Transcript Principles of Bible Study

Ministry
Training
Program
ACR
Hampton Roads, VA
June 3-5, 2011
Purpose of mtp

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a
worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the
word of truth.” 2nd Timothy 2:15

“to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of
Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of
the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and
fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human
cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” Ephesians 4:12-14
MTP Overview acr 2011
MTP Exams







Each Module will have a separate examination
Exams will be distributed via email
You must delete all electronic versions of exams upon completion
and submission
Each exam will ask whether or not you have completed the
required reading (20% of exam grade)
Extra credit reading will be made available for each exam
There will be exams for this week’s classes on Biblical Exegesis and
Hermeneutics
Exams will contain multiple choice, short answer, short essay and
long essays
ACR 2011
General MTP Q&A
MTP Overview. ACR 2011
Biblical
Exegesis
ACR MTP
June 2011
What Is Exegesis
And Why Is It Necessary?
This is an ancient Greek word (UGH!!)
• “EX” means “Out Of”
• “EGESIS” means “To Lead” EX-EGESIS means “to lead out from” the
Biblical Text
• Exegesis’ goal: “What did the author intend for his original readers to
understand?”
•
• What did he say? (Content)
• Why did he say it then and there? (Context)
•
•
The opposite approach is “EISEGESIS”, where “EIS” means “Into”…
thus Eisegesis is leading our own preconceptions into the Text
Be Aware, however, that none of us is a blank slate!
What Is Exegesis
And Why Is It Necessary?
This is an ancient Greek word (UGH!!)
• “EX” means “Out Of”
• “EGESIS” means “To Lead” EX-EGESIS means “to lead out from” the
Biblical Text
• Exegesis’ goal: “What did the author intend for his original readers to
understand?”
•
• What did he say? (Content)
• Why did he say it then and there? (Context)
•
•
The opposite approach is “EISEGESIS”, where “EIS” means “Into”…
thus Eisegesis is leading our own preconceptions into the Text
Be Aware, however, that none of us is a blank slate!
Exegesis
• “To draw out”
• Contrast with Eisegesis: “To put in”
• Exegesis’ goal: “What did the author intend for
his original readers to understand?”
• What did he say? (Content)
• Why did he say it then and there? (Context)
Acr 2011
Exegesis: Content
•
•
•
•
Word meanings
Grammar
Syntax
Case Study: John 3:5
• I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God
unless he is born of water and Spirit.
• Word study: “hudor”
• Grammar: Coordinating conjunction “and”
• Syntax: one preposition governs two copulated nouns
Acr 2011
Exegesis: Context
• “A proof text taken out of context is a pretext.”
• Read section by section, not verse by verse
• Literary Context
• Who is writing to whom
• What is the flow
• Can this harmonize (1 Sam 31/2 Sam 1; Jn 7:42)
• Historical Context
• Circumstances for the writing
• Nature of previous relationship
• Manners and customs (Needle’s Eye fallacy: Mk 10: 23)
Acr 2011
biblical
hermeneutics
ACR MTP
June 2011
What Is hermeneutics ?

Derived from the GK ‘to interpret’

Is Investigative; The broader term that encompasses exegesis
and contextualization

Somewhat of a ‘science’ and provides a logical, orderly
classification of the rules of basic interpretation

Does have an artful aspect; requiring both spiritual and
imaginative powers
ACR 2011
hermeneutics
“The big problem with Bible study today is that we
think it should be easier than other things we do. We
study recipes for quality meals, how-to books for all
kinds of things—carpentry, plumbing, automobile
maintenance and so on—and read vociferously for our
hobbies. Why do we think the Bible is the only subject
we should not have to study?! Let me challenge you—
make the Bible your hobby. At one level I do not like
the analogy; the Bible must be so much more than a
hobby! But at another level, what if we spent as much
time and money on Bible study as we do our hobbies?”
-Grant Osborne-
We all Interpret
 “We don’t interpret the Bible, we just do what it says”
 “We simply let the bible interpret itself”
 We read the bible in translation (a form of
interpretation!)
 We all bring preconceptions to the text
 Exegesis and Hermeneutics recognizes and controls our
preconceptions, biases and worldviews
 These disciplines protect & illuminate Gods word!
ACR 2011
But I’m not Biased…
Consider these Sacred Cows:
•
•
•
•
•
Luke 9:23
Philemon 6
Matthew 6:33
Matthew 18:20
Matthew 16:18
ACR 2011
You Can Do this!!!!

What you need for effective Exegesis







Prayerful Spirit
Reverent Awe
Good Translations
Bible Dictionary
Inquisitive Mind
Common Sense
A little imagination
Biblical Exegesis. ACR 2011
Let’s Get Technical
Exegesis jargon








Exegesis
Hermeneutics
Genre
Textual Criticism
Higher Criticism
Lower Criticism
Rhetoric
Dynamic Equivalent
Biblical Exegesis. India 2006
Bible Translations
Dynamic
Equivalence
Literal
KJV
NASB
RSV
NRSV
ESV
NIV
GNB
NAB
JB
NEB
NET
ACR 2011
Free
NLT
LB
Message
The Exegetical “Method”
1. Survey
the Text
2. Investigate
the Context
6. Apply It
3. Fine Tune
the Genre
4. Detail the
Content
5. Synthesize
the Findings
ACR 2011
Survey the Text





Read
Re-Read
Repeat
Take notes
Craft a Preliminary Thesis (Big Idea)
Acr 2011
Deductive Reasoning
ACR 2011
Inductive Reasoning
ACR 2011
Biblical Tools







good translation
second, literal translation
logical mind
pocket concordance
sound Bible Dictionary
good Bible Handbook
sound commentaries
ACR 2011
How to read
“Think of yourself as a detective
looking for clues to a text’s general
theme or idea, alert for anything
that will make it clearer”
- How to Read a Book. Page 36
ACR 2011
Investigate the Context

Historical Context Notes:


"In what historical, social, and cultural
situation was the passage written?"
Literary Context Notes:



"How does the passage relate to what
precedes and follows it, and to the
document as a whole?"
“Why THIS and why HERE?”
“What is this text trying to DO to its
original readers?”
ACR 2011
Context is King!
 A Proof Text without its Context is a
Pretext!
 A lack of context is the chief cause of most
heresy
 A text cannot mean what it never meant!
ACR 2011
It’s Too easy to cite Scripture
For your own purpose
"If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it
is written, 'He will command his angels concerning
you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you
strike your foot against a stone.’”
“The devil can cite Scripture for his
purpose.”
-William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
ACR 2011
Fine Tune the Genre
 What is the literary Genre of this text? What are the
general principles for exegesis of this genre?
 What kind of structure does this genre employ –
repetition, contrast, parallelism, inclusion, chiasm,
classic rhetorical argument, comedic or tragic
narrative? Why would the author choose this form for
his intended affect?
 How does the text “move” from beginning to end?
ACR 2011
Biblical Genres








Epistles
OT Narratives
Parables
Laws
Prophecy
Gospel
Poetry/Wisdom
Apocalyptic
ACR 2011
Investigate Details of
Content
“It is not in the interest of extravagant ambition
that we trouble ourselves tith this detailed exposition,
but we hope through such painstaking interpretation
to train you in the importance of not passing over
even one slight word or syllable in the Sacred
Scriptures. For they are not ordinary utterances, but
the very expression of the Holy Spirit, and for this
reason it is possible to find great treasure even in a
single syllable.”
- John Chrysostom 4th Century AD
ACR 2011
Investigate the Details
of Content








What does the text communicate and how?
What are the key terms and images? Are these terms or images consistent in the major
exegetical translations? What do they mean?
Are there any key terms or ideas whose meaning may be explained by looking elsewhere
in the book?
Are there any literary or rhetorical devices (simile, metaphor, hyperbole, personification,
repetition, irony, particularization etc.) and if so, what it their effect?
What kinds of sentences are used? What are the major components of each sentence?
What verbal actions or states appear in these sentences, and what subjects are associated
with them?
Does the text include appeals to tradition or Scripture, such as stories, beliefs, laws, and
well-known historical figures? If so, how doe these appeals function?
Does the text appear to use any other earlier sources, whether written or oral? If so, how
do these appeals to tradition function?
If the text is a narrative, what elements of setting, plot (conflict, suspense, resolution),
and character development does each part of the text convey?
ACR 2011
Investigate the Content











Which elements of the text work, individually or together, to instruct, delight,
convict, or move the reader?
What is the tone, or mood, of the passage, and what elements convey that tone?
How do the various parts of the passage reflect and/or address the situation of the
readers?
How does each part of the passage relate to the other parts?
How does each Part contribute to the whole?
How does my emerging understanding of the whole affect the meaning of the parts?
Does the author use any technical terms?
If I enter the narrative world of this text, what do I see and hear and feel?
If I join the community that is receiving this letter, what am I being urged to do?
If I join the psalmist in prayer/song, what are we imagining about God?
If I am among this crowd encountering Jesus, how do I view Him?
ACR 2011
Investigate the Content
Text Phrase Meaning and Function
-adverbial phrase indicating time of
“In the beginning”
action and perhaps the action to
follow as the beginning of time
ACR 2011
Synthesize Your Findings
“We shall not cease from exploration,
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
- T. S. Elliot, Four Quartets
ACR 2011
Synthesize Your Findings
What is the main point of each part of the text?
Why do you think the passage was included in this biblical
book? For what main function?
 What claims did the text make upon its original hearers or
readers? What response might the author have desired from
the readers?
 What is the main idea that the author talking about? (Subject)
 What is he saying about what he is talking about?
(Complements)



What is the big idea of this passage –
stated in a single sentence?
ACR 2011
…And more Exegesis
“And now the end has come. So
listen to my piece of advice:
exegesis, exegesis, and yet more
exegesis!”
- Karl Barth, in his farewell to his students
before his 1935 expulsion from Germany
ACR 2011
not Done until you Apply it
“Search the Scriptures, not as though
thou wouldst make a concordance but an
application.”
- John Donne
ACR 2011
Ot
narrative
ACR MTP
June 2011
Narrative basics
“Stories with a theological point of view”
 40% of the OT is Narrative

Has Literary features; Plot, characters, tension and
conflict, antagonist, agonist
 This is Gods Story, and we are players in it, God is the
hero of all biblical narratives

The Question: how do the levels work
together to create the picture of what God
is doing/teaching?
Three Levels Of Narrative
Meta-narrative, the big picture of redemption the fall,
reclaiming of land, apostasy, repentance, Jesus and the
act of saving man, our eternal home in heaven…
 2nd Level: Gods redeeming his people back to himself
and forming a covenant with them ( more on that later),
Abraham and the promised land, Conquest of Canaan,
etc
 3rd level: all the small stories that make up the big
picture; “snapshots” that all contain elements of the
bigger truths or fit into the meta-narrative in some way
and this is the key to their interpretation

Ten Principles: OT Narratives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
They usually don’t directly teach a doctrine
They usually illustrate a doctrine taught directly
elsewhere
They record what happened – not necessarily what
should have happened
What people do is not necessarily a good example
for us
Most OT characters are far from perfect
ACR 2011
Ten Principles: OT Narratives
We are not always told the end of the story – whether
what happened is good or bad – but we are expected
to understand it from other scripture
7. All narratives are selective and incomplete
8. They are not written to answer all our theological
questions
9. They may teach either explicitly or implicitly
10. In the final analysis, God is the hero of all biblical
narratives
6.
ACR 2011
Features of narrative








The narrator is ‘omniscient’ but may not tell all he knows
Narrator may be a ‘re-teller’
Designed to be read aloud in public setting*
They use stereotyped patterns
Employ devices; foreshadowing, irony etc
Assume knowledge of LAW and Previous History of Israel
Assume we will draw implications of outcomes for ourselves
(not morality tales)
Ultimately incomplete, we must connect ideas to principles
ACR 2011
Narratives are not






Not allegories full of hidden meanings
Not intended to teach concrete moral lessons
Not intended to teach an explicit doctrine
To be directly imitated as a guarantee of similar
‘results’ (Joseph/Gideon)
Not examples to imitate, but actual events, of good
and bad people
Teach Propositionally
ACR 2011
INTERPRETIVE CLUES IN TEXT
NUMBERS 15-18
NARRATIVE/LAW COMBINATION
15:1-21: LAWS
15:22 ‘OFFERINGS FOR UNINTENTIONAL SIN’ (LAW)
15:32 AN ISREALITE INTENTIONALLY SINS! (NARRATIVE)
15:37 A REMINDER TO HAVE A TASSLE TO REMEMBER
THE LAW! (LAW)
16:1-35….v 36-39! (NARRATIVE)
17: Aarons Staff Produces Almonds (NARRATIVE)
18: LAW (Priests and Levites)
ACR 2011
INTERPRETIVE CLUES IN TEXT
RUTH 1: “IN THE TIME….”
What do we already know about that time?
Who is Ruth? Her situation? What do we know about how
God feels about people like her? The Moabites?
RUTH 2: BOAZ: What kind of man is he? What is his
household like? How does he treat this widow? What
does this suggest about him? His relationship with Torah?
RUTH 4:13-22: Why include a genealogy? Message?
ACR 2011
Take Caution When Interpreting
OT Narratives








Implicit does not mean secret
Desperation, impatience, and false expectations
Allegorizing
Selectivity
False Combinations …Syllogisms
Redefinition
Moralizing
Personalizing/Individualizing
ACR 2011
The
prophets
ACR MTP
June 2011
Prophets:
Covenant Enforcers





The prophets’ purpose was to enforce the
covenant (law)
The prophets’ message was not their own, but
God’s
The prophets’ message is unoriginal
Exegetical Task
Hermeneutical Task
ACR 2011
The Prophets: general ideas




The Call: Human and/or Divine (Is 6, Jer 1, I Ki 19
Not ‘inheritance’ like priesthood; Divine Call
Prophet no longer controls own destiny, but is
‘owned’ by God
Message is “Thus saith the Lord” and prophet
may not even like it! (Jer 20:17-18)
ACR 2011
The Prophets: historical
Prophetic activity concentrated between 760 and 460 BC
 Significant dates 722 and 587…captivities of Northern
and Southern Kingdoms
 Prophets spoke in the context of Kingdom history
beginning with Samuel
 Hundreds of prophets functioning in Israel at this time,
we have writings of 16 of them, others we know about
from narratives, Elijah and Elisha

ACR 2011
The Prophets





Main Issue: We are looking backward toward
events that for them, were future/present
Modern definition of ‘prophecy’ is too narrow
Poor understanding of forms and ORACLES
Lack of Context for political, military,
geographical nuances
Historical Distance…
ACR 2011
The Prophets




Forth-telling vs Fore-telling
Leviticus 26
Deuteronomy 4
Significant Dates: 722 BC & 587 BC


These dates ‘govern’ the narrative of the prophets
Function as Temporal Markers
ACR 2011
The Prophets
Look for “Blessings”; life health, prosperity, agricultural
abundance, respect and safety
 Look for “Curses” ; death, disease, drought, dearth,
danger, destruction, defeat, deportation, destitution
and disgrace
 Engage with Historical Situation (Kings, Chronicles)
 Be Aware of ‘loaded’ ideas (Jezebel,
Abraham,Jeroboam, and references to historical
failures, Baal of Peor etc)

ACR 2011
The Prophets
 Major Oracle Sub-Types




THE LAWSUIT: Isaiah 3:13-26
WOE ORACLE: Habakkuk 2:6-8
ENACTMENT PROPHECY: Isaiah 20, Ezekiel
4:1-4
MESSENGER SPEECH: “thus saith the Lord”
ACR 2011
The Prophets



The Differences between pre and post exilic
prophecy
Amos 3:14…destroy the altar? Why is this
significant?
Joel 2:12 Hermeneutical ‘keys’ within the
oracles
ACR 2011
The LAW
ACR MTP
June 2011
Collections of law
1.
2.
3.
4.
Decalogue; (Exodus 20-23) It follows the suzerainty form in
which a vassal (Israel) has certain obligations established before
the superior power (Yahweh)
“Tabernacle Laws” (Exodus 25-40)
Priestly or Ritual Laws: regarding worship and the altar,
purity and holiness. “Holiness Code” (exodus 25-Lev 16)
 A wide variety of issues are addressed (food laws, sexual
behavior, neighbor relations, criminal activity, eating
sacrifices, sabbatical and Jubilee years, blasphemy) but all
relate to Israel living before the Lord as a holy people.
The Four Speeches: (Deut 1:6–4:40; 5:1–26:19; 27:1–
28:68; 29:1–30:20) a retelling for new generation
Acr 2011
The Law





OT Law is fashioned around other ‘legal’ systems
in the ancient world
Has similarities with ancient suzerainty/protective
treatises. (Lord/Servant, Slavery/Protection)
Code of Ur-nammu; Sumerian, c. 2050 b.c.
Code of Eshnunna; Babylonian, c. 1980 b.c.
Code of Hammurabi ; 1792-1750 BC
Acr 2011
The Law






The Old Testament Law is a Covenant
The Old Testament is not Our Testament
Some stipulations of the OT not renewed in the NT
Some of the OT is renewed in the NT
All of the OT law is still the Word of God for us even
though it is not still the command of God to us
Only that which is explicitly renewed from the OT law can
be considered part of the NT “law of Christ” (Gal 6:2)
Acr 2011
Types of laws
F/S divide into Functional Groupings:
1. Apodictic : Direct commands generally
applicable as part of fulfilling the covenant with
God (Lev 19:9-14)
 They set a standard by way of example and are
not exhaustive. (gleaning laws, food laws,
laws of slavery)
Acr 2011
Types of laws
2. Casuistic Law: Case-by-case law, situations they come
up in every day life kind of law. Conditional and are
conditioned by Situation in life or specifics of living
daily life.
 What to do specific situation, injury of slave,
unintentional sin, accidental contact with the dead
etc
 Functions indirectly if you are recipient,
directly if you are the one of whom it makes a
requirement
Acr 2011
Types of laws

Casuistic Law:
 We do not ‘obey’ them, but there are important
hermeneutical principles in them for us; Ask “why” are there
limitations on slavery, “how” are they to be applied, “what
benefit does this have”
 Note well that this law was a significant upgrade from other
early Middle Eastern “Law codes” that had built in class
distinctions.
 These make up the large portion of the 600 plus
commandments in the Pentateuch
Acr 2011
The Law (Fee/Stuart)






The OT law is a Covenant
The Old Testament is not our Testament
Some stipulations of the OT have clearly not been renewed
in the NT
Part of the OT is renewed in the NT
All of the OT law is still the Word of God for us even
though it is not still the command of God to us
Only that which is explicitly renewed from the OT law can
be considered part of the NT “law of Christ” (Gal 6:2)
Acr 2011
How Should I View the
Law?




Galatians 3:24
It functioned in the history of salvation to bring
us to Christ
The Law stands as a paradigm (a model) of what
it means to be loyal to God
The Law should increase our appreciation of our
unworthiness for grace, thus our gratitude is
greater
Acr 2011
Do’s and Don’ts of the Law





Do see the law as God’s fully
inspired Word for you
Do see the law as the basis for the
OT and Israel’s history
Do see God’s justice, love, high
standards, and gift
Do see the law as directing a full
range of behavior
Do remember the essence of the
Law is repeated and renewed





Acr 2011
Don’t see the law as God’s direct
command to you
Don’t see the law as binding on
Christians
Don’t see the law as a grouping of
of arbitrary, limiting, annoying
regulations
Don’t see the law as technically
complete
Don’t expect the law to be cited
frequently by the prophets or NT
writers
The Gospels
ACR MTP
June 2011
The Gospels





They already function as hermeneutical models
for us, insisting by their very nature that we,
too, retell the story
Steeped in 1st C Judaism
Second-hand Documents
Filled with “Kingdom Rhetoric”
Eschatological Fervor and Expectations
ACR 2011
Gospel: Literary Context

Think Horizontally
Harmonize Four Accounts
 Appreciate Distinctiveness of each Gospel


Think Vertically
Awareness of historical contexts of both Jesus and
the Evangelist
 Examine selection of Jesus and organization of
Evangelist as unified whole

Acr 2011
Gospel: Literary context


Horizontal Considerations:
Adaptation & Selectivity





Parallel Accounts (beware harmonization)
Overlapping Source Material
DEPENDENT upon one-another
Redaction, Re-use and Borrowing
Early Church Understanding*
ACR 2011
Gospel: literary context



Feeding of Five Thousand Narrative (Fee/Stuart)
Words in John that are common to the other three: 8
% of agreement among them:

Matt w Mark
59%
 Matt w Luke
44%
 Luke w Mark
40%
 John w Matt
8.5%
 John w Mark
8.5%
 John w Luke
6.5%
ACR 2011
Gospel: Two Dimensions

Horizontal; How the gospel fits together with
other gospel accounts of same events and pericopes



Vocabulary, Temporal Placement, Arrangement, Plot
Gives appreciation for differences in gospels
Adds clarity and details other gospels may have
excluded, including additional context
Acr 2011
Gospel: Two Dimensions


Vertical; examines historical context of both Jesus and
gospel writer together
Jesus may be illustrating a general principle for his own
(universal) mission, while the gospel writer is organizing
the teaching into his account in a way that illuminates
additional/secondary truth


“Poor” and “Poor in spirit” Mat 5 vs Lk 6
“First and Last” Mat 19:30 (Workers in Vineyard) vs Mark 10:31
(Rich Ruler) Jesus says it more than once/change in meaning
Acr 2011
Gospel: Historical Context

Immerse yourself in first century Judaism and its
preaching style
Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus Jeremias; The NT
Environment” Lohse; Jesus’ Audience Derret
 The Method and Message of Jesus’ Teaching Stein
(proverbs, similes, metaphors, poetry, questions,
irony, etc.)

Acr 2011
Gospel: Historical Context



Difficulty is many of Jesus’ sayings come without
the original context (1 Cor 9:14, Acts 20:24)
Different gospels seem ‘out of order’
What was Jesus’ audience for a given teaching?
Close Disciples… crowds… enemies? This helps
with the ‘point’
Acr 2011
The Gospels: horizontal


Adaptation; Same stories re-used and re-shaped
Critical to understand AUDIENCE, as it may vary
by evangelist/pericope


Fig tree in Mark 11:12-14; 20-25 vs Matthew 21:1822
Authors are also “compilers” (Fee)
ACR 2011
The Gospels: horizontal
 Selectivity: Rejection at Nazareth;





(Matt 13:51/Mark 6:4/Luke 4:24)
John 4:44 puts the rejection text in Jerusalem!
No “I AM” statements in three gospels
Missing Beatitudes etc
Johns Structure vs. Synoptic Structure
ACR 2011
The Gospels: Horizontal
Horizontal Sensitivity will assist in understanding possible
meanings or range of meanings (Semantics)
 Horizontal Sensitivity shapes our view of how the early
church ‘interpreted’ these texts
 Horizontal reading prevents overly narrow
interpretations
 Horizontal Reading my also assist in filing in gaps in
context by providing additional details

ACR 2011
The Gospels: think vertically

Theological Point of View



How Jesus uses the teaching COMBINED with the
setting given to it by the gospel writer
Jesus by historical context may be making one point
and Mark, by his organization makes another ‘point’
Meaning my be localized by Jesus telling, and at the
same time ‘globalized’ by the manner in which the
pericope is placed within the gospel itself
ACR 2011
The Gospels: think vertically
Matthew 4:17
17From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Mark 1:14–15
14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming
the gospel of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Luke 4:14–15
14And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a
report about him went out through all the surrounding country.
15And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
ACR 2011
The Gospels: Horizon / Vertical
Luke 4:18-19
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”




Luke is only gospel to reference the Isaiah 61 text (horizontal)
Luke recounts Jesus reference to Elijah/Elisha (v 25-27) (horizontal)
Jesus is rebuking exclusivism (vertical)
Luke is encouraging Gentiles that Jesus has come for them (vertical)
ACR 2011
Gospel: Hermeneutics
 Note Setting Carefully; audience, surrounding material
 Note Audience; who is being addressed, tone of voice,
repetition of ideas
 Study Structure; literary devices, rhetoric, inclusio,
chiasm…
 Look for change in focus/attention (change of pronoun)
 Locate the climax of story (moment of truth)
 Shift in action before/after climax
Acr 2011
Gospel: Hermeneutics
 Do not ‘modernize’ teachings
 Miracle narratives are not precedent setting
 “Now” and “Not Yet” – Eschatology
 Jewish culture saw end of all things as imminent,
especially the Galilean sect of Zealots
 Jewish culture hoped Jesus would destroy Rome
and inaugurate the ultimate age of blessing
 JTB fueled this fervor with his message of
repentance….
Acr 2011
Gospel: hermeneutics


Very Important Final Consideration
“Now” and “Not Yet” – Eschatology




Jewish culture saw end of all things as imminent,
especially the Galilean sect of Zealots
Jewish culture hoped Jesus would destroy Rome
and inaugurate the ultimate age of blessing
JTB fueled this fervor with his message of
repentance….
“Realized Eschatology”
Acr 2011
The
Parables
ACR MTP
June 2011
The parables






Most Mis-Understood of all Scripture
Very often over Allegorized
Find the Audience: crowd, ‘disciples’, Pharisees,
an individual?
Jesus is not trying to be obtuse
Understand Palestinian Judaism
Understand the ‘types’ of sayings
Acr 2011
The parables
 Hebrew māšāl = proverb, riddle, comparison
 Proverbs: “Physician heal yourself” -Lk 4:23
 Metaphors: “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will
be uprooted” -Mt 15:13
 Similes: “I send you out like sheep among wolves”- Mt 10:16
 Figurative Sayings: Lk 5:36–38, new wine in old wineskins
 Similitude or more developed similes: Mk 4:30–32, comparing
the kingdom to a grain of mustard seed
 Story Parables in the form of fictional narrative: Mt 25:1–13, the
ten virgins
Acr 2011
Parables: functional

Mark 4:10–12 and Matthew 13:13–15 clearly indicate that Jesus
chose the parable form to symbolize God’s judgment on his
opponents and on an unbelieving people.
“The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to
those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

Jesus often used parables not from a desire to communicate
truth but to hide the truth from unresponsive hearers. Parables
confirmed unbelievers in their rejection

“Encounter Mechanism” -Osborne
Acr 2011
The Parabolic sayings
Types of Parabolic sayings in the canon:
 Similitude; a likeness or similarity
 Epigram; is a brief, clever, and usually memorable



statement (sometimes in verse, rather than prose)
Metaphor; uses an image, story or tangible thing to
represent some intangible quality or idea or else some less
tangible thing
Simile: similes indirectly compare the two ideas and allow
them to remain distinct in spite of their similarities
True Parable; Lost Son a STORY likely ‘true’ or
“possible”
Acr 2011
Parables: reversal of fortune

Some Notable “Plot Twists”





Lk 10:30–37; Samaritan
Lk 15:11–32; Wandering son
Lk 14:15–24; Crippled at Great Banquet
Lk 16:1–13; “shrewd manager”
Luke is a big fan of the Reversal of Fortune
Acr 2011
Parables of the kingdom

Parables of the Kingdom:






New patch/wine and the old cloth/wineskins (Mk 2:21–22)
Kingdom ‘ripping away from the past’
“The kingdom of God has come to you” (Lk 11:20). Exorcism
Mustard Seed (Mk 4:30–32) The Leaven (Mt 13:33). Kingdom is
living, spreading, growing exponentially!
Kingdom calls for a Radical Response: Sower, Tares, Dragnet
Kingdom Ethics: Mt 5:13–16, Mt 6:19-24, Mt 7:1-5
Viewed together they form a ‘hermeneutic of the Kingdom’
Acr 2011
Eschatology in parables

Parables of the End Time






Matthew 25 Collection: Virgins, Talent, Sheep & Goats
Luke 16: Rich Man and Lazarus
Matthew 22: Wedding Banquet
Illustrate element of surprise, reversal, the unexpected
choice of common people and the urgency of the hour
“Inaugurated Eschatology” Final destination determined
‘later’ but action required in the present to avoid
catastrophe
Viewed together they form a ‘hermeneutic of the Eschaton’
Acr 2011
SALVATION in parables


Parables of Repentance and Salvation





Lk 15:11–31
Mt 20:1–6
Mt 21:28–31
Lk 14:16–24
Lost Son/Older Brother
Grateful/Ungrateful Workers
Obedient/Disobedient Son
Great Banquet
Grouped together a ‘hermeneutic of Salvation’ emerges
Acr 2011
Parables: hermeneutics




Call for a RESPONSE from the Audience
Are meant to illustrate PRINCIPLES of Kingdom
Life, not teach morals per se
Who is ‘caught’ or surprised by outcome?
Reversals/changes in fortune, tone, mood...( I tell
you than not one of those will get a taste of MY banquet!)

Luke 7:47, Luke 15:28, Luke 19:9-10, Mat 25:44-45,
Mat 13:14 “them”..

Ultimately CONTEXT must be final arbiter of
Meaning
Acr 2011
The
epistles
ACR MTP
June 2011
The Epistles







Good place to start (easy?)
We all write and read letters (email is distorting this experience)
Nature of Epistles: similar in form and mostly in function
Letters, Epistles, Prison Epistles, Catholic Epistles, Pastoral
Epistles
Crucial Issue: All are Occasional documents
With the Epistles, we have answers, but we don’t always know the
questions
It’s like listening to one end of a phone conversation
ACR 2011
Exegesis of the Epistles:
The Literary Context



Now is the time to THINK PARAGRAPHS
If it were an assignment: “Trace the argument of 2
Thessalonians, paragraph by paragraph, and in a
sentence or two explain the point of each paragraph
for the argument as a whole (i.e.: Christ’s return)
Ask repeatedly “What’s the point?” As you trace the
arguments of Paul response


Content: What does Paul say in this paragraph? State this in
a concise sentence
Context: Why does Paul say this right at this point? Explain
this in another sentence
ACR 2011
Exegesis of the Epistles:
The Historical Context


Consult your Bible Dictionary
Read the Letter for the Big View






Reconstruct the problem (occasion)
Note the recipients
Note Paul’s attitude
Note specific things mentioned to specify the occasion of the
letter
Note the letter’s natural divisions
Re-re-Read the Letter


List every clue to the recipient’s problem
List key phrases that indicate Paul’s answers
ACR 2011
EXEGESIS in the Epistles

Think Paragraphs; trace the flow of argument
 The rest of the letter
 The body of NT thought in general
 Known issues in the churches, (Judaizing
and Gnostic heresies etc)
 The balance of Scripture
 In some cases, other letters to the same
church or group of leaders
Acr 2011
EXEGESIS in the Epistles

What is the “Big Idea”




What is being said?
How is it being stated?
Why is it here, now, in this paragraph or
portion of the argument?
How does this ‘point’ contribute to the
overall ‘flow’ of discourse or argument?
Acr 2011
Hermeneutics in the Epistles
What does this mean to us?
 All “do” hermeneutics, even without exegesis
as we bring an enlightened common sense to
the text
 The Big Issue: Cultural Relativity

Cultural
2 Tim 4:13
Eternal
2 Tim 2:3
ACR 2011
Hermeneutics in the Epistles
Occasional documents
 Letters, personal or corporate and have
structure and elements of personal
correspondence
 Read through entire text in a single sitting
 Understand the flow of thought
 The background and occasion of the writing
 Issues and concerns/major themes or conflicts

ACR 2011
Hermeneutics in the Epistles
Look for theologically loaded ideas
 References to OT passages or situations
 Names of cities, people or other referents that
are clues to meaning
 Any natural or logical divisions of thought
 Ask ‘who is writing to whom?’
 Develop a working outline

Acr 2011
Hermeneutics in the Epistles
 The Basic Rule
 A text can’t now mean what it never could have meant!
 The Second Rule
 When we share comparable life situations with the 1st
century setting, God’s word is the same for us, too
 Our Problems with the Second Rule:
 Extended Application
 Non Comparable Life Situations
 Cultural Relativity
 Task Theology
ACR 2011
Hermeneutics: The Epistles

The Third Rule: Extended Application; If it meant ____ for
them, it must mean _____ for us, right?
 In extended or extending application Gods word must be
limited to teach its original intent.
 If you are hot certain that all the particulars are the same, this
is the best approach.

We will deal with Extended Application in Acts along
with issues of Historical Precedent
ACR 2011