notes Crucial Point Most people start by looking at a single verse and then make their idea bigger, this is totally backward from what we should be doing. Start with (in your mind) the whole of scripture, narrow it down to a book and that book’s basic themes and points, then look at the pericope (an individual section of/story in that book [note this may not hold to verse and chapter markings]). Then you can analyze the smaller pericope within that unit, and finally get down to more of a verse by verse breakdown. Think critically about everything you see. Sometimes, there are bits of buried treasure within scripture that only a careful and studied reader can really bring out of the text. Look carefully, and consider many different possibilities. Also consider this, many times we see scripture as being a loosely connected set of ideas, or being completely disconnected. Often times, there is a greater point or argument that is behind the text, and the “disconnected sayings” can be seen as literary units that are trying to make a specific point. Drawing out the main point Finally, after we have read the text in light of all of the information we found out, and we have looked at the literary units in the text, both large and small, and we have detected a particular pericope that we want to bring meaning out of, then we look at what the main point of what it is saying is. For example, we look at Paul’s commands for appropriate dress. In the literal sense he says that the ladies are to wear head coverings. Culturally we know that women who were bald in the Corinthian culture (and Roman culture in general) during Paul’s time were temple prostitutes for the pagan temple. So we know that Paul is essentially telling them that they should not dress like prostitutes. As we bring that forward into our own culture and time period, we do not necessarily need to bring forward the cultural practice, but we do need to bring forward the big idea. That is why we do not enforce the wearing of hats or coverings for the ladies, but we do encourage people not to dress like prostitutes. Don’t be overwhelmed Please do not be overwhelmed by the system we have just discussed. I know it sounds like a lot, but there are resources I will show you and ways to get this done quickly and painlessly. Besides, if you make it a habit, you will be reading the bible like never before.
Additional Reading:
Fee, Gordon D. How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth. Grand Rapids, Michigan : Zondervan, 2003.
Studying the Bible...
The Interpretive Bridge The bible wasn’t written to us... Part of what we need to realize when we first approach scripture is that it was not written to us. I know I’ve said this multiple times before, but it bears repeating: We are voyeurs on the text. The books within the bible were not written with 21st century American Christians in mind. This means that we cannot simply read the text and expect it to reveal to us what the author meant, or what it implies for our lives. As an example of this, we see that the book of Colossians was written to a group of people living in the city of Colossae, within one of the Roman provinces. These people lived 2000 years ago, in a completely different culture, with a completely different language, in a society that functioned very differently than ours does. Therefore, to simply state that any average person can pick up the bible and completely understand it is, though a nice thought, is incorrect. In order for us to properly understand the texts themselves, it is important for us to be detectives in some ways about the situation which surrounds the writing of the book. In the next few sections we will talk a little bit about the things that we really ought to find before we want to draw any serious conclusions from the text. Author This is one of of the most important things you can research when looking at the background information surrounding the writing of the text. It is so very important for a number of reasons. 1. Knowing who wrote the book gives us a chronological setting for the book. As an example, if something is written by Paul, even in the broadest sense of his writing we know it is limited between Paul’s conversion 34 AD, and his death in 62-4 AD. This means that if something is written by Paul it is within a particular set of historical events. Additionally, knowing the author of the writing also sets it is a particular place in the world, and in a cultural framework. Keeping Paul as our example, we know that anything written by him happens within the framework of either Judaism, and the Jewish community, or Greek/
reading the bible like never before
Roman thought within the gentile areas he traveled. That is going to instantly help us understand some of the concerns and topics that Paul is addressing, as well as the influences that may exist on his writing. Knowing the author also helps us understand some of the influences in his writing. We learn about Paul, and James, and John and many of the other characters in the bible through other works which include them. When we read their writing then, we are able to see their particular perspective shining through. (for the bible nerds, define authorship both in the text, and using first century resources). Time Period Since this is connected with authorship, it doesn’t need much discussion, but knowing what time the book was written in relation to other historical and political events is crucial for understanding what the writer may be communicating. Audience In addition to knowing the author, his time period, cultural setting, and background, it is also terribly important to understand this information in regard to the people that this author is writing to. Part of dealing with this is historical fact, information that we know about cities and cultures. Sometimes these are bits of information about that city’s history, sometimes it is about their culture, their language, or their lifestyles. Other times, the information that we develop about an audience is done so through inference. We make educated guesses about who they were and what was going on. For example, talking once more about Paul, when the letter to the Galatians is written, what we know about the audience (that they were Jewish, and Gentile mixed, that Judaizers had infiltrated their society, and that they were struggling to develop a Christian identity) play a huge role in how we understand the book of Galatians. Culture Knowing the culture of the person writing, and the culture of the people he is writing to is also key to understanding the bulk of the meaning of the passage you are reading. What gods did they worship? What were key elements in their worship of these gods? What philosophical ideas or ways of thinking did they possess? What were their day to day lives like? What characteristics epitomized them? What social groups existed within their culture and what were they like? These are all questions that can potentially influence the understanding that we have of a text, and thus alter the information we take out of it. This example may shed light on some of the passages like: servants serve your masters, wives serve your husbands, children serve your parents, etc... Part of Roman life was to uphold the strength of society through
Studying the Bible having a well defined family structure. They though that this brought them peace, and anyone who taught a different familial structure was looked upon as someone who was upsetting the peace of Rome. This could shed some light on Paul’s suggestion that society be established this way. Another example would be his command for women to have their heads covered. In that culture, the temple prostitutes went with uncovered heads, and so Paul, by telling them to cover their heads is basically telling them not to dress like prostitutes. What is more important, the cultural artifact of head-covering, or the big idea of not dressing like a hooker? Historical Setting It is also key to understand the historical context in which a bible story or book falls. It is key to our understanding of the book of Haggai that the temple of the Lord has been destroyed, the Jews have been sent back to rebuild the temple by Cyrus, and they still have not done it, instead they have used the materials to build lavish homes for themselves. If we don’t understand this, then the book doesn’t make as good of sense. Understanding it though helps us make a lot of sense out of the book. Language Knowing the language of the book that you are reading also helps. I am not talking about a totally through knowledge where you are able to translate the whole thing for yourself from the original Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek manuscripts, but having a basic understanding of how the language works, and what it means. For example, in Greek, the word for hand basically means the whole area of forearm, wrist, and hand. Some have made a big deal about Jesus being hung from his hands and claim that anyone who believes otherwise does not believe the bible ( I know, I have heard it all). If someone just knew the original language, they would know that the greek is a little nebulous and would not make a big deal out of a small insignificant thing. List of Prep-Work - Author - Time Period - Audience - Culture (author and audience) - Historical Setting - Language - Now we begin to look at the text. First Step Now it is time to start looking at the bible. Start by developing a big idea framework for the bible. Have in the back of your head the whole point of scripture, its basic historical flow, and ideas.