Sierra Megonnell

Professor David von Schlichten

SEL 255 01 The Bible as Literature

04 May 2020

Take-Home Final Exam

Part I: Reading and Interpreting Theological Texts

The book of Jonah has a story about a man named Jonah which is often debated as being

fictional although some people do believe that it is a nonfiction work. The story begins with

Jonah being swallowed by a large fish and then he has to live there for three days before he is let

out. God had commanded the fish to swallow Jonah because he was trying to run away from his

responsibility to God. Jonah was supposed to go and preach in Nineveh but he does not want the

people of Nineveh to repent for all of their sins. If they repent then God will forgive them and

Jonah does not want that to happen; it seems like he is being selfish. A major moral of the story

is that God cares for everyone, and that people should do the same; even the people that we

dislike or do not agree with. The form of the story was written prior to Jesus’s birth when the

Israelites were being mistreated by the Assyrians. The Sitz im Leben of this book was originally

written for the Jewish people in an attempt to have them be more forgiving of those who have

done wrong to them. But, today it can be applied to both Chirstians and Jews in everyday life.

The historical context is that Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. At the time that Jonah was told

by God to go preach to the people of Nineveh, the Assyrains were mistreating the people of

Israel. Thus, Jonah would not want to help them be forgiven by God. The book of Philemon is

Paul’s shortest epistles. Since Christianity was not allowed, Paul wrote this text while in a

Roman jail. Onesimus, who is Philemon’s slave, is converted to Christianity under Paul’s
guidance and teachings. Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon but tells Philemon to treat his

slave, not only as a slave but also as a Christian brother. It was and is debated on whether or not

Paul is telling Philemon to no longer have Onesimus as a slave because he is now a Christian or

to still keep him as a slave but to treat him better. Regardless, all slaves should have not been

treated poorly based on their religion, but that was just the time period in which this story took

place. The form of this story was an epistle or a letter, which is common in the New Testament.

The Sitz im Leben was originally written for all Christian slave owners during the time of the

New Testament. But it could be used during the Civil War in the United States and throughout

various countries still today. Although slavery is wrong, enslaved should be treated better. These

differences affect interpretation. These texts were written many years ago when the world and

society looked very different than it does today. It is hard to compare these stories to modern day

because they are completely different situations. But, the moral of the stories can still be applied

today; many years later. The moral of the book of Jonah is to forgive your enemies, even if it is

hard because it is what God wants and is the right thing to do. The moral of the book of

Philemon is to treat slaves or people less than you like a Chrisitian sibling.

Part II: The Difference Between Theological and Scientific Language

Genesis 1 and 2 and the theory of the Big Band and evolution can be compared. They are

both cosmogonies and etiological tales. Neither of the two can be proven, and they are debated

quite frequently. In Genesis 1 and 2, God’s power is highlighted as he created the entire universe

and everything in it; in just six days. Then on the seventh day he rested (I assume creating

everything is quite tiring). God created women, men, and animals although both Genesis 1 and 2

contradict the order of which these three came to be. This creation account is monotheistic which
at the time at which it was written, was strange. Many consider Genesis 1 and 2 a myth or a

genre that tells a story that takes place outside of normal human experience and involves

supernatural beings doing extraordinary things that are difficult to comprehend. Genesis 1 and 2

put emphasis on humans having dominion over all things that God has created, like animals and

the Earth. God has human-like characteristics throughout Genesis 1 and 2, but He is also

considered to be all-knowing or have superior knowledge. Some consider the Big Bang as the

origin of the universe, and that evolution has continued from this point to modern day. The Big

Bang does not rule out that God did not have any intervention, but it does not highlight this idea

as in Genesis 1 and 2. Evolution of animals and of humans (from monkeys) is debated quite

frequently between people of science and people of religion. Evolution says that a small,

prokaryotic organism eventually gave rise the complex, multicellular eukaryotic organisms that

we see today. But in Genesis 1 and 2, the Bible says that God created all the animals and has no

mention of evolution. The scientific account is different from the Biblical account, but neither

can be selected as the right answer. Who knows, maybe neither idea is correct, but it will most

likely never be known. I am both a person of faith and a person of science, so I feel strongly that

these two ideas can live in harmony. Science is helpful at improving society and the lives of

people and animals. But, science can also become a bad thing when it is abused by individuals. I

believe that religious ideologies and the Bible are able to supply morals and some ethics on how

to conduct such science. At Seton Hill University, when taking science courses of any kind a

Catholic Social Teaching assignment occurs in which students have to look at science through a

religious lense. Often, science and faith are seen as polar opposites but they should rather be used

to help balance one another. They are two different fields with two completely different
ideologies, and it will always cause controversy between the two (kinda like the democrats and

republicans). But, there is a way they can live harmoniously.

Part III: Link Between Christian Faith & the Need to Build a More Just and Loving World

Unfortunately, the Bible has been used and continues to be used to justify oppression.

People use the Bible in modern society to oppress women, individuals of the LGBTQ

community, and those who are different from those oppressing. In Romans 1:26-27, the Bible

reads, “Refusing to know God, they soon did not know how to be human either - women did not

know how to be women, men did not know how to be men. Sexually confused, they abused and

defiled one another, women with women, men with men - all lust, no love. And then they paid

for it, oh how they paid for it - emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches.” This

verse is commonly used to oppress individuals in the LGBTQ community, and that is simply not

fair. My interpretation of the text is that lust between people of the same sex is okay, as long as

there is love between them. I feel the same way toward heterosexual relationships as well.

Religious individuals single out this text from Romans 1-3, and say that God dislikes

homosexuals instead of looking at the deeper message of everyone has flaws and we should not

judge others based on their shortcomings. Women are commonly seen being oppressed in the

Bible and this was common during the times the Bible was written. But, this is not the case in

today’s society; even if people try to use the Good Book to oppress women. One verse that

stands out to me is Ephesians 5:22-24, “Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways

that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ

does to his church, not be domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ

as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.” This passage
bothers me for two major reasons. The first is men are being compared to Christ; Christ was

without sin and men are sinful, the two should not be compared. The second is that the Bible is

suggesting that women are to bow down to their husbands and that husbands should show

leadership. Women are equal to men, even if they have not always been treated so. Using these

verses today would be a promotion of women oppression. Women do not have to be led by their

husbands; they are leaders and women do not have to be submissive. The Bible was written

during a time of very little fluidity in society and with little to no understanding of equality. We

can use the Bible, though in contrast, to help fight injustices and bring about social justices for

everyone. We can look to Matthew’s gospel where he writes, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God

with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great

commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” If we

all accepted the fact that God wants each person to love one another and treat them with respect,

we could help to eliminate the hatred seen between individuals and groups of people. Another

verse from the Matthew gospel says, “Do not judge, or you will be judged too.” This highlights

that we all have flaws and we may not agree with actions that some individuals choose to make,

but we must not judge them for it. Jesus did not judge and we should strive to all be like Jesus. I

think that the Bible has some out-of-date messages that are used to fuel hatred, but I also believe

that the Bible can be used to calm these flames.

Part IV: Reflect on Your Own Faith Journey

This class and the overall studying of the Bible correlates with my religious beliefs. I am

a Christian and proud follower of Christ but knew only basic information about the Bible.

Throughout this course I was able to develop a weekly routine and devote myself to deeply
engaging with the Biblical text. In the process, I was able to develop a better understanding and

love for the Bible and all its glory. Regardless of religion, studying the Bible can help with an

individual’s personal growth. In the Bible, a variety of different authors present valuable lessons

and themes that can be used as a guide for living a good life. A common theme in the Bible is

forgiveness; God is seen often forgiving the Jews and Jesus preaches the importance of

forgiveness. As genuine human beings, we should forgive others for their mistakes and

wrongdoings because nobody is perfect and we all have our flaws. Another common theme in

the Bible is the idea of faith. Although the Bible mostly refers to an individual's faith in God, the

concept of faith can be carried far beyond just this Biblical context. For example, all humans can

have faith in one another and in their abilities. This faith can lead to better understanding and

increased confidence in themselves and in others. A third common theme seen throughout the

Bible is love. In the Old Testament, God loved the Jews and the Jews loved him, even if they

disobeyed quite frequently. In the New Testament, Jesus showed love to his neighbors, to the

poor, children, those less fortunate; to everyone. Jesus did not discriminate when it came to love.

Humans should be more loving to one another, especially those less fortunate. The world could

use a lot more love, faith, and forgiveness. Studying the Bible also helps individuals to grow on

an academic, personal level. The Bible can be a difficult read and requires interpretation which

can better the reader and their abilities. Overall, religious and nonreligious people alike can read

the Bible for personal growth and to create a common ground that allows individuals to relate.

Part V: Key Themes and Concepts in Theology

Hermeneutics - This is an individual’s interpretation of something or someone. In the

context of this class; we examined, discussed, and developed a variety of different interpretations
of the same text. It is interesting that different interpretations that individuals can create from the

same story or passage.

Form Criticism - This is the process of reading, interpreting, and analyzing the Bible and

its patterns in order to determine or discover a better understanding of the time frame at which it

was written. From this information, a historical timeline can be compared to the Bible’s story for

a better analysis of the text and of the author’s intentions or references and literary devices.

Sitz im Leben - This is the time frame, history, context, and for whom a text is written. In

the case of the Bible, there are stories throughout different books that have either the same,

similar or completely different Sitz im Leben, depending on the context and the situation

occurring in the story.

Theodicy - This is how humans help to understand and explain how God allows suffering.

God is considered to be all-mighty, loving, caring, and faithful, but he allows suffering for

humans and other creatures. This ideology can be hard to comprehend for many individuals.

Exegesis - This is the process of reading, analyzing, and interpreting a work or a text. In

the case of the Bible, different stories from books and passages can be analyzed in this manner.

This allows for a better understanding and connection between the historical information and the

Bible’s story. It also allows the reader to gain a deeper understanding of the Biblical text or of a

Biblical story.