Kline's view of the suzerain-vassal treaty structure

Kline believes that the canon of Scripture is based upon the suzerian-vassal treaty.  As such, the covenant and by extension, all of Scripture is given to man in the form of the Ancient Near East suzarain-vassal treaty.  The suzarain-vassal treaty is comprised of the preamble, or proclomation of who the king is, followed by an historical prologue, or what has theking done, then the stipulations of what is required to maintain the covenant, along with the blessings, cursings and ratification of the covenant.  Finally, the succesion or protection of the covenant to be handed down to future generations.  Kline views all of Scripture through this framework of God as the great king, suzerain and the covenant community as the vassal.

What were the "two tables of the covenant"?

The "two tables of the covenant" were two complete copies of God's covenant made with Moses and Israel at Mt. Siani.  Suzerain-vassal treaties had a documentary clause to preserve a copy for each party.  In this case, since God's dwelling place was with the people with whom he made covenant, Israel kept both copies, which were identical and total in each copy.

"Granting the existence of inscripturated revelation, there are three basic positions on the New Testament canon." What are they?

The three basic positions on NT canon in light of inscripturated revelation are two variations on an open canon and one view on a closed canon.  First, the view that the NT canon is an open human anthology which can be added to as new revelation is found.  Second, the view that NT canon can have have new word revelation given to individual people rather than the covenant people as a whole, maintains an open canon as well.  Finally, the view that the NT canon is closed is based upon the foundational  view of the apostles and prophets found in Ephesians 2: 19-20 and Revelation 21:14.  The closed view maintains the attributes of Scripture's complete sufficiency. 

How is providence distinct from creation?

The distinction between providence and creation is that providence is the preservation and governance of all that God has created.  As author of creation, ex nihilo, only God can sustain, preserve and continuously uphold through His governing power everything that he created.  Thus his providential work is the continual preservation and governance of creation.

The Gift of Revelation

Assignment:
Dialogue paper: Students will write a dialogue on the doctrine of Scripture between two Anglican theologians, J. I. Packer and N. T. Wright. The dialogue should demonstrate a solid grasp of the assigned reading and lectures and should address issues related to the doctrine of Scripture: the role the Bible plays in God’s redemptive purposes (i.e., the Bible as a means of grace), the nature of biblical authority, the meaning of inspiration, and the nature of inerrancy.

Course Reflection - History of Philosophy and Christian Thought

As a student enrolled at RTS-DC and working full-time I have a very busy schedule. The virtual campus allows me to supplement my course work and work towards graduation at a faster and more flexible pace than only taking DC classes allows. I am on the Masters of Divinity track and would like to be able to complete my studies and schedule my courses without having to take vacation time every summer for class when I can sign up for virtual classes.

I have always been drawn to the study of Philosophy and Christian thought as it presents a comprehensive way to view the world. As a former atheist who was greatly influenced by the study of philosophy towards atheism and the study of Christian thought towards theism I understand the need comprehend both and the influences they have had on one another. There are people we encounter every day who have been influenced by the philosophies of the world and have either replaced Christianity with them or integrated the worldly philosophies into their worldview in such a way that it makes it impossible for them to remain consistent. It is the desire of my heart to see more people in the church equipped to confront their friends, family and strangers in a loving way with the message of truth found only in Christian thought that will transform their lives. This course has equipped me to that end and has vastly expanded my knowledge of the historical influences of philosophical ideologies on the worldviews of today.

Theological Ruminations on Kant

Assignment:
The paper needs to develop and unfold your subject, giving enough of the background by way of introduction to show the significance of your subject and to enable your reader to ascertain your purpose in writing the paper. Develop your subject by selecting and presenting data that you have accumulated, and include any additional background that will be helpful. Then analyze, synthesize and evaluate what you have found. Your personal interaction with the data is important, showing your line of thinking, your analysis, your synthesis and evaluation.