The New Testament and its Interpretation in the Work of Klaus Berger (original) (raw)

The use of the Bible in theology: Theology as a ‘lived experience’ of God

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 2020

The use of Bible in this article refers to the 66-books (39 OT and 27 NT) as they occur in the Protestant Bible. This is because of my reformed church tradition as the space where memory is cultivated in a way that generates meaning and provides norms, a space into which the members of a group may (Schnelle 2009:48) repeatedly enter to receive assurance, answers and orientation (Schnelle 2009:49). 2.The Bible is not congruent with itself on this point. Jacob claimed, for example, in Genesis 32:30 that he saw God face to face. According to the wholistic picture of God from the Bible, we can say that a finite being will never see or even comprehend an infinite being. Contribution: This article pleads that biblical analyses should play a more comprehensive and determinative role in the composition and formulation of theology, pointing more explicitly to the transcendence and immanence of God. The reading of such theologies then must create different lived experiences of the immanence and transcendence of God.

(Term Paper) - Developments in Biblical Interpretation since the Enligtenment

2020

When two of Jesus’ disciples were on their way to Emmaus, sadly discussing the events of the last three days, they were clearly dealing with a hermeneutical problem. They were not able to interpret Scriptures correctly concerning the death and resurrection of their Lord. As Jesus joined them on their way, he helped them as a true hermeneut, “[interpreting] to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:13-28). This small incident demonstrates several crucial aspects concerning biblical hermeneutics: (a) the Bible needs to be interpreted; (b) Christ is to be found in all of Scripture; (c) although we can be familiar with Scripture, we can fail to understand or apply it correctly; (d) personal and cultural biases can distort Scripture (Luke 24:21a); (e) man on his own is unable to interpret Scripture correctly without divine help; and (f) Scripture is God’s infallible word. Biblical hermeneutics, therefore, are serious business, possibly resulting in either confusion and misunderstanding, or in healthy faith and guidance (Luke 24:32). Herein lies the problem. Although Scripture testifies of its own infallibility and divine inspiration (2 Tim. 3:16), there is no “cookbook-recipe-like” specification of how correct hermeneutics should be conducted. Therefore, because culture affects all attempts at interpretation, many methods have been developed and applied since the beginning of Biblical hermeneutics; some better, and some worse. Ramm (1970) emphasized: "There is no profit to us if God has spoken and we do not know what He has said“ and concludes “that we need to know the correct method of Biblical interpretation so that we do not confuse the voice of God with the voice of man". This essay is concerned with the development of how evangelicalism interprets the Bible from the Enlightenment to the present. It is quite useful to also investigate this from the Reformation onwards to the emergence of Evangelicalism, since these developments in Biblical hermeneutics are the beginning of Evangelicalism's attempt to interpret Scriptures. The essay will then continue with a short introduction on the Enlightenment, followed by a presentation of four scholars who were important for Biblical criticism. After that, the developments in the 19th and 20th Centuries will be investigated. The study of hermeneutics is not an exact science and its developments are diverse and manifold. Therefore, it is only possible to present a limited survey. However, the main key data will be presented.

Transcendence and Immanence of the Trinity in Barth and Lossky

Proceedings of Conferences on the Dialogue between Science and Theology

At its best, Christian theology has strived to balance God's transcendence and immanence both in the east and the west. In the spirit of ecumenism, here I compare and contrast the seemingly different Trinitarian doctrines of Barth and Lossky. Due to the interrelatedness of various doctrines in their theological systems, the comparisons will be made in three key areas that are pertinent to our discussion: epistemology, revelation, and soteriology. Each area yields important and stark differences, yet I argue that their differences arise partly due to their different respective traditions. But, despite their differences, they share great similarities in their attempt to maintain a Trinitarian God who is both transcendent and immanent. Thus, divine transcendence and immanence may prove to be good topics to pursue ecumenical dialogue in that can transcend the immanent doctrinal differences between the east and the west.