Select an element from Hebrews which compares the superiority of Jesus to something else. Explain the logic of this comparison and utilize information from the Reading Guide to enhance your response.
Question 2
Initial posts: Explain how either 1 John or Hebrews teaches about the centrality of love for the community. Be sure to also explain how the issue of apostasy in your selected text is presented by the author as threatening the ability of the community to live its mission of evangelization.
Question 3
Initial posts: Identify and explain how an element from our selection of Verbum Domini fits with any aspect of Dei Verbum. This is an opportunity to make creative connections between these two documents which are themselves interrelated.
This set of theology prompts asks you to analyze how Hebrews argues for the superiority of Jesus, how Hebrews or 1 John teaches communal love and warns against apostasy, and how Verbum Domini connects to Dei Verbum. Work from the text, explain the logic, and use your course resources.
Key takeaways
- In Hebrews, Jesus is shown superior to angels, Moses, the Levitical priesthood, and the old covenant.
- Explain the logic of the comparison, not just the claim — why the author says Jesus is greater.
- For love and apostasy, show how abandoning the faith threatens the community’s mission.
- Connect the Church documents thoughtfully: Verbum Domini builds on Dei Verbum‘s teaching on revelation.
- Use the Reading Guide and cite texts with chapter and verse.
Question 1: Superiority in Hebrews
Pick one comparison — Jesus above the angels (Heb 1), above Moses (Heb 3), or as the superior high priest after the order of Melchizedek (Heb 7). Explain the author’s reasoning: for example, Christ’s priesthood is permanent and effective where the Levitical system was repetitive and provisional. Use the Reading Guide to deepen the argument.
Question 2: Love and apostasy
Choose 1 John or Hebrews and show how it centers love for the community — mutual care as evidence of faith. Then explain how apostasy (falling away) is presented as a threat: a community losing members or conviction cannot carry out its mission of evangelization. Tie the warning to the text’s purpose.
Question 3: Verbum Domini and Dei Verbum
Make a specific connection: Verbum Domini (2010) draws on and develops Dei Verbum‘s teaching on divine revelation and Scripture. Identify one element — say, the relationship of Scripture and Tradition, or Scripture in the life of the Church — and show the continuity.
Format
Quote and cite the biblical texts accurately, engage the documents directly, and keep each response focused on its prompt.