Intro to Exegesis Week 3: Contexts - Now and Then

Amos S. Yang, MD

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1!

Communication

Encoding

Encoding

Decoding

Decoding

PreunderstandingA PreunderstandingB

•  Disparities between the thought in one person�s mind and another person�s mind are caused by: •  Differences in preunderstandings (culture, background, experiences, language, etc…) •  Varying skills in encoding and decoding •  Varying degrees of awareness regarding communication theory 2!

Communication

What might be said Person A Person B What might be �heard�

�Sometimes you can be really annoying.�

Husband Wife

�I don�t love you and regret marrying you.�

�Yes, that dress makes you look fat.� �You�re fat, ugly, and undesirable, and I wish I could be married to

someone else.�

�Why aren�t you more like your cousin Dan?�

Asian parent

Asian child

�I wish I could trade you for your cousin Dan. He�s better than you.�

�You�re #2 in your class? Why not #1?�

�You�re never good enough.� �You got a 99%?

Where did the other point go?�

3!

Communication

What might be said Person A Person B What might be �heard�

�I want to major in music and one day become a pastor.�

Asian son

Asian parent

�I�m a complete idiot and desperately need you to tell me what to do.�

�I spent lots of time this weekend reading my Bible.�

�I�m irresponsible and am neglecting my academic responsibilities.�

�We should emphasize obedience in the Christian life.�

Mature Christian

Immature Christian

�I�m a legalist.�

�Holiness means that we have to be separate and distinct from the

world.�

�Holiness means we have to be social outcasts, live in a cave,

and can never be happy.�

�You�re fun to talk to.�

Guy Girl

�I really like you and likely am interested in you.�

�You�re a special person.� �I�m in love with you and want you to be the mother of my children.�

4!

Contexts

Good exegesis:

Holy Bible

Encoding

! !

!

Poor exegesis:

Decoding

?

Historical-cultural context

Preunderstanding

Preunderstanding

Decoding

5!

Preunderstanding

•  �Preunderstanding refers to all of our preconceived notions and understandings that we bring to the text, which have been formulated, both consciously and subconsciously, before we actually study the text in detail…Preunderstanding is formed by both good and bad influences, some accurate and some inaccurate…Likewise, culture constantly creeps in� (J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays).

•  What are some sources of and influences on our preunderstanding?

6!

Preunderstanding

•  An example of preunderstanding at work:

!  Setting: Chicago, June 2000 !  Question: Should Amos go to medical school or seminary?

!  Asian Dad�s advice: �Amos, 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, �Do all to the glory of God.� Of course you should go to medical school. That�s obvious. You�ll so much more fully glorify God by being a doctor than by not being one. How would walking away from this wide open door to you glorify God? Don�t go to seminary.�

!  Caucasian pastor�s advice:

�Amos, 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, �Do all to the glory of God.� That probably means you should go to seminary. After all, glorifying God is more important than becoming a doctor.�

7!

Preunderstanding

•  Another example of preunderstanding at work:

!  Question: All things being equal, is it better to be single or married?

!  Most cultures: �Of course it�s better to be married than single. Duh! Singleness is abnormal and generally undesirable. So hurry up and date and get married. If you have the opportunity to date and get married, by default you should take it.�

!  1 Cor 7:1b, 8, 28, 32, 38:

�It is good for a man not to marry…Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am…Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this…I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord�s affairs--how he can please the Lord…So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better.�

!  Also c.f. Mt 19:9-11

8!

Preunderstanding

•  Another example of preunderstanding at work:

!  Question: All things being equal, is it better to be single or married?

!  Most cultures: �Of course it�s better to be married than single. Duh! Singleness is abnormal and generally undesirable. So hurry up and date and get married. If you have the opportunity to date and get married, by default you should take it.�

!  John MacArthur:

�Many people today think there is something wrong with you if you remain single. They say, �Well, she's not married. There must be something wrong.� But Paul affirms it is a good thing not to be married…Paul acknowledges that singleness is good, honorable, and excellent…(It) is good to consider first the option of singleness.�

9!

Preunderstanding

•  Another example of preunderstanding at work:

!  Lk 14:26 (NASB): (Jesus said,) �If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple.�

!  Lk 14:26 (GNT):

εἴ τις ἔρχεται πρός µε καὶ οὐ µισεῖ τὸν πατέρα ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὴν µητέρα καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὰ τέκνα καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τὰς ἀδελφὰς ἔτι τε καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ, οὐ δύναται εἶναί µου µαθητής.

•  µισεῖ: hate

!  Lk 14:26 (Chinese Union Version):

� � � # ' � � � & � $ ( & � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � % " � � � � ! �

(foot note: & � $ ( & � � �)

•  & � $ ( &: �love me more than�� •  � �: �the original language is �hate��

10!

Preunderstanding

•  Another example of preunderstanding at work:

!  1 Tim 5:8: �If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.�

Question One culture says… Another culture says…

What does this verse mean? It means you should feed and clothe your kids until they�re 18.

It means you should take care of your children and parents

whenever they need it.

Does it mean you have to pay for their college tuition

if you can afford it? No. Yes.

Does it mean you have to help out your adult children when

they�re in trouble? No. Yes.

Does it mean you should be prepared to support your parents if they can�t make ends meet?

No. Yes.

Does it mean you need to let your parents move into your home if

they can�t manage on their own? No. Yes.

11!

Preunderstanding

•  In gender-specific groups, describe as best as you can family and cultural influences upon your preunderstanding. Consider things such as:

!  What is your family�s perspective and views regarding education, work, family, religion, and wealth?

•  Describe the socioeconomic status of your family. Does your family consider itself wealthy?

•  Are there any careers that your parents would prefer that you pursue or avoid? Why?

•  What is your parents� perspective regarding the type of person you should marry or not marry? And regarding the timing of when you pursue dating and/or marriage?

•  How do your parents feel about your involvement in church and GOC?

!  How do members of your family tend to relate to each other? Does your family tend to be warm and huggy or cold and distant?

!  Try to relate your family background to your own set of values and perspectives.

•  What have you retained? •  What have you rejected? 12!

Historical-cultural context

•  �The primary aim of the exegete is to make clear the meaning of the text at the time and in the circumstances of its writing. To understand its message requires attention to matters of grammar and syntax, word meanings, idioms, and literary forms—all in relation to the historical and cultural setting of the text� (Frank E. Gaebelein).

•  �(Historical-cultural context) involves the biblical writer, the biblical audience, and any historical-cultural elements touched on by the passage itself. Historical-cultural context relates to just about anything outside the text that will you understand the text itself…God spoke through the human writers of Scripture to address the real-life needs of people at a particular time in a particular culture…The way we approach the Bible should match how God gave us the Bible…We cannot simply ignore �those people living back then� and jump directly to what God wants to say to us…We must recapture God�s original intended meaning as reflected in the text and framed by the ancient historical-cultural context. Once we understand the meaning of the text in its original context, we can apply it to our lives in ways that we just as relevant. God�s Word is eternally relevant. Our task as students of His Word is to discover that relevant by doing our contextual homework� (J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays).

13!

Historical-cultural context

!  Bible handbooks

!  OT and NT introductions and surveys

!  Commentaries

!  Bible atlases

!  Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias

!  Background commentaries

!  OT and NT histories

!  Special studies in ancient life and culture

•  Tools for identifying the historical-cultural context:

!  Computer software:

•  E-Sword / MacSword (free!) •  Accordance •  Logos / Libronix •  BibleWorks •  Many others…

!  Internet (be careful): •  http://www.blueletterbible.org/ •  http://www.biblegateway.com/ •  http://

biblestudy.crosswalk.com/ •  Many others…

14!

Literary context

•  �Without a context, words become meaningless…The most important principle of biblical interpretation is that context determines meaning…Literary context relates to the particular form a passage takes (the literary genre) and to the words, sentences, and paragraphs that surround the passage you are studying (the surrounding context)��(J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays).

•  OT literary genres: !  Narrative !  Law !  Poetry !  Prophecy !  Wisdom

•  NT literary genres: !  Gospel !  History !  Epistles !  Apocalyptic

•  �You can think of each genre as a different kind of game complete with its own set of rules…Literary genres acts as a kind of covenant of communication, a fixed agreement between author and reader about how to communicate…Each literary genre in the Bible comes with its own set of built-in rules for interpretation� (J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays).

15!

Literary context

•  ��Surrounding context� simply refers to the texts that surround the passage you are studying. You can think of it as the textual world in which your text lives…Various contexts form circles around your passage. We encourage you to give highest priority to the immediate context when determining the meaning of your passage��(J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays).

Duvall, J. Scott and J. Daniel Hays. Grasping God�s Word. 122. 16!

Literary context

•  An example of the importance of context:

watch

in my watch

There are a few things in my watch

There are a few things in my watch that always make me fall asleep.

There are a few things in my watch that always make me fall asleep. Being a prison guard during the night shift isn�t easy.

There are a few things in my watch that always make me fall asleep.

Being a prison guard during the night shift isn�t easy. Whoa. I wonder why I just said two completely unrelated sentences.

I must be psychotic right now.

17!

Literary context

•  An example of the importance of context:

�I love you.�

�I love you,� a boy once told a girl.

�If there�s one thing I�ll never, ever say to you again, it�s that I love you,�

a boy once told a girl.

�If there�s one thing I�ll never, ever say to you again, it�s that I love you,� a boy once told a girl who was his little sister.

18!

Literary context

•  Examples of misinterpretations due to ignoring literary context:

!  �Galatians 3:28 says that �there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.� Therefore, it is unbiblical to teach and mandate gender-related differences in the church and in the home.�

•  But look at Gal 3:26-29.

!  �In 1 Corinthians 14:18, Paul says, �I thank God I speak in tongues more than you all.� Clearly in following Paul�s example we should pursue the gift of tongues and speak in tongues frequently.�

•  But look at 1 Cor 14:1-4, 6-19, 23, 27-29.

!  �In Matthew 18:20, Jesus tells us that wherever two or three have gathered together in His name, He is in their midst. Let�s start this prayer meeting on the right note and remember that Jesus is here in our midst.�

•  But look at Mt 18:15-20. 19!