New Testament

Questions for Study and Discussion

Luke and Romans

1) What are the central tenets of Jesus' teaching?  To what extent was Jesus' theology rooted in the Hebrew Bible?  What innovations (moral, political, or theological) did he introduce?

2) Can Jesus' use of parables in his teaching be compared with Plato's use of allegory (for example, the allegory of the Cave) in the Republic?  Why are parables and allegories used in each case?

3) How has Christianity appropriated and transformed Jewish concepts of law? (See Romans 7)

4) What, according to Paul, is the relationship between grace, faith and works?  Why was this question so important to early Christians?  Consider the following citation: "A person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law" (Romans 3:27).  Why are faith and law contrasted in the New Testament?

5) How does the notion of salvation shift in the writings of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament?

6) How does Paul understand divine justice?  Pay particular attention to the metaphor of the potter and the clay (9:19-9:24).  How does Paul interpret the hardening of Pharoah's heart in Exodus?  What kind of parallel does he draw between the hardening of Pharoah's heart and the hardening of the Israelite's hearts (vis-à-vis his new Jewish sect and what will be called Christianity)? (see 11:25)

7) Paul draws upon the story of the binding of Isaac to justify and explain two crucial asects of Christianity: the centrality of faith and the universal nature of the religion.  Explain how he makes these two connections.

8) What does Paul mean by "circumcision" and "uncircumcision"?  Why is circumcision, in Paul's view, an unneccessary ritual?  See 2:25, 3:29 and 4:11.