1 - Why undertake such a study?
“One of the keystones of any evangelical hermeneutic
today is the grammatical historical approach to the Scriptures. Scripture
must be seen in context. That context is the linguistic and historical
context in which it was written. For the evangelical, the meaning
that the scriptures held for those to whom it was written (or to whom the
events happened) is foundational to any interpretation and application
of the scriptures today. For this reason, studies of the backgrounds
of early Christianity are essential. These studies enable the contemporary
student to get in touch with the actual world of the Bible and can be a
preventative to an anachronistic interpretive framework.” L. Loden, p 29
2 - Discussion starting points:
– the text contains no superfluous words
– not looking for “secret meanings”, but a deeper
understanding
– context, context, context
3 - How will this be accomplished?
By studying many historical and modern sources,
including: The Bible, Talmud, Josephus (complete works), Juvenal (Satires),
Suetonius (The Twelve Caesars), and Tacitus (Annales).
4 - Examples of fruits of a deeper understanding.
A. Alas, Old Lad
(click here
for mp3 audio) (click here
for transcript)
Isaac at 37 (Genesis 22:12)
and Joshua at 57 (Exodus 33:11), the status of a na'ar
B. Defile Me Not
(click here
for mp3 audio) (click here
for transcript)
Law-abiding Priest and
Levite vs. the Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37, Numbers 8:5-7, 13-16, 21, Numbers
19:11
as well as here,
here
and also here
for more concerning ritual uncleanliness and defilement)
C. The Unbearable Nearness of Being Far
(click here
for mp3 audio) (click here
for transcript)
Prodigal son was never
out of his Father’s sight (Luke 15:11-31)
D. Climbing Mount Sycomorus
(click here
for mp3 audio) (click here
for transcript)
Zacchaeus risked red,
raw rashes with help from friend(s) (Luke 19:1-10)
posted 12 September
2007
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