CTHE NUMBER
FIRST PUBLIC EXAMINATION
Preliminary Examination for Theology
SPECIMEN PAPER
INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY
OF THE BIBLE
TRINITY TERM 201x
day, date, time
Please start your answer to each question on a separate sheet.
Candidates should attempt THREE questions, at least ONE from each section.
All numbered questions carry equal marks.
Do NOT turn over until told that you may do so.
FIRST PUBLIC EXAMINATION
Preliminary Examination for Theology 2017
Introduction to the Study of the Bible
Candidates should attempt THREE questions, at least ONE from each section.
Section A
1. Comment on THREE of the following texts, at least ONE from a-c (Old Testament) and ONE from d-f (New Testament):
Old Testament
(a) Know this for certain, that your offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not theirs, and shall be slaves there, and they shall be oppressed for four hundred years; but I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
(b) I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God.
(c) Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.
New Testament
(d) Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. Herod said, "John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?" And he tried to see him.
(e) And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
(f) He said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.
Section B
2. What is the significance of 'covenant' in the Hebrew Bible?
3. Is the label 'rewritten bible' helpful for understanding the composition of the Hebrew Bible and the history of interpretation?
4. Is Wellhausen's documentary hypothesis still helpful for thinking about sources and the formation of the Hebrew Bible?
5. What is meant by the term 'faith' when discussing Abraham?
6. What difference does it make whether we read the Hebrew Bible as Old Testament or as Jewish scripture (Tanakh)?
TURN OVER
7. How isGenesis 12-25 an identity forming narrative?
Section C
8. To what extent did Jesus succeed in his aims?
9. Is Luke’s gospel a religious novel or a work of history?
10. Why does Luke’s Jesus die and rise in Jerusalem?
11. In what sense, if any, did Paul invent Christianity?
12. For any ONE gospel, is there good justification for its inclusion in the New Testament?
13. ‘The New Testament is incomprehensible without knowledge of the Old Testament’. Discuss in light of the topics and sources you have studied.
LAST PAGE
END OF PAPER
CTHE NUMBER
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