In this episode, Paulo and Jake will be discussing how we can read our Bible in order to understand both context and practical application. It is vital that we understand what the Bible is (and is not), who wrote it, who was it addressed to, what was the cultural background of the audience, and what was the author's original intent/meaning. This gets complicated when you start to realize how many authors, audiences, time periods, and cultures the Bible has! In order to help our listeners we've tried to give some practical tools to help you understand when reading your Bible. (See written tips/notes below). The Bible may be a complex and ancient document but if we are to take Jesus and discipleship to him seriously, we must begin to take steps toward greater biblical understanding.

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Episode Notes:

Exegesis (what the original author intended): The key to good exegesis, and therefore to a more intelligent reading of the Bible, is to learn to read the text carefully and to ask the right questions of the text.

Historical Context: The historical context, which will differ from book to book, has to do with several matters: the time and culture of the author and audience, that is, the geographical, topographical, and political factors that are relevant to the author’s setting; and the historical occasion of the book, letter, psalm, prophetic oracle, or another genre. (might need a good dictionary) The more important question of historical context, however, has to do with the occasion and purpose of each biblical book and/or its various parts. Here one wants to have an idea of what was going on in Israel or the church that called forth such a document, or what the situation of the author was that caused him to speak or write. (found in the book itself)

Literary Context: words only have meaning in sentences, and second biblical sentences for the most part have full and clear meaning only in relation to preceding and succeeding sentences.

What's the point? We must try to trace the author’s train of thought. What is the author saying, and why does he say it right here? Having made that point, what is he saying next, and why?

Questions of Content: The meaning of each word in the book according to its context.

Hermeneutic (How to put what the Bible says into practice in our own time): covers the whole field of interpretation, including exegesis, it is also used in the narrower sense of seeking the contemporary relevance of ancient texts. The only proper control for hermeneutics is to be found in the original intent of the biblical text. Otherwise, biblical texts can be made to mean whatever they might mean to any given reader. We can't start with the here and now and read our perspective into the text's “meanings”. Otherwise, we put things into the Bible that were not originally intended. A text cannot mean what it could never have meant for its original readers/hearers. Or to put it in a positive way, the true meaning of the biblical text for us is what God originally intended it to mean when it was first spoken or written. This is the starting point.

A step-by-step guide to doing good Exegesis and Hermeneutics:

Read the book you want to study in one go. If possible two different versions. Ignore the divisions given by your bible translation.

Answer the following questions:

Who wrote the book?

Where did he write the Book?

To whom he wrote the book?

What is the main problem he is trying to solve?

What is the solution he presents?

What are the problems today similar to the problem in the book?

How can this solution help solve the problem?

How can I put this into practice in my community?