Bible Interpretation, Student Workbook, SW05

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B I B L E I N T E R P R E T A T I O N

II. Step One: Understanding the Original Situation ( Engaging the Text on its Own Terms )

A. Critical reasons exist for seeking to understand a text first in its original situation.

1. Major cultural barriers exist between the original culture and our time.

2. The languages are different from our own (Hebrew, Aramaic, and koine Greek).

3. We are ethnocentric (completely immersed in our own culture, and believe naturally that ours is preferable ).

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4. We read the Bible anachronistically (i.e., we tend to read our own situation in the present day back into the biblical time).

5. We are prone to make geographical, historical, and social blunders .

B. Why is it so difficult to understand the original situation?

1. We weren’t there!: no one alive today was present during the events when the reports of the Scriptures were given.

2. We do not know the usages or nuances of the biblical languages (Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew).