As
a way to assist you in getting the most out of the learning experiences
below, I suggest you do the following:
1)
Read the required textbook reading.Make
a sincere effort at understanding the material - with particular attention
to material that relates to the questions.
2)
Read through the questions in the assignment.
3)
Check my website, www.professorheiser.com
(under the appropriate
class title) for any hints in regard to the questions."Hints"
refers to the notations I sometimes include that, in a sentence or two,
give you the gist of the article and or the point of the question(s) I
have asked you to read in conjunction with the required texts.If
you do not have internet access, let me know right away so I can provide
a hard copy of any hints.
Assignment
1 – Read
KS chs. 1-3 (under Part 1) and chs. 12-13 (under Part 4).Then
read FS chs. 1-2.In 6-10
pages, answer the following questions:
1)
In no more than 1-2 pages, why do we need to learn HOW to interpret the
Bible?How do the authors argue in
favor of "doing hermeneutics"?
2)In
one paragraph, summarize the theoretical interpretational approaches of
Kaiser's (KS ch.2) "Three Humpty Dumpty's".
3)in
one paragraph, summarize the four models for understanding the Bible discussed
by Kaiser (KS ch.2)
4)Summarize
the various aspects of meaning in your own words (KS ch. 2, pp.
34-45)
5)Discuss
a few of the ways that approaches to interpreting the Bible have changed
over time (cf. KS Ch. 12)
6)After
carefully considering KS ch. 13 and reviewing your answers to questions
2 through 4, tell me how the content of ch. 13 relates to issue of meaning.Specifically,
briefly define for me what KS means by these phrases:"autonomy
of the text" and "role of the reader."How
do these new ideas relate to interpreting the Bible?Do
you see any problems with using these ideas for understanding the Bible?
7)In
KS ch. 3, Silva reviews several interpretational fallacies that show up
all too often in preaching and Bible study materials (even scholarly works!).Summarize
in your own words what the following problems are:
a)Minimizing
the importance of biblical languages
b)Exaggerating
the importance of biblical languages
c)Equating
the meaning of a word with its history
d)Reading
the various meanings of a word into a specific use
*
with respect to c and d, WHAT DOES determine the meaning of a word?
e)Overemphasizing
subtle points of grammar and vocabulary
8)Summarize
the various theories of Bible translation in FS ch. 2.Which
translation theory does your study Bible follow?
Assignment
2 – Studying the Bible in Context, Part 1:The
Historical Context
As
part of the hermeneutical process you will learn in the class, you must
be able to determine the BROAD / GENERAL historical context of any given
passage you want to study in depth (what was going on in the world at large
when your text was written), as well as the IMMEDIATE historical context
(what was going on that occasioned the writing of your specific text).You
will need to make use of notes in Study Bibles, books on Bible history
and archaeology, books on Bible backgrounds, Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias,
and books on Old or New Testament introduction and survey to do this (see
the bibliography for some suggested works, but consult a library for many
more).
In
4-7 pages, answer the following questions:
1)Determine
the broad and immediate historical contexts for the book of Lamentations
2)Determine
the broad and immediate historical contexts for the book of 2 Thessalonians
Assignment
3 - Studying the Bible in Context, Part 2:The
"Literary Flow"
As
part of the hermeneutical process you will learn in the class, you must
be able to determine WHERE your particular text falls in the biblical book
within which it is found, and WHY it was put there.More
pointedly, where does your text fall in the overall flow of the book's
content, and where does it fall in the immediate "thought unit" or paragraph
(or what relationship does a whole paragraph – if you are studying a paragraph,
as opposed to a single verse – have to the paragraph immediately preceding
and following it?).You will find
the outlines included in Study Bibles at the beginning of each biblical
book useful for narrowing this down.You
will need to observe how an author orders his material or how he builds
an argument.Commentaries and the
outlines in them are also very useful for this.
In
4-7 pages, place each of the following passages into the overall flow of
the entire book in which it is found, and tell me how it relates to what
immediately precedes and follows in that book.
Your
passages for this assignment are:Isaiah
6 and Colossians 2
Assignment
4 - Studying the Bible in Context, Part 3:Literary
Genres (i.e., "Types" or "Categories" of Literature):Narrative,
Gospel, Parables, Laws, and Epistles
As
part of the hermeneutical process you will learn in the class, you must
be able to determine the genre of your text or passage (i.e., what kind
of literature is it).As your textbook
reading will show, you can't (or shouldn't) interpret poetry, narratives,
prophecy, proverbs, etc. the same way.
Read
the chapters as assigned below, answering the questions in a TOTAL of 6-10
pages (i.e., your responses to ALL the questions within this assignment
should be no more than 10 pp.)
1)Read
KS ch. 4 and FS chs. 5-6.
a)
What are some devices used by authors of biblical narrative to look for?What
are some cautions to take when interpreting narratives?
b)What
meaning, theologically and otherwise, can be gleaned from Genesis 17?What
are the lessons of this chapter?
c)Summarize
the debate over whether the book of Acts is just descriptive (it tells
us what happened) or normative (it tells us what we must do in our churches
today).Which do the authors think
is the proper approach to Acts? Do you agree or disagree?How
might a person with each perspective interpret Acts 2:46?
2)Read
KS ch. 6 and FS ch. 7-8.
a)Are
the gospels to be taken as history or theology?
b)How
are parables to be interpreted?What
are some principles for their interpretation?
c)In
relation to both of the above, read Luke 16:19-31.Using
commentaries or whatever other aid you wish, is this a parable or not?Why
or why not?Is it historical?Why
or why not?Are there any doctrinal
ideas to be drawn from this passage or not?What
are they?
3)Read
FS ch. 9
a)Explain
howthe laws of Israel relate to
Christians (we can’t say it's irrelevant – read Romans 7, esp. the end).
b)How
would you interpret and apply Exodus 22:18?
4)read
KS ch. 7,9-11 and FS chs. 3-4
a)Summarize
how epistles are to be read historically and theologically according to
your textbooks.Do
they have any concerns about the latter?
b)How
would one read Colossians 1:13 historically and theologically?
c)In
light of the hermeneutical concerns in FS ch. 4 and KS ch.
10-11, how do you think Romans 14:21 should be interpreted and applied
today (Paul specifically makes drinking wine an issue of Christian liberty
in this passage; cp. The language of Romans 14 to I Cor. 8).I
am looking for you to interact with your reading here, esp. in terms of
comparability and culture.
Assignment
5 - Studying the Bible in Context, Part 4:Literary
Genres (i.e., "Types" or "Categories" of Literature):Poetry,
Wisdom, Prophets, and Prophecy
Read
the chapters as assigned below, answering the questions in a TOTAL of 6-10
pages (i.e., your responses to ALL the questions within this assignment
should be no more than 10 pp.)
1)Read
KS ch. 5 and FS chs. 11-12; then read the information on
Hebrew parallelism on the following website:http://www.cresourcei.org/parallel.html
a)Summarize
what Fee and Stuart say about imprecatory Psalms/prayers and their interpretation.How
might they be applied by believers today?
b)Briefly
define parallelism as it relates to Hebrew poetry.
c)What
is a proverb?How can proverbs be
abused and misunderstood when interpreting their use in the Bible?How
should Proverbs 22:6 be interpreted?
d)What
are the "ingredients" of wisdom literature?
e)Are
Job and Ecclesiastes pessimistic?How
should they be interpreted, generally speaking?
2)Read
KS ch. 8 and FS ch. 10, 13
a)Summarize
Fee and Stuart's idea of "covenant enforcement" as it pertains to the prophets.What
do they mean by this and how does it relate to interpreting the Prophets?
b)Briefly
explain the terms "unconditional prophecy," "conditional prophecy," and
"sequential prophecy."
c)Compare
the discussions of your authors on the "sensus plenior" issue (KS, pp.
156-158; FS, pp. 183-185).What is
the issue at stake?What are the
concerns?Do your texts agree or
disagree?
d)Building
on FS ch. 13, find a good scholarly commentary on the book of Revelation
(see FS's appendix on commentaries or the bibliography at the end of the
learning agreement) or an introduction to the New Testament.Read
the material of introduction to the book in your commentary, looking especially
for a discussion of various approaches to interpreting Revelation.Summarize
three different approaches to interpreting this difficult New Testament
book.
Assignment
6 – Studying the Bible in Fine Detail, Part 1:Words
and Word Studies
For
this assignment, you will do two "observation" studies of the words in
a given text and two "word studies" to determine the meaning of a word
in its context.Answer the questions
in all of these studies in a TOTAL of 6-10 pages.
Observation
Studies
1)Read
I Thess. 4:16-5:11 VERY carefully.
a)To
whom do the words "we" and "one another" refer in I Thess. 4:16-18?Are
they believers or unbelievers?
b)Who
is Paul addressing in the very next chapter when he mentions "you [brethren]"
(plural)?Who, ten, are the "you
(plural)" and "they" of I Thess. 5:1-11?Are
they believers or unbelievers?
c)When
the day of the Lord comes (5:2), which group will be surprised?Which
group will not be surprised?To what
do you think the "day of the Lord" refers to in this passage?
d)WHY
will those who are not surprised not be surprised (cf. 5:2)
e)What
theological conclusions do you draw from your observations?
2)Referring
back to I Thess. 4:16-18, make a list of what will happen when the Lord
descends.Take this list and go to
Matthew 24.Read Matthew 24 VERY
carefully.
a)Do
you find any of the elements on your list in this chapter?All
or some?(which ones?).
b)
According to Matthew 24, WHEN will these elements from your list occur
– before or after what other events?
c)What
theological conclusions do you draw from your observations?
Word
Studies
Following
the instructions and the example posted on my website (www.professorheiser.com),
do the following:
1)Do
a word study on the Hebrew word bara' ()rb;
"create") as it is used in the whole book of Genesis.Does
the word always refer to "creation out of / using nothing"?Can
the wordmean this in Genesis
1:1?Now look up Isa. 45:18 and
find the Hebrew words behind God's creative activity in that verse.Look
up these words (there are two) in the Hebrew dictionary you are using,
and then find any occurrence of them in the whole book of Genesis.Do
either of these words refer to "creation out of / using nothing"?If
not, do the authors of Genesis and Isaiah have different theology?
2)Do
word study on the term "unmarried" in I Cor. 7 (hint – this is the only
place this word occurs in the New Testament – ALL occurrences are in this
chapter!).Try and use the context
to define what "unmarried can mean.Does
I Cor. 7 allow for remarriage after divorce or not?(Just
give me your opinion based on your study).
Assignment
7 - Studying the Bible in Fine Detail, Part 2:Greek
and Hebrew Grammar
Go
up to my website and check out the definitions / explanations to grammatical
terms and concepts used in commentaries and study Bible notes.Taking
this information, do the following in 4-7 pages:
1)Find
the tense of the verbs "commit" and "sin" in I John 3:9.How
should this verse be interpreted in terms of the grammar?
2)In
Romans 6:1-13, examine the verbs “is crucified” and "might be destroyed"
(6:6), and “is dead” and "is freed" (6:7).How
do you interpret what Paul is saying in Romans 6:1-13 in light of your
findings?This is admittedly a difficult
(but terribly important) chapter for Christian theology – you may need
to re-read the passage several times.Struggle
with it and give me your findings.
Assignment
8 – Final Project – Pulling the Steps Together
Choose
ONE passage from the list below and, in 6-10 pages, apply all the steps
we have explored to its study.In
other words, determine its broad and immediate historical context, its
place in the literary flow of the book and its surrounding thought units,
and its genre.Examine the text for
significant words and pick some to do word studies.Find
the tense of important verbs and interpret their use accordingly.When
you have done the "grunt work", I want 1-3 paragraphs summarizing what
you think the text means, how it informs us theologically, and how it can
be lived out today.
Choose
from the following (again, these are difficult texts – but ones pregnant
with meaning):
Romans
5:1-21
Romans
8:28-39
Isaiah
1:1-20
Psalm
73