse
- Chaptervandvversevwerevaddedvlater
● HowvdidvthevBiblevcomevtogether?vAndvworkvasvreligiousvscripture?
I. Hebrew
● OldvTestamentvisvBible;vdon’tvcallvitvOldvTestament-
vHebrewv scripture

II. Christains
B. CriticalvReadingvText
● Worldvbeforevthevtextv(readers/community/traditions)v*Whatvdovreadersvbring?*
a. Ex.vlanguage
b. Novrightvorvwrongvw/vwhatvavreadervbrings?
● Worldvofvthevtextv(whatvarevthevactualvwords?)
● Worldvbehindvthevtextv(con-text;vwhatvcomesvwith?)
● Howvdovyouvreadvavcomplexvbook?--vthevBiblevisvavcomplexvbook
I. Context
a. Whovwasvthevoriginalvaudience?
b. Culture
c. Meaningvcouldvbevmissedvduevtovtranslation
II. Style/Genre
● Differentvkindsvofvtextvw/invthevBible
a. Playvorvnovel
b. Instructionvmanual
c. Textbook
d. Historyvbook
e. Poems
III. Purposevofvtextsv→vwhatvisvthevreason;vhowvisvitvused
IV. Perspective
1. Whatvdoesvtextvmean?v→voriginalvcontext/community
2. Whatvdoesvavbiblicalvtextvdovforvavcommunityvtoday?
C. SacredvScripturev–vWordvofvGod
● Differentvreligiousvcommunityvholdvdifferentvpartsvmorevsacred/literal/liberal
● Words
a. Implyvconnection
b. Invitationvneedingvresponse
- Example:vGoodvSamaritan

, ● Historicalvcontextv(background)vimportantvtovunderstandvstoryv→vifvyouvdon’tv
knowvthatvthenvmissingvthevmeaning


HebrewvSources
● Hebrewvpeople:vAbraham
● Israelites:vMosesvthroughvKingdomv/vDavid
● Judaism:vreturnvtovJudah/Jerusalemvaftervexile
○ establishedvavbitvofvavnewvwayvofvbeingvJewish
BiblicalvScholarship:vDocumentaryvHypothesis
● EarlyvcollectionvofvlawsvandvoralvtraditionvgatheredvaroundvtimevofvSolomonvtovprovidevh
istory
○ tellvbyvlanguagevwhichvtradition/stylevtheyvcomevfrom
● FormvCriticism
○ J:vYahwistv=vusevYahwehv(Lord)vS.vkingdom
○ E:vElohistv=vElohim/Elv(northvkingdom)
○ P:vPriestlyv(during/aftervExile):vPveditorsvtovclarifyvreligiousvmattersv(Babylon)
○ D:vDeuteronomicvReformsv(afterv640vBCvconquestvtovexile)
■ startvweavingvstoriesvtogether;vedit;vwritevDeuteronomy

1. NewvTestamentv→vChristianity
● Gospels:vcentral
● Leters:v2ndvlayer
2. ChristianvCommunity
● Priestvarevnotvlookingvforvavmessiah
● Phariseesvdebatevwhatvavmessiahvlooksvlike
● SpreadvthroughoutvthevMediterranean/Hellenisticvworldv“Greek”
→vgoingvonvbeyondvJudaismvpractice,vGentilesvarevnowvavpart
→vprimaryvoralvculture:vscripturesvwritevdownvbutvmeantvtovbevspokenvcausevmostvp
eoplevcanvnotvreadv“access”
→voralvformvofvthevGospel
3. WritingsvwrittenvinvGreek,vendvofv1stvcentury
→vblendingvofvjewish/semiticvandvhellenicvculture
● WrittenvforvcommunitiesvoutsidevofvJerusalem
- DeathvofvJesusvhappenedvaroundvthev30sv→vdebatevb/cvnovcommonvcalendar
4. Whatvisvav“Gospel”?
● Goodvnews
● Testifyvtovsomethingv→vnotvhistoriansv→vconvincevpeoplevJesusvisvthevChristv
EX.vcreationvstoryv→vunderstandvcreationvwithvrelationshipvofvGOD
● Arevtheyvtheology?vKindavbutvstories;vnotvdeepvphilosophicalvlanguagevorv
explanations
EX.vAshervLevv→vdoesn’tvgovintovexplanationvofvjewishvtraditionvbutvitvdepictsvit;v
Gospelsvkindavsimilar
● Theologicalvcontextvofv‘NewvCovenant’

, 5. Synoptics
● Veryvsimilarvtovonevanother
● Mark,vMattvandvLukev→vreadvallvthreevtogethervtovseevdifferences/similarities
a. Can’tvunderstandvMattvofvyouvdon’tvunderstandvMark
b. Mt/LukevparallelsvnotvinvMark
- Johnvisvavwholevdifferentvdealv→vwholevnewvtemplate;vnotvofvwordsvonvthevlipsvofvJesusva
ndvexplanation


Gospels
Mark Matt Luke Johnv“Theologic
“JewishvChristian” “GentilevChristian” alvPt”

InfancyvNarrative None - - -Invthevbeginning…
Genealogyvfromv ”Annunciation”v+vJvBa -
Abraham pt thev“Word”vb
-AngelvtellsvJoseph - ecamevflesh
-Mary/JoevinvBethl AngelvGabrielvtovMary
-Magiv&vgifts:gold.. -
Mary/JoevinvBethlv(ce
nsusvemperor)
-invstable
-
shepards(poor/vwom
en)
-turtlevdovesv(gifts)
-
addvgenealogyvtovAd
am
Baptism -JohnvthevBapt SamevstoryvasvMark SamevstoryvasvMark -Novdirectvnarrative
-Jordanvriver →vpractically →vpractically -
(aftervevents,vsayin -fromvwater videntical videntical IndirectlyvonvJBvword
g,vdeedsvofvJesus’v - →vaddsvlittlevbitvmoreva s
ministry) Spiritvlikevavdov boutvJB -“echo”vthevevent
e
-
Voicesvfromvheav
en
“Myvson…Well
vpleased”