Religion

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9.11.2018 Year 10 Religious Education Week 5

Biblical Metaphors

Light

1. What is the significance of light/ vine in Jewish culture?

- God's presene=goodness, truth, guidance, knowledge, life contrasted with darkness = evil, ignorance, danger, death, Messiah, (Isa) = 'light to the nations'

- Feast of the tabernacles = light is the key symbol of God's presence among His people.

2. How is Jesus like this?

- John is saying Jesus is God's presence among us.

- Jesus offers wisdom, knowledge, guidance in what is good.

- Jesus' message is for all people

- jesus gives life, in the sense that would anything exist at all without God, creation itself is a gift from God. Jesus gives life by resurrection and the promise of eternal life by never being forgotten by God.

3. What are the limits of this metaphor?

- Not a literal light.

- Light is an intangible, impersonal metaphor

- Dualist metaphors can cause problems, all metaphors can cause problems if people take them literally, darkness is not literally evil.

4. What is the meaning for today?

- Still indicates glory, guidance, goodness and wisdom

Vines

1. What is the significance of light/ vine in Jewish culture?

- Grapevines were a common household feature

- Israel ( the people of God) were described as a vineyard. God was the gardener.

- The vine was going to wither and die f it turned away from God.

2. How is Jesus like this?

3. What are the limits of this metaphor?

4. What is the meaning for today?