Advanced Hermeneutics Midterm

poopng and farding

Central argument of chapter 7

Just as Jesus’ Transfiguration reveals the divine glory already present in Christ, scriptural interpretation deepens the glory and revelation of Jesus.

The Transfiguration provides a model for interpreting Scripture.

Jesus’ glory becomes visible through his human body.

Scripture communicates divine truth by human words.

The reader must “scale the mountain” and learn to see how God’s glory is revealed in the text.

Scriptural interpretation should not discard the literal meaning.

Jesus did not cease to be human when his glory was revealed.

Scripture does not lose its literal meaning when its deeper theological significance becomes apparent.

The literal text must be read in a way that illuminates Christ, and then the literal meaning will be seen more fully.

Flat literalism

Reading only the surface of the words without considering the Bible’s larger theological and redemptive story.

Unrestrained allegory

Moving beyond the text in ways that disregard or replace its actual meaning.

The Transfiguration reveals both Jesus’ present and future glory.

An apocalyptic and epiphanic interpretation of the Transfiguration best describes what happened at the Transfiguration. They connect present/future, heaven/earth, salvation/eschatology.

Myth

Jesus became the Son of God at the Transfiguration; became something different in essence.

Apocalypse

A vision / preview of Christ’s future glory and reign.

Epiphany

Jesus makes known his divine status.

The history of Christian interpretation supports this approach.

A proper hermeneutic brings textual understanding and Christian theology together.

Past scholars have stated that interpretation should illuminate the text, not erase it.

Origen and Jerome

Some of the first scholars to see the link between the Transfiguration and the interpretation of Scripture.

Thomas Aquinas

He saw the Transfiguration as a key turning point.

Jonathan Edwards

He saw the light shine from Christ’s face through Scripture, with less attention to the Transfiguration.

Eastern Orthodox

As the Transfiguration was a greater focus for them, their scholars made clearer connections between the Transfiguration and interpretation.

The Gospel of John presents Christ’s glory in a different way.

John has strong themes about the glory of Jesus.

John 1 “…the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory…” John 2 “This, the first of his signs… manifested his glory.”

John’s account of Jesus’ death paradoxically reveals Jesus’ glory, not in light or power but through suffering and sacrificial love.

Christ is the essential framework for Christian interpretation.

Readers should consider how individual passages relate to the unfolding story of redemption and its fulfillment in Christ.

This is not to force Jesus into every passage, but to read in light of Scripture’s narrative and of Christology.

The Transfiguration places Jesus at the center of the biblical story, alongside the law and prophets.

Reading Scripture should transform the reader.

Interpretation is not only an intellectual exercise, but the reader should encounter God and see Christ’s glory.

This should shape the reader’s understanding, character, and worship.

The Transfiguration shows us the identity of Jesus

and how to read the Bible literally and theologically.

The Transfiguration suggests an analogy between

Jesus and scripture, both accommodations of the logos that require hard work to see fully.

Transfigural interpretation does not

change but glorify the literal meaning.

Transfigural interpretation is only

a Christian approach to reading.

Transfigural interpretation is from faith, to faith

and requires more than an earthly frame of reference.

The light of Christ shines from his face

through the text, unto our faces.

Central argument for chapter 8

interpreting scripture in light of Christ should not replace or distort the text’s original and literal meaning, but reveal the fuller significance of that meaning within God’s plan for redemption.

Light passing through a medium (refracting) can be seen in a new way.

Reading the OT in light of Christ displays formerly unseen dimensions of meaning.

Reading the OT in light of Christ: Does this meaning reading meanings into the text that weren’t originally there?

Readers should not impose NT interpretations on the OT. Rather, the OT must be taken seriously in its own historical and literary context. The original meanings do matter.

The NT helps Christians understand how earlier biblical events, promises, and figures fit into God’s redemptive plan.

Christ-centered interpretation connects the Testaments without erasing the OT. The Bible is a unified story whose significance unfolds over time.

Moses’ encounter with God and Jesus’ Transfiguration

Sinai: Moses encounters God and leaves with a radiant face. God’s glory reflects on Moses, changing his appearance.

Tabor: Jesus is transfigured, revealing his unique innate glory as the Son.

The presence of Moses and Elijah connects Jesus to the OT.

This illustrates how NT can illuminate OT. Moses’ experience becomes more significant in light of the whole biblical story.

Letter and Spirit: Paul’s interpretation of Moses’ veiled glory.

Paul uses Moses’ radiant face and veil to discuss the old and new covenants, and God’s revelation in Christ.

The OT still matters, as it is the basis of Paul’s discourse, and the Spirit illuminates the significance of the OT passage in light of Christ.

Reading in light of Christ reveals larger theological significance.

Transfiguring interpretation glorifies the literal meaning.

Literal and spiritual interpretation are not competing alternatives. Spiritual significance grows out of the Bible’s literal meaning.

Literal interpretation that is narrow and alone attains a historical-grammatical hermeneutic, but misses a canonical and Christological hermeneutic.

Uncontrolled allegory assigns spiritual meanings to texts without sufficient grounding or support.

Transfigural interpretation holds together the text’s historical, literal, Christological, and canonical meanings.

A literal interpretation is not inadequate, but to see the fuller glory of Christ more work must be done.

Major theme of chapter 7

LIGHT

Transfigural interpretation

Holds together the text’s historical, literal, Christological, and canonical meanings.

Advanced Hermeneutics is a deeper responsibility

facing passages we would rather ignore.

2 Tim 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

Knowing God demands

a passionate commitment to Him and His Word.

Advanced Hermeneutics move into

self-awareness, theological integration, and canonical sensitivity, past grammar, syntax, and history.

Advanced Hermeneutics are only achieved through

applying methods, hard work, and sober, serious study.

Advanced Hermeneutics’ purpose is to

recognise the work we need to do

be aware that the biblical passages we interpret must be the means through which God speaks to people today

to confirm our belief in the inspiration and authority of the Bible as testimony

that exegesis is not a problem but a possibility

to recognise the call of God

to devote ourselves to His Word and to use every resource available to make its message more clear

It is important to be

contextual, responsible, humble, and critical

We must be self-aware interpreters.

Why do we interpret the way we do? What are the functions of the authour, the reader, and the Holy Spirit?

We must canonically and Christologically

integrate the entire biblical storyline.

Intertextuality

how biblical texts echo, allude, quote, and reinterpret earlier texts.

Echo

a text sounds like something previously written

Allusion

authour refers back to something in a general matter

Quotations

direct source citations

As Scripture is God’s Word to the church, interpretation must be

doctrinally coherent, Christologically centred, and ecclesiastically meaningful.

Our relationship to the authour

is more important than the data and information.

The 7 big points of the biblical framework

Creation

Sin

Old Testament

Incarnation

Resurrection

Holy Spirit

Eschatology

^^belong in every talk / bible study

Biblical Hermeneutics / Exegesis

→ Text

→ paper, sermon

Advanced Hermeneutics / Theology

→ theme, book, testament

→ paper, sermon

An interpreter cannot be neutral

and is influenced by culture, tradition, and experience.

Remember that you are

fallible, and accept correction

The dimensions of the text are

behind, within, and in front.

The world behind the text

focuses on the history and events that shaped the text

involves history, form, redaction, tradition, archaeology, anthropology

The world within the text

looks at the texts itself for structure, rhetoric, literary context, canonical connection, linguistics

The world in front of the text

looks at the reader / audience perspective

involves reader-response, reception, and how different sects will interpret texts

In Advanced Hermeneutics, we are not just asking if we can interpret scripture

but if we can do so faithfully, responsibly, and pastorally.

We do Advanced Hermeneutics to

avoid misinterpretation

preach and teach responsibly

engage difficult texts

to see Christ more clearly

to grow spiritually

We must wrestle with texts

not oversimplify them.

We must understand that we lead whole communities, work to see

the unity of Scripture and of Christ, and be transformed spiritually and not just academically.

Redaction

How an authour shapes material to communicate their intent

Rhetoric

The art or study of speaking or writing effectively