Study guide for Final

Topics:
 Gospel and parable genre
 Epistle genre
 Apocalyptic genre/theology
 canon
 Book of Revelation
 Hermeneutics
 Maybe something like the hermeneutical bridge or the 4 main steps of the inductive Bible study
 God’s solution to the sin problem

Knowing the solution (super important)

1. What is the problem that sin created and how does sin impact relationships?
2. In the overall biblical story, what is God doing to solve the sin problem?
3. In the biblical story, what are the three main boxes that God’s people tried to place around God, making it
difficult for certain people could get into God’s people? How did God break those boxes?

Gospel and Parable Genre

1. Which gospels are synoptic gospels and what does that mean?
2. How is gospel genre different than narrative genre?
3. What are some characteristics of gospel genre? (How do you know this is the kind of literature you’re reading?)
4. What are some principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules) for both gospels and parable genre?
5. What are some characteristics of parable genre? (How do you know this is the kind of literature you’re reading?)
6. What is the rule of end stress?
7. Why shouldn’t you allegorize a parable?

Epistles Genre
1. What are some characteristics of epistle genre? (How do you know this is the kind of literature you’re reading?)
2. What are some principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules) for epistle genre?
3. What does “occasional document” mean?
4. What does it mean that epistles are prescriptive (and in contrast, narratives are descriptive)?

Apocalyptic genre and book of Revelation:

8. What are some characteristics of apocalyptic genre? (How do you know this is the kind of literature you’re
reading?)
9. What do these numbers mean? 4, 3, 7, 6, 12, 24, 144,000
10. Know the hermeneutical rules, especially the rule about how to deal with symmetry.
11. Why shouldn’t we “calendarize” this book?
12. Know the 4 approaches to the book of Revelation: preterist, futurist, dispensational and idealist/timeless
13. What is the difference between the prophetic view and the apocalyptic view?
14. How can Jesus be both Lion/Lamb?

Canon:
1. What does the word “canon” mean as we talked about it in class?
2. Before the canon was decided the _________ was over the _____________________. After the canon was
decided, the ____________________________ had authority over the ____________________.
3. When were the Old and New Testament books decided upon? (2 different times)
 4. What 3 criteria did the church fathers use in deciding which books go into the New Testament?
5. What’s the difference between a translation and a paraphrase?
6. Why does this all matter? (We are what we read!)

Hermeneutics:
1. Be able to explain the logic of all three hermeneutical approaches if we give you an ethical issue.
2. What is the problem that all hermeneutic views try to solve?
3. How does Hebrews 1:1-3 help us solve this problem?
4. Flat Bible approach:
 How many ultimate wills does God have?
 How do you know when to use which ultimate will?
 For ______________________ you use the __________ Testament
 For _____________________ you use the ___________ Testament
5. Dispensational approach
 How many ultimate wills does God have?
 How do you know when to use which ultimate will?
 Remember that the teachings of Jesus come in which dispensation…..
6. Christo-centric approach
 How many ultimate wills does God have?
 Who completely reflects God’s ultimate will?
 If something happens in the Bible that doesn’t seem to fit with the life and teachings of Jesus, how do
you explain this?
 So how do you figure out what the ultimate will of God is?
 “When the Bible seems to disagree, ______________________________________”
7. How does Hebrews 1:1-3a help us solve the hermeneutical problem? What do these verses say about Jesus and
dabar?