How to Study the Bible | xxiii
Similarly, proverbs, part of Old Testament Wisdom literature, frequently present life’ s choices in a semi-riddle fashion, which require that readers take time to understand them. Those who work out the meaning of a proverb often read it repeatedly and thus learn its content while trying to understand its point.
RESPECT THE FORMAT
The format of the Bible requires appreciating it as an anthology of many books, each of which has its own integrity: Readers of the Bible must start by recognizing the genre of a given book and then reading it as both a unique piece of literature and one that contributes to the overall message of the anthology. The Bible is an integrated and univocal text that benefits the reader at both the individual book level and as a whole.
RESPECT THE HISTORICAL SWEEP AND CONTEXT
In one sense, the Bible is like a world epic: It covers the sweep of history from the very beginning of Creation to the end of history when our universe is radically transformed. Biblical books always deal with something that is part of this very big picture— the story of God’ s creation, its fall, his ongoing redemption of it and / or the ultimate consummation of all the hopes of God’ s people for a permanent establishment characterized by God’ s goodness. Few other books, even other religious scriptures, resemble the scope of the Bible.
RESPECT THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF CAREFUL STUDY
There are several different ways to look at any piece of literature. In the case of the Bible, it pays to look from every angle that might yield a payoff. It is convenient to think of 11 such angles, or steps, in the study process:
1. Text— Seeking the original wording to avoid treating a scribal error that accidentally crept into the text as original.( Translations and study notes already depend on this scholastic research.)
2. Translation— Studying how to best convey in a modern language the concepts conveyed by the original Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek.( Consulting multiple translations and study notes aids in this process.)
3. Grammar— Analyzing the language of the passage under consideration to be sure it is not misunderstood.( Even one-volume commentaries will often explain these issues.)
4. Lexical content— Seeking the correct meaning of individual words and phrases found in a passage.( Study notes, commentaries and Bible software aid in this process.)