The Old Testament: Who is Right?

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how the Christian church considers the Bible to be the word of God, and how when mere mortals attempt to interpret the word of God, they find that the task is more daunting than it first appears. According to the paper, this question of how to interpret the word of God is the key reason behind the major divisions of the Christian church. This paper takes an in-depth look at this issue and explores the differences in interpretation among those that live in multi religious environments and those that stem from exclusively Christian environments.

Contents:
Who Knows the Mind of God?
A Question of Authorship
Historical Perspectives on Interpretation
An Example of Duality
Differing Viewpoints

From the Paper:

"The real question is how to interpret the Bible in today's society and if many of the concepts still hold true for modern man. Kenneth Thomas that explores this issue from the perspective of modern society in which we have access to more knowledge and different viewpoints than ever and manatees pass. Thomas explains that the viewpoint of the poor will be different than the viewpoint of the wealthy in their interpretation of the old testament. He explores the differences it interpretation among those that live in multi religious environments and those that stemmed from exclusively Christian environments. Interpretation of the Bible was the subject of the eighth assemble of the World Council of Churches' had been Harare, Zimbabwe. Various perspectives were presented from different nationalities and churches around the world. The purpose of the conference was to present very few points and insights, while still highlighting the importance of the authority of the Bible as the primary governing document before the modern church. The primary question highlighted this conference was whether the existence of various interpretations diminishes the authority of the Bible. This isn't one of the most important questions that must be asked when one's begins to consider the interpretation of the old testament and historical perspective."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ayres, L. and Fowl, S. 1999. (Mis)reading the Face of God: The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church. Theological Studies. 60 (3); 513.
• Farmer, K.1991. Who knows what is good? A commentary on the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. In F. C. Holmgren & G. A. F. Knight (Eds.), International theological commentary Grand Rapids, MI: WM. B. Eerdmans. 51-56.
• Hill, E. 1990. Augustine, Sermon 22, 7: Ergo pro facie Dei, tibi pone interim Scripturam Dei, in The Works of St. Augustine 3: Sermons, 2 vols., (New York: New City 1990) 1.41-48.
• McCambley, C. (trans). 1987. Gregory of Nyssa, In Canticum Canticorum, Pro. (Gregorii Nyssai Opera 6.6-8); English version from Song of Songs, O.C.S.O. (Brookline, Mass.: Hellenic College,) 36-37. Proverbs 8:22-33. King James Version Online. Available from http://www.cforc.com/kjv/Proverbs/index.html. Accessed February 19, 2006.
• Rogers, E. 1996. How the Virtues of an Interpreter Presuppose and Perfect Hermeneutics: The Case of Thomas Aquinas. Journal of Religion 76. 64-81.

More papers on The Old Testament: Who is Right?:

• Term Paper # 68786 : "King David of the Old Testament "
• Research Paper # 96640 : "Messiah in the Old Testament"
• Essay # 137763 : "Encountering the Old Testament: An Analysis"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: