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83-743: Used broadly among biblical scholars , the NRSV was intended as a translation to serve the devotional, liturgical, and scholarly needs of the broadest possible range of Christian religious adherents. The tradition of the King James Version has been continued in the Revised Standard Version and in the New Revised Standard Version. The full 84 book translation includes the Protestant enumeration of

166-523: A "complex society" of competing evils there "could be exceptions". However, abortion should never be chosen as a matter of "individual convenience". The church personnel should promote "Christian alternatives to abortion", and church members are asked to "support efforts for constitutional changes" to protect the unborn. Since 1978 the General Synod has made a number of statements on homosexuality. Homosexual acts are considered sinful and "contrary to

249-450: A "critical edition" containing a text most closely approximating the original. There are three fundamental approaches to textual criticism: eclecticism, stemmatics, and copy-text editing. Techniques from the biological discipline of cladistics are currently also being used to determine the relationships between manuscripts. The phrase "lower criticism" is used to describe the contrast between textual criticism and " higher criticism ", which

332-421: A cessation of that trust... Suffering calls upon people to trust God even in the valley of the shadow of death. It calls on people to let God, and not suffering, determine the agenda of their life and their death./ A third conviction is that in the community of God's people, caring for those who are dying is a burden Christians are willing to share. Both living and dying should occur within a caring community, and in

415-523: A classis in the RCA ordained the first openly gay and married pastor who had declared himself as such when he began the ordination process. In 2021, the RCA's General Synod voted in favor of a plan to allow congregations to leave the denomination, with their properties, and to allow remaining RCA congregations to choose their policy on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriages with some supporting same-sex marriages and some opposing. The RCA first admitted women to

498-441: A concern for the health and well-being of society... As a society, there is no common understanding that gives any universal meaning to 'detrimental'. In humility, Christians can simply acknowledge this, and proceed...to share our own unique perspectives, inviting others to consider them and the faith that gives them meaning." The Reformed Church also condemns the death penalty . The General Synod in 2000 expressed seven reasons why

581-764: A document known as A Formula of Agreement , the RCA has full communion with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) , the United Church of Christ , and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . The relationship between the United Church of Christ and the RCA has been the subject of controversy within the RCA, particularly a resolution by the UCC General Synod in 2005 regarding homosexuality . The ELCA's affirmation of

664-464: A few difficulties when it comes to analyzing the Old Testament as a historical text. New Testament historical analysis is also difficult due to the nature of the original texts that we can analyze, specifically their translatability as well as how oral tradition had effects on written tradition during the formation and canonization of gospel texts and the teachings of Jesus. The Hebrew Bible,

747-549: A highly symbolic book, there will be different outcomes in the interpretation of particular sections. Additionally, one's view of the scriptures as sacred and written by God or as a historical text has implications on one's interpretation of text. Textual criticism is a branch of textual scholarship, philology, and literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in texts, both manuscripts and printed books. Ancient scribes made errors or alterations when copying manuscripts by hand. Given

830-600: A large group of Dutch emigrants. Between 1949 and 1958, the RCA opened 120 churches among non-Dutch suburban communities, appealing to mainline Protestants. It was a charter member of the Presbyterian Alliance, the Federal Council of Churches, and the World Council of Churches. Like most other mainline denominations, the RCA has had a declining membership during the last thirty years. In 2018,

913-405: A manuscript copy, several or many copies, but not the original document, the textual critic seeks to reconstruct the original text (the urtext , archetype or autograph ) as closely as possible. The same processes can be used to attempt to reconstruct intermediate editions, or recensions, of a document's transcription history. The ultimate objective of the textual critic's work is the production of

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996-594: A policy of inclusiveness in gender language . According to Metzger, "The mandates from the Division specified that, in references to men and women, masculine-oriented language should be eliminated as far as this can be done without altering passages that reflect the historical situation of ancient patriarchal culture." Many mainline Protestant churches officially approve the NRSV for both private and public use. The Episcopal Church (United States) in Canon II.2 added

1079-503: A problem with comparing the translation to the original Hebrew (because we have it). This may lead to problems of establishing the reliability of translations like the Septuagint. In order to overcome this, researches have come up with methods to use the very few manuscripts we have and continually draw conclusions and compare to original texts using those conclusions to provide more reliability to available texts. In order to indicate if

1162-483: A process for studying a way "to address the questions of human sexuality". Also in 2015, Hope College in Michigan, affiliated with the RCA, officially provided benefits to employees' same-sex spouses though the school continues to maintain a statement on sexuality that espouses a traditional definition of marriage. Additionally, a number of congregations and classes have voted to publicly affirm LGBT members, including

1245-468: A request for an imprimatur . The New Revised Standard Version is available in a 66-book Protestant Bible that only includes the Old Testament and New Testament; a 73-book Catholic Edition containing the Catholic enumeration of the Old Testament and New Testament; and an 84-book Ecumenical Bible that includes the Old Testament, Apocrypha and New Testament. Biblical studies Biblical studies

1328-477: A service of a same-sex marriage. The following year, however, the General Synod essentially rescinded this statement and rebuked the 2012 delegates for demonstrating "a lack of decorum and civility," and usurping constitutional authority. In 2014, the General Synod recommended that the Commission on Church Order begin the process of defining marriage as heterosexual. However, in 2015, the General Synod approved

1411-656: A special obligation, as the first answer of the Heidelberg Catechism invites people to confess: 'I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ ' (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 1)... A decision to take one's own life thus appears to be a denial that one belongs to God./ A second conviction is that God does not abandon people in times of suffering... Christians express their faith in God's love by trusting in God's care for them. A decision to end one's life would appear to be

1494-405: A translation is authentic or not, it is crucial to look for keywords that may seem unique and that are not translated from a root language such as Hebrew or any of the other original languages. This shows that there are many other languages present in the translations that seems as if it was reinvented over and over again. However, it is normal to see such a change, and it shows the difference between

1577-874: Is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 84,957 members. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church . The RCA is a founding member of the National Council of Churches , the World Council of Churches (WCC), Christian Churches Together , and the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC). Some parts of

1660-657: Is founded upon historical-literary dynamics, either using scripture to interpret history and science, or using science and history to interpret scripture. This is particularly important when applied to the person of Jesus Christ and the Gospels in the New Testament. Many people agree that Jesus was a real historical person, but whether he was truly the Son of God is debatable among many people, and this distinction proves to be important for one's interpretation of texts and whether

1743-663: Is more conservative on these issues. For largely the same reasons, about 100 churches separated (with 65 making the matter public originally) from the denomination and formed the Alliance of Reformed Churches (the denomination now has roughly 200 churches), Twelve churches formed the Reformation Canada Network, and 5 formed the Kingdom Network (which currently has 24 churches). The RCA confesses several statements of doctrine and faith. These include

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1826-562: Is sometimes colloquially referred to as the Dutch Reformed Church in America , or simply as the Dutch Reformed Church when an American context has already been provided. In 1819, it incorporated as the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church . The current name was chosen in 1867. The early settlers in the Dutch colony of New Netherland first held informal meetings for worship. In 1628, Jonas Michaelius organized

1909-710: Is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible , with Bible referring to the books of the canonical Hebrew Bible in mainstream Jewish usage and the Christian Bible including the canonical Old Testament and New Testament , respectively. For its theory and methods, the field draws on disciplines ranging from ancient history , historical criticism , philology , theology , textual criticism , literary criticism , historical backgrounds, mythology , and comparative religion . The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Studies defines

1992-504: Is the endeavor to establish the authorship, date, and place of composition of the original text. Historical research has often dominated modern biblical studies. Biblical scholars usually try to interpret a particular text within its original historical context and use whatever information is available to reconstruct that setting. Historical criticism aims to determine the provenance , authorship, and process by which ancient texts were composed. Famous theories of historical criticism include

2075-654: The 1857 Secession , a group of more conservative members in Michigan led by Gijsbert Haan separated from the RCA. They organized the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC), and other churches followed. In 1882 another group of congregations left for the CRC, mirroring developments in the church in the Netherlands. After 1945, the RCA expanded into Canada, which was the destination of

2158-716: The 1983 Code of Canon Law , Canon 825.1, the NRSV with the deuterocanonical books received the Imprimatur of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops , meaning that the NRSV (Catholic Edition) is officially approved by the Catholic Church and can be profitably used by Catholics in private study and devotional reading. The New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition also has

2241-594: The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1991, granting official approval for Catholic use in private study and devotional reading. In 2007, the Canadian conference and the Vatican approved a modification of the NRSV for lectionary use beginning the following year. The NRSV-CE, along with the Revised Standard Version (RSV), is also one of the texts adapted and quoted in the English-language edition of

2324-686: The Catechism of the Catholic Church . The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition ( NRSVue ) is a major revision of the NRSV. A three-year process of reviewing and updating the text of the NRSV was announced at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature . The update was managed by the SBL following an agreement with the copyright-holding NCC. The stated focuses of the review are incorporating advances in textual criticism since

2407-413: The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC). In 2005 the RCA and CRC voted to allow for the exchange of ministers. Faith Alive Christian Resources, the CRC's publishing arm, is also used by the RCA and in 2013 published a joint hymnal for use in both denominations. The two denominations have also collaborated on various other ministry ventures, voted to merge pension plans in 2013 in conformity with

2490-646: The Old Testament , the Apocrypha , and the New Testament ; another version of the NRSV includes the deuterocanonical books as part of the Old Testament, which is normative in the canon of Roman Catholicism , along with the New Testament (totalling 73 books). The translation appears in three main formats: (1) an edition including the Protestant enumeration of the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, and

2573-531: The canonical gospels . It also plays an important role in the quest for a historical Jesus . It also addresses the physical text, including the meaning of the words and the way in which they are used and its preservation, history and integrity. Biblical criticism draws upon a wide range of scholarly disciplines, including archaeology , anthropology , folklore , comparative religion , oral tradition studies and historical and religious studies. New Testament and Old Testament rhetorical analysis differ because of

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2656-595: The creation of the world and the flood of Noah . The use of terms like "myth" vs "history" also creates controversy due to some connotations that each word has. Oftentimes "myth" or "mythical" texts are seen as not true stories, where as "history" or "historical" texts are seen as fact. Mythical stories can also sometimes be seen as stories which serve some sort of religious or moral lesson, but are not necessarily true, however this does not mean that true historical stories do not have religious and moral lessons that accompany them. These views on myth and history are examples of

2739-709: The documentary hypothesis , which suggests that the Pentateuch was compiled from four different written sources, and different reconstructions of "the historical Jesus", which are based primarily on the differences between the canonical Gospels. There is much controversy around using the Bible as a historical source. The Old Testament is supposed to serve as a continuous account of the establishment of ancient Israel . While many historians agree that figures like King David and King Solomon are real historical figures, there comes trouble when seeking to affirm or deny events like

2822-677: The imprimatur , granted on 12 September 1991 and 15 October 1991, respectively. For public worship, such as at weekly Mass , most Catholic Bishops' Conferences in English-speaking countries require the use of other translations, either the adapted New American Bible in the dioceses of the United States and the Philippines or the English Standard Version and Revised New Jerusalem Bible in most of

2905-601: The synod of the Orthodox Church in America decided not to permit use of the NRSV in liturgy or in Bible studies on the grounds that it is highly "divergent from the Holy Scriptures traditionally read aloud in the sacred services of the Church." The New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition ( NRSV-CE ) is an edition of the NRSV for Catholics. It contains all the canonical books of Scripture accepted by

2988-461: The "coetus" and "conferentie" factions. One source indicates that defections may have occurred as early as 1737. "Desolation pervaded many of the churches, whereas prior to 1737 good order was maintained in the churches, and peace and a good degree of prosperity were enjoyed. ...But in 1754, the Coetus of the previous year, having recommended the changing of the Coetus into a Classis with full powers,

3071-560: The 18th century. They used German as the language in their churches and schools for nearly 100 years, and recruited some of their ministers from Germany. By the early 20th century, most of their churches had joined the RCA. During the American Revolution , a bitter internal struggle broke out in the Dutch Reformed church, with lines of division following ecclesiastical battles that had gone on for twenty years between

3154-540: The 1989 publication of the NRSV, improving the textual notes, and reviewing the style and rendering of the translation. A team of more than fifty scholars, led by an editorial board, is responsible for the review. It was released for digital purchase on December 25, 2021, with the first print editions following in 2022. As of July 2024, the NCC has submitted the NRSVue for review by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops with

3237-660: The American Civil War, in 1867 it formally adopted the name "Reformed Church in America". In the nineteenth century in New York and New Jersey , ethnic Dutch descendants struggled to preserve their European standards and traditions while developing a taste for revivalism and an American identity. Some members owned slaves, the most famous of the slaves being Sojourner Truth , and the church did not support abolitionism . In rural areas, ministers preached in Dutch until about 1830–1850, then switched to English, at

3320-484: The Catholic Church arranged in the traditional Catholic order. Because of the presence of Catholic scholars on the original NRSV translation team, no other changes to the text were needed. An Anglicized Text form of the NRSV-CE, embodying the preferences of users of British English , is also available from various publishers. The NRSV-CE received the imprimatur of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and

3403-540: The Church opposes it: The General Synod resolution expressed its will "to urge members of the Reformed Church in America to contact their elected officials, urging them to advocate for the abolition of capital punishment and to call for an immediate moratorium on executions." The RCA is generally opposed to abortion . The position of the General Synod, stated in 1973 and later affirmed, has been that "in principle" abortion "should not be practiced at all", but in

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3486-544: The Classis of New Brunswick and the Classis of Schenectady. Several of those congregations, including congregations dually affiliated with the RCA and United Church of Christ , perform same-sex marriages. "Some RCA churches have gay pastors, but their ordination is from other denominations". On 5 May 2017, the United Church of Christ and Reformed Church in America congregations that support LGBT inclusion announced

3569-944: The European Association of Biblical Studies, the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies , the Evangelical Theological Society , the Institute for Biblical Research , the American Schools of Oriental Research , and the Catholic Biblical Association . Biblical criticism is the scholarly "study and investigation of biblical writings that seeks to make discerning judgments about these writings". Viewing biblical texts as being ordinary pieces of literature, rather than set apart from other literature, as in

3652-912: The General Synod. A General Secretary oversees day-to-day operations. The Rev. Eddy Alemán, D. Min., was installed as the General Secretary at the 2018 General Synod. The Constitution of the RCA consists of three parts: the Liturgy , the Government, and the Doctrinal Standards. The Government, along with the Formularies and the By-laws of the General Synod , are published annually in a volume known as The Book of Church Order . Officially Related Seminary Through

3735-423: The Gospels should be read literally or symbolically. The Book of Revelation is very different from the other books of the Bible, drawing need for additional analysis to determine whether it should be read literally or symbolically. The goals of the author of the book (John) also have implications toward how one reads the book. If one reads Revelation as a literal unfolding of the end times vs reading Revelation as

3818-766: The NRSV to the list of translations approved for church services. It is also widely used by the United Methodist Church , the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America , the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) , the Presbyterian Church (USA) , the Presbyterian Church in Canada , the United Church of Christ , the Reformed Church in America , the United Church of Canada , and the Uniting Church in Australia . In accordance with

3901-839: The Netherlands in the mid-19th century led to the expansion of the RCA into the Midwestern United States . In 1837, Pastor Abram D. Wilson and his wife Julia Evertson Wilson from New Jersey established the first Dutch Reformed church west of the Allegheny Mountains in Fairview, Illinois . Hope College and Western Theological Seminary were founded in Holland, Michigan , Central College in Pella, Iowa , and Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa . In

3984-405: The New Testament (as well an edition that only includes the Protestant enumeration of the Old Testament and New Testament); (2) a Roman Catholic Edition with all the books of that canon in their customary order, and (3) the Common Bible , which includes the books that appear in Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox canons (but not additional books from Oriental Orthodox traditions, including

4067-423: The Old Testament, including historical accounts, proverbs , poetic texts, praise texts (such as psalms ) and prophetic texts. The New Testament is different in that it has primarily two styles present: the gospels , which are mostly historical accounts, and the letters, or epistles . When it comes to textually analyzing and criticizing the New Testament, there are a couple of eclectic approaches to understanding

4150-458: The RCA's 2013 General Synod. The RCA has a presbyterian polity where authority is divided among representative bodies: consistories , classes , regional synods , and the General Synod . The General Synod meets annually and is the representative body of the entire denomination, establishing its policies, programs, and agenda. Measures passed at General Synod are executed and overseen by the General Synod Council. Council members are appointed by

4233-449: The Synod condemned the humiliation and degradation of homosexuals and confessed that many members had not listened to the "heartfelt cries" of homosexual persons struggling for "self-acceptance and dignity." While calling for compassion, patience, and loving support toward those who struggle with same-sex desires, the 2012 General Synod determined that it is a "disciplinable offense" to advocate for homosexual behavior or provide leadership for

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4316-492: The Syriac and Ethiopian canons). A special edition of the NRSV, called the "Anglicized Edition", employs British English spelling and grammar instead of American English. The New Revised Standard Version was translated by the Division of Christian Education (now Bible Translation and Utilization) of the National Council of Churches in the United States. The group included scholars representing Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Christian groups as well as Jewish representation in

4399-483: The classis find that their consciences, as illuminated by Scripture, would not permit them to participate in the licensure, ordination or installation of women as ministers of the Word, they shall not be required to participate in decisions or actions contrary to their consciences, but may not obstruct the classis in fulfilling its responsibility to arrange for the care, ordination, and installation of women candidates and ministers by means mutually agreed on by such women and

4482-402: The classis" (Part II, Article 2, Section 7). In 2012, by a vote of 143 to 69, the General Synod of the RCA voted to remove the conscience clauses. However, the vote by the General Synod had to be approved by a majority of the classes (a classis serving the same function as a presbytery). Eventually, 31 classes voted in favor of removal, with 14 voting to retain them, and the vote was ratified at

4565-458: The colony in 1664, all Dutch Reformed ministers were still trained in the Netherlands. Services in the RCA remained in Dutch until 1764. In 1747, the church in the Netherlands had given permission to form an assembly in North America; in 1754, the assembly declared itself independent of the classis of Amsterdam. This American classis secured a charter in 1766 for Queens College (now Rutgers University ) in New Jersey . In 1784 John Henry Livingston

4648-408: The content and nature of the texts. Things like the literary style and the theology of the author may affect how one reads the text. That may require some external criticism knowledge since who the author is will shine light on why they may be saying what they are saying. Biblical exegesis is the explanation or interpretation of the scriptures traditionally known as The Bible. Much biblical exegesis

4731-497: The context in which they were written. The New Testament was written during a time that had many new Greek and Roman ideas on literature and rhetoric , which provide an avenue for what was known and give additional resources to study New Testament texts in those contexts. Old Testament texts were not written in the same context, and due to their ancient nature have few additional resources to refer to for common themes in rhetoric and literature. There are many abstract text styles in

4814-399: The context of death, Christian discipleship takes the form of caring for those who are dying./ This is an era when many people find legislating morality a questionable practice. Should Christians promote legislation which embodies their conclusions about the morality of physician-assisted suicide?... If Christians are to be involved in debating laws regulating assisted suicide, it will be out of

4897-417: The denomination belong to the National Association of Evangelicals , the Canadian Council of Churches , and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada . The denomination is in full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America , Presbyterian Church (USA) , and United Church of Christ and is a denominational partner of the Christian Reformed Church in North America . The Reformed Church in America

4980-443: The early 18th century nearly 3,000 Palatine German refugees came to New York. Most worked first in English camps along the Hudson River to pay off their passage, paid by Queen Anne 's government, before they were allowed land in the Schoharie and Mohawk Valleys . They created numerous German-speaking Lutheran and Reformed churches, such as those at Fort Herkimer and German Flatts . Thousands more immigrated to Pennsylvania in

5063-454: The field as a set of various, and in some cases independent disciplines for the study of the collection of ancient texts generally known as the Bible. These disciplines include but are not limited to historical criticism , archaeology , hermeneutics , textual criticism , cultural anthropology , history , the history of interpretation, sociology , theology , and patristics . Several academic associations and societies promote research in

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5146-399: The field. The largest is the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) with around 8,500 members in more than 80 countries. It publishes many books and journals in the biblical studies, including its flagship, the Journal of Biblical Literature . SBL hosts one academic conference in North America and another international conference each year, as well as smaller regional meetings. Others include

5229-411: The first Dutch Reformed congregation in New Amsterdam , now New York City , called the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church, now The Collegiate Churches of New York. During Dutch rule, the RCA was the established church of the colony and was under the authority of the classis of Amsterdam . The Brookville Reformed Church remains one of the oldest churches in America. Even after the English captured

5312-494: The formation of an association for dually-affiliated congregations. In April 2016, a working committee of the RCA developed a report on human sexuality. The report offers different options, for review by the General Synod, and includes the option to define marriage as between a man and woman or to define marriage as between two persons thus allowing same-gender marriages. Of these options, General Synod 2016 voted to define marriage as "man/woman". However, that vote needed to receive

5395-403: The group responsible for the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament. The mandate given the committee was summarized in a dictum: "As literal as possible, as free as necessary." The following scholars were active on the NRSV Committee of translators at the time of publication. The Old Testament translation of the RSV was completed before the Dead Sea Scrolls were available to scholars. The NRSV

5478-531: The historic Apostles' Creed , Nicene Creed , and Athanasian Creed ; the traditional Reformed Belgic Confession , the Heidelberg Catechism (with its compendium), the Canons of Dort , and the Belhar Confession . The RCA opposes euthanasia . The report of the Commission on Christian Action, issued in 1994, states, "What Christians say about issues of morality ought to be and usually is a reflection of their fundamental faith convictions. There are at least three of these convictions that appear especially relevant to

5561-407: The meaning of the original text". The RSV observed the older convention of using masculine nouns in a gender-neutral sense (e.g., "man" instead of "person"), and in some cases used a masculine word where the source language used a neutral word. This move has been widely criticised by some, including within the Catholic Church, and continues to be a point of contention today. The NRSV by contrast adopted

5644-401: The offices of deacon and elder in 1972 and first ordained women in 1979. By 1980 the General Synod of the RCA amended the Book of Church Order (BCO) to clarify their position on women's ordination, including amending the language of Part I, Article 1, Section 3 of the BCO from "persons" to "men and women". In 1980, the RCA added a conscience clause to the BCO stating, "If individual members of

5727-408: The opposition became violent, and the opponents were known as the Conferentie." A spirit of amnesty made possible the church's survival after the war. The divisiveness was also healed when the church sent members on an extensive foreign missions program in the early 19th century. In 1792, the classis adopted a formal constitution; and in 1794 the denomination held its first general synod . Following

5810-405: The ordination of homosexuals as clergy in 2009 prompted some RCA conservatives to call for a withdrawal from the Formula of Agreement . In 2012 RCA discussed its own position regarding homosexuality. The two denominations undertook a dialogue and in 1999 produced a document discussing their differences (PDF). Along with their Formula of Agreement partners, the RCA retains close fellowship with

5893-470: The original writings versus the final outcome of the translations. Although the Bible was originally written in Hebrew, it was first translated into Old Greek in the 3rd century BC. This was still translated into the Old Testament. However, when the Bible was translated into the New Testament, it was now in Greek, or in other words, Koine Greek which is also known as Biblical Greek. Reformed Church in America The Reformed Church in America ( RCA )

5976-605: The question of whether it is acceptable for Christians to seek a physician's assistance in committing suicide in the midst of extreme suffering./ A fundamental conviction Christians have is that they do not belong to themselves. Life, despite its circumstances, is a gift from God , and each individual is its steward... Contemporary arguments for the 'right' to assistance to commit suicide are based on ideas of each individual's autonomy over his or her life. Christians cannot claim such autonomy; Christians acknowledge that they belong to God... Christians yield their personal autonomy and accept

6059-457: The rest of the English-speaking world. However, the Canadian conference and the Vatican approved a modification of the NRSV for lectionary use in 2008. The NRSV, along with the Revised Standard Version , is also quoted in several places in the English-language edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church , the latter of which summarizes Catholic doctrine and belief in written form. In 1990

6142-585: The same time finally dropping the use of many traditional Dutch clothing and customs. Although some ministers favored revivals, generally the church did not support either the First or the Second Great Awakenings , which created much evangelical fervor. Dutch language use faded thereafter until the new wave of Dutch immigration in the mid-19th century. This revived use of the language among Dutch descendants and in some churches. Immigration from

6225-448: The support of 2/3 of the classes and be ratified again in 2017. In March 2017, the proposal to define marriage as "man/woman" did not receive the necessary votes from 2/3 of the classes, and, as a result, it did not pass. On 12 June 2017, the General Synod voted for a "recommendation [which] says, 'faithful adherence to the RCA's Standards, therefore, entails the affirmation that marriage is between one man and one woman.'" Also, in 2017,

6308-461: The text on a deeper level. External criticism in the context of biblical studies involves understanding the who, what, and when of New Testament texts. It does not analyze within the text itself, which is referred to as internal criticism. External criticism focuses on the source and dates of text and what type of text it is (in the New Testament, that is mostly a gospel account or a letter to a church or person). Internal criticism focuses specifically on

6391-760: The textual basis of the Christian Old Testament (although with order rearranged and some books split into two), was written in Biblical Hebrew , although a few chapters were written in Biblical Aramaic . Deuterocanonical books removed from the Old Testament in some Protestant Christian Bibles are variously written in Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic. The New Testament was written in Koine Greek , with possible Aramaic undertones , as

6474-466: The total membership was less than 196,308, down from 220,000 in 2016, from 300,000 in 2000, and 360,000 in 1980. Due to differences related to the adoption of the Belhar Confession , the removal of the conscience clauses related to the ordination of women , and place of LGBTQ people in the church, a number of congregations have left the RCA to join the Presbyterian Church in America , which

6557-488: The traditional view, biblical criticism asks when and where a particular text originated; how, why, by whom, for whom, and in what circumstances it was produced; what influences were at work in its production; what sources were used in its composition; and what message it was intended to convey. It varies slightly depending on whether the focus is on the Hebrew Bible , the Old Testament , the letters of New Testament or

6640-414: The will of God". But homosexuals are not to be blamed for their condition. The church must affirm civil rights for homosexuals while it condemns homosexual behavior (1978). The church must seek to lift the homosexual's "burden of guilt", recognizing that homosexuality is a "complex phenomenon" (1979). The church should encourage "love and sensitivity towards such persons as fellow human beings" (1990). In 1994

6723-556: Was appointed as professor of theology, marking the beginning of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary . The Dutch-speaking community, including farmers and traders, prospered in the former New Netherlands, dominating New York City , the Hudson Valley , and parts of New Jersey while maintaining a significant presence in southeastern Pennsylvania, southwestern Connecticut, and Long Island. In

6806-544: Was intended to take advantage of this and other manuscript discoveries, and to reflect advances in scholarship. In the preface to the NRSV Bruce Metzger wrote for the committee that "many in the churches have become sensitive to the danger of linguistic sexism arising from the inherent bias of the English language towards the masculine gender, a bias that in the case of the Bible has often restricted or obscured

6889-585: Was the first translation of the Hebrew Bible, known as the Septuagint or Greek Old Testament. Therefore, Hebrew, Greek and sometimes Aramaic continue to be taught in most universities, colleges and seminaries with strong programs in biblical studies. There are few original Old Testament/Hebrew Bible manuscripts, and while the ancient translations (such as the Septuagint) are available, there comes

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