Questions
from Bible Literature
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Lesson Three
Why does
the Bible have stories about Heroes?
As a human race, we demand images of greatness. Heroes
satisfy that demand. But heroes do not simply reflect our values and beliefs;
they also reconcile us to human failings and limitations.
What is an epic story?
What are two epic stories in the Bible?
While an epic is built around a hero who performs a great
feat — a Moses or David — it is really the panoramic story of a nation. In the
Bible’s epics, the hero’s journey is intertwined with the destiny of the nation
as a whole, its conflicts, wars, and dominion. Events occur on a cosmic stage
that is alive with supernatural events. Unlike a typical hero story, the scope
is enormous.
There are two unmistakable epics in the Bible — the Exodus
from Egypt and the story of David. The following readings encapsulate the cores
of both epics (page numbers given for The Harper Collins Study Bible
What are parables?
The parables are folk literature, simple enough on the
surface to be understood even by young children. They are brief, they tend to
focus on a single event, and they feature a small cast of characters, usually
archetypal figures such as the rich man, the master and his servants, the
prodigal son.
Why are they used by
Jesus?
At once simple and profound, the parables are examples of
masterful storytelling at its most stripped down. Clearly oral in tradition,
they are the stories that Jesus spoke to teach his followers as recorded in the
Gospels.
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