PDF Bible 405: HERMENEUTICS

Bible 405: HERMENEUTICS

THE STUDY OF THE INTERPRETATION

OF SCRIPTURES

COMPILED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES INCLUDING DALLAS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY,

MULTNOMAH BIBLE COLLEGE, AND PERSONAL RESEARCH

DR. STEPHEN R. LEWIS Chafer Theological Seminary

Chafer Theological Seminary Hermeneutics

INTERPRETATION

"Bridging the Gaps"

CLASS CALENDAR

Dr. Stephen R. Lewis Instructor

INTRODUCTION TO HERMENEUTICS

WEEK 1 Hermeneutics? What's That? (Challenges, Definitions, Problems, Results) and Whose View Is Valid? (Axioms and Maxims, or The Principal Principles)

Class Notes: Lockhart's Axioms of Hermeneutics Greek words for Hermeneutics Definitions of Hermeneutics and Related Terms

Reading:

Zuck, Rightly Divided: Readings in Biblical Hermeneutics, pp. 1-81 Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, pp. 9-26, 59-75

Project:

Suppose a friend of yours, a new believer, whom you recently led to the Lord, has written to you about the Bible. He/she writes, "I'm reading the Bible as you suggested I do, but frankly I'm having difficulty understanding it. I talk to one person about problems in a passage I read, and he explains them one way. I talk to another person and he explains them differently. And they both claim to be taught by the Holy Spirit. How can I know which views are correct?"

Write a letter (of 250-500 words) answering his/her questions. Be sure to speak to these issues: basic principles of interpretation, the place of the Holy Spirit in interpretation, and qualifications of a Bible interpreter.

UNIT ONE: THE HISTORICAL WORLD OF BIBLE INTERPRETATION

WEEK 2 How Did We Get Here? (Hermeneutics then and now)

Class Notes: Highlights in the History of Hermeneutic

Ancient Jewish Exegesis Greek and Jewish Allegorgate Early Church Fathers Apologists Alexandrian and Antiochene Fathers Late Church Fathers Middle ages (590-1517) The Reformation Post Reformation (1550-1800) Modern era (1800-present)

Reading:

Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, pp. 27-58

Project:

Report first 75 pages of collateral reading from approved list

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Chafer Theological Seminary Hermeneutics

Dr. Stephen R. Lewis Instructor

UNIT TWO: THE WORLD BEHIND THE TEXT

WEEK 3 What is Literal, Historical (Cultural), Grammatical, Rhetorical Interpretation

Class Notes: Where's the Author Coming From? (Bridging the Cultural Gap) Hermeneutics and the Historical-Cultural Context

Reading:

Zuck, Rightly Divided: Readings in Biblical Hermeneutics, pp. 245-257 Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, pp. 76-97

Projects: Do the Exercise on pages 91-92 in Zuck, Basic . . .

Write a paper (of 250-500 words) on this question: Was Jesus' practice of footwashing a "cultural" custom only for His time, or is it "trans-cultural" and to be practiced today? Why or why not? How do we know which commands in the Bible were culture-bound and which ones are trans-cultural?

WEEK 4 What Does the Text mean by That? (Bridging the Grammatical Gap)

Class Notes: Hermeneutics and the Grammatical Interpretation

Reading:

Zuck, Rightly Divided: Readings in Biblical Hermeneutics, pp. 85-101, 133-182 Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, pp. 98-122

Project:

Do the Exercise on pages 119-120 in Zuck, Basic . . .

UNIT THREE: THE WORLD IN THE TEXT

WEEK 5 What Kind of Book Is It? (Bridging the Rhetorical Gap)

Class Notes: Hermeneutics and the Rhetorical Interpretation

Reading:

Zuck, Rightly Divided: Readings in Biblical Hermeneutics, pp. 85-101, 133-182 Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, pp. 123-142

Project:

Report second 75 pages of collateral reading from approved list

WEEK 6 Why is it laid out that way?

Class Notes: Structure Analysis

Mid-Term Exam

WEEK 7 Why Did He Say It That Way? (Figuring out Figurative Language)

Class Notes: Figures of Speech

Reading:

Zuck, Rightly Divided: Readings in Biblical Hermeneutics, pp. 102-142 Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, pp. 143-168

Project:

Do the Exercises on pages 163 & 168 in Zuck, Basic . . .

3

Chafer Theological Seminary Hermeneutics

Dr. Stephen R. Lewis Instructor

WEEK 8 When Is a Type a Type? (Testing the Types and Sensing the Symbols)

Class Notes: Typology Symbols

Reading:

Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, pp. 169-193

Project:

Write a paper 500-1000 words answering the following questions (due at end of week 9):

Is "tupos" a technical term in scripture? By a narrow definition, some of the uses of the word may be non-technical. How do we know that it is a technical term at all? The opposing idea would be that it just means "pattern," and that nothing distinguishes it from "skia" (shadow) and other similar words. (see Louw & Nida, domain 58.i and 58.j, for example). In this case, could Scripture use a word other than "tupos" to designate a type.

Is typology, even narrowly defined as Caird or Zuck would have it, a legitimate field of inquiry at all? What biblical basis do we have for establishing such a category?

WEEK 9 Psalms (Poetry), Parables, Allegories & O.T. Apocalyptic Literature

Class Notes: Psalms (Poetry), Parables, Allegories & O.T. Apocalyptic Literature

Reading:

Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, pp. 194-226

Project:

Report third 75 pages of collateral reading from approved list

Paper concerning typology due at end of this week

WEEK 10 Narratives & Prophetic Literature

Class Notes Narratives: Allegorizing or Principlizing? & Prophecy: Bugaboo or Blessing? (Penetrating the Prophetic "Sound Barrier")

Reading:

Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, pp. 227-249

Project:

Analyze two sermons you have heard where someone used Narrative portions of the OT or NT and determine if the speaker "principlized" or "allegorized" the passage in applying the people and/or circumstances to the congregation.

WEEK 11 Why Quote the Old Testament Like That? (Using the Old in the New)

Class Notes: Use of O.T. in N.T.

Reading:

Zuck, Rightly Divided: Readings in Biblical Hermeneutics, pp. 183-230 Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, pp. 250-278

Project:

Do the Exercise on page 270 in Zuck, Basic . . .

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Chafer Theological Seminary Hermeneutics

Dr. Stephen R. Lewis Instructor

UNIT FOUR: THE WORLD IN FRONT OF TEXT

WEEKS 12 & 13

How Does the Bible Apply to Today? (Bridging the Time Gap)

Class Notes: Application

Reading:

Zuck, Rightly Divided: Readings in Biblical Hermeneutics, pp. 258-296 Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, pp. 279-292

Project:

By end of Week 13 read the Book of Jude and list as many interpretive questions as you can, going through the book verse by verse. The more, the better. "Bombard" the text with all kinds of questions (pertaining to meaning not the application of the text). Try to list from Jude several questions in each of the categories of: backgrounds (historical/cultural), terms (grammatical/syntactical), structures, and forms (genre/rhetorical).

Keep in mind these statements: "The interpretative question is in reality the intermediate step between observation and interpretation." (Traina, Methodical Bible Study, p. 97.) ". . . the key to interpretation of Scripture lies in the kind of questions that are put to it. The right questions provide the right combination to unlock the treasure." (Paul Helm, "History and Biblical Interpretation," The Banner of Truth, March 1973, p. 28.)

WEEK 14 Overall Evaluation Summary

Class Notes:

Creative Use of Paraphrase Synthetic Bible Study Process of Developing Biblical Theology Sermon Structure

Project:

Report last 75 pages of collateral reading from approved list

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Chafer Theological Seminary Hermeneutics

Dr. Stephen R. Lewis Instructor

AIMS FOR THIS COURSE IN HERMENEUTICS

GENERAL AIMS

To provide a method for the understanding the Word of God

To produce doers of the Word

To spread the truth of God's Word through capable expositors

SPECIFIC AIMS

To know basic facts pertaining to the history, principles, and practice of hermeneutics.

To gain insight into issues in both general and special hermeneutics.

To appreciate the significance of a proper hermeneutical approach to the Bible and to develop a lifelong attitude of excitement toward hermeneutics.

To gain skill in appropriating principles of hermeneutics to various kinds of biblical passages.

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