Obstacles to Scripture Interpretation
Presuppositions - The obstacle to Bible interpretation that is based upon consious and unconsious assumptions
Author and Intent - Scholars sometimes place too much emphasis upon identifying secondary authors and intentions often leading to the neglect of God as the real author
Reader - Interpretations based upon the determination of individual readers corrupts God's Truth
Medium - The written medium of Scripture sometimes restricts interpretation through the absence of inflection and body language and cultural considerations
Meaning - Strict requirements of denominational and academic interpretations create restrictive obstacles to Scripture meaning; but, Professional Theologists are tasked to overcome these obstacles to present God's revealed Truth without interference
Translation - The original Bible languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek create difficulties to the interpretation of Scripture when fluency for translation is undeveloped
Precedent - Flawed historical interpretations must be corrected through the grammatical-historical method to avoid obstacles to modern-day interpretations. Typological interpretations by Professional Theologists must be carefully develped with full stoppers in place to ensure reflections of the perfect Truth of God.
Context - Narrow examination of Scripture without connection to the full meaning supported by all other Scripture parts leads to serious obstacles in Scripture interpretation
Relevance - Modern-day interpretation of Scripture requires applications that are in full compliance with Scripture; often, this is ignored in favor of liberal or conservative advancement of doctrines
Validation - It is sometimes difficult to validate specific interpretations of Scripture and cull false ideas from legitimate efforts of Scripture exegesis
Biblical Context and Tools
Reading - Reading Scripture in context is a crucial consideration for correct interpretation of God's and His author's intentions and purposes for writing the Books of the Bible
Worldview Context - Context includes historical context, cultural context and religious context worldviews of the author at the time the Scripture text was written.
Historical Context - Context examines both the big-picture history surrounding the author and his life, and the “immediate historical context” looks at the exact time of the author’s existence.
Culture Context - Scripture interpretation based upon cultural contexts of the biblical authors
Religious Context - An introductory examination of how civilizations, cultures and peoples surrounded the writers’ religious connections and identify with their beliefs
Tools for Worldview Context - Introduction of context tools (primary sources, reference works, academic monographs, Bible commentaries, journal articles, software, archaeology, art, artifacts, icons and popular media) available to the modern-day interpreter of Scripture
Primary Sources - Introduction to primary source context tools available to the modern-day interpreter of Scripture
English Translations of Ancient Texts - Introduction to the importance of English translations of anicient texts to Scripture interpretation
Reference Works - Introduction to the importance of reference works that support Scripture interpretation
Academic Monographs - Introduction to academic monographs (very specialized treatments that are published into narrowly defined textbooks) available to the modern-day interpreter of Scripture
Bible Commentaries - Introduction to devotional, expositional, and scholarly commentaries providing detailed information for reliable Scripture interpretation
Academic Journals - Introduction to the importance of scholarly journal articles to refresh new learning opportunities and more perfect Scripture handling.
Logos Software - Introduction to the importance of LOGOS software references to the tasks performed by Professional Theologists
Online Resources - Introduction to Internet resources as possible aids to assist biblical studies
Scripture Literary Content (Old Testament)
Genre - An examination of Scripture genre within literary content analysis for interpretation
Old Testament Narrative - Introduction to Old Testament Scripture narrative within a literary content analysis
Old Testament Genealogy - Introduction of generational record keeping genealogies for Old Testament literary content analysis
Genealogies Meanings - Introduction to genealogies meaings for literary content interpretations
Legal Texts - Introduction to legal texts for literary content interpretations
Literary Genre - Introduction to genre for literary content interpretations
Psalm Types - Introduction to Psalm types for literary content interpretations
Psalm Interpretation - Introduction of Psalm interpretations through literary content of Scripture
Old Testament Wisdom - Introduction to Old Testament Wisdom for literary content interpretations
Old Testament Prophecy - Introduction to Old Testament Prophecy for literary content interpretations
Apocalyptic Prophecy Continued - Warning to Professional Theologists concerning Apocalyptic Prophecy teachings in the marketplace
Prophecy Subgenre - Identifies the prophecy subgenres of funeral dirge, disputation, lawsuit, and war oracle.
Scripture Literary Content (New Testament)
New Testament Narrative - Introduces New Testament narratives and some of their narrative connections to the ancient world.
New Testament Epistle - Introduces New Testament Epistles as one genre in content analysis.
New Testament Prophecy vs. Apocalyptic - Introduces New Testament prophcy and contrasts the apocalyptic genre in content analysis.
Biblical Literary Devices
Literary Devices - Acrostic - Introduction to literary device of acrostic that emphasizes a poetry focus of 22 stanzas in Hebrew alphabetical order
Literary Devices - Chiasm - Introduction to literary device of chiasm that contains an organizational structure within the arrangement of words that is satisfying to the reader by its poetic mirroring of ideas that hinge at some point in its passage.
Literary Devices - Gematria - The assignment of numerical value to each letter of the Hebrew and Greek alphabet
Literary Devices - Hyperbole - An exaggeration usually stressed in order to capture the emotion of the idea.
Literary Devices - Typology - Images, shadows, types, and dreams that interconnect with Scripture words to reveal a deeper meaning of God's Word to those guided by the Holy Spirit and careful scholarship.
Literary Devices - Typology 2 - Continued images, shadows, types, and dreams that interconnect with Scripture words to reveal a deeper meaning of God's Word to those guided by the Holy Spirit and careful scholarship.
Literary Devices - Metaphor - Introduces the different rules of Scripture interpretation and various theories that complicate interpretation of these type expressions
Literary Devices - Merism - Introduces the merism literary device that combines several contrasting or similar ideas into one complete idea
Literary Devices - Parallelism - Introduces the parallelism literary device that combines grammatical or semantic details into complete ideas of contrast or comparison
Literary Devices - Simile - Introduces the simile literary device that is a metaphor with the word like or as preceeding it
Biblical Linguistic Context
Linguistic Context - Introduces the importance of linguistic context when defining original word usage in Scripture
Application of Scripture Interpretation
Links
About the Author
Kathy L. McFarland is President and Founder of Becker Bible Ministries, Inc. and the Becker Professional Theology Academy. She is also a Becker Bible Studies Teacher and author of Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians. She has received her Bachelor of Science degree in Religious Studies from Liberty University, is on track for the Master of Divinity (Professional Ministries Track) degree from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary & Graduate School in 2016 and will be seeking a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Theology and Apologetics beginning in the fall of 2016. She is the originator of the newest theological movement to encourage Christian leaders to minister within the modern-day marketplace as Professional Theologists. She is also the Curriculum Developer for Becker Professional Theology Academy and a teaching faculty member. Kathy's favorite studies to teach include the connections between Old Testament exegesis, Christian Apologetics, and Bible typology and mysteries.
©2014-2015 Kathy L. McFarland. All Rights Reserved.