Final Exam on English 252. Cut and Paste. Email to me at kerryman2424@gmail.com by 9 PM Friday, Feb. 4

Final Exam on English 252.  Cut and Paste.  Email to me at kerryman2424@gmail.com by 9 PM Friday, Feb.

Name ______________________________________________

English 252:  Final Exam on Bible as Literature

A:  Part One:  Fill-in the blanks.

1. The following quote, “as thou given the horse strength?  Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?  The glory of his nostrils is terrible,” shows God speaking to _________________.

2.  Two books besides Revelation that contain apocalypses include ______________________ and __________________________.

3.   The quality of mercy is not strain’d,

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the blessed place beneath:  it is twice blest;

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:

Tis mightiest in the mightiest.

These words were spoken by __________________ to ___________________.

4.  A person who was converted on the road to Damascus was ________________.

5. Paul divides the Law into two parts which we can label  ___________________ and __________________.

6. A famous hymn of conversion is _______________________________.

7. Paul used Abraham as an example to Christians to show that ____________________ was not necessary for a man to be saved.  He argued that Abraham was saved even before the patriarch made this sign of faith in God.

8. A book of quotations of Jesus that was used by both Matthew and Luke is known as the ______________________ document.

9. “A letter to the community that teaches them an important doctrinal issue” is known as an ____________________.

10. The thousand year reign of Christ on earth before the final battle with Satan is known as the _____________________.

11. When a passage in the New Testament quotes or alludes to a verse or narrative in the Old Testament, treating it as a prediction of an event in the life of Christ, this is called _________________________________.

12. The only gospel that is not synoptic is attributed to which author?  ________________

13.  Luke’s gospel and the Acts of the Apostles were dedicated to ______________________.

14. 70 AD is a significant event in Jewish history as it was the date when _____________________________ was destroyed.

15. Which came first, the Septuagint or the Vulgate?  __________________

16. The author of Pilgrim’s Progress was __________________________.

17. Christ’s staying in the tomb for three days before his resurrection is connected (in typological terms) with what Old Testament story?  ___________________________________

18.  According to Paul, the two most important Christian virtues were ______________ and ______________.

19. Marlowe’s character who sold his soul to the devil was _______________________.

20.  The book of the Old Testament most important both for Christians and Jews is ____________________.

Definitions:

1. Parasouia means ____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

2. The Apocrypha means _______________________________________________

3. A passion narrative is  _______________________________________________

4. A parable is _______________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

5. Pseudepigraphia means _____________________________________________

6.  Tropology means  ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Longer Answer Questions:

1.  In reference to the synoptic gospels, explain what Q, L and M mean, and the theory of how these gospels were created ______________________________________________

2. Explain the chronology of the composition of the New Testament and explain how this chronology affected the content of the materials.  In other words, explain the order of composition of the gospels, epistles, and Revelation.

3. Explain the paradox of Jesus’ teaching in parables for both listeners in his time and readers today.  Use the Parable of the Sower (below)  to illustrate this paradox:

From Mark 4:

2And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
 3Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
 4And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
 5And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
 6But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
 7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
 8And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
 9And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
 10And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
 11And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
 12That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

4.   The following is a passage from Luke 15:
11And [Jesus] said, A certain man had two sons:
 12And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
 13And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
 14And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
 15And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
 16And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
 17And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
 18I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
 19And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
 20And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
 21And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
 22But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
 23And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
 24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
 25Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
 26And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
 27And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
 28And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
 29And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
 30But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
 31And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
 32It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

In paragraph form, explain the following features of this parable:

1. What is Christ saying about the younger son, the father, and the older son?
2. Explain some of the ways that this parable connects with stories of the Old Testament.
3. Explain this as an allegory for the “kingdom of God.”

Part B. 

Answer the following essay question in about 500 words:

1. A student once said to me, “I hate Revelation.  I love Revelation.  It scares me to death.  It offers me hope.”  In your own words, explain how Revelation could make him feel so polarized.  In your final paragraph for this essay (and this class) explain your position on Revelation.

(Note:  You must use quotations from Revelation to enhance your essay.)



Lecture 14: The Book of Revelation and the Symmetry of the Christian Bible

Lecture 14: The Book of Revelation and the Symmetry of the Christian Bible

Before beginning this lecture you may want to . . .

     Read the book of Revelation (Bible, King James Version).

Introduction:

The final book of the Christian Bible, The Revelation of St. John the Divine, is

the Bible's most extensive piece of apocalyptic literature-a vision, set forth in elaborate and arcane symbols, of the end of the current, corrupted world order, and its replacement by a new and perfected cosmos. The Book of Revelation gives the Christian Bible a strong sense not only of closure but of symmetry, for just as history began in Genesis 1 with the creation of the heavens and earth, so it ends with the creation of a new heaven and new earth, in which elements of Eden re-appear within the Holy City, the New Jerusalem.

Consider this. . .

To what sort of readers is Revelation most likely to appeal? What sort of readers are less likely to find its vision of history appealing?

The Book of Revelation and the Symmetry of the Christian Bible.

I. What is apocalyptic literature?

D.H. Lawrence said "By the time I was ten years old I am sure I had heard, and read, that book [Revelation] ten times over. . . It has had, and perhaps still has more influence than the gospels or [Paul's] epistles."

A An apocalypse is a vision of the world being replaced by a new and bet­

ter world. An apocalypse is the Greek term for the word revelation.

B. The Biblical genre of apocalyptic literature may be traced to Isaiah 24-27, Daniel 7-12, and Mark 13 (the so-called "Marcan apocalypse"); the Book of Revelation is, however, the Bible's most extensive piece of apocalyp­tic literature.

C. John Milton, from his The Reason of Church Government (1642), had this to say about the Biblical book of Revelation: "The Apocalypse of St. John is the majestic image of a high and stately tragedy, shutting up and intermingling her solemn scenes and acts with a sevenfold chorus of hal­lelujahs and harping symphonies. "

D. The Biblical scholars Gabel and Wheeler had this to say about why Revelation was written: ''The author believed his own days to be the worst possible days and thus surely the last days... The faithful were to be encouraged to persevere during this bad time, because their deliver­ance was soon to come. "

E. The deliverance of the faithful was to come, as in the words of Rufus Jones, "the fierce comfort of an apocalyptic relief expedition from the sky. "

F. Apocalypses speak especially to proud and oppressed peoples who have despaired of ever saving themselves through their own merely human efforts. Gabel and Wheeler say apocalyptic writings envision "a flash of divine power, followed immediately by harsh punishment for those who have taken advantage of the misery of others and, conversely, by glorious rewards for those who have suffered undeservedly. "

Part II. The historical context of Revelation.   The Book of Revelation was written around 95 AD. by St. John of Patmos for his fellow Christians of Asia Minor (pre­sent-day Turkey), who suffered persecu­tion under the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian. (81-96 AD.)

A There are a number of allusions to per­secution under Domitian in Revelation. For example in chapter 1, verse 9, "I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the king­dom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." Roman authorities often banished individuals to islands like Patmos.

B. John also mentions other elements of persecution in Revelation 2: 13 (the death of a martyr) and arrest of other Christians in chapter 2: 1 O.

Part III. The Symmetry of the Christian Bible.

According to the Christian Bible, the plot of history is symmetrical: it begins with the creation of heaven and earth, and ends, after a wave of purifying violence, with the creation of a new heav­en and earth.

A. Christianity provides a prospective view of history, always looking ahead. Man begins in paradise and is looking forward to another paradise. This is echoed in chapter 1:8 of Revelation in the first words attributed to God, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."

B. The new heaven and earth will only come after a period of horrific violence destroying the world. This purifying violence comes from the opening of seven seals and the sounding of seven trumpets. First there are the four horsemen, then the natural disasters that echo the plagues in Exodus.

C. The most disturbing image of destruction comes in chapter 14:19-20:

    19. And the angel thrust his sickle into the earth, and gathered the

    vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath

    of God.

20. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. (Revelation 14:19-20, KJV)

D. This carnage ends the world as we know it. Poised between this destruc­tion and the new kingdom is the 1,OOO-year reign of Christ on earth-The Millennium. In the words of Revelation:

1. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the

       bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil,

       and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thou­sand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little

season. (Revelation 20:1-3, KJV)

The Millennium of Revelation corresponds to the seventh day of rest in

Genesis 1-2, in a sort of mystic symmetry.

E. After the Millennium is over the world will come to an end. Then comes the Final Judgment where the evil are thrown into the lake of fire. Then

arises the climax of John's vision-a version of Eden reappears within

the Holy City of the end-time, the New Jerusalem.

1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and

       the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God

       out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

       3. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the taberna­

       cle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall bo

       his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

       4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall bo

       no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be tiny

       more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. Allel

       he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the begin.

       ning and the end. (Revelation 21:1-6, KJV)

       We also see a replica of Eden (Genesis 2) in the New Jerusalem.

1. And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, pro

       ceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was

there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded

her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing

of the nations. (Revelation 22:1-2, KJV)

 In the end the garden (Eden) will reconcile with the city (Jerusalem), and nature will reconcile with art.

IV. Before the historical end-time, can Eden be in some sense regained, internally, within the individual believer?

A. Milton's Christian answer is that the individual believer can cultivate "a

   paradise within thee, happier far." (Paradise Lost 12:585-87)

   B. English authors after Milton share his idea of a paradise within, though

   many don't share his Christian faith. Thus began the Romantic move­

   ment, one that searched for a paradise within, often through nature.

C. Wordsworth's post-Christian answer: to the mind wedded to Nature, par­

   adise might be "a simple produce of the common day." ("Prospectus" to

The Recluse)

Paradise, and groves

Elysian, Fortunate Fields-like those of old

Sought in the Atlantic Main-why should they be

A history only of departed things,

Or a mere fiction of what never was?

For the discerning intellect of Man,

When wedded to this goodly universe

In love and holy passion, shall find these

A simple produce of the common day. (The Recluse)

   This holy marriage with the external universe creates a new world.

D. This longing to recover paradise is shared by Blake, Coleridge and

   Shelley, and in a different form by Marx. T.S. Eliot gives us a sentiment we can apply to this course on the Bible as a whole. He first announces ("East Coker," No.2 of Four Quartets) “my beginning is my end. " He ends with

   We shall not cease from exploration

   And the end of all our exploring

      Will be to arrive where we started

       And know the place for the first time.

("Little Gidding," No.4 of Four Quartets).

FOR GREATER UNDERSTANDING

Consider

1. What is an "apocalypse," and why do apocalyptic visions typically

involve extensively detailed violence and destruction?

2. In what ways are Eden and the New Jerusalem similar, and in what

ways are they different?

3. What does it mean to internalize the apocalypse?

Suggested Reading

Eliot, T.S. Four Quartets. New York: Harcourt Brace, Jovanovich, 1971. Gabel, John B., Charles B. Wheeler, and Anthony D. York. The Bible as

Literature: An Introduction. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Milton, John. Paradise Lost. New York: Penguin Classics, Penguin

      USA, 2000.

Wordsworth, William. The Maior Works. New York: Oxford University

      Press, 2000.

Other Books of Interest

Abrams, M.H. Natural Supernaturalism: Tradition and Revolution in

Romantic Literature. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1971. Gentry, Kenneth L., et.al. Four Views on the Book of Revelation. Grand

   Rapids: Zondervan, 1998.

Metzger, Bruce M. Breaking the Code: Understanding the Book of

            Revelation. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1999.

Summary:

The Christian Bible constitutes an account of the world and of humanity from beginning to end: from a paradise lost at the beginning of time, to an equivalent

paradise regained at the end of time as we know it. The Christian scheme of

history involves humanity in a circuitous journey back to its original blessedness, but in the end paradise will be everlasting. Christian theology since Paul and Augustine has suggested that aspects of the paradise at the end of time might be recovered internally within the individual believer. This thirst for and belief in an inner paradise takes a post-Christian turn in the literature of the English Romantics: to Wordsworth and others, the return to Eden symbolizes a return to our primal sympathies with nature and with one another.

1. http://www.brysons.net/miltonweb/index.html- text of The Reason of

Church Government on-line. 2. http://www.brysons.net/miltonweb/pl.html- text of Paradise Lost on-line. 3. http://www.everypoet.com/archive/poetry/William- Wordsworth/william,

    wordsworth_301.htm - words to The Recluse on-line.

4. http://www.tristan.icom43.netlquartets/ - text of The Four Quartets on-line.

DANIEL: THE APOCALYPSE OF THE OLD COVENANT

The Old Testament, like the New, contains a single apoca­lyptic book, Daniel. A devout Jew exiled to the court of Babylon, Daniel interprets the prophetic dreams of a number of emperors. One of these dreams is apocalyptic: Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a statue, composed of layers of varying metals, destroyed by a large stone. Daniel interprets the statue as a succession of idolatrous empires, all of which come to an end with God's establishment of "a kingdom which shall never be destroyed." (Daniel 2:44) Daniel himself has four apocalyptic

visions, interpreted for him by the angel Gabriel. Two of these-detailed in chapters

7 and 8-consist of a series of grotesque beasts that represent the empires of the Babylonians, Medes, Persians, and Greeks. Their reigns are ended when "the Ancient of Days" judges the world and gives power to "one like the Son of Man." (Daniel 7:13) Chapter 9 also looks forward to the end of oppressive empires but uses numerical rather than zoomor­phic symbols. Chapters 10, 11,

and 12 describe a single vision that culminates in Daniel's prophecy of the resurrection of the dead: "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and somo

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NUMBER SYMBOLISM IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION

The Book of Revelation is a vision set forth in elaborate and arcane symbols of the events that will bring the current world order to an end, and introduce in its stead a new and perfected earth, figured in the text as the "New Jerusalem." By envisioning history in cosmic terms, using sym­bolic imagery, John sought to comfort and encourage the Church during the time of Roman persecution. To interpret Revelation one must come to know the symbolic meaning of the terms being used in almost the same way as a person trying to break a code. An understanding of numerology is helpful. Many numbers have symbolic meaning. Thus seven symbolizes completeness and perfection. God's work of creation was perfect and completed in seven days. The seven churches (Rev. 2:3) symbolize by their number all the churches. After seven the most significant number is twelve. The tribes of Israel and the disciples number twelve. New Jerusalem has twelve gates. Its walls have twelve foundations (21:12-14). The tree of life yields twelve kinds of fruit (22:2). Multiples of twelve are important. The 144,000 servants of God (7:4) are made of 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel.  Three as a symbolic number often indicates complete­ ness. Thus the Trinity is the complete God. Four is often used as a sacred number. Thus one reads of the four living creatures sur­rounding God (4:6-7). God sends forth the four horse­ men of the Apocalypse (6: 1-8) to bring destruction

to the earth,