EPTBUT I do have education and training in an area that a lot of people do not and in an area that is often misunderstood: biblical exegesis. This guide isn't meant as a conversion piece, it's simply me kicking some information out there that I know and others may find handy at times.
Ever hear someone quote the Bible and your just like "what in the honest fuck"? Yeah, me too. It drives me nuts. So here we go with my guide and I hope you read it: at least as an educational piece :D
Introduction
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Biblical interpretation is widly regarded as both an art and a science. it is a science in the respect that there is a method that is followed for interpretation. It is an art because it requires flexibility, at times inprecision, and (admittedly) creativity. Exegetes of the Old and New Testament must be able to piece together all available information to best discover the meaning of the text to both the ancient reader and to the modern 21st century reader.
It is a science, however, because there is usually one right answer. The most annoying thing someonme can say to a biblical scholar is, "Here is what the text means to me..." This is actually really annoying. Biblical authors wrote to various audiences with a singular goal: to convey information about Jesus Christ and how to best follow his example. Situations are specific and instructions are given to these specific situations. As you'll see, context is everything. Reading about how we should "rejoice in suffering" doesn't mean that we should deal with going to church when we don't want to, or seeing people we don't want to. It means something far different.
It is a science, however, because there is usually one right answer. The most annoying thing someonme can say to a biblical scholar is, "Here is what the text means to me..." This is actually really annoying. Biblical authors wrote to various audiences with a singular goal: to convey information about Jesus Christ and how to best follow his example. Situations are specific and instructions are given to these specific situations. As you'll see, context is everything. Reading about how we should "rejoice in suffering" doesn't mean that we should deal with going to church when we don't want to, or seeing people we don't want to. It means something far different.
1. Context
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I deliberated for a bit on how to best start this guide. I debated between starting with genres, major themes, historical criticism, everything. But I decided on context. Why? Because it must be understood that context is literally everything when interpreting any piece of prose, especially ancient documents.
The analogy I like to use when talking to other bible students is this: when you read the paper and hear that "Alistair Overeem kicked that shit out of Brock Lesnar" there could be several scenarios. 1. Overeem is a criminal and attacked Brock Lesnar and beat him up. 2. Brock Lesnar tried to start stuff with Overeem and Overeem fought back. 3. The two were participating in a sporting contest known as mixed martial arts and Overeem bested Lesnar in the contest.
Quite apparently, context is everything in this news story. The exact same goes for biblical interpretation. You can quote anything out of the bible and make any claim you want to. I could quote, for instance, 1 timothy 2:11-15
"11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety."
One could read this and say "Wow, Paul was a misyogenist." And that is a highly inaccurate statement. Paul was simply acting within his historical context.
There are various types of context.
There is historical context. Historical context deals with understanding the culture/historical events going on at the time. The type of world the people lived in. For instance, in our 1 Timothy 2:11-15 example, Paul's culture taught that women were subordinate to men. Paul was attempting to act within the culture of his people in order to most effectively minister to them. Social reform could take place after they had accepted the news he had to bring and the standards that the message brought.
There is grammatical context. This one makes sense enough. What is the relationship between the nouns, verbs, and adjectives? This is best seen in the Greek New Testament as all grammatical relationships are best seen in the original language.
There is also literary context. What genre is the text? I will discuss various genres in another section, but the type of genre that a piece of writing is heavily influences how it should be interpreted.
The analogy I like to use when talking to other bible students is this: when you read the paper and hear that "Alistair Overeem kicked that shit out of Brock Lesnar" there could be several scenarios. 1. Overeem is a criminal and attacked Brock Lesnar and beat him up. 2. Brock Lesnar tried to start stuff with Overeem and Overeem fought back. 3. The two were participating in a sporting contest known as mixed martial arts and Overeem bested Lesnar in the contest.
Quite apparently, context is everything in this news story. The exact same goes for biblical interpretation. You can quote anything out of the bible and make any claim you want to. I could quote, for instance, 1 timothy 2:11-15
"11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety."
One could read this and say "Wow, Paul was a misyogenist." And that is a highly inaccurate statement. Paul was simply acting within his historical context.
There are various types of context.
There is historical context. Historical context deals with understanding the culture/historical events going on at the time. The type of world the people lived in. For instance, in our 1 Timothy 2:11-15 example, Paul's culture taught that women were subordinate to men. Paul was attempting to act within the culture of his people in order to most effectively minister to them. Social reform could take place after they had accepted the news he had to bring and the standards that the message brought.
There is grammatical context. This one makes sense enough. What is the relationship between the nouns, verbs, and adjectives? This is best seen in the Greek New Testament as all grammatical relationships are best seen in the original language.
There is also literary context. What genre is the text? I will discuss various genres in another section, but the type of genre that a piece of writing is heavily influences how it should be interpreted.
2. Genres
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There are several types of genres in the Bible and I will focus on the main ones found in the New Testament.
Narrative: the most basic type of genre. These pieces of literature were simply stories. Think of the life of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and the acts of the Disciples (Acts). These are basic narratives that cover a specific story (life, death, ressurection, subsequent ministries). You can read this just like you would a story. No hidden meanings, just a recounting of the events as they occured.
Epistle: Epistles are letters. The epistles in the new testament were either written to individuals (1/2 Timothy), churches (Philippians), or wide groups of people (Hebrews, 1/2 peter, etc.). You can typically tell who the letter is to by the introduction; the introduction is usually the first one or two verses of the book. These letters were often written to address specific circumstances. The ancient reader would have understood the contents of the letter writer exactly. The modern reader, however, must do a bit of interpreting. How can the situations the ancient writers were addressing be paralled in my daily life? Where can I insert society, myself, or others into this situation. Once the comparisons are made, applications can be made. If Paul instructed a group of people to do something that found themselves in a similar circumstance that I find myself in, I can apply the information to my own life.
Prophetical literature: Ahh, good old revelation. The topic of many history channel episodes. This is, obviously, the hardest to interpret. The best way to look at this genre of literature isn't "what does it mean for the end of the world". I like to look at it in it's historical context (see, I told you context would be important). What message was the author trying to convey to the original readers? Be constantly prepared for the end? Don't give in to the authorities around you concerning your faith? I realize this is a mega-vague overview of prophetical literature, but i want to give a survey of some various genres and I could write all day on prophetical literature.
Narrative: the most basic type of genre. These pieces of literature were simply stories. Think of the life of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and the acts of the Disciples (Acts). These are basic narratives that cover a specific story (life, death, ressurection, subsequent ministries). You can read this just like you would a story. No hidden meanings, just a recounting of the events as they occured.
Epistle: Epistles are letters. The epistles in the new testament were either written to individuals (1/2 Timothy), churches (Philippians), or wide groups of people (Hebrews, 1/2 peter, etc.). You can typically tell who the letter is to by the introduction; the introduction is usually the first one or two verses of the book. These letters were often written to address specific circumstances. The ancient reader would have understood the contents of the letter writer exactly. The modern reader, however, must do a bit of interpreting. How can the situations the ancient writers were addressing be paralled in my daily life? Where can I insert society, myself, or others into this situation. Once the comparisons are made, applications can be made. If Paul instructed a group of people to do something that found themselves in a similar circumstance that I find myself in, I can apply the information to my own life.
Prophetical literature: Ahh, good old revelation. The topic of many history channel episodes. This is, obviously, the hardest to interpret. The best way to look at this genre of literature isn't "what does it mean for the end of the world". I like to look at it in it's historical context (see, I told you context would be important). What message was the author trying to convey to the original readers? Be constantly prepared for the end? Don't give in to the authorities around you concerning your faith? I realize this is a mega-vague overview of prophetical literature, but i want to give a survey of some various genres and I could write all day on prophetical literature.
3. The Method
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So what is the actual method for interpreting various scripture? Here it is, in as close to step-by-step instructions as I can give.
1. Select the text you want to study. Typically a 6-8 block of verses is appropriate. How do you choose this? Well, pick whatever you want. Have a friend that constantly throws bible at you? Look up some of the stuff he says and pick a couple of those verses.
2. Read the entire book in which your verses are located. Did you pick 1 timothy 2:11-15? Read all of 1 Timothy! Remember, context is key.
3. Construct an outline of the entire book you are studying. This helps you be able to review the book at a glance. What are the major themes and then sub-themes in the book?
4. Construct a verse-by-verse outline of the verses you are studying. This helps you see the flow of the passage you are about to exegete.
5. Identify the genre of your book and verse. Most basically, is your verse contained in a letter or a narrative? Secondly, what is the specific purpose of your verses (to instruct, congratulate, or otherwise)? (Note: this step may require sources mentioned in step 6).
6. Consult several biblical commentaries(. These range from secular to ecclesiastical in nature. Consult several and read the parts that deal with the authorship, place of writing, and time of writing. After consulting several commentaries, draw your own conclusion about the who, where, and when based on the evidence you have seen.
7. Consult the biblical commentaries again* and see what they have to say about your verses. Often, these commentaries are broken down by chapter/verse so just look up what they have to say. What do all of the commentaries tell you about the intricasies of your passage? Anything you wouldn't have guessed because of historical/grammatical information you couldn't have gotten after a simple read through? After consulting several commentaries, follow the same procedure in step 6: draw your own conclusions on what the passage means after digesting all the information.
8. Compile all the infromation you've learned. this way, you have a record of your research.
9. ???
10. Profit
*For a list of bible commentary series that I recommend, see "Bible Commentaries" section below.
1. Select the text you want to study. Typically a 6-8 block of verses is appropriate. How do you choose this? Well, pick whatever you want. Have a friend that constantly throws bible at you? Look up some of the stuff he says and pick a couple of those verses.
2. Read the entire book in which your verses are located. Did you pick 1 timothy 2:11-15? Read all of 1 Timothy! Remember, context is key.
3. Construct an outline of the entire book you are studying. This helps you be able to review the book at a glance. What are the major themes and then sub-themes in the book?
4. Construct a verse-by-verse outline of the verses you are studying. This helps you see the flow of the passage you are about to exegete.
5. Identify the genre of your book and verse. Most basically, is your verse contained in a letter or a narrative? Secondly, what is the specific purpose of your verses (to instruct, congratulate, or otherwise)? (Note: this step may require sources mentioned in step 6).
6. Consult several biblical commentaries(. These range from secular to ecclesiastical in nature. Consult several and read the parts that deal with the authorship, place of writing, and time of writing. After consulting several commentaries, draw your own conclusion about the who, where, and when based on the evidence you have seen.
7. Consult the biblical commentaries again* and see what they have to say about your verses. Often, these commentaries are broken down by chapter/verse so just look up what they have to say. What do all of the commentaries tell you about the intricasies of your passage? Anything you wouldn't have guessed because of historical/grammatical information you couldn't have gotten after a simple read through? After consulting several commentaries, follow the same procedure in step 6: draw your own conclusions on what the passage means after digesting all the information.
8. Compile all the infromation you've learned. this way, you have a record of your research.
9. ???
10. Profit
*For a list of bible commentary series that I recommend, see "Bible Commentaries" section below.
Terms
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Exegesis: The art/science of biblical interpretation. "THis is a quick survey of biblcal exegesis"
exegete (noun): one who practices exegesis. "I am an exegete"
exegete (verb): The practice of interpreting a text. "I am currently exegeting 1 timothy 2:11-15"
exegete (noun): one who practices exegesis. "I am an exegete"
exegete (verb): The practice of interpreting a text. "I am currently exegeting 1 timothy 2:11-15"
Sources
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I've done a fair amount of reading, incluiding the totality of the NIV version of the bible, Greek New Testament, and several commentaries (think hundreds). here are some amazon links to sources I've read that you may find interesting):
http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-New-Testament-Community-Faith/dp/0834120933/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325918343&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/NIV-Study-Bible-Kenneth-Barker/dp/0310925681
http://www.amazon.com/Basics-Biblical-Grammar-William-Mounce/dp/0310250870/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325918389&sr=1-3
http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Biblical-Interpretation-Revised-William/dp/0785252258/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325918414&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-New-Testament-Community-Faith/dp/0834120933/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325918343&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/NIV-Study-Bible-Kenneth-Barker/dp/0310925681
http://www.amazon.com/Basics-Biblical-Grammar-William-Mounce/dp/0310250870/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325918389&sr=1-3
http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Biblical-Interpretation-Revised-William/dp/0785252258/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325918414&sr=1-1
Biblical Commentary Series
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I recommend the following series if you ever go to your library for various books. Yes, they're all published by ecclesiastical organizations, but the authors themselves may/may not be religious.
*Sacra Pagina Series
*New Beacon Bible Commentary
*The NIV Application Commentary
*The NIV Study Bible
When you get to your library to do some research, simply search for "[Book name] [[Commentary Series name]]" or even just "[Book name]" to get a wider range of commentaries.
*Sacra Pagina Series
*New Beacon Bible Commentary
*The NIV Application Commentary
*The NIV Study Bible
When you get to your library to do some research, simply search for "[Book name] [[Commentary Series name]]" or even just "[Book name]" to get a wider range of commentaries.
Disclaimer
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I'm not trying to convert anyone. Yes, I'm a theist. I'm totally open for discussion of the validity of the texts, random theology, or anything. I like discourse. Love it, actually. Hit me up via PM. All of my writing above assumes accuracy and authenticity of biblical text. Because if it wasn't historically accurate, I wouldn't bother interpreting it. Once again, totally open to talking.
This was meant to be a quick introduction, and siomply my giving to the community. I realized I left a lot out but I just wanted to throw something out there and maybe edit it and make additions as I have time. I hope you all at least enjkoy the read as I enjoyed the write
This was meant to be a quick introduction, and siomply my giving to the community. I realized I left a lot out but I just wanted to throw something out there and maybe edit it and make additions as I have time. I hope you all at least enjkoy the read as I enjoyed the write
University Credit
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To my university that bestowed this knowledge and methodology to me, I wish to give thanks. I did not craft this system from my head, but was taught it by those better and smarter than me. This is my mark of "citing my sources" as it were. I won't post university name for privacy reasons (small school, you'll understand), but do know that this work is simply my reiteration and (slight) modification of the teachings I have received, readings I've read, and thoughts I've thought.
Sadly I couldn't give you any good analogies or insights about the religions you metion, although my Dad could; he grew up in Japan, it figures. Yet as far as my limited mind is concerned, the techniques imjorman outlines are essential to anything more than the most basic of any (holy) texts. I do hope there's at least this foundation of systematic study approach in other faiths, ye really need it. And, well, if there isin't , what does that say about faiths that do have it.....
