Interpreting Final

Hermaneutics

critical reflection upon processes or interpretation and understanding, especially the interpretation of biblical texts or texts that originate within other cultures

Exegesis

skillful application of sound hermeneutical principles to the biblical text in the original language with a view to understanding and declaring the author's intended meaning both to the immediate and subsequent audiences

Isegesis

Putting meaning into a text rather than trying to draw it out

Historical-critical/grammatical approach

studying the bible in its original historical context and seeing the meaning its authors most likely intended for its original audiences or attendees based on the grammar and syntax

Structural Patterns

Repetition

Contrast/antithesis

Inclusio

Chaismus

Parallelism

Movement Patterns

Descriptions

Explanations

Repetition

Logic

Catalogue

Compare/contrast

Inclusio

the occurrence of a given word or phrase at the beginning and at the end of a discourse unit for the purpose of marking this portion of material as a textual unit

Chaismus

when the second half of a composition takes up the same words, themes, or motifs in the first half but in reverse order

Parallelism

similar, antithetic, or progressive

Descriptions

general ideas to specific details

Explanations

Announcement of a topic followed by a sequence of ideas, responses, or emotions

Logic

"if" or "since" followed by explanation

Catalogue

lists of information

Criticism Approaches

Canonical, Form, Historical, Literary, Narrative, Reader-Response, Redaction, Rhetorical, Source, Textual, Tradition (history)

Polyvalence

Possessing multiple meanings

Ambiguity

Uncertainty of meaning or intent

Canonical Criticism

a way of interpreting the Bible that focuses on the text of the biblical canon itself as a finished product

how is this textual unit functioning within the larger canon of scripture?

Form Criticism

A type of literary criticism used by Scripture scholars that analyzes and compares different literary forms used in the ANE

associated with Herman Gunkel

Historical Criticism

Approach by which an attempt is made to reconstruct the events that lie behind the biblical narratives using natural explanations, not miraculous ones

Literary Criticism

understanding biblical literature in accord with the interests of modern literary critics and theorists, looks at the bible as a narrative to accomplish a goal rather than God's word

Narrative Criticism

Focuses on the stories a speaker or a writer tells to understand how they help us make meaning out of our daily human experiences

What impact does this text have on the reader?

Reader Response Criticism

An approach that focuses on the reader rather than the work itself, by attempting to describe what goes on in the reader's mind during the reading of a text.

Redaction Criticism

An approach that looks at why an author/editor/redactor used particular sources and why he put the information together that way

Rhetorical Criticism

analyses the literary devices and techniques employed in a literary work to impose the author's view on the reader

Source Criticism

Attempts to identify which units of text belong to hypothetical sources and to analyze those sources

Tradition (history) criticism

what traditions in society developed around these historical events that led to these texts?

Textual Criticism

lower and higher

What was the original form of the text?

“seeks to recover the Hebrew text of the OT that most closely approximates the likely text-form of the original copies”

Survey

hook, initial overview of passage, thesis

Context

historical, literary, and canonical

provides background information to gain full understanding of the passage

Genre

subgenre and structure of passage using literary triangle

Detailed Analysis

Defend thesis by working verse by verse, tie everything together

Synthesis

no new info, no footnotes, most eloquently written, summarizes main points

Theological Connection

Bridge gap to the audience today, choose contemporary issue to connect to and provide specific application

Rule of Thumb Question

what does my reader need to know in order to understand my discussion in the detailed analysis?