Study Questions

The following questions are offered to you as an optional guide to enhance your textual

understanding of the text. If at any point you feel totally drawn into the world of the

Bible and prefer not to stop at each step to read yet another study question, do feel free

to do so.

GENESIS1:1-2:4 (In the Beginning)How is God presented in the text? If you were to paint God according to the descriptions in the text, how would you depict Him?

What was the order of Creation? How did God carry out the Creation? Is the world different before and after the Creation?

How were man and woman created? Was the world different after they were created?

What was the relation between humankind and God

2:4-3:24 (Eden and the Forbidden Fruit)How is God presented in this second Creation story? Would you paint Him differently according to the descriptions in this text?

What was the order of Creation here? How were man and woman created? Are the descriptions here different from those in Genesis 1:1-2:4?

What qualities and abilities are shared by God and the humankind? What qualities and abilities are not share by them?

What made Eve and Adam eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge?

Did the relation between Adam and Eve change after they ate the Forbidden Fruit? What about their relation with God, and with the world?

In other words, to what extent are human beings free and to what extent are they limited?

4 (Cain and Abel)

What made Cain kill his brother Abel?

How did God punish Cain?

11 (Tower of Babel)

How did the humankind make use of their power of speech and labour?

How were they supposed to use their power of speech and labour according to the beginning of Genesis?

How is God presented in this story? Ponder this question in terms of the flood, the vow of the rainbow, and the instructions He gave Noah before and after the flood.

What can be the theme of the story about Noah’s drunkenness?

Gospel of MarkCh. 1:1-39What do these verses tell us about the reason Jesus came into the world?

Ch. 1:40-3:35What groups of people cause problems for and oppositions to Jesus in this section?

Ch. 4-5In 4:35 to 5:43, how many different types of fear does Mark illustrate? What are the responses of Jesus towards these different types of fear?

Ch. 6Use this passage to compare Herod, the political king, to Jesus, what are the major differences between them? Are there any similarities?

Ch. 7-8:30What is the relationship between Jesus and Pharisees? Friendly or not?

Ch. 9-10What is the relationship between Jesus and his disciples? What do his disciples want from Jesus?

Ch. 11-12In 11:12 to 12:27, Jesus has a series of conflicts with people again. Make a list of each event, stating the reason for the dispute. What is Jesus’ general method of dealing with these opponents?

Ch. 13-16

What do you think about Jesus’ suffering and his choice of being crucified?