nt520 new testament introduction sessions 3-4
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NT520 New Testament Introduction Sessions 3-4. Approaches to Understanding the New Testament: Models and Methods. Contours of the Current Discussion. Modernism and the Scientific Method The historical basis of all knowing Troeltsch Principle of Skepticism Principle of Analogy - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
NT520New Testament IntroductionSessions 3-4
Approaches to Understandingthe New Testament:
Models and Methods
Contours of the Current Discussion
Modernism and the Scientific Method The historical basis of all knowing Troeltsch
Principle of SkepticismPrinciple of AnalogyPrinciple of Causation
Historical Distance
The Location of Meaning
In History? (Behind the Text?)On the Page? (In the Text?)In the Reader or Reading
Community? (In Front of the Text?)
In the Narrative of God’s Project?
“Word of God” - In History
Particularity of Biblical Materials 1 Cor 1:11: “It has been reported
to me by people from Chloe…” 1 Cor 7:1: “Now concerning the
matters about which you wrote…”
The Bible as Process
Since many have undertaken to set down an Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have concerning the things about which you have been instructed. (Luke 1:1-4, NRSV)been instructed. (Luke 1:1-4, NRSV)
The Bible as Process
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31, NRSV)
But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (John 21:25, NRSV)
The Bible as Process
The Nature of Inspiration?
Were the writers “robots”?Were the writers inspired?Was the church inspired?Is the reader inspired?Does the Bible become the
Word of God?
Inspiration?
Affirm the Ongoing Activity of the Spirit
The Performative Word divine origin: certainty divine origin: ongoing
relevance
Channel
Idea Formation
Encoding
Transmission Reception
Decoding
Idea Reformation
Sender Receiver
Communication Theory and Biblical Interpretation
Models forBiblical Interpretation
BiblicalMessage
ContemporaryMessage
The Traditional Model
The Dogmatic Model
BiblicalMessage
ContemporaryMessage
System
Biblical Context
The Scientific Model
BiblicalMessage
ContemporaryMessage
Biblical Context
Contemporary Context
The Contextual Model
BiblicalMessage
ContemporaryMessage
The Discursive Model
“Discursive” is for “Discourse”Coming Clean on Our Interests
Rom 16:7 jIouniva, a jIouniva
Consequences
Contemporary Context
Biblical Context
The Discursive Model
BiblicalMessage
ContemporaryMessage
More on the Discursive Model
Communities of Faith, the Holy Spirit, and Reading the Bible Self-Criticism and Community (With)Whom do you study? Hermeneutics of Analogy The Place of the Spirit
The Spirit and the Community
The Discursive Model
BiblicalMessage
ContemporaryMessage
Biblical Context
Contemporary Context
Questions to AskinBiblical Interpretation
What is it? (1)
Textual Criticism “The Original Text” Acts 8:37; 20:28 Mark 16:9-20 Probability Internal and External Evidence Metzger, A Textual Commentary
What is it? (2)
Which Translation? Literal: word-for-word Dynamic Equivalence: thought
for thought “Free”
More Literal
NAS NIV “Message”
KJV NAB CEV TEV Williams
RSV NEB/REB Phillips
NRSV NJB NCV NLT
Which Translation?
What is it? (3)
Genre Recognition A “recognizable” form of
literature A “contract” NT: Biography, Historiography,
Letters, Apocalypse Sub-Genres
What is it? (4)
What is the “thought unit”? A “Pericope” For example: Eph 5:21ff. The problem with chapters and verses
Strategies and Arguments
What is the appropriate unit of text for purposes of study?More than a verse, less than a
chapter...usually!A stretch of text that:
has a unity has adequate size for interpretation of its
parts has a sense of completeness text that is set off from the material around
it by genre-specific textual markers
Some Textual MarkersNarrative
change of geography or topography change of characters change of time change of literary form (?)
Letter connectives--e.g., “therefore” or “above all” direct address change of literary form
Apocalyptic (see narrative) change of vision: “Then I saw....”
What is the Co-Text?
Reading from Left to Right prospective development retrospective clarification
What is the Co-Text?
Word Studies: Use and Abuse “Can,” “Father” NOT THE DICTIONARY!!!! Historical: Virtual Co-Textual: Actual Words and “Domains”
What is the Context?
Text
Events
RedactionSource
Form
Tradition
Historical
What is the Context?Historical
Did it happen this way?
In what setting is this message communicated?
Socio-Historical Perspectives “Near” (vs.
“Distant”) Experience
Political Readings...
Liberationist Hermeneutics: “Reading the Bible from the ‘underside’”
Reading the Bible “from this place”
Political Readings…A Test Case
Feminist Exegesis Document the case against
women Identify prophetic/liberating
aspects Retrieve the critique of patriarchy Reconstruct biblical history
Between Reader and Text
Inactive ReadingReactive ReadingHyperactive ReadingInteractive ReadingReading at the intersection of
textual and readerly interests
The Importance of The Importance of Theological and Spiritual Theological and Spiritual Formation….Formation….
The Right Technique?
A Meaning-Making Machine?Cultivating Sensibilities“Good Readings”? Or “Good
People Reading”?