Results 1 - 2 of 2
|
|
|||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | "That's just your interpretation."(?) | 2 Tim 2:15 | Just Read Mark | 117052 | ||
What Context? Hi Kalos, Hank, BradK.... I agree, for the most part, with your post. Certainly, we need to look at the context of each passage to understand its sense. This means understanding how it fits in the entire book --- but also how it fits in relation to other books of the Bible. There is, however, another layer of context that is more difficult to handle. This is the historical period: a sense of the culture in which the book is written. Who was the original audience? We need to understand these things to get at the original sense of the words (the objective sense you strive for) ---- the problem is, there are so many questions around these issues. When were the gospels written? What were the various audiences for the gospels? When was Revelation written? In view of the immense genre of apocalyptic writing at the time, how are we to understand the book of Revelation? How did THEY understand it? How did John understand it? If you enter into the research on these matters, they do not resolve themselves readily. At least, not for me! So, while I encourage your sense of reading with context and historicity in mind ---- your take on it is too "positivistic." We need to be aware of the gaps in our knowledge, and admit t them. I wonder why there aren't more evangelicals publishing historical work about scripture? It seems they've left the field to the likes of the Jesus Seminar. But, if we value the approach you outlined in your post, we should NOT give up that terrain. I read some NT Wright earlier this year, and found that I learned SO MUCH from it that I had never learned from other sources. Mostly about the Jewish history between the testaments, and what that might mean for their expectations of redemption. JRM |
||||||
2 | "That's just your interpretation."(?) | 2 Tim 2:15 | Sir Pent | 117064 | ||
Don't go too far................................................... Hi everybody, I completely agree with many statements that have been made so far in this thread. 1. You can't interpret a verse to mean anything you want. Words have meaning. 2. God gives the whole Bible to everyone, not just one verse to one person. 3. It is important to put time and effort into studying the Bible. 4. The Bible really says something, regardless of our feelings about what it says. These are all true. However, it is important to not take some of them to the extreme. It is because I begin to see that happening that I am now joining in the discussion. For instance, although God gives the whole Bible to everyone, He also does sometimes direct a specific person's attention to a specific passage. Perhaps through your own reading, or a sermon that you hear, or even this forum, God can point out a certain verse that has particular importance to your life at that moment. In that sense it is OK for someone to say "God gave me this verse today." Another example is this post by JRM. That post proposes that to truly understand scripture, one must first understand the ancient Jewish culture. This is going to the extreme and is incorrect. Please type in the number 15780 into the "Quick Search" box at the top right corner of the screen for more information. That thread discussed how the Bible has been inspired by God and maintained even through translations and copies so that anyone can understand and trust it still today. |
||||||