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New
Testament Literary Styles
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Things
that make understanding biblical texts difficult.
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Two
commonly misunderstood New Testament literary features
Parables
- Usually
only contains one or two key points
- Do
not over allegorize
Hyperbole:
exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect
- I
could eat a horse.
- I
could sleep for a year.
- This
book weighs a ton.
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Three
Principles for Studying the Bible (Hermeneutics)
Principle
1: The Law of non-contradiction— Scripture must interpret scripture
- The
Bible has a variety of human authors but a unity of theme because there
is one divine author.
- Verbal
Plenary Inspiration
- Verbal:
the words are guided by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 5:17)
- Plenary:
the entire scripture is reliable
- Inspiration:
Scripture is God breathed qeovpneusto"- theopneustos- inspired
by God
- God
used human instruments to reveal Himself: 100% God and 100% human
- Everything
must be understood with the help of it’s context
- Every
relative scripture on a given subject must be consulted before a final
conclusion can be made.
- All
scriptures agree on the same point to which they agree on a matter.
(This is why the interpretation of a given text is not equally clear
to everyone at the same time. People have various ideas about general
matters)
- There
is one interpretation but many applications as long as they are true
to what the writer meant in his interpretation.
Principle
2: Interpret the Bible literally — pay attention to the letters and
words
- A
literal interpretation takes words in their normal, natural, customary
meaning.
- Need
a grammatical and historical understanding of the text you’re
studying to know what is “literal”.
- Do
not look for “hidden” messages or allegorical meanings
unless it is obvious that you are dealing with a specialized form
of writing (gospel, epistle, poetry, parables, proverbs, allegory,
apocalyptic)
- The
language used will be immediately revelatory of what is discussed.
- Seek
an interpretation which makes the text clear and which explains the
majority of the details.
Principle
3: The totality of the literature on any subject is necessary for the
understanding of any subject.
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Old
Testament Forms of Expression
The
New Testament often uses Old Testament forms of expression that are confussion.
One common example would be how repentance is represented by weeping and
morning. In each of the following two examples, the idea is that you need
to truely repent. This style of representing true repentance as weeping
and morning is frequently found in the writings of the Prophets.
James
4:7-10
Submit
yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you
sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn
and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up
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