Seven Key Ways that the Old Testament Continues to Shape the Christian Story and Mission

            

Many readers of the Bible struggle integrating the Old Testament into their understanding of the Christian life and mission. Even recently Andy Stanley a prominent Christian pastor preached about the need to "unhitch" the Gospel from the Old Testament. Time will tell how far Stanley intends go with this line of thought or whether this is indeed a form of "Marcionism." Regardless, his remarks illustrate the problem that many Christians have with the Old Testament despite the New Testament's heavy use of Israel's Scriptures and the prominent role that the Old Testament played within the preaching and teaching of the early Church.

In fact,  Israel’s Scriptures are ripe with insight for understanding God’s mission and role of God’s people in it. In this essay, I will sketch out seven key takeaways from Israel’s story to help guide us as we follow Jesus today.            

(1) Genesis 1–11 set the stage for God’s mission by describing the universe as God intended it and by acknowledging the profound lostness of people and brokenness of Creation due to human rebellion/sin.

Israel’s creation accounts (Genesis 1–2) describe God carefully and deliberately crafting a very good creation. Humanity stands at the pinnacle of God’s creative activity and at the center of God’s missional plans. In God’s original plan, humanity was to fill the earth and serve as the invisible creator God’s visible representatives. Men and women were to live as a community that embodied God’s character and served God’s mission of caring for God’s world.

In Genesis 3–11 human sin ruptures creation. Humanity is lost and creation itself is broken. Paul aptly summarizes Genesis 3–11 in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory….” The iconic narratives of the Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah’s Flood, and the Tower of Babel serve as warnings against humanity’s hubris and injustice by demonstrating the costliness of sin.

Genesis 1–11 is crucial for understanding the rest of the Bible. It sets Israel’s story in the context of all nations and as part of God’s answer to the brokenness of the world.

(2) God’s answer to the chaos and tragedy of Genesis 3–11 is to call a new humanity to serve as his missional people to reflect his character to the world.

God calls Abraham and his descendants to be agents of blessing to all people (Genesis 12:3b). After the deliverance from Egypt, this calling becomes embedded into God's vision for his liberated people (Exod 19:4–6): they will serve as a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation." God’s actions in saving God’s people are for the purpose of extending blessing to all nations. This gives us a critical perspective for understanding Israel’s story. God is for Israel for the sake of all people rather than against all people for the sake of Israel. God continues to call God’s people to serve as embodiments of grace to the world. Jesus the Messiah is the climax of this new humanity. His life, death, and resurrection bring justification, reconciliation, and new birth in anticipation of the New Creation.

(3) God is faithful to his promises and powerful to save.

This theme reverberates from God’s interactions with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Exodus from Egypt, settlement in Canaan, protection from enemies, and the return from Exile.  Israel’s story is one of audacious hope. The future is ultimately secure because the Creator God has a mission to bless the nations and restore creation. This future does not depend on human ingenuity or power, but on God alone. This is good news.

(4) God’s faithfulness and grace is the final word.

God’s people repeatedly act unfaithfully in the Old Testament but this does not negate God’s ability to advance his kingdom in advance of the arrival of Jesus the Messiah. Exile to Babylon was well deserved, but it was a longtime coming as God’s mercy and patience prolonged its arrival. Even when exile came in 587 BC, it lasted only 50 years before God led God’s people a second time to the promised land. Israel’s story testifies to a hope and restoration on the other side of sin and judgment.

(5) Faithful obedience is the proper response to God’s grace and faithfulness to God’s people.

How do God’s people respond to grace? Israel’s story teaches us that it is with faithful living that reflects the character and mission of God. Israel’s obedience is not the precondition of relationship with God, but the result of the experience of salvation. Faithful living is the means by which God’s people witness to the nations the goodness and greatness of God.

(6) Israel’s story demonstrates the potential and snares of living as God’s people among the nations.

The key takeaway is the necessity of faithfulness as God’s people embody a missional holiness for the nations. When we read Scripture’s portrayal of Israel, we are often struck by the repeated failures of Israel to practice faithfulness. This stands in contrast to the mission that God has called Israel to embody for the sake of the world. Israel’s potential and failings serve as a witness to God’s people today.

(7) Idolatry and injustice are the principal impediments to faithfulness. 
God’s missional people must be vigilant against all practices that negate their witness by obstructing their love for God (idolatry) and love for neighbor including a love for creation (injustice). Israel’s story focuses on the ongoing danger of idolatry and injustice for God’s people. As we seek to live faithfully as God’s witnesses in the world, the temptation to elevate “gods” over the one true Creator and Savior remains as does the human tendency to practice injustice to elevate our own sense of power, influence or importance.

© 2016 Brian D. Russell, Revised May 2018.

For more exploration of missional readings of the Bible, see my books (re)Aligning with God: Reading Scripture for Church and World (Cascade, 2016) and Invitation: A Ten Week Bible Study (Invitation, 2015). 

The Danger of Scripture as an Object for Study

As we engage Scripture we must constantly be on guard against the subtle temptation to reduce the Bible to an object of study. The iconic temptation scene in the Garden illustrates this danger. In Gen 3:1, the Serpent begins by asking, “Did God really say….?” Bonhoeffer called this the “first conversation about God.”[1] In the previous chapter, God had enjoyed unfettered fellowship with the first humans and conversed with them. Now at a pivotal moment, God’s previous command becomes the object of study and reflection rather than a natural part of a subjective ongoing relationship with humanity. Imagine how this story would have turned out if the woman had said, “Great question. Let’s invite God into this discussion.” 
 
The distinction between subjective and objective in the study of Scripture flows from first family’s objectification of God. Philosopher and writer Peter Rollins tells the story of an infantry unit preparing to launch an attack during World War One. As the battle opened, the men hunched down sheltered by a trench. As the moment arrived for them to join in the assault, their commander yelled out the order, “All right lads. Over the top!” The men failed to follow the order. A second time he bellowed, “Lads, over the top!” Still there was no movement by the troops. Finally, a third time the commanders yelled out in a deep guttural tone, “All right lads. Over the top!” The men looked at each other, looked at the commander, and said, “What a wonderful voice he has! What a wonderful voice!”[2] Clearly the commander expected a response to his order rather than commentary on its delivery.
 
This comical anecdote reminds us that the interpretation of Scripture for the Church can never remain merely an objective or descriptive task. Action by the reader is required. The goal of interpretation is to understand the message of the Bible and respond to its teaching and the expectations it has for our lives. In short, Scripture desires to convert us in every encounter that it has with us. In his classic Eat This Book, Peterson wrote, “Exegesis is simply noticing and responding adequately (which is not simple) to the demand that the words make on us, that language makes on us.”[3]
 
As interpreters, we must use all of the skills and techniques honed throughout the history of biblical interpretation. This means learning to define terms, navigate ancient cultures and customs, and understand classical genres and rhetoric. But observing, translating and transmitting this information is never enough for the nourishment of God’s people. Pastors and commentators must avoid merely teaching their audiences interesting facts about the Bible. Scripture desires to shape us by molding our thinking, changing what we care about most deeply, and driving us to action in God’s mission. Of course, our subjective response to Scripture must be rooted in our objective study. But Scripture desires to craft and unleash God’s holy people as a missional movement to share good news across our planet.
 
How do we achieve a robust conversation with the Bible that is both objective and subjective?
 
First, as interpreters we must remain open to astonishment. Thomas Merton wrote, “There is, in a word, nothing comfortable about the Bible–until we manage to get so used to it that we make it comfortable for ourselves. But then we are perhaps too used to it and too at home in it. Let us not be too sure we know the Bible just because we have learned not to be astonished at it, just because we have learned not to  have problems with it.”[4] I’ve found it helpful to begin by praying, “Lord, astonish me anew with the riches of your word. Speak to me I am listening. Amen.”
 
Second, let us remember that the goal of interpretation is not to master the text but to open ourselves to the text mastering us. We must be the first convert to each text before we share its demands and message with others. If we remain only engaged objectively with the text, our attempts to share its subjective demands with others will lack bite.
 
Last, take delight in the work Scripture does in our lives and share it with the world. Psalm 19 ends memorably with a prayer, “May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer” (v. 14). How does this prayer relate to the rest of the psalm? It flows from the psalmist’s recognition of the profound prescriptive power of the Scriptures in vv. 7–13. Unlike the witness of the heavens (vv. 1–6), Scripture alone contains the Instructions of the Lord and is capable of bringing about transformation in its hearers. This transformation leads the psalmist to join in God’s mission by speaking the good news to others. This mission remains ours as modern readers of the Bible.



[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Creation and Fall: A Theological Exposition of Genesis 1–3 (Translated by Douglas Stephen Bax; Ed. By John W. de Gruchy; Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, 3; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2004), 111.
[2] http://robbell.podbean.com/e/peter-rollins-an-introduction-to-love-part-1/ accessed August 2, 2017.
[3] Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 20060, 51.
[4] Thomas Merton, Opening the Bible. With an Introduction by Rob Stone (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1986), 37.

Key Questions to Ponder When Interpreting a Biblical Text

In the previous post: Reading Scripture Wisely and Well, I covered steps for analyzing a text carefully through a close reading. Here are a set of questions that can help you in the process:

1) Have I prayed for the Spirit’s guidance and direction? Ask God to astonish you with the text?

2) Do I understand the geographical and /or cultural references in this passage?

3) How does our text function within the wider argument in the book? What's going on in the context? How does this text fit into what comes before it and after it?

4) What are the key words and phrases in the text? How are these words and phrases used elsewhere by our author? 

5) If I am working on a New Testament text: What Old Testament texts are alluded to or quoted? How does the OT passage illuminate the meaning of the text I am interpreting? For OT texts: Are there quotations or allusions to other texts in the OT? If so, how do the texts illuminate one another? Is there a NT appropriation of my text? How does the NT author understand the OT text?

6) How is my passage structured? How does the structure of the passage contribute to its meaning? Does the passage flow logically? How does the story flow spacialy? How do the characters function within the story?

7) For those with facility in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek: What nuances are present in the syntax and the word order of the original language that are ambiguous or not explicit in the modern translations? Pay particular attention to verbal aspect and force of prepositions. 

8) What are the major interpretive issues present in this text? How are these resolved in the major English translations?

9) What are the possible ways that we may misread the text based on the English text?

10) What is the genre of my text (narrative, parable, discursive, prophetic, apocalyptic)? How does the genre affect my understanding of the passage?

11) What does this text assume to be true? How do these assumptions affect our reading of the text?
   
12) What elements in the text may be offensive in our contemporary context? What issues raised will be difficult for insiders? What issues in the text will be difficult for outsiders? What are the obvious objections that one could raise to the claims of the text? In what ways does the text answer these objections?

Interested in a bible study resource that builds on these sorts of questions and seeks to guide its users to read the Bible carefully while also emphasizing mission, community, and holiness? Check out my book and dvd study Invitation. It is available through Seedbed. You can see a sample and media interviews here.

© 2015 Brian D. Russell 

 

Reading Scripture Wisely and Well: Steps to Achieving a Close Reading of a Passage in Its Scriptural Context

The following essay describes the attitudes and steps for reading the Bible carefully with an eye to teaching and preaching for both Christ followers and seekers.

1. Pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Prayer is vital for engaging the Scriptures. My working assumption is that the Bible is inspired by God, preserved by God, and illuminated by God. Thus, we must pray for God's guidance. Moreover, let us pray that God may astonish us anew with the riches of the text.
2. Assume the posture of a servant before the text. Do not read the text with the goal of mastering it. Read the text in the hope that it will master you.
3. Read slowly. Take your time. This is particularly true for familiar passages. One of the causes of poor interpretation is the assumption that the reader already knows the meaning of the biblical text. Reflect on the genre of the passage. Is the text a narrative, a genealogy, prophesy, poetry, a parable, or discursive literature? If you have the ability to study the text in the original languages, do it. Reading the text in Greek or Hebrew forces the reader to slow down naturally. Regardless, ponder the words and phrases used by the author. In the popular imagination and practice, interpreting Scripture is a matter of flipping back and forth to other parts of the Bible in order to understand what a given text is saying.[1] Resist this. Stay put within the confines of the text you are studying. Describe it. Dissect it. Notice how the individual words are connected together into a tapestry. Paraphrase it. Analyze it. Observe recurring words, phrases, ideas, and themes. Break it into its logical or thematic units. Reflect on how the narrative or author’s thinking progresses. Don’t give up. Commit yourself to being like Jacob who refused to let go of God until he received a blessing. Biblical interpretation does not really begin until you have engaged the text in a process of careful and sustained reading and reflection. The process will be generative in terms of insights and the framing of new questions. The wise interpreter continually captures insights and observations through careful note-taking.
4. Ask questions of the text. Engaged reading involves much more than note-taking. Over time I have discovered that the best interpreters of the Scripture were those men and women who asked the most penetrating questions. The process of reading the text carefully and recording a series of observations and questions is the secret to engaging the Bible at a deep level.[2] In many ways, biblical interpretation is nothing more and nothing less than the answering of interpretive questions that the reader asks about the text. Observations lead to questions, and questions guide the interpreter to new insights. Ask questions that engage the text at three levels: Definition, Function, and Implications. Definitional questions attempt to gain a full description of the content of the text (“What’s here?” “What is the precise and specific meaning of each element that is present?”). Functional questions focus on the “So what?” of the issue. Implicational questions attempt to probe beneath the surface to ferret out the deep meaning. Let me offer an example. If we are studying Exodus 19:4-6, we will encounter a phrase that is unique in the Old Testament. In verse 6, we find, “…you will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The twin noun phrases “kingdom of priests” and “a holy nation” are critical for the interpretation of this text. Regarding the phrases, we may ask the following definitional questions: What is the precise and specific meaning of the phrases “kingdom of priests” and “a holy nation”? What is the relationship between these two phrases? Definitional questions are followed by functional ones: Why are these particular phrases being used here? What is their significance? Finally we end with implicational questions: What are the full implications of our findings for understanding the theology and assumptions of Exodus 19:4-6? What does Exodus 19:4-6 assume to be true?
5. Read multiple translations. I recommend that interpreters use at least three different translations during the process of close reading. Make sure that you choose translations from different translational families. For example, little is gained by comparing the KJV with the NKJV. Avoid paraphrases. At minimum, the deployment of multiple translations will serve as a guard against a simple misunderstanding of the English. But more importantly, comparing translations will guide you to the seams that exist between translations. By seams, I mean those places where the exegetical difficulties present in the original show up in the form of tensions between translations that otherwise remain hidden underneath the uniformity of a given English translation. Look specifically for substantive differences between translations. Make sure that you understand the interpretive options presented by the different translations. Ask: How do the differences in translation change the meaning of the passage? For example, Genesis 1:1 reads classically in the KJV, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In some modern translations, v. 1 is understood as a clause dependent on the verse or verses that follow. The NRSV is representative of newer translational approaches, “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,….”[3] At stake here are questions of the biblical understanding of cosmology and its relationship to its ancient near eastern context.[4] Reflect on the ways that the differences in translation seem to resolve interpretive issues.
6. Reflect on the meaning of individual words. A couple of warnings: a) Don’t assume that you understand the meaning of words. When in doubt, always spend the time in word study. b) Don’t abuse the principal of “Scripture interprets Scripture” in defining words. It is folly to cite the meaning of a term used by one author when we are studying the writing of another. A classic example is the definition of faith. The writer of the Hebrews explicitly describes faith (Grk: pistis) in this manner: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb 11:1). Without a doubt, this is one of the clearest definitions of pistis in the Bible, but it is methodologically problematic to accept this as the definition of pistis in every other context. Words have meanings in relationship to the other words around them. Moreover, each biblical author may emphasize a different nuance of a word’s meaning. c) Don’t mistake common English definitions for a word for the meaning of a Greek or Hebrew term. For example, the Great Commandment or Shema contains a number of words that can be misinterpreted in translation. Deuteronomy 6:5, which reads in English translation, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Popular interpretations read these common English terms through a matrix more in line with Greek psychology and modern romantic sentiment than with Deuteronomy’s own ancient context. Study of the Hebrew (and cognate) usage suggests that “love” is in fact a covenant term exhorting committed obedience. “Heart” focuses on the center of human volition and rationality and not on the center of emotions. “Soul” is not the spiritual aspect or the “authentic” core of a human person, but instead Hebrew nephesh is descriptive of the totality of a person including the physical body. “Strength” is really better translated “everything else” or even “and then some” as it functions to intensify the seriousness and totality of the call to love God. Moreover, rather than suggesting three parallel spheres or attributes of loving God, “heart,” “soul,” and “strength” form a concentric structure that emphasizes to a superlative degree the whole-person commitment involved in “loving the LORD.”[5]
7. Read each passage in its broader book context. We have used two metaphors for talking about reading the Scripture at different levels. We’ve emphasized the necessity of both an eagle’s eye view of the Scriptures and a ground level analysis of individual passages. Individual books serve as the middle ground.[6] This involves more work for the interpreter, but the payoff is immense. First, look for connections. Take time to look for other places in the same book where the author deploys the same words and phrases (or close synonyms). Such repetitions or recurrences are often purposeful and can lead to substantive insights. For example, in Philippians 3:1-16 Paul offers his own life as an example for the Philippian believers to emulate (3:17). When he is describing the zeal of his pre-Christ following life in 3:6, he boast that he was a “persecutor of the church.”[7] In 3:7-11 Paul recounts the dramatic transformation that he experienced through knowing Christ. This transformation moved Paul from a person rooted and secure in a righteousness derived from his own credentials and accomplishments to a person rooted in a righteousness through Jesus the Messiah.  In 3:16 Paul articulates a moment-by-moment orientation to life through Jesus by writing, “I am pressing on continually toward the goal to win the prize of the upward calling of God in Messiah Jesus.” The phrase “pressing on” is the same Greek word typically translated “persecute” in 3:6. Observing this connect offers a real insight into the transformation of Paul. Paul, as a Christ follower is no less zealous in his faith than he was as a Pharisee. But Paul has undergone a radical reorientation. His compass point has shifted to the Risen Jesus. Paul surrendered his pre-Christian rubric of a righteousness rooted in his own abilities and accomplishments for the ultimate prize—knowing Messiah Jesus. When knowing Jesus became Paul’s primary focus, Paul’s gifts and graces became a means of glorifying and honoring Jesus rather than a means of boasting of himself to others. Second, it is vital to make sure that we understand a discrete text’s function within the broader book. What contribution does our text play in the wider contours of the book? What would be lost or gained without it? How does it relate to the passages that precede and follow it? For example, Matthew 4:17 begins a major section of Matthew’s Gospel.[8] Jesus begins his public ministry by announcing the in-breaking new age of God’s saving reign, and by exhorting his hearers to realign themselves continually in light of the Kingdom. This verse serves as a general programmatic statement for understanding 4:17—16:20. To understand fully every discrete section requires that the reader reflect on how it informs a way of life in line with the Kingdom of heaven and that one realign one’s life in conformity to the vision of the text. In 8:1–17 Jesus models boundary-breaking acts of ministry with outsiders. This is no mere report of Jesus’ historical acts. It serves as a paradigm for shaping present and future followers of Jesus to live out the ethos of the kingdom of heaven.
8. Read each passage within its broader canonical context. Texts do not exist in isolation from other texts. There are often multiple conversations taking place within the Bible between texts. In particular, it is vital to recognize and explore the ways in which the texts that we are studying stand in dialogue with other texts written before or after. For example, in its majestic praise of God, Psalm 8 looks back on the creation of humanity and God’s granting of dominion in Genesis 1:26–31 as a profound basis for worshipping God. As we interpret Psalm 8 it is vital to catch its connection back to Genesis and reflect on the way that Genesis informs our understanding of Psalm 8 (and vice versa). But there is more to Psalm 8. The writer to the Hebrews in chapter 2 verses 5–9 quotes Psalm 8:4–6 in part of his proclamation of the person and work of Jesus the Messiah. Thus, in understanding the meaning of Psalm 8 within its canonical context it is important to read it in conversation with both Genesis 1 and Hebrews 2. Likewise, this is also the case with a reading of Genesis 1 or Hebrews 2. However, not every biblical text will have explicit links to other passages as is the case with Psalm 8.
9. Establish a research agenda to engage secondary resources. Thus far, we have described the process of engaging a biblical text first hand through the practice of close reading. The best close readings do not provide the final word on a text. As suggested, many of our best observations raise additional questions. Some questions can be answered through the close reading process, but others will require the use of the fruits of biblical scholarship. After you have pondered over the text using your own observation skills, ask yourself: What are the key questions that remain unanswered that I need to resolve in order to understand this passage of Scripture? At this point, the wise interpreter will turn to resources such as Bible dictionaries, atlases, theological word books, grammar and syntax texts, journal articles, and commentaries. 
10. Use the best resources at your disposal. In the age of information, Internet search engines can quickly inundate an interpreter with more data than one could process in a lifetime. Biblical interpreters must learn to read all reference material critically. We must also eschew the tyranny of the available and commit ourselves to using the finest resources so that we are engaging the finest exegetical minds and not merely dialoging with those resources that make it onto the first screen pages of web searches. In general, such a commitment involves resisting popular authors and the latest fads for the commentaries and articles written by biblical scholars and for works by the classic interpreters of the past (early Church Fathers, the Reformers, John Wesley among others). It is critically important to use up-to-date Bible dictionaries and atlases so that one has access to the most recent discoveries as our understanding of the socio-historical background of the world of the Bible grows annually. Given the missional reality in which we find ourselves, we need to deploy the best and most penetrating resources in order to engage the text at the level that we need in our day.

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[1]This is a profound misappropriation and misunderstanding of the dictum: “Scripture interprets Scripture.” Of course this is true. But the principal assumes that one has already carefully studied a text within its original context and found its meaning elusive. Only then does the interpreter turn to other passages where the meaning may be clearer and instructive for understanding our first text.

[2]I have been formed immeasurably through Inductive Bible Study as taught at Asbury Theological Seminary. Seminal texts include: Robert Traina, Methodical Bible Study; David L. Thompson, Bible Study that Works; and Robert A. Traina and David R. Bauer, Inductive Bible Study:A Descriptive Guide to the Study of the Bible (Baker Academic, 2010).

[3]The NRSV lists two additional alternatives in footnotes: “When God began to create…” and “In the beginning God created….”

[4]For discussion of the four principal ways on construing Gen 1:1-3, see Terence E. Fretheim, God and the World in the Old Testament: A Relational Theology of Creation (Nashville: Abingdon, 2005), 35

[5]See the masterful exegetical study of the manifold issues present in the text by S. Dean McBride, “The Yoke of the Kingdom: An Exposition of Deuteronomy 6:4-5” Interpretation 27 (1973): 273-306.

[6]There is another intermediate level as well: corpus context. Books written by the same authors or redacted by the same community function in a way similar to book context in terms of helping to understand smaller passages and themes. For example, a passage in Galatians serves a role in the book of Galatians, but it also contributes to our understanding of Paul’s other letters. The same would be true of passages in Luke-Acts, John and John’s Letters, Ezra-Nehemiah, the Pentateuch, and the Deuteronomistic History.

[7]Grk dioko

[8]David R. Bauer, The Structure of Matthew’s Gospel: A Study in Literary Design (Library of New Testament Studies: 31; Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 1989).

Reading Scripture Wisely and Well (Part 3): Steps to Achieving a Close Reading of a Passage in Its Scriptural Context

This is the final set of steps for reading a text closely. Read Part 1 and Part 2.

7. Read each passage in its broader book context. We have used two metaphors for talking about reading the Scripture at different levels. We’ve emphasized the necessity of both an eagle’s eye view of the Scriptures and a ground level analysis of individual passages. Individual books serve as the middle ground.[1] This involves more work for the interpreter, but the payoff is immense. First, look for connections. Take time to look for other places in the same book where the author deploys the same words and phrases (or close synonyms). Such repetitions or recurrences are often purposeful and can lead to substantive insights. For example, in Philippians 3:1-16 Paul offers his own life as an example for the Philippian believers to emulate (3:17). When he is describing the zeal of his pre-Christ following life in 3:6, he boast that he was a “persecutor of the church.”[2] In 3:7-11 Paul recounts the dramatic transformation that he experienced through knowing Christ. This transformation moved Paul from a person rooted and secure in a righteousness derived from his own credentials and accomplishments to a person rooted in a righteousness through Jesus the Messiah.  In 3:16 Paul articulates a moment-by-moment orientation to life through Jesus by writing, “I am pressing on continually toward the goal to win the prize of the upward calling of God in Messiah Jesus.” The phrase “pressing on” is the same Greek word typically translated “persecute” in 3:6. Observing this connect offers a real insight into the transformation of Paul. Paul, as a Christ follower is no less zealous in his faith than he was as a Pharisee. But Paul has undergone a radical reorientation. His compass point has shifted to the Risen Jesus. Paul surrendered his pre-Christian rubric of a righteousness rooted in his own abilities and accomplishments for the ultimate prize—knowing Messiah Jesus. When knowing Jesus became Paul’s primary focus, Paul’s gifts and graces became a means of glorifying and honoring Jesus rather than a means of boasting of himself to others. Second, it is vital to make sure that we understand a discrete text’s function within the broader book. What contribution does our text play in the wider contours of the book? What would be lost or gained without it? How does it relate to the passages that precede and follow it? For example, Matthew 4:17 begins a major section of Matthew’s Gospel.[3] Jesus begins his public ministry by announcing the in-breaking new age of God’s saving reign, and by exhorting his hearers to realign themselves continually in light of the Kingdom. This verse serves as a general programmatic statement for understanding 4:17—16:20. To understand fully every discrete section requires that the reader reflect on how it informs a way of life in line with the Kingdom of heaven and that one realign one’s life in conformity to the vision of the text. In 8:1–17 Jesus models boundary-breaking acts of ministry with outsiders. This is no mere report of Jesus’ historical acts. It serves as a paradigm for shaping present and future followers of Jesus to live out the ethos of the kingdom of heaven. 

8. Read each passage within its broader canonical context. Texts do not exist in isolation from other texts. There are often multiple conversations taking place within the Bible between texts. In particular, it is vital to recognize and explore the ways in which the texts that we are studying stand in dialogue with other texts written before or after. For example, in its majestic praise of God, Psalm 8 looks back on the creation of humanity and God’s granting of dominion in Genesis 1:26–31 as a profound basis for worshiping God. As we interpret Psalm 8 it is vital to catch its connection back to Genesis and reflect on the way that Genesis informs our understanding of Psalm 8 (and vice versa). But there is more to Psalm 8. The writer to the Hebrews in chapter 2 verses 5–9 quotes Psalm 8:4–6 in part of his proclamation of the person and work of Jesus the Messiah. Thus, in understanding the meaning of Psalm 8 within its canonical context it is important to read it in conversation with both Genesis 1 and Hebrews 2. Likewise, this is also the case with a reading of Genesis 1 or Hebrews 2. However, not every biblical text will have explicit links to other passages as is the case with Psalm 

9. Establish a research agenda to engage secondary resources. Thus far, we have described the process of engaging a biblical text first hand through the practice of close reading. The best close readings do not provide the final word on a text. As suggested, many of our best observations raise additional questions. Some questions can be answered through the close reading process, but others will require the use of the fruits of biblical scholarship. After you have pondered over the text using your own observation skills, ask yourself: What are the key questions that remain unanswered that I need to resolve in order to understand this passage of Scripture? At this point, the wise interpreter will turn to resources such as Bible dictionaries, atlases, theological word books, grammar and syntax texts, journal articles, and commentaries. 

Use the best resources at your disposal. In the age of information, Internet search engines can quickly inundate an interpreter with more data than one could process in a lifetime. Biblical interpreters must learn to read all reference material critically. We must also eschew the tyranny of the available and commit ourselves to using the finest resources so that we are engaging the finest exegetical minds and not merely dialoging with those resources that make it onto the first screen pages of web searches. In general, such a commitment involves resisting popular authors and the latest fads for the commentaries and articles written by biblical scholars and for works by the classic interpreters of the past (early Church Fathers, the Reformers, John Wesley among others). It is critically important to use up-to-date Bible dictionaries and atlases so that one has access to the most recent discoveries as our understanding of the socio-historical background of the world of the Bible grows annually. Given the missional reality in which we find ourselves, we need to deploy the best and most penetrating resources in order to engage the text at the level that we need in our day. I'll post some suggested resources in future blogs.

Let me know if you have any questions.

© 2015 Brian D. Russell  

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[1]There is another intermediate level as well: corpus context. Books written by the same authors or redacted by the same community function in a way similar to book context in terms of helping to understand smaller passages and themes. For example, a passage in Galatians serves a role in the book of Galatians, but it also contributes to our understanding of Paul’s other letters. The same would be true of passages in Luke-Acts, John and John’s Letters, Ezra-Nehemiah, the Pentateuch, and the Deuteronomistic History.

[2]Grk dioko

[3]David R. Bauer, The Structure of Matthew’s Gospel: A Study in Literary Design (Library of New Testament Studies: 31; Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 1989).

Praying for Astonishment: Learning from the Ancients How to Read Scripture

Praying for a Real Meal

"Our living and loving God, astonish us anew with the riches of your Word. Astonish me and give me ears to hear all that you desire. Amen."

The study of Scripture and the proclamation of its message to the world and the Church are not accomplished merely through hard work and the application of coherent exegetical methods.  Prayer is also vital and essential to the process of reading the Bible. It is ultimately the Holy Spirit who gives life to the words on the pages of Scripture. The same Spirit who inspired the original authors and preserved these books through the millennia now brings the Word of God to us anew. I learned from Ellen Davis in her book Wondrous Depth: Preaching the Old Testament to pray for astonishment whenever I sit down to read and ponder the Scripture,

As I’ve prayed for astonishment (see opening prayer above), I’ve found some poignant and profound prayers from the ancients that I am beginning to incorporate into my own prayers for illumination as I read and ponder the life giving words of Scripture. I hope that you find them as helpful as I have.

Bede (c. 673-735) was a great scholar in the early English church. He lived as a monk in Jarrow.  Here is a prayer that he composed for use when studying the Bible:

May your Spirit, O Christ, lead me in the right way, keeping me safe from all forces of evil and destruction.  And, free from all malice, may I search diligently in your Holy Word to discover with the eyes of my mind your commandments.  Finally, give me the strength of will to put those commandments into practice through all the days of my life.  Amen.

Gregory of Nazianus (329-389) was one of the key early Church fathers who worked during the pivotal fourth century. Here is a prayer that he wrote for help in interpreting the book of Psalms:

Lord, as I read the psalms let me hear you singing.  As I read your words, let me hear you speaking.  As I reflect on each page, let me see your image.  And as I seek to put your precepts into practice, let my heart be filled with joy.  Amen.

Origen (c. 185 – c. 254) was one of greatest of the early church fathers.  He was a skilled interpreter and theologian. Here is a prayer that he composed for use in the study of the Scriptures:

Lord, inspire us to read your Scriptures and meditate upon them day and night.  We beg you to give us real understanding of what we need, that we in turn may put its precepts into practice.  Yet we know that understanding and good intentions are worthless, unless rooted in your graceful love.  So we ask that the words of Scriptures may also be not just signs on a page, but channels of grace into our hearts.  Amen.

The last prayer that I will share comes from Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-1274).  Aquinas was the most prominent theologian of the medieval period.  This prayer was intended for use before Aquinas preached or wrote.  I find this one particularly profound:

O Creator of the universe, who has set the stars in the heavens and causes the sun to rise and set, shed the light of your wisdom into the darkness of my mind.  Fill my thoughts with the loving knowledge of you, that I may bring your light to others.  Just as you can make even babies speak your truth, instruct my tongue and guide my pen to convey the wonderful glory of the Gospel.  Make my intellect sharp, my memory clear, and my words eloquent, so that I may faithfully interpret the mysteries which you have revealed.  Amen.

May God grant you His grace and peace this day!

All of these prayers may be found in HarperCollins Book of Prayers: A Treasury of Prayers Through the Ages(Edison, N.J.: Castle Books, 1997).

Modelling Learning as a Teacher or Facilitator: 3 Keys

Good teaching requires a quiet confidence coupled with authentic humility. The best teachers see themselves as learners and guides. Don’t worry about impressing the class with how much you know. Great Bible teaching is not about showing others how brilliant you are, but rather consists of helping others to seek, discover, and live out the deep truths found in the Scriptures for themselves. 

Be open to astonishment. 

One of my favorite prayers as I study the Scriptures in preparation for teaching or even in my personal devotions is this: “Lord, astonish me anew with the truths of your Word. Amen.” I like the word astonish because when I’ve been astonished I know that I’ve felt the weight of the Scriptures and am now ready to share my experience of God in the text with others. When we pray for astonishment rather than mastery of the material, we learn a key truth about teaching: It is less important that we master the text and more important that the text masters us. 

Don’t try to impress others with big words or theological terms. 

Of course it is ok to talk about justification or sanctification, but if you do, don’t assume that everyone in the class understands these words. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, was a learned scholar in the Oxford tradition but he lived by the mantra, “Plain words for plain folks.” Wesley was committed to sharing the deepest truths in language that others could understand. This should be our goal and stance as well.

 
Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.” 
It is impossible to anticipate every possible question that may arise in class. Even the most knowledgeable and experienced teachers find themselves stumped from time to time. If a question or comment exceeds your current level of expertise, use such opportunities for additional growth. Invite the class to help you to discover possible answers. Write down the question for further research and reflection. If I don’t know something and my class is unable to figure it out together, I simply table the discussion for the day and promise to do my best to do more study and begin the next class with a fresh conversation about it. Such habits will serve you well and model for others the posture of a learner

The Bible tells Me So: Why I Study and Trust the Scriptures

1) The Bible Tells a Compelling Story:

a) Scripture Witnesses to the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The Old and New Testaments are the earliest and the only comprehensive sources for understanding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. If we are interested in following Jesus, we read his story by reading the Gospels.

b) Scripture Offers an authentic portrait of humanity:

The Scriptures are able to account for both the grandeur and tragedy of human beings.  God created people in God’s own image (Genesis 1:26-31). God created women and men as the climax of God’s work of creation. God crafted men and women to participate in God’s mission as stewards of creation, to reflect God’s character to the rest of Creation, and to live in authentic community with God and with one another. God designed people to live as God’s hands, feet, and mouthpieces for the world.

Reflecting on this profound reality, the Psalmist wrote:

NIV Psalm 8:3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Yet, the Scriptures recognize and describe the fundamental flaw of every person:

Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

The Scriptures trace this tragic fact back to the first humans who turned away from God (Genesis 3:1-9).  Sin then infected and infested every subsequent person (Gen 3-11 cf Romans 5:12ff).  From Genesis 3 onwards, God acts to deliver humanity from its own alienation and lostness.

Thus, the Scriptures can account for the “good” that humans are capable of doing, and they account for the flaws and a capacity for evil that is in all people. They point to our need for the salvation that only God our creator can provide.

c) Narrates the Mission of God

The Bible tells us a story that begins with the Creation of World (Gen 1-2) and ends with the description of God’s recreation of a New Heaven and a New Earth (Rev 21). In other words, the biblical narrative moves from Creation to New Creation. In between, the Scriptures tell of humanity’s turning away from God. Humanity’s turning from God fractured humanity’s relationship with God and fractured Creation itself. The Scriptures then narrate God’s mission to bring reconciliation, hope, and restoration to a lost humanity and to a fractured creation. This mission starts with the calling of Abram to serve as the beginning of a missional community through whom God will bless all people (Gen 12:3). The pinnacle of God’s saving activities was the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The New Testament witnesses to what God the Father has done through God the Son. After the Father raised Jesus the Son from the dead, God pours out the Holy Spirit onto all who believed the good news about Jesus in order to redeem, restore, and unleash a New Humanity to serve in God’s mission.

The story of the Bible invites its readers to find themselves in the story as God writes the future.

2) The Scriptures are Generative

Beyond the reality of the Bible’s compelling story, the Scriptures themselves are generative because they profoundly and poignantly serve as God’s Word to humanity.

NIV 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

This above passage is often used as proof-text for the authority of Scripture.  What is often missed in the functionality of Scripture that Paul has in mind.  The Word of God is powerful to bring about God’s purposes.

a) Power to Transform Lives

The Scriptures open up and describe the salvation that God seeks to bring into our lives. They provide us with a guide to transformation and a road map for living the life God created for us to live.

b) Power to Create and Shape Community

The Scriptures describe and empower communities of faith to embody a God-centered, Christ-formed ethos. The power of a small group Bible study is a testimony to this feature.  When we study the Scriptures together, we are shaped corporately into a community of God’s dreams.

c) Mediate the Presence of God

Studying the Bible is not merely about learning information or reading old books. Through the Holy Spirit, readers of the Scriptures encounter God.

Challenge:

If you are interested in encountering God, I want to encourage you to offer this simple pray:

God, I want to know you. If you are real, reveal yourself to me as I read the Scriptures. Astonish me through the riches of your Word. Amen.

© 2015 Brian D. Russell

Moving through the Maze: Understanding Bible Translation

 

 

 Bible readers often ask me, “What is the best translation to use for study?” or “What is your favorite English translation?”

I want to respond to these questions by discussing the process of bible translation and then offering some concluding remarks.

https://youtu.be/QeettYeH4Xg

First, let me make a distinction between translation and paraphrase.  A translation is a text produced by transferring the words/meaning of a manuscript written in a foreign or ancient language into the reader’s own language.  All modern English translations involved the careful transfer of the Hebrew and Aramaic Old Testament and the Greek New Testament into the English language.  A paraphrase, on the other hand, is a text produced by reworking existing translations into a new hybrid.  Paraphrases are produced for clarity.  A paraphrase does not work from the original languages.  A longstanding popular paraphrase is The Living Bible (to be distinguished from the New Living Translation which was produced from study of the original language texts).

Second, the work of Bible translation is generally done by committee.  This is not always the case as the 19^th century scholar Young produced Young’s Literal Translation and more recently Eugene Peterson has produced The Message, but all major translations (NIV, NRSV, NLT, ESV, etc) have been the work of a group of scholars.  Translation by committee serves to guard against an individual’s idiosyncrasies and represents a collegial and consensual enterprise.

Last, there are two translation camps: formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence.  These represent ideals rather than realities.  A formal equivalence translation (better known as a literal translation) seeks as much as possible to translate word for word from the original language into the modern language.  In other words, the ideal goal would be to use one English word for one Hebrew or Greek word.  For example, Greek sarks “flesh” would be translated “flesh” consistently in a formal equivalence translation.  It would be up to the reader to deduce the precise connotation of “flesh” within a given context.  The strengths of the formal equivalence side include consistency in translation and preservation of the sentence structure of the original.  Its principal weakness is its readability.  A formal equivalence translation expects more of its reader in the process of interpretation. Readers have to make more interpretive decisions and decode the context more because the translators have preserved more of the ambiguity of the original language. It is critical that a reader recognizes that a formal equivalent translation is still an interpretation of the original.

A dynamic equivalence translation focuses on the transfer of meaning rather than a commitment to word for word translation or to preserving the structure of the original.  To use the same example as in the preceding paragraph, sarks (literal: flesh) is often translated as “sinful nature” when Paul uses it (see Romans 7).  This is clearly more interpretive than simply translating sarks as “flesh.”  Is it better?  This is a matter of scholarly debate.   Note the difference.  “Flesh” begs the question – what does “flesh” imply?  A formal equivalence translation leaves the ambiguity and expects the reader to supply the full meaning; a dynamic equivalence translation offers a more specific interpretation for the reader.

Having painted these two poles, it is important to recognize that no translation embodies either ideal perfectly or consistently.  No literal translation can avoid making interpretive decisions in the process of translation; most dynamic equivalent translations will give a nod to tradition in their rendering of familiar passages.  Examples of translations leaning toward formal equivalence include the King James version (KJV), the New King James (NKJV), the New American Standard (NASB), and the English Standard version (ESV) to name a few.  Examples of translations nearer to the pole of dynamic equivalence are the New Living Translation (NLT) and the Message.  Other translations fall in the middle – New Revised Standard (NRSV), New International (NIV), and Common English (CEB).

Concluding Reflections 
1) No translation is perfect. It is easier to criticize other translations than it is to produce the perfect translation. Committees have to make a variety of decisions regarding readability, assumed reading level of contemporary audience, use of archaic words, approach to text critical issues among others.

2) Every translation, no matter how literal, is an interpretation of the original text and represents a commentary on it. Furthermore, no translation will ever alleviate the necessity of serious study and interpretive work. One can gain good insight into an individual translation’s strengths and weaknesses by taking the time to read the introduction to a given Bible. The committee responsible for the translation will usually be forthright in discussing their overarching aim and decision-making process in the introductions to a given translation. Serious students would do well to read the introductions carefully as a means of understanding the approach of each translation.

3) Bible translation is an on-going process. This follows naturally from the first two and is true for at least three reasons. First, human language changes over time. If the rationale for Bible translation is the necessity of providing access to God’s Word in the language of the people, then newer translations will be necessary. Second, new discoveries of ancient biblical manuscripts can shed new light on the text. For example, the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls in the mid-20th century revolutionized our understanding of the text of the Old Testament and brought clarity to nagging textual issues. Last, advances in linguistic studies have shed new light on obscure passages. This is principally an Old Testament problem, but there remain words and phrases whose translations are mainly guesswork. The work of comparative linguistics continues to chip away at this problem.

4) Bible translations find themselves in various branches of a family tree. It is helpful to understand the forerunners of a given translation. Often the earlier translation will serve as a jumping off point for given translation. The King James followed earlier efforts to put the Bible into the English language. More recently the TNIV serves as a revision of the NIV.

5) It is best to use a variety of translations for serious study. I recommend that persons read and compare at least three different translations when studying short passages. Such an approach serves as a hedge against misreading. When doing this, choose translations from different families. For examples, comparing the King James Version with the New King James version will not be as helpful as comparing the New International Version with the New King James version. One of the most inexpensive ways of facilitating this approach is to purchase a parallel bible or to use online Bible resources such as Bible Gateway. A parallel Bible typically consists of four English translations that stand side-by-side in parallel columns.

6) Bottom-line: the best translation is the one that you will actually read regularly with the humble desire to open oneself up to its message so that God can shape and form you.

7) Readers often ask for my personal preference. For careful study, I am never too far from a Hebrew Bible or the Greek New Testament. It is vital for those with the time and aptitude to cultivate a knowledge of the original languages. (See my essay "Learning the Biblical Languages: Worth the Effort?") However, I use a number of English translations enthusiastically: NIV, TNIV, NLT, ESV, CEB, and NRSV. For Old Testament reading, I also use the TNK (Tanak).

© 2017 Brian D. Russell

This essay is the fifth revision of a blog post originally published 11-30-05 and updated again in 2008, 2015 and twice in 2017.

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