Examine yourselves
Wednesday, 16 November, 2005
Four down, three to go! Today wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, given the level of preparation I did. The problem with Biblical studies is that the further you get into a particular topic or book of the Bible, the more you realise you don't know in comparison to the amount of stuff there is to know. But you don't have the time to go investigate so then you end up studying a bit superficially which I suppose is fitting when your Old Testament 1 exam covers most of the Old Testament.
I had only prepared 8 topics instead of the 10 I wanted (I ran out of time) and I freaked out a little when I saw the paper. Section A was okay (there was a Genesis question), Section B was okay ... it was Sections C and D that caused me a bit of mental anguish. I had prepared for Wisdom Literature but I hadn't looked at Ecclesiastes or Proverbs in any depth and I certainly hadn't looked at Chronicles or Song of Songs. In Section D, I had prepared for canon and transmission of the Old Testament text and I didn't think I could answer “Give an account of the four stages of the transmission of the Old Testament text”. Then my eyes slid to other questions in Section C and D and I realised that I could actually come with a fairly decent answer to them. So I came up with points, scribbled my outlines, wrote furiously and left the exam with an hour to go.
Exam questions I answered:
Old Testament 1
- What does Genesis 1 to 11 teach about God?
- To what extent should Saul be held responsible for the failure of his reign?
- Explain the historical setting for the ministries of Haggai and Zechariah. Compare and contrast the message they proclaimed.
- With particular reference to the book of Proverbs, discuss the distinctive characteristics of Old Testament Wisdom Literature.
- What are the implications for us of the fact that the Bible of the NT writers and the early church was the LXX?
New Testament 1
- How does Mark 1:1-15 prepare the reader for the rest of the Gospel?
- Why does Jesus teach in parables? Illustrate your answer with reference to at least two parables recorded in Mark's Gospel.
- Describe the function that the account of the healing of Bartimaeus plays in Mark's account of Jesus' life and ministry.
- Why does Paul discuss the figure of Abraham in chapter 4 of his letter to the Romans?
- What is the contribution of chapter 16 to Paul's letter to the Romans?
Before I walked home, I went into the mailroom and Ben's Church History 1 essay was back from the markers. This is the one he did on John Chrysostom when he was sick. Even though he got an extension, he rushed to get it done and finished it at about 4:15 on the day it was due (they don't accept essays after 4:30). We flew out to America the following day. Anyways, he got an A+. Unbelievable! My boy is so clever. Maybe 2nd year won't be so bad for him after all.
Blinks:
A way of funding writing in the future: pitch and idea and get people to support it.
Place where you can hire play equipment for parties, etc.
How to recalibrate the home button on your iPhone.
Unsolicited manuscripts accepted by Pan Macmillan with certain conditions.
Thought Balloon is a group blog in which the writers tackle a new theme every week? month? with one-page scripts. This URL is for their Phonogram ones.
How to sew a zipper on a knitted garment.
Issues organised by tale.
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my whole study-collective prepared a chrysostom question for the CH exam based on past exams, even though we didn’t cover him in class at all. and there was the question, so we all wrote less than perfect answers on it.
can you send me a copy of ben’s essay? i’m thinking of doing my 4th year project on chrysostom and i like to keep that idea milling around my mental universe.