Good Posts!

Well done all. I want you take some time this week to make note of some difficult passages that you come across as you read your Bible. You will want to use them as examples later. Keep track of them in a notebook.

Lecture for this week will be up soon.

David

Response to Rich Kirik

I have run into people with the same line of thinking of, “I have read no man’s book." This has been something that has caused me to think and sometimes be a little skeptical myself when it came to using other sources. I believe it is very freeing to find that it is okay and encouraged to use other sources, without "cheating".

Response to Justin Crowther

I really liked what you said about, "Suddenly, opening your Bible, reading a couple of chapters and asking God to reveal something to you through the scriptures is not enough anymore." I am finding that coming to pass more and more as I spend time in God's word. I really do begin to have a hunger for sometimes a little deeper meaning. I find this a reality especially when reading in the Old Testement, it always helps to know the history customs and such. I have been finding that God has lately been keeping me on just maybe one verse or section really studdying it not only to just get the interpetation, but to really live it out.

If you will refer to your syllabus, you will see that Module 1 was introductions and getting acquainted with the website. So, here we go. I think everyone is on board now. Read the Lecture and do your assigned reading. Answer the questions and post. Respond to two others' Lecture Question Post. Now, for clarity, this is how you should title your posts.

Lecture Question Mod. #? (Use this format for your 250-300 word main lecture question response.)

Student Response #1/#2 (Use this format to title your response to another student. Two are required. No minimum words, but it should be more than, "That was good Angie!" State why you agree or don't agree. Share examples and thoughts.

Personal Reflection Question (Use this for your weekly PRQ that you can do any time, but once weekly. Refer to your syllabus for the 3 questions that you can choose from to answer from week to week.

Again, try not to get behind with reading. You will use the reading as well as the lecture for your responses. If you have any questions, email me.

Here we go!!!


Module 2: Feb. 20th - 26th
Introduction to Hermeneutics
Reading: Ramm, pg. 1-22

Introduction:

A. Why is there a need for Hermeneutics?

i) Science and art of biblical interpretation:

(a) Science – guided by rules in a system (we need to stick to these rules not woodenly, but as quidelines that help us to stay on track). This system is created by language and logic - rules governing communication.

The Bible itself has its own system built in. Talk about later.

(b) Art – Application of these rules are by skill and not by mechanical imitation. This will be a life-long journey. You will get better at applying these rules as you become confident in the process of interpretation. Using this analogy, the beginning painter is overwhelmed at the task when staring at an empty canvas, but the experienced artist gets excited about the opportunity to create and to see what what will come forth. The word has endless applicable truths. Hermeneutics will guide you in such a way as to unlock these truths without fear of "messing up".

ii) A primary need:

(a) To ascertain what God has said in sacred scripture, to determine the meaning of the word of God

1. To Develop a system by approaching the Bible with fear and trembling b/c on it rests our doctrine of salvation.

i. A system can only be produced when we have done so carefully, methodically, and systematically

2. To Develop a method so that we do not confuse the voice of God with the voice of man. It will help us avoid the errors and faulty principles that can lead us astray from God’s Word.

3. A few examples of faulty interpretation:

i. 1 Cor 12 & 13: - vs. 8 – a cessationist would interpret the “perfect” as the Bible, and would say that since we now have it, we don’t need to have tongues or healing today. (Wrong view!)

ii. Where Paul is talking about the baptism for the dead. I Cor. 15:29 Mormans use this.

iii. Hating for Jesus - A book that was a classic case of an interpreter taking one verse and building a doctrine from it that violates other portions of Scripture.

iii) A Secondary need: To bridge the gap between our minds and the minds of the biblical writers. There are 4 divergences that we must overcome in order to help understand the Bible.

1. The first Divergence: Language – Bible was written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek (Jesus told the parables in Aramaic which was interpreted by the writers in Greek)

a. English language is analytic in structure. It flows because of word order.
b. Greek is a agglutinative – a language not dependant on word order, but on word endings. The words can come in any order, but the ending and its case is what determines the meaning.

2. The second Divergence: The culture gap.

i. The cultures of our times have changed so much that we have to study the ancient to get the true meanings. Understanding the culture will help us bridge the gap, and expanding our understanding of the customs of the bible characters.

3. The third Divergence: Geography.

i. Understanding of the towns, rivers, mountains, lakes, etc….. What is the distance between the villages within Palestine? How large was the Jordan? How big is/was Mt. Sinai? It takes an experienced mountain climber one full day to climb up or down Mt. Sinai. Moses did it at least four times.

4. The fourth Divergence: History

i. If geography is the scenery, the history is the plot of the of the bible stories. (i.e. how did the Babylonian captivity affect the Jews, Roman history, the Pax Romana, and Greek culture, etc….)


A General Introduction:

1) Assumptions

a. The canon – The accepted collection of scripture. The OT, NT and that’s it. No apocryphal books.

i. It is the study of the sacred cannon which determines the boundary of scripture.

ii. We must find it’s truest text: the original manuscripts:

1. The most reliable we have is the “textus receptus” written in Greek and Hebrew.

iii. We must work out a basic theory concerning how the true text is to be determined.

1. Are there any mistakes?
2. Is the language different/same?
3. New findings compared with the older texts - ex. the Dead Sea Scrolls

iv. Determine how that basic theory determines the text of any given verse.

b. Textural Criticism – misunderstood phrase (liberals abuse it); the laborious study of finding the original manuscripts and scripture; a careful laborer of the word will find the original and compare different examples of the scripture. It’s proven that most texts that we use are very near in text and purity than the original manuscripts. NO OTHER DOCUMENTS IN HISTORY CAN CLAIM THIS.

c. Historical Criticism –

i. Deals with the authorship of the book, the date, historical background, authenticity, and literary unity (flow). Ligitimizes that which is real, and exposes the fake.

Summary: We study the cannon to determine the inspired books, the text to determine the accurate wording or meaning of those books, and the history to give us the framework for the books.


2) Definitions

a. Interpretation – The concept occurs in both testaments

i. The Old Testament – interpretation of dreams and prophesy

ii. The New Testament –

1. “Hermeneia” Greek God Hermes – who was the messenger from the Gods to the mortals. The god of the liberal arts. In reference the Bible, it’s the science and art of interpretation.

2. “Exegesis” – to take out. Let the scripture speak to me or what the scripture meant to the original hearers. What the HS is saying to us through it today.

3. “Eisegesis” – to put in. To read into a text preset ideas/presuppositions.

3) General & Special Hermeutics

a. General Hermenutics – General rules that apply to the whole bible
b. Special Hermenutices – Special rules that apply to specific parts of the bible (parables, prophecy, poetry, symbols, figures of speech, apocalyptic language)

4) There are limitations to a mere knowledge of scripture.

Just knowing the Word of God and applying these rules is not enough. We have to study the history of hermeneutics to avoid the mistakes of the past. The developement of these rules came with great painstaking trial and error. We gain from others work.

5) The qualifications of an interpreter:

a. Must be born again. Can’t understand spiritual things without the Holy Spirit (THE interpreter living inside you.
b. Need to have a passion to know God’s Word. (The wisdom of the Lord is like buried treasure)
c. Must always have a deep reverence for God. We approach him with deep humility and patience.
d. Dependence on the Holy Spirit to guide and direct. There’s a difference between Inspiration and Illumination. Inspiration is infallible, but Illumination is not. Illumination is the Holy Spirit making these truths understandable. But, my mind is involved and it can be warped by my sinful and/or biased thinking. (eisegesis)

i. Education is important. Having background in history, philosophy, etc, is good.

6) The equipment of the interpreter

a. Language Studies –

1. A parallel bible with the original language text, with a literal translation.
2. Commentaries of the past and present.

a. Martin Luther, John Calvin
b. Caution: they are biblical interpretations of scholars, their illuminations if you will.

3. Supplemental Materials:

a. Bible Dictionaries
b. Bible Encyclopedias – Zondervon's Pictorial Encyclopedia is excellent.
c. Bible Atlas, Customs and Manners of the Bible – Zondervon


7.) What about the Holy Spirit?

This is the concept of just me, the Holy Spirit, and the Bible being all that's necessary to understand the Bible. That’s all based on egotism. We should use others wisdom and study. It’s pride to think that don't need the wisdom and study of others to help us understand what we are reading.

8) Confusion of Inspiration vs. Illumination. It’s the function of the Holy Spirit to Illumin what has already been revealed. There are many other learned people who have pressed in to God to get what they have, we should take advantage of their blood, sweat, and tears.


Below is a stack. This is the track to understanding the Bible and making it applicable to our lives. We begin with the assumptions:

1. The Bible and no other. (No "Book of Mormon" in case you were wondering.)

2. The study of Hermeneutics, the rules of interpreting the Bible.

3. Exegesis, "taking out" or letting the scripture speak to us, discernment based on an initial literal reading of the scripture.

4. Systematic Theology, we compare the truths that we receive and build a systematic understanding of who God is and His relationship to man.


Systematic Theology (System created through studying entire bible.)
Exegesis (Discerning the meaning of scripture through study of original languages)
Hermeneutics (Interpretation Rules based on logic, language, and historical use)
Assumptions (Canon, Truest Text, Historical Criticism )


They build one upon the other other. So, hermeneutics is a major part of our journey to understanding Biblical interpretation and the Bible's application to our lives.


Lecture Question: (Sorry, I put the wrong title in earlier.)

How does the need for Hermeneutics affect your current understanding of how you study the Bible?

Out of the Gates!!

Joe hit the ground running; however, the first post will be due after tomorrow where I will give you the first lecture. Everyone is just fine.

David

Module 1 Response to Reflection Questions

Reflection Questions:1. How does the need for Hermeneutics affect your current understanding of how you study the Bible?2. What examples have you seen of people who have ignored the science and art of Biblical Interpretation?

In Ramm’s book, he states that the primary need for hermeneutics is, “to ascertain what God has said in Sacred Scripture; to determine the meaning of the Word of God. There is no profit to us if God has spoken and we do not know what He has said.” (Ramm pg.2) To me this applies readily. God has spoken to us in His word, and for me to know, in the sense of really living out what He has spoken, and then I need to know what it means. To correctly apply scripture to my life, I need to know that what I have determined a passage of scripture to mean is accurate.
I enjoy reading and hearing what others have gathered from scriptures. I find that this is always helpful in my walk with God more than a hindrance, but it does not mean that I take in everything as truth. We as humans are fallible. I really like how the Berean people were faithful, and took what Paul preached to them and examined it and really checked it out to see what truth was. I believe that it is good to read others work and illuminations of scripture and not just straight scripture. I don’t believe that other things should take place of scripture in our lives. It is crucial that we filter things through scripture not being swayed to and fro by various arguments.
Through the reading assignment I was really encouraged to study more on the Historical part of scripture. I agree with the second need of hermeneutics which Ramm states as, “to bridge the gap between our minds and the minds of the Biblical writers.” (Ramm pg. 4) The history of scripture has always interested me and it is I believe a very large part of how we understand scripture. Knowing the languages, culture, and practices of the people of that time, cause us to better understand what God was speaking and how and what applies to us now. So in affect to my understanding of how I study the Bible now, it is definitely encouraging me towards more of a historical approach of studying scripture.
Concerning those who have ignored the art and science of interpreting scripture correctly, I find much confusion and wrong views usually come from this. I have seen and experienced those who practice Old Testament laws in present day. I believe this can be a real stumbling block to Christians and non alike. For the Christian, I have seen a real self righteousness come out of what I can do on my own strength, the inability to trust God and know without His strength all I do is in vain. Also in the life of a non-Christian, it cause a dislike for Christianity, or even a false sense of Christianity, saying that if I comply with these laws, then I am a “good” person, therefore God will love me more. That is one of the most common mindsets I have crossed, because of an incorrect interpretation of scripture. Many things that were applied in the Old Testament times are not what need to be applied today. But with correct study and interpretation, we can understand how these things do apply.

Module 2: Introduction to Hermeneutics

If you will refer to your syllabus, you will see that Module 1 was introductions and getting acquainted with the website. So, here we go. I think everyone is on board now. Read the Lecture and do your assigned reading. Answer the questions and post. Respond to two others' Lecture Question Post. Now, for clarity, this is how you should title your posts.

Lecture Question Mod. #? (Use this format for your 250-300 word main lecture question response.)

Student Response #1/#2 (Use this format to title your response to another student. Two are required. No minimum words, but it should be more than, "That was good Angie!" State why you agree or don't agree. Share examples and thoughts.

Personal Reflection Question (Use this for your weekly PRQ that you can do any time, but once weekly. Refer to your syllabus for the 3 questions that you can choose from to answer from week to week.

Again, try not to get behind with reading. You will use the reading as well as the lecture for your responses. If you have any questions, email me.

Here we go!!!


Module 2: Feb. 20th - 26th
Introduction to Hermeneutics
Reading: Ramm, pg. 1-22

Introduction:

A. Why is there a need for Hermeneutics?

i) Science and art of biblical interpretation:

(a) Science – guided by rules in a system (we need to stick to these rules not woodenly, but as quidelines that help us to stay on track). This system is created by language and logic - rules governing communication.
1. The Bible itself has its own system built in. Talk about later.

(b) Art – Application of these rules are by skill and not by mechanical imitation. This will be a life-long journey. You will get better at applying these rules as you become confident in the process of interpretation. Using this analogy, the beginning painter is overwhelmed at the task when staring at an empty canvas, but the experienced artist gets excited about the opportunity to create and to see what what will come forth. The word has endless applicable truths. Hermeneutics will guide you in such a way as to unlock these truths without fear of "messing up".

ii) A primary need:

(a) To ascertain what God has said in sacred scripture, to determine the meaning of the word of God

1. To Develop a system by: approaching the Bible with fear and trembling b/c on it rests our doctrine of salvation.

i. A system can only be produced when we have done so carefully, methodically, and systematically

2. To Develop a method so that we do not confuse the voice of God with the voice of man. It will help us avoid the errors and faulty principles that can lead us astray from God’s Word.

3. A few examples of faulty interpretation:

i. 1 Cor 12 & 13: - vs. 8 – a cessationist would interpret the “perfect” as the Bible, and would say that since we now have it, we don’t need to have tongues or healing today; they have ceased or passed away. (Wrong view!) Is that what it says? What is the problem here?

ii. Where Paul is talking about the baptism for the dead. I Cor. 15:29 The Mormans baptize for the dead because of this one verse. What is wrong with that? What was Paul trying to say?

iii. Hating for Jesus - A book that was a classic case of an interpretor taking one verse and building a doctrine from it that violates other portions of Scripture.

vi. ) A Secondary need: To bridge the gap between our minds and the minds of the biblical writers.

There are 4 divergences that we must overcome in order to help understand the Bible.

1. The first Divergence: Language – Bible was written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek (Jesus told the parables in Aramaic which was interpreted by the writers in Greek)

a. English language is analytic in structure. It flows because of word order.

b. Greek is a agglutinative – a language not dependant on word order, but on word endings. The words can come in any order, but the ending and its case is what determines the meaning.

2. The second Divergence: The culture gap.

i. The cultures of our times have changed so much that we have to study the ancient (pre-bible) to get the true meanings. Understanding the culture will help us bridge the gap, and expanding our understanding.

3. The Third Divergence: Geography.

i. Understanding of the towns, rivers, mountains, lakes, etc….. How far did Jesus have to walk from the towns he ministered to? How big is the Jordan river, the Red Sea, Mt. Sinai. These facts can add dimension to our understanding of the story or analogy that is used. It would take an experienced climber a whole day to climb Mt. Sinai. Moses did it at least 4 times. (Boy, he must have been in good shape huh?)

4. The fourth Divergence: History.

If geography is the scenery, the history is the plot that the bible characters lived within. (i.e. how did the Babylonian captivity affect the Jews, Roman history (the Pax Romana, the decadence), etc….) I recommend you do some reading or watch some good movies surrounding the times of the Patriarchs, Jesus, and the Church.

A. General Introduction:

1) Assumptions

a. The canon – The accepted collection of scripture. The OT, NT and that’s it. No apocryphal books.

i. We limit our study to the sacred cannon which determines the boundary of scripture.

ii. We must find it’s truest text: It’s original manuscripts:

1. The most reliable we have is : “textus receptus” written in Greek and Hebrew. (see the book for more detail)

iii. We must work out a basic theory concerning how the true text is to be determined.

1. Are there any mistakes?

2. Is the language different/same?

3. New historical or cultural findings compared with the older texts. Dead Sea scrolls as an example.

iv. Determine how that basic theory determines the text of any given verse.

b. Textural Criticism – misunderstood phrase (liberals abuse it); the laborious study of finding the original manuscripts and scripture; a careful laborer of the word will find the original and compare different integrities of the scripture. It’s proven that most texts that we use are very near in text and purity than the original manuscripts.

c. Historical Criticism –i. Deals with the authorship of the book, the date, historical background, authenticity, and literary unity (flow).

Summary: Study the cannon to determine which are the inspired books, the text to determine the words or wording of those books, and the history to give us the cultural framework for the books.

2) Definitions

a. Interpretation – The concept occurs in both testaments

i. The old testament – interpretation of dreams and prophesy

ii. The new testament –

1. “Hermeneia” Greek God Hermes – who was the messenger from the Gods to the mortals. The god of the liberal arts. In reference the Bible, it’s the science and art of interpretation.

2. “Exegesis” – to take out. Let the scripture speak to me or what the scripture says to us. What the Holy Spirit was saying to the ancients and how that applies to us.

3. “Eisegesis” – to put in. To read into a text our pre-set ideas/presuppositions. In other words, eisegesis is us putting into the word of God our ideas and thoughts. You can see how this might be dangerous. Look at I Cor. 13:8 - Assuming that the "perfect" is the bible is eisegetical isn't it? Read it again. Notice the list of things that will pass away...it says that knowledge will pass away to during this "dispensation". Oops, I think we still have that, don't you???


3) General & Special Hermeutics

a. General Hermenutics – General rules that apply to the whole bible

b. Special Hermenutices – Special rules that apply to specific parts of the bible (parables, prophecy, poetry, symbols, figures of speech, apocalyptic language)

4) Limitations of a mere knowledge of scripture.

Just knowing the Word of God and applying these rules is not enough. We have to study the history of hermeneutics to know why we got where we are now, and how to avoid the mistakes of the past. You have to have an adequate understanding of the history of hermeneutics. You will find that many of the mistakes of the past are being repeated today.

5) The qualifications of an interpreter:

a. Must be born again. Can’t understand spiritual things without the scripture.

b. Need to have a passion to know God’s Word. (The wisdom of the Lord is like buried treasure)

c. Must always have a deep reverence for God. We approach him with deep humility and patience.

d. Dependence on the Holy Spirit to guide and direct.

There’s a difference between Inspiration and Illumination. Inspiration is infallible, but Illumination is not. Inspiration is what the Holy Spirit revealed to the bible writers and they wrote it down as they were instructed or led. Illumination is fallible. This involves my understanding of the scripture as the Holy Spirit illumines my mind. My mind is involved so as always, that is where things can be twisted or mis-understood.

i. Education is important. Having background in history, philosophy, etc, is good. They are natural tools that an interpreter can draw from instinctively.

6) The equipment of the interpreter:

a. Language Studies –

i. Must have for ministry in your library:

1. A parallel bible with the original language text, with a literal translation.

2. Commentaries of the past and present.

a. Martin Luther, John Calvin

b. Caution: Commentaries are biblical interpretations of scholars, illuminations, if you will.

3. Supplemental Materials:

a. Bible Dictionaries

b. Bible Encyclopedias – Zondervan's Pictorial Encyclopedia is excellent.

c. Bible Atlase. Customs & Manners of the Bible


7.) What about the Holy Spirit?

The concept of just me, the Holy Spirit, and the Bible. That’s all based on egotism. We should use others wisdom and study. It’s pride to think that don't need the wisdom and study of others to help us understand what we are reading.

8) Confusion of Inspiration vs. Illumination.

It’s the function of the Holy Spirit to illumin what has already been revealed. There are many other learned people who have pressed in to get what they have. Below is a how understanding comes about. This is the track to understanding the Bible and making it applicable to our lives.

We begin with the assumptions:

1. The Bible only is our arena. No outside sources. (No "Book of Mormon" in case your were wondering.)

2. The study of Hermeneutics, the rules of interpreting the Bible.

3. Exegesis, "taking out" or letting the scripture speak to us, discernment based on an initial literal reading of the scripture.

4. Systematic Theology - we compare the truths that we receive and build a systematic understanding of who God is and His relationship to man.

Below is our stack: Moving up.

Systematic Theology (Conclusions based on a complete reading and exegesis of scripture.)
Exegesis (Discerning & Meaning by language studies)
Hermeneutics (Interpretation Rules based on logic, language, and historical experience.)
Assumptions (Canon, Truest Text, Historical Criticism )

They build one upon the other. So, hermeneutics is an important aspect for us on the journey to Biblical interpretation and its application to our lives.

Reflection Question:

How does the need for Hermeneutics affect your current understanding of how you study the Bible?

Getting Started

All,

We still are missing a few people. Hello to all who are signed in and ready. If you are just signing in, please include an introduction of yourself. Read the other intro's for examples.

Now, for daily operation, you will find that this is relatively simple to work with; however, it is better to post the following ways:

1. Post all of your public comments on the front blog page. That includes the Lecture 250-300 word Question response, your 2 responses to others, and your personal reflection question.

2. You may respond to others by clicking on the small "comments" section at the end of each entry. Use that for off the cuff or fun responses to one another if you like. I will use that section for personal input or instruction to your responses.

3. Try not to get behind. You will be graded on class participation and that is determined mostly by your weekly participation not "cram it all in at the last minute" participation.

Have fun with the material. Oh, make sure you get the book ordered asap. Refer to my email for ordering info.

Blessings,

David

Introductions

Hello all,

My name is Joseph, and I am part of Manna Church in Sanford. I just returned from Romania in December, and have been looking forward to taking this class along with some others at GCD. I am a full time student this semester and working alot part-time. It is nice getting to meet all of you.

Joseph

Introductions

Hello All,

I will be your instructor for this course. I would like for us to begin by making some introductions. I will start. I am the Senior Pastor of Emmanuel Worship Center in Roanoke Rapids, NC. I have been here for over a year and a half. I lived in Fayetteville, NC for 23 years and was on staff with Michael Fletcher for close to 20 of those years before coming here. I was the Executive Pastor there for the last 12 years. During that time I began to teach Hermeneutics, and it has become one of my favorite biblical study topics. I am sure that you will be challenged in this course and will grow in your personal Bible study skills. Now how about you? DS