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NASB | 2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Timothy 2:15 Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth. |
Subject: "That's just your interpretation."(?) |
Bible Note: 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 |