Interpreting Poetry
The Bible is comprised of many types of literature, each adding to the depth and richness of God’s disclosure of his person and work in the world. However, the beauty added by the use of various genres is missed if the reader does not learn to pay attention to the types of literature and how they are to be interpreted. Just as in secular literature we know that poetry is read and interpreted differently from biography, and newspaper accounts are interpreted differently from novels, so in the literature of the Bible we must learn to look for and listen to how the genres are used by the Holy Spirit to unfold redemption’s story. Let’s consider the poetry of the Bible.
Interpreting Historical Narratives: Part 3
The Bible is comprised of many types of literature, each adding to the depth and richness of God’s disclosure of his person and work in the world. However, the beauty added by the use of various genres is missed if the reader does not learn to pay attention to the types of literature and how they are to be interpreted. Just as in secular literature we know that poetry is read and interpreted differently from biography, and newspaper accounts are interpreted differently from novels, so in the literature of the Bible we must learn to look for and listen to how the genres are used by the Holy Spirit to unfold redemption’s story. Let’s consider the historical narratives of the Bible.
Interpreting Historical Narratives: Part 2
The Bible is comprised of many types of literature, each adding to the depth and richness of God’s disclosure of his person and work in the world. However, the beauty added by the use of various genres is missed if the reader does not learn to pay attention to the types of literature and how they are to be interpreted. Just as in secular literature we know that poetry is read and interpreted differently from biography, and newspaper accounts are interpreted differently from novels, so in the literature of the Bible we must learn to look for and listen to how the genres are used by the Holy Spirit to unfold redemption’s story. Let’s consider the historical narratives of the Bible.
Interpreting Historical Narratives: Part 1
The Bible is comprised of many types of literature, each adding to the depth and richness of God’s disclosure of his person and work in the world. However, the beauty added by the use of various genres is missed if the reader does not learn to pay attention to the types of literature and how they are to be interpreted. Just as in secular literature we know that poetry is read and interpreted differently from biography, and newspaper accounts are interpreted differently from novels, so in the literature of the Bible we must learn to look for and listen to how the genres are used by the Holy Spirit to unfold redemption’s story. Let’s consider the historical narratives of the Bible.
Interpreting the Law: Part 3
The Bible is comprised of many types of literature, each adding to the depth and richness of God’s disclosure of his person and work in the world. However, the beauty added by the use of various genres is missed if the reader does not learn to pay attention to the types of literature and how they are to be interpreted. Just as in secular literature we know that poetry is read and interpreted differently from biography, and newspaper accounts are interpreted differently from novels, so in the literature of the Bible we must learn to look for and listen to how the genres are used by the Holy Spirit to unfold redemption’s story. The first genre we want to consider is the law.
Interpreting the Law: Part 2
The Bible is comprised of many types of literature, each adding to the depth and richness of God’s disclosure of his person and work in the world. However, the beauty added by the use of various genres is missed if the reader does not learn to pay attention to the types of literature and how they are to be interpreted. Just as in secular literature we know that poetry is read and interpreted differently from biography, and newspaper accounts are interpreted differently from novels, so in the literature of the Bible we must learn to look for and listen to how the genres are used by the Holy Spirit to unfold redemption’s story. The first genre we want to consider is the law.
Interpreting the Law: Part 1
The Bible is comprised of many types of literature, each adding to the depth and richness of God’s disclosure of his person and work in the world. However, the beauty added by the use of various genres is missed if the reader does not learn to pay attention to the types of literature and how they are to be interpreted. Just as in secular literature we know that poetry is read and interpreted differently from biography, and newspaper accounts are interpreted differently from novels, so in the literature of the Bible we must learn to look for and listen to how the genres are used by the Holy Spirit to unfold redemption’s story. The first genre we want to consider is the law.
The New Testament Canon
As we consider How to Study the Bible we are beginning with a consideration of the canon of Scripture. While as followers of Jesus we might be content with the affirmation, “the Bible is the Word of God,” we recognize that the unbelieving world does not accept such an affirmation and, in fact, seeks to undercut the inspired nature of Scripture. Consequently we want to have some knowledge of why the Bible is trustworthy, of why it is to be received as the inspired, inerrant Word of God.
Having first considered the Old Testament canon, we now turn our attention of the canon of the New Testament. In this study we see how God gave the Old Testament books as a witness to his original covenant and then link the expectation of God’s new covenant to the expectation for new authoritative Scriptures. We examine the internal witnesses of the New Testament to the inspired nature of its contents and conclude by hearing the external witness of the early church, both what the church fathers said about the sacred writings of the New Testament and the timing of the reception of the books of the New Testament.
The Old Testament Canon
We believe that the Bible is the perfect treasure of divine instruction by which God has disclosed His person and work to mankind. The evidence of God’s handiwork in creation is enough to teach us of God’s existence, but not His identity. We require special revelation, which we have in the Bible. The Bible proclaims the truth to us, persuades us to believe the truth, puts us in line when we deny the truth, and prepares to walk in the truth (2 Timothy 3:16).
Consequently we want to know how to make the most of our study of the Bible so that we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ. To that end we are learning together How to Study the Bible.
Our study begins with the question of canon. The canon is the authorized list of books that the church recognizes as the divinely-inspired Word of God. If we are going to study the Bible as God’s Word, we should know something about how the transmission history of the Bible and why we can have confidence that the Bible we have is God’s Word. Let’s begin with the Old Testament Canon.
Notes: The Old Testament Canon and the Deutero-Canonical Books
Podcast: The Old Testament Canon and the Deutero-Canonical Books