The Importance of Context: Grammar, Syntax, and Discourse In unit 3 of Invitation to Biblical Interpretation, we discuss three vital aspects of language: grammar, syntax, and discourse. Grammar refers to certain features of the way words work together, such as a kind of genitive or a form of a participle. In terms of Greek grammar, there are four key […]
Category: Hermeneutics
Hearing the Good News: New Testament Historical Narrative (Gospels & Acts) Many scholars have suggested that the genre of the canonical Gospels (and Acts) most closely resembles that of Greco-Roman biography. However, while there are some similarities to this genre, the Gospels and Acts more closely resemble a subgenre of historical narrative. As we say […]
The Old Testament Canon: The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings In an Old Testament context, the word “canon” is often used to refer to list of books that make up the Old Testament Scriptures. In Invitation to Biblical Interpretation, we say that “the canon of the Old Testament is not an arbitrary list of […]
Setting the Stage: Historical-Cultural Background Every book of the Bible has historical elements to it. As written documents, each book was written in a historical setting and contains details about historical events. It is vital for competent interpretation of Old Testament writings to develop a solid grasp of the chronological framework of the various books […]
Preparation: The Who, Why, and How of Interpretation In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul tells Timothy to be a minister who “correctly handles the word of truth.” God’s word is truth, and this truth gives eternal life (John 6:68). Therefore the importance of correct biblical interpretation cannot be overstated. It is often a temptation to come to […]
Part 4: John’s Gospel Throughout this series of blogs, we’ve been investigating Jesus’ teaching about the future in the Gospels. In Part 1 and Part 2, we focused our attention on Jesus’ primary teaching about the future in the Olivet Discourse. In Part 3, we explored his other teachings about the future throughout the Synoptic […]