ministry training program acr hampton roads, va june 3-5, 2011

Ministry Training Program

ACRHampton Roads, VA

June 3-5, 2011

MTP Overview acr 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

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

MTP Overview. ACR 2011

General MTP Q&A

Biblical Exegesis

ACR MTPJune 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!

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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)

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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

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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)

biblical hermeneutics

ACR MTPJune 2011

ACR 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

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-

ACR 2011

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!

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But I’m not Biased…

Consider these Sacred Cows:• Luke 9:23• Philemon 6• Matthew 6:33• Matthew 18:20• Matthew 16:18

Biblical Exegesis. 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. India 2006

Let’s Get Technical Exegesis jargon Exegesis Hermeneutics Genre Textual Criticism Higher Criticism Lower Criticism Rhetoric Dynamic Equivalent

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Bible Translations

LiteralDynamic

Equivalence Free

KJV

NASB

RSV

ESV

NIV

NAB

NEB

GNB

JB

NLT LBNRSV

Message

NET

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The Exegetical “Method”

1.

Survey the Text

2. Investigate

the

Context3. Fine

Tune the

Genre

4. Detail the

Content5.

Synthesize the

Findings

6.

Apply It

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Survey the Text

Read Re-Read Repeat Take notes Craft a Preliminary Thesis (Big Idea)

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Deductive Reasoning

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Inductive Reasoning

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Biblical Tools

good translation second, literal translation logical mind pocket concordance sound Bible Dictionary good Bible Handbook sound commentaries

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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

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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?”

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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!

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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

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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?

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Biblical Genres

Epistles OT Narratives Parables Laws Prophecy Gospel Poetry/Wisdom Apocalyptic

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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

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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?

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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?

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Investigate the ContentText Phrase

“In the

beginning”

Meaning and Function-adverbial phrase

indicating time of action and perhaps the action to follow as the beginning of time

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Synthesize Your Findings

“We shall not cease from exploration, And the end of all

our exploring Will be to arrive where we

startedAnd know the place for the first

time.- T. S. Elliot, Four Quartets

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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?

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…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

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not Done until you Apply it

“Search the Scriptures, not as though thou wouldst make a concordance but an

application.”- John Donne

Ot narrativeACR MTP

June 2011

“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?

Narrative basics

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

Three Levels Of Narrative

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Ten Principles: OT Narratives1. They usually don’t directly teach a

doctrine2. They usually illustrate a doctrine taught

directly elsewhere3. They record what happened – not

necessarily what should have happened4. What people do is not necessarily a

good example for us5. Most OT characters are far from perfect

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Ten Principles: OT Narratives

6. 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

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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

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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

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INTERPRETIVE CLUES IN TEXT

NUMBERS 15-18 NARRATIVE/LAW COMBINATION15:1-21: LAWS15:22 ‘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)

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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?

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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

The prophetsACR MTPJune 2011

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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

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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)

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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

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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…

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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

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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)

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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”

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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

The LAW

ACR MTPJune 2011

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Collections of law1. Decalogue; (Exodus 20-23) It follows the

suzerainty form in which a vassal (Israel) has certain obligations established before the superior power (Yahweh)

2. “Tabernacle Laws” (Exodus 25-40)3. 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.

4. 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

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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

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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)

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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)

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Types of laws2. 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

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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 MTPJune 2011

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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

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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

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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*

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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%

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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

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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

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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.)

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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’

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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 21:18-22 Authors are also “compilers” (Fee)

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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

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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

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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

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The Gospels: think verticallyMatthew 4:1717From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent,

for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Mark 1:14–1514Now 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 4:14–1514And 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.

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The Gospels: Horizon / VerticalLuke 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)

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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

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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….

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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”

The ParablesACR MTPJune 2011

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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

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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

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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

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The Parabolic sayingsTypes 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”

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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

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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’

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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’

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SALVATION in parables

Parables of Repentance and Salvation

Lk 15:11–31 Lost Son/Older Brother Mt 20:1–6 Grateful/Ungrateful

Workers Mt 21:28–31 Obedient/Disobedient Son Lk 14:16–24 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

The epistles

ACR MTPJune 2011

ACR 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

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

EXEGESIS in the Epistles

Acr 2011

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?

EXEGESIS in the Epistles

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 RelativityCultural2 Tim 4:13

Eternal2 Tim 2:3

ACR 2011

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

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

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