Intra – textual means it is determined by the exact wording of the text, and by the immediate literary context of words and sentences. It produces answers such as what is the original reading? Does this word or phrase occur elsewhere in this text with a similar or different meaning? What is the grammatical structure of this sentence and what is its relationship to what precedes and follows? Extra textual meaning is determined by the historical, cultural and geographical context in which the text was produced, which it presupposes and to which it refers. Inter – textual meaning is determined by the references or Gospels use of passages from their scripture.
John S. McClure also suggested that this method also known as propositional text method. This method is the essential one to know the meaning of the biblical text.
Therefore, I would like to follow exegetical method as my
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It can be viewed in two purposes of this method. The grammatical principle, which uses knowledge of language to understand the biblical text and the historical principle focusing on such issues as the importance of finding out all that can be known about the author and audience and the social context of the written text.
Today higher and lower criticisms together establish what is commonly mentioned as the historical–critical method. Lower criticism is designated text criticism, and higher criticism takes the form of source, form, redaction, rhetorical, and social-scientific criticism. I like to focus upon the historical values of the New Testament documents to bring out the intended meaning for its original receiver. So, I decided that the task of historical criticism is to bridge the gap between the original period of the written text and the period of today’s context. After the historical criticism, the next approach in the exegetical process is source criticism.
3.2. Source
Walvoord, John F., Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
According to David M. Carr, the history of Scriptural interpretation indicates that religious texts are popular candidates for reinterpretation and, as such, are spaces wherein the personal identity of the reader frequently inscribes itself at length:
The Bible is read and interpreted by many people all over the world. Regardless, no one knows the absolute truth behind scripture. Walter Brueggemann, professor of Old Testament, wrote “Biblical Authority” to help people understand what he describes as six different parts that make up the foundation to ones understanding of scripture. He defines these six features as being: inherency, interpretation, imagination, ideology, inspiration, and importance. As Brueggemann explains each individual part, it is easy to see that they are all interconnected because no one can practice one facet without involuntarily practicing at least one other part.
René de Chateaubriand, François. The Beauties of Christianity. The Hebrew Bible In Literary Criticism. Ed. and Comp. Alex Preminger and Edward L. Greenstein. New York: Ungar, 1986. 445.
N.T Wright (2008) stated that “When we read the scriptures as Christians, we read it precisely as people of the new covenant and of the new creation” (p.281). In this statement, the author reveals a paradigm of scriptural interpretation that exists for him as a Christian, theologian, and profession and Bishop. When one surveys the entirety of modern Christendom, one finds a variety of methods and perspectives on biblical interpretation, and indeed on the how one defines the meaning in the parables of Jesus. Capon (2002) and Snodgrass (2008) offer differing perspectives on how one should approach the scriptures and how the true sense of meaning should be extracted. This paper will serve as a brief examination of the methodologies presented by these two authors. Let us begin, with an
Metzger, B. (1997). The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance. New York.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Augmented Third Edition, New Revised Standard Version, Indexed. New York: Oxford UP, 2007. Print
First, the text can be introduced in the happiest manner by unfolding the nexus of the thoughts amidst which it stands. Introduction, then, is like a time where our eyes beholding a moment when a flower is blooming to its full shape. Second, the text can be introduced with narration of the events, or a description of the place and times amidst which the text was uttered by the sacred writers. Third, the text can recite some historical events or incidents. Fourth, a legitimate exordium often be made by placing alongside of the text some related principle familiar and admitted among the hearers (147). A striking introduction can be made by citing some usage or opinion prevalent among the hearers, which is opposed to the doctrine or precept of the text. For example, the Scripture says “to give is more blessed than to receive.” People will be mentally refreshed when they hear that giving party is more fortunate than the receiving party. Last, it can be formed by a skillful hypothesis, putting in a concrete form the unexpected doctrine to be
Harris, Stephen. Understanding The Bible. 6 ed. New York City: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2002. Print.
Hendrick mentions for clues that can help identify things that are emphasized. The first clue to look for is the amount of space dedicated for the subject. Hendrick uses Genesis as an example. Beginning Genesis God writes about fall creation and the flood. Towards the middle of Genesis God explains the lives of his Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The shift in subject symbolizes what Hendrick means by emphasized. The second clue Hendrick refers too is searching for stated purposes. Stated purpose are ideas that are written directly and obviously. Another clue to uncover an emphasized subject is order. For instance in Genesis cain killed his brother. After he killed his brother God punished him by sending him away. Hendrick describes order by using the Luke. In Luke its reads that we have the baptism of the savior but the temptation of sin. That is the order Hendrick is trying to point
...pse." In Current Issues in New Testament Interpretation, edited by W. Klaasen and G.F. Snyder, 23-37. New York, NY: Harper and Row, 1962.
theological understanding of the Gospel book. The scholars go on to explain the different categories within the
Bacon, Benjamin W. "The Canon of the New Testament" The Biblical World, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Feb., 1903), Published by: The University of Chicago Press. Web. Available at:
First I will give you a background of exegesis. Webster's New World Dictionary(1990), defines exegesis as, the interpretation of a word, passage, etc., esp. in the Bible. This definition is a worldly. To understand the true meaning and background I looked in John H. Hays book called, Biblical Exegesis, for the answer. He says that the term "exegesis" itself comes from the Greek word exegeomai which basically meant " to lead out of." When applied to texts, it denoted the " reading out" of the meaning. The noun, therefore, could refer to "interpretation" or " explanation." Thus whenever we read a text or hear a statement which we seek to understand and interpret, we are involved in exegesis.
Answering these questions is the purpose of this essay. I begin by arguing that the Bible cannot be adequately understood independent of its historical context. I concede later that historical context alone however is insufficient, for the Bible is a living-breathing document as relevant to us today as it was the day it was scribed. I conclude we need both testimonies of God at work to fully appreciate how the Bible speaks to us.