ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR THIS STRANGE AND SACRED SCRIPTURE
Chapter 1Is the Old Testament an enemy, stranger, or friend to the Christian faith?
Discussion Questions
Growing up, how were you taught to view the Old Testament? How does your church make use of the Old Testament? Have you ever read a book and identified with the author or characters so much that they felt like your friends? If so, describe. Talk about one of your best friends. What made that person so great? Every metaphor breaks down. For example, when we say someone has a heart of gold, we don’t literally mean that the person’s chest contains a blood-pumping organ made of precious metal. Instead, the idea is that gold is beautiful and highly desirable. In a similar way, a person with a heart of gold has admirable inward qualities. How does the metaphor “The Old Testament is our friend in faith” work and not work? Where does it break down? Why do we need the Old Testament as our friend? |
Above: Jaume Ventura's Friends
A Quote to Contemplate
People sacrifice things for their friends. Solomon Schechter describes how Jews sacrificed for the Bible throughout ages: “Our great claim to the gratitude of humankind is that we gave to the world the word of God, the Bible. We have stormed heaven to snatch down this heavenly gift…. [W]e threw ourselves into the breach and covered it with our bodies against every attack; we allowed ourselves to be slain by hundreds and thousands rather than become unfaithful to it; and we bore witness to its truth and watched over its purity in the face of a hostile world” (“Higher Criticism—Higher Antisemitism,” page 37 in Seminary Addresses and Other Papers [Cincinnati: Ark, 1915], alt. for gender inclusivity). |
Another Resource
Aristotle. “Book VIII.” Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. W. D. Ross. Online: click here.
Aristotle. “Book VIII.” Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. W. D. Ross. Online: click here.
Next Chapters
Click here for a companion to Chapters 2 & 3.
Click here for a companion to Chapters 2 & 3.