Jesus says “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Mt 5:17). This means that Jesus must be a living example of scriptural fulfillment, which follows that unpacking Jesus’ life would lead to deeper understanding of the meaning of fulfillment. When trying to understand Scripture’s meaning of fulfillment, it is important to firstly acknowledge that “fulfillment does not seek after an almost photographic correspondence to the words of the past,” in other words, the thing being fulfilled does not necessarily need to occur quite so literally or chronologically as it might be described. In Jesus, the whole of God’s work in Israel is fulfilled. In Hosea, God references the past when he laments  “When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the farther they went from me” (Hos 11:1-2). The past is referenced here in accordance with the fulfillment of Jesus, who will repair this divide in the future.

Jesus embodies the promise of Emmanuel, “God is with us,” just as He was with the Israelites at the start of their long Exodus. The opening chapter of the Gospel of Matthew outlines the genealogy of Jesus, proving his descent from Abraham and David. This hints at Jesus’ kingship and how he is to renew the covenant of God with his people Israel, which we discussed last class. Jesus, as we see in the opening of the Gospel of Luke, will also bring on a new order of history. It is a unique situation because Jesus fulfills the prophecies as promised, but he does it in a completely revolutionary and unexpected way. To ultimately restore Israel’s brokenness, God must send his only beloved son, a form of the divine himself rather than an earthly servant, to instruct the people on how to properly enter into communion with God and make amends.

By my readings of the chapters in Numbers, I would say that the wilderness generation is led to condemnation because they fail to appreciate the liberation and mercy that God has given them. Rather, they are seen complaining about the lack of food and drink they are provided and even wishing that they could be returned back to their slave status in Egypt. God wanted these people to draw near to him and use this opportunity journeying in the desert to solidify their role as his chosen people. Instead, they complained about trivial things and their disobedience and distrust in God leads to their own future downfall. Moses is somewhat linked with these people in his own downfall because he attempts to stand up for them to God, and it is also under his leadership in the first place that these people developed such an ungrateful mindset. Closing the Pentateuch with the death of Moses, while being a let down, seems fitting because it reiterates the theme that one cannot approach God with full confidence. God wants to draw near to us, but he also gives us the stiff arm when we seem to be getting too comfortable with him. Even Moses, the greatest prophet as declared by Deuteronomy 34, cannot enter the Holy Land after all his years of guiding the Israelites because he displeased God. Things never turn out the way we expect them to when it comes to God’s will. Joshua is much like Moses. However, the shadow hanging over him is that Moses was the greatest prophet in Israel and even he did not achieve full communion with God. This makes Joshua’s job seem impossible, hinting at more obstacles ahead between God and the Israelites in Joshua’s generation of command.

Purity and impurity are both very complex terms when it comes to the Bible and spiritual interpretations. As Douglas explains, purity and impurity as described in Leviticus take on very symbolic and metaphorical meanings. Purity overall is associated with order and goodness, whereas impurity is associated with disorder and unnatural functions. God requires the maintenance of purity because we are his creation and everything he created has a set purpose. It would be wrong for something intended to do one thing to be doing something displeasing to God, because God created everything for a certain purpose. The logic of the purity laws in Leviticus may be linked to death, as explained in the footnote. It is also probable that the purity laws relate to holiness. God restricts certain foods and methods of food preparation to regulate his authority and make sure the Israelites are following the path to holiness. It is in their best interest to obey first because God has given them no reason not to. It is important that God is very specific about food laws specifically because food is what we take in to nurture and care for our bodies. This is symbolic; God is telling us how to grow and care for ourselves by listening to his word. As Douglas points out, the way people treat their bodies is culturally important in every society. The fact that God tells us how to regulate ourselves shows that overall, he cares about our best interests and is trying to help us obtain salvation.

After reading the assigned chapters in Exodus and the Ratzinger excerpt, I come to the conclusion that God is simple in his complexity. God is a being to whom it is impossible to assign a name to; nobody else is worthy of naming him. This is why God demonstrates such repulsion when Jacob and Moses ask for his title. What we do know of God, as Ratzinger explains, is that he is “not bound to one spot but is present and powerful wherever man is.” This seems to be a fairly accurate description of an all-powerful, all-knowing being. Since God is a personal God, he is able to develop a special relationship with each of us– we just have to demonstrate faith and let him in. As Ratzinger puts it, “God is found whenever man lets himself be found by him.” He is everywhere at once which is impossible for us to comprehend. Yet, because God cannot be confined into just one category, he is one being with three persons as the trinity suggests. Things get complicated in the New Testament with the introduction of Jesus, God’s beloved son. Ratzinger says that “Christology, or belief in Jesus, is raised to the level of an exposition of the name of God and what it signifies.” Thus, we believe that Jesus bears the name of God and acted as God would. Since names are necessary for social incorporation, it was necessary for Jesus to have one so that we could believe in him. I think that God is a being who loves all of us fully and desperately craves a relationship with all of his created. He wants us to live in order to glorify his name, as he explained to Moses in Exodus 9: “this is why I have let you live: to show you my power and to make my name resound through all the earth.” Although I will never grasp a full understanding of who God is, I am confident that such a being exists.

Joseph plants the silver cup because he wants to test his brothers to see if they have changed at all since they betrayed him. As Anderson points out, the brothers may “act to rid themselves of a favored sibling” or they may choose an option that requires a “supreme sacrifice” on their own part. Joseph is pleased when Judah surrenders his own life in Benjamin’s stead, because the sons realize how much Benjamin means to their elderly father Jacob. No longer are they jealous of Rachel’s sons; now they are more sacrificial, protective, and loving– probably because they feel guilty about what they did to Joseph. Joseph was once Benjamin’s most beloved son because he was Rachel’s firstborn. 

In the broader perspective of things, Anderson points out that most of the patriarchal stories in Genesis have to do with a theme of betrayal and sacrifice. The tale of Joseph and his brothers is no exception. When his brothers dropped him into a pit and proceeded to sell him into slavery, Joseph was deeply wronged in the same way that Jesus was deeply wronged when he was betrayed into crucifixion. It is always the most beloved son that is sacrificed or betrayed in some way. Another example is when God asked Abraham to burn his most precious son Isaac. When Joseph plants the silver cup, he wants to see how much his brothers are willing to sacrifice of themselves for the atonement of their wrongdoings and for the benefit of others. By doing this, he sees that their attitude has completely changed and they become worthy of his forgiveness. Paralleling this, God sends Jesus, his one and only son, down to earth for him to be betrayed and crucified by his own people. When Jesus is resurrected from the dead, God judges humankind’s sorrowfulness and shows mercy on us by atoning for our sins through Jesus’ great sacrifice.

In Genesis Chapter 32, Jacob wrestles with God. Although God is disguised as an unknown man in the text, it is clear that he is divine because he carries a sense of authority about him. He bears the right to change Jacob’s name to Israel, and as we discussed in lecture, the right to name something is a very powerful thing in itself. It signifies a sense of ownership and establishes a relationship between the creator and his creation. Obviously, Jacob knows there is something especially holy about this man because otherwise he would not be stubbornly wrestling with him, in demand of a blessing. The winner of the wrestling match is God, because I assume he put himself there in the first place to test Jacob’s faithfulness and give him a blessing in the first place. But, in another sense, Jacob also wins because he ends the wrestling match with the blessing he was fighting for from the beginning. Maybe God would not have provided Jacob with this blessing in the first place if he had not proven himself and wanted it so badly? This scene is iconic in the Bible because it showcases the stubborn intensity of Jacob’s character and the depth of his faith. He literally wrestled against our all-powerful, all-knowing God, just because he wanted to make sure he could secure a blessing for himself and his family. The common lesson people draw from this is to be selfish in faith and hungry for the benefits of communion with God. In the beginning of his life, Jacob took Isaac’s blessing away from his brother Esau, with a little help from his mother. Later on in his life when he wrestles with God, not much has changed because he is still actively trying to secure the best for himself. The only difference is that this time he tries to take a blessing from God, instead of his father. Jacob’s willingness and devotion is somewhat admirable because, if not for his eager, proactive spirit, he may not have secured a blessing for himself at all.

It is difficult to define so complex a phenomenon as religion, especially because initially it seems like something everyone inherently knows about. However, once broken down, as Cavanaugh did in his article, religion is quite complex and can easily be confused for many other things like nationalism or cultism. The five features of religion that Marty poses include that it focuses on our ultimate concern, builds community, appeals to myth and symbol, is enforced through rites and ceremonies, and demands certain behaviors from its adherents. While all five of these features hold true to my experience of religion, I would also like to add that there is usually a uniquely spiritual component that would not make sense in everyday life to most religions. This component cannot be believed if the members of that religion do not have faith. As Cavadini argues, it is important for Catholic universities to have core requirement theology classes as a way to bear witness to the Catholic religion. Thus, bearing witness and prioritizing your religion is also an important aspect that I think should be added to the definition of religion. It is ingrained in us that religion is something deeply private and secretive because the principles of our religion reveal a lot about us and they often dictate the way we live our lives. It is no surprise then, that “those called to be religious naturally form separate groups, movements, tribes, or nations” as Cavanaugh points out. Human nature naturally polarizes people and since religion should be a priority in religious people’s life, it makes sense that they would want to surround themselves with like-minded individuals. What is so confusing about religion is that it is completely unique to the individual, which is also why it can never have a clear definition. However, there is something about it that is essential to human life– it orients us and gives us a purpose and a mission.

According to Wilken and his source Augustine, faith is unavoidable because without faith, we would not have substantial knowledge of any kind. Most things in life we will never know for certain. Our understanding of knowledge, specifically historical knowledge, depends on “the veracity of the witness,” whereas something like mathematical knowledge is certain and demonstrable. Unfortunately, not everything can be like mathematical knowledge; most things aren’t. It would be impossible to experiment upon historical conditions or move back in time to witness certain historical events. In other words, you never actually know the truth behind anything until you learn to have faith in the authority or veracity of the witness, or the person/ source feeding you that information. Everything we think we know about history “depends on the testimony of those who have witnessed” the event.

Since one cannot run an experiment on historical events to prove that they are true, one must rely on witnesses and firsthand accounts of the situation. You need faith to have confidence in the historical witness, and to believe their witness, you must give in to their authority. Wilken explains that “authority is an indispensable aspect of human life and society” and thus, learning to accept authority eventually provides the faith base for the knowledge one lives their life by. As Christians, we “conform our lives and thoughts to those who have gone before,” believing in the authority of those before us to teach us basic truths about God. Basically if you think you have knowledge, you also have faith. It is important to distinguish that faith is not the way one knows, but who one knows– the living God. Faith, according to Wilken, is beneficial because it “opens the door that leads to knowledge of God.” By having faith, we allow reason to “exercise its power” because we accept the information revealed to us. As a Christian, it is beneficial to have faith because otherwise one would know little to nothing about God and religion.

(1) Why does Abraham agree to the request made of him by God? 

In Genesis 17, God makes a covenant with Abram which will him the father of many nations with “exceedingly numerous” offspring. Seeing as Abram had no children and his wife Sarai was old, God’s promise seems highly improbable and far-fetched. Yet, Abram has faith. Eventually, after being gifted with his son Isaac, Abraham sees that God remains true to his word. This is why he continues to blindly obey whatever the Lord commands of him. Even though Abraham values his son Isaac tremendously, he values his relationship with the Lord more.

(2) Is Abraham lying in 22:5 and 22:8? 

When Abraham says in 22:5 that he and Isaac will go worship, he is not lying. The “we will come back to you” part of his statement is somewhat questionable, but it is possible that Abraham was being truthful because he knew that in some way or another God would reunite him with Isaac. Again, in 22:8, Abraham is not lying when he says that God himself will provide the offering for the sacrifice because God provided him with Isaac. Of course, he is fortunate that God actually does provide a ram for the offering, but speaking metaphorically, if Isaac were to be the sacrifice, Abraham was being truthful.

(3) What is the God’s intention in making Abraham go through with this ordeal? 

When the angel of the Lord comes down to Abraham mid-sacrifice, he says in 22:12, “Do not lay your hand on the boy…for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” From this statement, it is clear that God’s intention is to make sure that Abraham is still a humble and obedient servant to him. Since God has blessed Abraham with many things, it would be easy for Abraham to fall into the same trap as Adam and Eve and think he can disobey God’s commands. By requesting Abraham to sacrifice that which is most precious to him, his only son, God maintains his authority over Abraham and secures his covenant with him.

(4) Is Abraham praiseworthy? Is God?

Abraham is praiseworthy because he denies himself and follows God’s wishes even when they seem completely against his own desires. God finds favor with Abraham because of his humble and obedient nature. God is praiseworthy as well because he makes a covenant with his people and continually saves them again and again even though they constantly disappoint him by falling into worldly temptation and selfishness.

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve fell from grace because they took the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil specifically after God told them not to. Because they were too prideful and self indulgent, they refused to simply love and obey God even though that would have been the best course of action for them. They broke the communion and unity between God and man because they were consciously disobedient and wanted God’s glory and power for themselves. To parallel this fall from grace, the narrative of Noah furthers the concerns present in the account of the first sin in Genesis 3 primarily because people continue to take the gifts that God rightfully gave them, rather than waiting to receive them. The actions that lead up to the flood explain context for why God felt the need to wipe the world clean and start over, creating a new covenant with man. The men involved in the downfall all come from the third creation story, a more factual genealogical account of the history of the tribes of the first men. After a while, the men fall into habits of sin because they realize the temporary nature of their lives. With mortality comes a newfound appreciation for beauty and pleasurable things in life. While an appreciation of beauty is good in itself, the conquest and desire to own that beauty for oneself is sinful and inherently bad. Instead of appreciating the gifts of beauty that came with the daughters of God in Seth’s line, the sons of Cain start to try to capture that beauty for themselves. They take multiple wives, choose whomever they please to sleep with, and take advantage of these women for their own pleasure. These men fail to regard the women as children of God with a character and will for themselves. As Kass explains, due to the sin of murdering his brother Abel, Cain’s line is more self-sufficient, sinful, prideful, and far from God. The people in Seth’s line, like Adam and Seth, are more humble and  have much closer relationships with their creator. God used Noah and the flood as a way to recalibrate the state of the world, reminding people not to take advantage of the good things he gives them.