At its highest level, exegesis requires knowledge of many things most of us know little, if anything, about: the biblical languages; Jewish, Semitic, and Hellenistic backgrounds. But you can learn to do good exegesis.
The key is to learn to read the text carefully and then to ask the right questions of the text.
There are two basis kinds of questions one should ask of every biblical passage: those that relate to context and those that relate to content. The questions of context are also of two kinds: historical and literary. Let's look at each one.
1. Historical context
The historical context, which will differ from book to book, has to do with several things: the time and culture of the author and his readers, which includes the geographical, topographical, and political factors that are relevant; and the occaision of the book, letter, or psalm, etc.
It makes a difference in understanding to know the personal background of Amos, Hosea, or Isaiah, or that Haggai prophesied after the exile, or to understand the differences between the cities of Corinth and Philippi. One's reading of the parables of Jesus is greatly enhanced by knowing something about the customs of Jesus' day.
To answer most of these kinds of questions, one will need some outside help. A good Bible dictionary will generally supply the need here.
The more important question of historical context has to do with the occaision and purpose of each biblical book.
The answer to this question is usually found within the book itself. But you need to learn to read with your eyes open. You might even consult your Bible dictionary or the Introduction to a good commentary on the book, or a look at Eerdman's Handbook to the Bible. But make your own obervations first.
2. Literary context
Essentially, literary context means that words only have meaning in sentences, and for the most part biblical sentences only have meaning in relation to preceding and succeeding sentences.
The most important contextual question you will ever ask is "What is the point?" We must try to trace the author's train of thought. Remember, the goal of exegesis is to find out what the original author intended.
a. Questions of content
"Content" has to do with the meanings of words and their grammatical relationships in sentences. It also includes "historical context," for example, the meaning of denarius, or a Sabbath day's journey, or "high places," etc.
b. Tools
For the most part, you can do good exegesis with minimal tools. The most important tools are: a good Bible dictionary, a good Bible handbook, a good translation, and good commentaries. For reading or studying the Bible book by book, these are the essentials.
Next Post: "The Second Task: Hermeneutics
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3 comments:
Thank you, Rick, for such a good, informative site. I greatly enjoy reading your posts, even if I have never responded till now. I am thankful to get your insight, as I cannot get to your class. I am thankful for such an easy way for others to get it, too. God bless you!
Rick, I wish we lived closer. I'd love to chat with you about the depths of the Bible. I have a Strong's concordence I've found helpful in gaining a bit more insight on a particular scripture. Having finally finished the Old Testiment just weeks ago, it's helped me understand references in the New Testiment better. Your blog is really helpful.
Melissa
I thank you for your comments. This is a class that I have been teaching here at Christian Life Center in Springfield, MA. One of the reasons for the class is that too many church people spend too much time "reading" their Bibles and not enough time "studying" their Bibles. This particular class will deal with interpreting the Epistles - with emphasis on 1 Corinthians.
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