Themes in the bible?

[traillius]

How does one most effectively gather verses in context on specific themes from the bible?
Examples:
scripture passages on hope, healing, restoration, peace, and life.
I am looking to assemble these thematic scripture excerpts together. I also am looking for extra biblical catholic texts on these same issues.( saints writings, etc…)

 

[edward_george]

The best way to go about finding such things in the Bible is to use a concordance, specifically a doctrinal one. This would give you lists of verses about various doctrinal themes. As for finding those themes in the Church Fathers and other saints, your best bet would just be to search www.newadvent.com, which has an extensive collection of Patristic writings.

-ACEGC

 

[Joe_5859]

I concur about the concordance.

For the writings of the Fathers, you might also want to try getting a copy of Jurgens’ three volume The Faith of the Early Fathers. The doctrinal index in Volume 3 lets you find all the relevant excerpts on a particular doctrinal theme (throughout all three volumes). There is a General Index as well.

Another option would be to take the Scripture passages on the theme that you have found via the concordance and look those passages up on Biblia Clerus, the free online resources from the Congregation for the Clergy. This is a great resource. You look up a Scripture passage, click on the “Comments” button below the passage, and then you are treated to a list of writings from the Fathers and the documents of the Magisterium where that passage is referenced.

Of course, the best approach is to utilize all of the above. When I find an excerpt in Jurgens or Biblia Clerus, I find it helpful to take the citation to NewAdvent where you can read the full text.

 

[rcjones]

If you do not wish to parrot others, but instead discover them for yourself…

The pattern that is repeated sequentially seven times and then repeated within each section, and within each subsection, etc as you drill into it is this:

1. Separation
2. Promise
3. Desolation
4. Renewed word
5. Judgment
6. Reconciliation
7. Fruitfulness

The motifs used to express each part are easily considered themes.

The second son motif (why does the second son get the inheritance?)
The two women or Prostitute/Virgin bride motif (Why does nearly every prominent woman in the Bible contribute to this motif?)
The desolate woman motif (Why were so many of the women mentioned in the Bible barren?)
The unfulfilled promise (Why did God give so many ‘the promise’ yet they never saw it?)
etc.

Now if you map the types of themes you mention into the naturally occurring ones, you will easily identify them.