September | 2018 | Truth-Travelers

Monthly Archives: September 2018
- Visiting with the Polysemy family: Polysemes, Polysemous, Polysematic?
  
  Posted at 3:00 pm by Dr. Roy Lucas, on September 24, 2018
  Polysemy is a word that has semantic ambiguity, that is, depending on the word’s context, it can mean something in one context, and something else in another context.
  
  Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
  
  ‘
  
  Franfort Intenational School’s website, http://www.fis.edu estimates that 40% of English words are polysemous.
  
  Again this means that it can have more than one meaning. A word like ‘run’ can have as many as thirty different meanings depending on the context where it is used.
  
  Here are a few examples:
  
  Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com
  
  Arms are usually connected to shoulders and hands.
  
  The United States has many sophisticated arms.
  
  Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán on Pexels.com
  
  The solution to the problem can be found in the answer book.
  
  The solution proved harmful when digested.
  
  Since we realize that polysemous words exist, how can we guard that we don’t confuse the meanings of words in our biblical studies?
  
  Discovering the Central Idea of a Biblical Passage …
  
  Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
  
  A. To discover the central idea of the passage, the following statements need to be kept in mind:
  1. If the passage begins or ends the unit of thought, then only that which precedes or follows the passage can be explored.
  2. Remember this skill, like any other skill, takes time to develop. Stay motivated because it will pay rich dividends in your personal study as well as when the time comes to share your treasure later.
  Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com
  
  B. The following steps should guide you in uncovering the central idea of the passage:
  1. Read the passage or paragraph before your passage until you identify the central idea of that passage or paragraph.
  2. Write one topic sentence using your own words. This sentence should be precise and concise.
  3. Seek to keep the sentence brief.
  4. Strive to make the sentence memorable to yourself at least.
  5. Repeat steps one to four as needed for the immediate passage preceding your passage of study as well as the following passage.
  Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
  
  C. Below is a list of possible central ideas the reader may encounter. This list is suggestive and not exhaustive.
  1. Apocalypse
  2. Apostle
  3. Authority
  4. Beatitudes
  5. Boasting
  6. Body
  7. Children
  8. Christ
  9. Church
  10. Circumcision
  11. Commandments
  12. Community
  13. Confession
  14. Conviction
  15. Covenant
  16. Creation
  17. Cross
  18. Curses and blessings
  19. Death
  20. Deeds
  21. Delight
  22. Destruction
  23. Disciples, discipleship
  24. Doctrine /Heresy
  25. Doxology
  26. Emotions
  27. Eschatology
  28. Ethics
  29. Evil /Good
  30. Exhortation
  31. Experience
  32. Faith / Unbelief
  33. Fear
  34. Fidelity
  35. Fool
  36. Forgiveness / Hatred
  37. Freedom /Slavery
  38. Fulfillment
  39. Generosity
  40. Gentiles
  41. Glory
  42. God
  43. Gospel
  44. Grace
  45. Hearers
  46. Heart
  47. Holy Spirit
  48. Honor
  49. Hope
  50. House
  51. Humanity
  52. Humility
  53. Identity
  54. Idolatry
  55. Imitation
  56. Israel
  57. Jerusalem
  58. Jesus
  59. Judgment
  60. Kindness
  61. Knowledge
  62. Labor
  63. Lament
  64. Law
  65. Leadership
  66. Light
  67. Lord
  68. Marriage
  69. Martyrdom
  70. Mercy
  71. Mind
  72. Miracles
  73. Neighbor
  74. Obedience
  75. Offering
  76. Piety
  77. Plan of God
  78. Praise
  79. Preaching
  80. Pride
  81. Promise
  82. Prophet / prophecy
  83. Protection
  84. Rebirth
  85. Redeemer
  86. Remembrance
  87. Repentance
  88. Restoration
  89. Resurrection
  90. Revelation
  91. Righteousness
  92. Salvation
  93. Scripture
  94. Shame
  95. Submission
  96. Testimony
  97. Thanksgiving
  98. Trail
  99. Truth /False Teachers /Teaching
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  Posted in Context, Literary, Gap of Language, Gap of Langugae, Interpretation, Polysemes, Resources for Contextual Background | 0 Comments | Tagged Bible, Context, Interpreation, language, Literary Context, Polysemese
- Can I Make the Bible Say Anything I Want?
  
  Posted at 8:14 am by Dr. Roy Lucas, on September 17, 2018
  You may have heard someone make this claim, “I can make the Bible say anything I want!” “That interpretation is good for you, but it doesn’t work for me.” “No one can really know what the Bible’s authors’ intended.” Our postmodern world seeks to question everything, believe nothing, and live in uncertainty.
  
  How do we respond?
  
  We cannot make the Bible mean anything we want if we consider a few truths. First, the Bible can only mean what the original author under the guidance of the Holy Spirit intended it to mean. Secondly, the author had a specific audience in a specific place in mind. Thirdly, author’s write with purpose or intentionality. The author employed certain kinds of literature, writing styles, and employed specific kinds of literary forms.
  
  To illustrate why context is important, consider the word ‘ball.’ What does it mean to say, “it was a ball?” Could it be that the context in which this statement is made will determine its intended meaning? If an baseball umpire says, “It’s a ball,” does that imply one meaning? Or if someone says, “We went to a formal dance last night, “It was a ball,” have another meaning? Or even if another person exclaims, “We went to a party yesterday, “and it was a ball.”
  
  How do you know what each statement means? Context! Context casts light upon the intended meaning. So, we want to be able to assess the intended meaning of the text, then we must investigate a few key contexts with detail.
  
  The next several weeks we will begin to explore ways to avoid “Making the Bible Say Anything We Want.”
  
  To Keep from Making the Text Say Anything We Want –
  
  STEP ONE – To Keep from Making the Text Say Anything We Want – We need to research the author’s background by exploring several key areas, such as,
  - Worldview: values, mindset, or outlook of the writer, recipients or others mentioned.
  - Societal structures: marriage and family patterns, roles of men and women, or racial status.
  - Physical features: climate, weather, structures, implements, or ease and means of transportation.
  - Economic structures: means of making a living, issues of wealth and poverty, slavery, or economic mobility.
  - Political climate: structures, or loyalties, including actual personnel
  - Behavior patterns: dress or customs.
  - Religious practices: power centers, convictions, rituals, or affiliations.
  STEP TWO – To Keep from Making the Text Say Anything We Want – As much as possible – reconstruct the historical setting and cultural features of the text.
  - Explore the situation of the author with a direct focus on why the author wrote the passage.
  - Discover the situation of the people involved in the event(s) recorded in the passage that helps to explain why the author penned his material to them.
  - Study the relationship between the author and the recipients of the book or involved in the passage.
  - Investigate the cultural or historical features recorded in the passage.
  STEP THREE – To Keep from Making the Text Say Anything We Want -we need to know what tools to discover and utilize.
  
  Some suggestions would be:
  
  A. The Bible Itself – there are many historical-cultural hints directly in the text. There may be other books that the author wrote to provide additional context. Or perhaps the audience is the same and this provides more evidence to explore.
  
  B. Specialized Materials – today a plethora of materials are available to assist the interpreter with this context of the author.
  
  Here are a few materials to consider:
  
  Matthew, V. H. Manners and Customs in the Bible: Revised Edition. Peabody, MA: Hendrikson, 1991.
  
  This presents a reliable overview of daily life for both the Old and New Testaments.
  
  Thompson, J. A. A Handbook of Life in Bible Times. Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity Press, 186.
  
  Seek this book for another handy overview of life in both testaments.
  
  Blaiklock. E. M. and Harrison, R. K. eds. The New International Dictionary of Biblical Archaeology, Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
  
  A dated work written by conservative scholars and organized by subject. This allows the laymen the experience the archaeological discoveries shedding light on the text.
  
  Wiseman, D. Peoples of the Old Testament Times, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1973.
  
  This work offers insights in the nations surrounding Israel.
  
  King, P. J. and Stager, L. E. Life in Biblical Israel. Library of Ancient Israel, Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001.
  
  Some claim this is the best color photographs and pictures to illustrate how life was lived in ancient times.
  
  Pritchard, J. B. ed., The Ancient Near East in Pictures, 2d ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969.
  
  This presents photographs along with explanations of life in the ancient Near East and gives an excellent view into the ancient world of the Bible.
  
  Aharoni, Y. The Land of the Bible. Rev ed. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1979.
  
  A well known Israeli archaeologist presents extensive information on the geography of ancient Israel.
  
  Sasson, J. M. ed. Civilization of the Ancient Near East, 4 vols. New York: Scribner, 1995.
  
  Considered as the standard, in-depth book on the major cultural groups of the ancent world.
  
  Esler, P. F. The First Christians in their Social World. London/New York: Routledge, 1994.
  
  A very readable introduction to the sociological background of the New Testament.
  
  Malina, B. J. The New Testament World: Insights from Cultural Anthropology. 3d rev and expanded ed. Louisville: Westminster John Knox. 2001.
  
  Extremely insightful, this book provides windows into understanding certain values, practices, and perspectives of people in the first century world.
  
  Meeks. W. The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983.
  
  This was a ground-breaking work using the sociological approach to understand the biblical world of Paul with its associations and institutions.
  
  Many others could be mentioned, but these will give the reader a place to begin exploring this fascinating world of the Bible. A helpful resource which I used for this blog is William Klein’s An Introduction to Biblical Interpretation.
  
  Respond to this question, please:
  
  What other statements do you hear people make related to the idea that I can make the Bible say anything I want it to mean? Or have you discovered other books / resources to help with the context of a passage?
  
  Please feel free to leave a reply below:
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  Posted in Context, Literary, Gap of Culture, Gap of Geography, Gaps, Interpretation, Resources for Contextual Background | 0 Comments | Tagged Balls, Bible, Cultural context, culture, geography, history, Paul, Resources
- What do snakes, walls, posts, ropes, trees, and fans have in common?
  
  Posted at 11:59 pm by Dr. Roy Lucas, on September 9, 2018
  I hope the title caused you to want to read at least some of this blog! They have nothing in common except the following story! Check it out …
  
  Once upon a time, six blind men lived in a small village. One day, their fellow villagers yelled, “An elephant is in the village! An elephant is in the village!”
  
  These six sightless men had never experienced an elephant. The idea of an elephant raised their curiosity. Each man determined that since he could not ‘see’ the elephants, each would touch the elephant.
  
  The first blind man grabbed the elephant’s tusk and exclaimed, “An elephants is a spear!”
  
  The second sightless man rubbed the belly of the elephant and screamed,’An elephant is a huge wall!”
  
  The third visionless man put his hands around the leg of the elephant and cried, “An elephant is a post!”
  
  The fourth unsighted man wrapped his hands around the tail of the elephant and shouted, “An elephant is a rope!”
  
  The fifth sightless man reached for the trunk of the elephant and squealed, “An elephant is like a snake!”
  
  The final blind man felt the large ear of the elephant and bellowed, “An elephant is a big hand fan!”
  
  These men began to argue about the elephant with each man insisting he was correct with his assessment of what an elephant was. The longer these men insisted each one was correct, the more agitated the each became. Finally, a bystander intervened and asked, “What are you men arguing over?”
  
  Each man yelled as lough as possible, what they understood an elephant to be. These bling men were quite surprised when the man explained to the them that each man was correct with his interpretation of the what an elephant was because each man touched a different part of the elephant. The elephant was each feature described by the blind men.
  
  The men stopped quarreling and felt happy that each had been correct in his own assessment of what an elephant is.
  
  Now some interpret the moral of the story to be that there may be some truth to what someone says. Each person may have his own view of what is right from their own perspective. So, to avoid arguments, we need to say, “Maybe you have your reasons for thinking the way you do.”
  
  When it comes to interpreting the Word of God – the Bible, we cannot and must not agree that each person can have his or her own view of what a passage means when kept in historical and literary context. If the author wrote with an intended message, the study of historical and literary context demands attention from would be interpreters.
  
  To illustrate the importance of both literary and cultural context, the following story is shared:
  
  A rather old-fashioned lady was planning a couple of weeks’ vacation in Florida. She also was quite delicate and elegant with her language. She wrote a letter to new campground and asked for reservations. She wanted to make sure the campground was fully equipped but didn’t know quite how to ask about the “toilet” facilities. She just couldn’t bring herself to write the word “toilet” in her letter.
  
  After much deliberation, she finally came up with the old-fashioned term “Bathroom Commode,” but when she wrote that down, she still thought she was being too forward. So, she started all over again; rewrote the entire letter and referred to the “Bathroom Commode” simply as the “B.C.”. Does the campground have its own “B.C.?” is what she wrote.
  
  Well, the campground owner wasn’t old fashioned at all, and when he got the letter, he couldn’t figure out what the lady was talking about. That “B.C.” really stumped him.
  
  After worrying about it for several days, he showed the letter to other campers, but they couldn’t figure out what the lady meant either. The campground owner finally concluded that the lady was and must be asking about the location of the local Baptist Church.
  
  So, he sat down and wrote the following reply:
  
  “Dear Madam:
  
  I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take pleasure of informing in that the “B.C.” is located nine miles north of the camp site and is capable of seating 250 people at one time. I admit it is quite a distance way if you are in the habit of going regularly but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along and make a day of it…. They usually arrive early and stay late.
  
  The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the whole time we were there. It may interest you to know that right now, there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats…. They plan to hold the supper in the middle of the B.C., so everyone can watch and talk about this great event….
  
  I would like to say it pains me very much, not to be able to go more regularly, but it is surely not for lack of desire on my part…. As we grow older, it seems to be more and more of an effort, particularly in cold weather…. If you decide to come down to the campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go…sit with you…and introduce you to all the other folks…. This is really a very friendly community….
  
  Three critical truths to direct our study of the context behind any passage under study:
  1. Unless the text clearly demonstrates a reason to interpret the passage otherwise, each statement in the biblical text must be understood within its natural meaning in the literary context where it is found.
  This context seeks to understand what the author sought to communicate in the context in which it is found. The integrity of the text is critical at this juncture.
  1. Unless the text clearly demonstrates a reason to interpret the passage otherwise, any attempt to interpret the text without the context may lead to a pretext.
  A pre-text may be defined as an interpretation that appears to be a valid interpretation of a passage but misses the real heart of the text understudy. Klein et al, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, p. 218 show how this can happen with a silly illustration of 3 texts taken out of context to “prove” one ought to commit suicide:
  
  “Then he (Judas) went away and hanged himself.” (Matt 27:5)
  
  “Jesus told him, “God and do likewise.” (Luk 10:37b)
  
  “What you are about to do, do quickly.” (John 13: 27b).
  
  Abandon the contexts of these three passages, and you can the result is disastrous. It is certainly permissible to quote scriptures to prove a point, but as students of the Word, we must ensure we consider the contexts surrounding our quoted verses.
  1. This is more a caution, but it is worthy of remembering, “The smaller the passage under the microscope of interpretation, the great the possibility of a faulty interpretation.”
  The shorter the passage the less information is available to inform the reader of the actual theme the biblical writer is intending for the reader to comprehend. Need anything more than Romans 8:28 or Philippians 4:13.
  
  Whenever possible, seek to keep your study within the context of larger sentences and paragraphs to avoid pretexting a verse and passage. Seek to note how each sentences links itself to the whole theme of the passage, the paragraph, the chapter, the entire book or the entire Bible in order to avoid pretexting!
  
  Help me build a list of pre-texts you hear people use or see on T-shirts or other media week.
  
  William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard., Jr. An Introduction to
  
  Biblical Interpretation: Revised and Expanded, Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 2004.
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  Posted in Context, Literary, Interpretation | 0 Comments | Tagged churches, Elephants, Literary Context, literary contexts, outhouses, pretext, pretexts
- Knowing the Rules of the Game Helps!
  
  Posted at 12:00 am by Dr. Roy Lucas, on September 3, 2018
  Knowing the Rules of the Game Sure Helps – Literary Context Surveyed
  
  A couple of years ago while I assisted my friend, Dr. Eric Mitchell, Associate Professor of Old Testament and Archaeology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, with an archaeological survey project at Tel Gezer. That year the soccer world cup series was showing on the Israeli television in our room and across the country of Israel.
  
  It seems all of Israel sat glued to the television watching this soccer event.
  
  I admit I was and I am still mystified by soccer. I do not know the rules and only surmise the aim is to kick the soccer ball into the net to score a point. I recognized some similarities with basketball. Both use a round ball – normally one is white and black/blue while the other is orange. Both have teams with members on them. It appeared that both games allowed their players to dribble the ball to some degree.
  
  But I noticed a few differences. Basketball players dribbled with their hands while the soccer players dribbled with their feet. Only the goalkeeper could use his hands. The basketball team plays with only five players and soccer fields eleven players.
  
  After some research I discovered a difference in positions the players played. Basketball uses three positions: guards, forwards, and centers. Soccer has four positions: a goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, and forwards. It seems that in soccer the players specialize in either offense or defense while basketball expects the players to excel in both.
  
  Having researched a little about soccer, watching the game means more than it did two or three years ago. I picked up some background context, so I understand some of the skill and strategy used by soccer teams.
  
  The Warning of Ignoring the Rules of Literary Context
  
  Without question if the interpreter ignores the rules of literary context, it is almost certain that he can make it say anything he desires. Cults often ignore the immediate
  
  literary context and create absurd and wrong interpretations. The usually happens when just one verse is highlighted without any awareness or use of the immediate literary context.
  
  Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, humorously illustrate the issue on page 149:
  
  “Consider the example of the young man seeking advice from God Word about whether to ask his girlfriend to marry him. As he dances around the Scriptures, he finds a couple of verses that provide the answer he so desperately wants, with a timetable to boot.
  
  1 Corinthians 7:36c: “They should get married.”
  
  John 13: 27: “What you are about to do, do quickly.”
  
  The young man sees in the first verse a direct command to get married and in the second, and in the second a timetable – get married now! God has spoken! What keeps us from taking this ridiculous example seriously? Context! Apparently the young man did not bother to read the entire context of 1 Corinthians 7:36c, where the apostle Paul gives advice to engaged men in light of the distressing circumstances in Corinth (notice the italicized portions):
  
  ^“6If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. ³⁷But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. ³⁸So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.”
  
  In light of the situation, Paul explains it would be better not to marry. The phrase “ do what you are going to do quickly is from John 13:27 and refers to Judas who is going to betray Jesus. It has nothing to do with marriage. So, do you feel the young man has any scriptural support to run and get married quickly? Why? Why not?
  
  The Rules of Literary Context
  
  When we approach the literary context of the Bible, we need to remember a few rules. First there are five contextual fields that need to be explored: 1) the immediate literary context, 2) the context of the entire books, 3) the context of other writings by the author (if any exist), 4) the context of the same testament, and 5) the context of the entire Bible. Briefly we will highlight each one and in later blogs, we will elaborate on each field. Our overarching goal is to discover the meaning intended by our author.
  
  The Rule of the immediate literary context
  
  The surrounding context – both before and following the passage or verse under study will exert the most influence. This may be as little as one sentence or as much as several sentences or a paragraph. The goal is to locate the sequence of the idea of your passage with the idea of the immediate surrounding ideas.
  
  The Rule of the context of the entire book
  
  This requires reading the entire book in one setting, possible taking notes as one reads. The reader will want to try to outline the entire book and see how the author connects ideas. The reader should strive to note the theme or purpose of the book, to grasp a basic outline of the book, and should mark passages that address similar ideas as the passage under study.
  
  The Rule of the Other books by the Author
  
  Not every passage will have other books written or attributed to the same writer. If there are other letters, like Paul’s letters, then research those and seek to gain additional insight into how the author addressed the issue of your passage. Make note of similarities and differences.
  
  The Rule of The Rest of the Testament
  
  This assumes the testament contains a unity even though several different authors wrote pars of the testament under review. Since the study of similar passages by the same author has already by discussed, there the goal is to study relevant passages to the one being studied. Are there parallels with our passage?
  
  The Rule of the Entire Bible
  
  The goal is to seek any additional parallel passages related to the original passage under study. Seek to ensure that these passages actually reflect the intended point of the original author’s intended. The essential meanings should correspond if this rule is to be applied.
  
  Do you know of other scriptures that people take out of context? If so, post me a note telling what the scripture is and how people take it out of context. I wonder how many passages we can identify as being interpreted outside of the intended context?
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  Posted in Context, Literary, Interpretation | 6 Comments | Tagged Context, Dr Eric Mitchell, language, Literary Context, Tel Gezer, Tel Gezer Archaeological Project
- KNOWING THE RULES OF THE GAME HELPS
  
  Posted at 2:35 pm by Dr. Roy Lucas, on September 2, 2018
  Knowing the Rules of the Game Helps – Rules of Literary Context Surveyed
  
  A couple of years ago while I was assisting my friend, Dr. Eric Mitchell, with the Tel Gezer Archaeological Survey Project at Tel Gezer, Israel the world cup was on the Israeli television in our room. It seems all of Israel was glued to the television watching this soccer event. I admit I was and I am still mystified by soccer.
  
  I do not know the rules and only surmise the aim is to kick the soccer ball into the net to score a point. I recognized some similarities with basketball. Both use a round ball – normally one is white and black or blue while the other is orange.
  
  Both have teams with members on them. It appeared that both games allowed their players to dribble the ball to some degree. But I noticed a few differences. Basketball players dribbled with their hands while the soccer players dribbled with their feet. Only the goalkeeper could use his hands. The basketball team plays with only five players and soccer fields eleven players.
  
  After some research I discovered a difference in positions the players played. Basketball uses three positions: guards, forwards, and centers. Soccer has four positions: a goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, and forwards. It seems that in soccer the players specialize in either offense or defense while basketball expects the players to excel in both.
  
  Having researched a little about soccer, watching the game means more than it did two or three years ago. I picked up some background context, so I understand some of the skill and strategy used by soccer teams.
  
  The Warning of Ignoring the Rules of Literary Context
  
  Without question if the interpreter ignores the rules of literary context, it is almost certain that he can make it say anything he desires. Cults often ignore the immediate literary context and create absurd and wrong interpretations. The usually happens when just one verse is highlighted without any awareness or use of the immediate literary context.
  
  Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, humorously illustrate the issue on page 149 in Grasping God’s Word:
  
  “Consider the example of the young man seeking advice from God Word about whether to ask his girlfriend to marry him. As he dances around the Scriptures, he finds a couple of verses that provide the answer he so desperately wants, with a timetable to boot.
  
  1 Corinthians 7:36c: “They should get married.”
  
  John 13: 27: “What you are about to do, do quickly.”
  
  The young man sees in the first verse a direct command to get married and in the second, and in the second a timetable – get married now! God has spoken!
  
  Wedding couple silhouette at strom
  
  What keeps us from taking this ridiculous example seriously? Context! Apparently the young man did not bother to read the entire context of 1 Corinthians 7:36c, where the apostle Paul gives advice to engaged men in light of the distressing circumstances in Corinth (notice the italicized portions):
  
  ⁶If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong^[^b^] and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. ³⁷But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. ³⁸So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.
  
  In light of the situation, Paul explains it would be better not to marry. The phrase “ do what you are going to do quickly is from John 13:27 and refers to Judas who is going to betray Jesus. It has nothing to do with marriage. So, do you feel the young man has any scriptural support to run and get married quickly? Why? Why not?
  
  The Rules of Literary Context
  
  When we approach the literary context of the Bible, we need to remember a few rules. First there are five contextual fields that need to be explored:
  
  1) the immediate literary context,
  
  2) the context of the entire books,
  
  3) the context of other writings by the author (if any exist),
  
  4) the context of the same testament, and
  
  5) the context of the entire Bible.
  
  Briefly we will highlight each one and in later blogs, we will elaborate on each field. Our overarching goal is to discover the meaning intended by our author.
  
  The Rule of the immediate literary context
  
  The surrounding context – both before and following the passage or verse under study will exert the most influence. This may be as little as one sentence or as much as several sentences or a paragraph. The goal is to locate the sequence of the idea of your passage with the idea of the immediate surrounding ideas.
  
  The Rule of the context of the entire book
  
  This requires reading the entire book in one setting, possible taking notes as one reads. The reader will want to try to outline the entire book and see how the author connects ideas. The reader should strive to note the theme or purpose of the book, to grasp a basic outline of the book, and should mark passages that address similar ideas as the passage under study.
  
  The Rule of the Other books by the Author
  
  Not every passage will have other books written or attributed to the same writer. If there are other letters, like Paul’s letters, then research those and seek to gain additional insight into how the author addressed the issue of your passage. Make note of similarities and differences.
  
  The Rule of The Rest of the Testament
  
  This assumes the testament contains a unity even though several different authors wrote pars of the testament under review. Since the study of similar passages by the same author has already by discussed, there the goal is to study relevant passages to the one being studied. Are there parallels with our passage?
  
  The Rule of the Entire Bible
  
  The goal is to seek any additional parallel passages related to the original passage under study. Seek to ensure that these passages actually reflect the intended point of the original author’s intended. The essential meanings should correspond if this rule is to be applied.
  
  HELP ME IDENTIFY VERSES OR PASSAGES TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT.
  
  Do you know of other scriptures that people take out of context? If so, post me a note telling what the scripture is and how people take it out of context. Let’s see how large the list can get. Be sure to post the scripture reference as well as how it was taken out of context. You don’t need to tell us who took it out of context, only how it was taken out of context. Thank you in advance.
  
  Dr Roy Lucas
  
  drlucas4321@gmail.com
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  Posted in Context, Literary | 0 Comments | Tagged Context, Dr Eric Mitchell; Tel Gezer Project, Grasping God's Word by J. Scott Duvall and Daniel Hays, Interpretation, language, Literary Context, Tel Gezer Archaeological Survey Project

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Monthly Archives: September 2018

Posted at 3:00 pm by Dr. Roy Lucas, on September 24, 2018

Here are a few examples:

Discovering the Central Idea of a Biblical Passage …

A. To discover the central idea of the passage, the following statements need to be kept in mind:

B. The following steps should guide you in uncovering the central idea of the passage:

C. Below is a list of possible central ideas the reader may encounter. This list is suggestive and not exhaustive.

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Posted at 8:14 am by Dr. Roy Lucas, on September 17, 2018

To Keep from Making the Text Say Anything We Want –

STEP ONE – To Keep from Making the Text Say Anything We Want – We need to research the author’s background by exploring several key areas, such as,

STEP TWO – To Keep from Making the Text Say Anything We Want – As much as possible – reconstruct the historical setting and cultural features of the text.

STEP THREE – To Keep from Making the Text Say Anything We Want -we need to know what tools to discover and utilize.

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Posted at 11:59 pm by Dr. Roy Lucas, on September 9, 2018

Three critical truths to direct our study of the context behind any passage under study:

Unless the text clearly demonstrates a reason to interpret the passage otherwise, each statement in the biblical text must be understood within its natural meaning in the literary context where it is found.

Unless the text clearly demonstrates a reason to interpret the passage otherwise, any attempt to interpret the text without the context may lead to a pretext.

This is more a caution, but it is worthy of remembering, “The smaller the passage under the microscope of interpretation, the great the possibility of a faulty interpretation.”

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Posted at 12:00 am by Dr. Roy Lucas, on September 3, 2018

The Rules of Literary Context

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Posted at 2:35 pm by Dr. Roy Lucas, on September 2, 2018

Knowing the Rules of the Game Helps – Rules of Literary Context Surveyed

The Warning of Ignoring the Rules of Literary Context

The Rules of Literary Context

The Rule of the immediate literary context

The Rule of the context of the entire book

The Rule of the Other books by the Author

The Rule of The Rest of the Testament

The Rule of the Entire Bible

HELP ME IDENTIFY VERSES OR PASSAGES TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT.

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