bible test - unit 4

why is historical-cultural context important?

it allow us to understand the author’s intended meaning

define historical-cultural context

the background information about the author, audience, and situation surrounding the text

what tools are useful for researching historical-cultural background?

study Bible, commentary, Bible atlas, etc.

what are the potential dangers of ignoring historical-cultural context?

Misinterpreting the passage based on our modern assumptions

benefits and dangers of using the internet for biblical interpretation

benefits: convenient, lots of information for free

dangers: unreliable sources

what is literary context primarily concerned with?

how a passage fits into the surrounding text and the flow of thought

what is included in the immediate context?

the sentences and paragraphs directly before and after the passage

when a verse is read without its literary context, it often results in:

distortion or misinterpretation

identifying where a literary unit begins and ends helps the reader:

understand the author’s flow of thought

what are the genres found in the bible?

narrative, law, poetry, prophecy, wisdom, gospel, history, letter, prophetic/apocalyptic literature

reading larger sections of Scripture helps interpreters:

see the argument or storyline as a whole

what is the relationship between historical-cultural context and literary context?

complementary approaches that work together to clarify meaning

what is topical teaching?

dangerous way to teach Scripture - can be done well if the verses are kept in the original context - preacher picks a topic and gathers verses across Scripture to support their point