Biblical HERMENEUTICS ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Biblical HERMENEUTICS ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example This focus leads into the fact that followers must recognize that Jesus is a divine messenger or intermediary between people and God, and not God himself; this emphasis is particularly strong in the Gospel of John, in which John continues to assert that Jesus is the dutiful son of the father, and not the father himself. Finally, reading the Gospels requires an understanding of salvation and the kingdom of heaven which, through Jesus’ sacrifice, is granted to all those followers who live in faith and love of Jesus’ words, as embodied through the Gospels.4 Recognizing these strategies for reading the Gospels will enable the follower to fully internalize the truthful words of Jesus in a fashion that Jesus intended, rather than through a skewed understanding of his message. Although it is difficult to pinpoint the exact date when the Gospels were written, New Testament scholars argue that the literature in the Book were written at the end of the first and the beginning of t he second century, during the Hellinistic period, when the Christian church was under persecution.5 At this time, three central events affected the writing and compilation of the New Testament, which included the following: the spread of Christianity, the effect of the fall of Jerusalem on Christianity, and the obsessive focus on the destruction of the world (that never came).6 Therefore, this period was characterized by brutal conquests and social turmoil, which is evident in the apocalyptic tone of the writing in the books in the New Testament. In addition, speaking authoritatively on the authorship of the works is particularly difficult because these contributions were not written by eyewitnesses in Jesus’ ministry; â€Å"it has to be understood that in the ancient world it was quite common to attach important names to anonymous works, or to write in the name of some teacher or famous person from the past†.7 However, there is a higher level of certainty that these w riters were, in fact, known by Jesus directly, or known by men who were close to Jesus; for example, Peter, Matthew, and John were recognized as being among the original group of Jesus’ followers. Although the apostles were in close proximity to Jesus, there is a great range of diversity between the synoptic Gospels and the fourth Gospel, as well as between the Acts and letters because the Book â€Å"contains a variety of books, written in a variety of lengths and styles, and attributed to a variety of authors†¦ [coming] from diverse times and places.†8 In this regard, the vast majority of the literature spoke of and about Jesus Christ, but did so in a varied fashion that reflects different circumstances, concerns and purposes, and

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Economics - Essay Example b. The Fed fund rate averages at 7.10% during the 1970s, 9.97% during the 1980s, 5.15% during the 1990s, and 3.25% during the 2000-2007. The huge differences in the means of Fed fund rates can be explained by the differences in economic and monetary policies adhered by the different chairmen of the Federal Reserve. c. The Fed fund rate reached its maximum during January 1981 at 19.08% which is during the administration of Paul Volcker. Compared to the other Federal Reserve chairman, Volcker has been reputed as an inflation hawk who is more concerned on fighting inflation compared to a dove whose main concern is unemployment. This perception requires him to set the Fed fund rate at higher levels to fight stagflation. d. Fed fund rate is lowest during December 2003 at 0.98% due to the strong performance of the US economy. In fact this period saw the strongest economic development in the economy in nearly two decades. It can be recalled that during this period, the inflation targeting monetary policy has been adopted by the US. f. The Federal fund rate and ten-year Treasury bill rates tend to move apart as shown in the graph above. It should be noted that increases in Fed fund rates is simultaneous with declines in ten-year Treasury bill rates. g. The Federal Reserve solely influences the level of Fed fund rate. It should be noted that this is set during Federal Open Market Committee meetings depending on the agenda and economic situation of the United States. h. The ten-year Treasury bill rate is set by different variables in the economy like the real interest rates and inflation. The Fed can indirectly influence T-bill rates by affecting the monetary variables mentioned