Recent failure of a Christian leader in the US to predict the return of the Lord highlights the issue on how this brother could have so misread the Bible that he actually believed, and convincing others, that he knew when the Lord is going to return even though Jesus had explicitly said that no one will know the time except for the Father Himself. This is a serious issue of grotesquely misreading the Bible which led to dire consequences.
We must not be proud and tell ourselves that just because ancient texts of 2000 years old have been translated to modern English, we can read and understand them without any aid or guidance in the comfort of our living rooms. Try reading Homer's Illiad and Odyssey, or Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews or War of the Jews which were written about the same time when the New Testament was penned down. Or the more recent writings of Shakespeare. Or Sun Tzu's Art of War or Confucius' Analects.
You will find that it is not easy at all to properly understand these ancient and old texts because they were written in another cultural and historical context by people living in different times and for people living in circumstances far different from ours. Thus, it is essential that we source out some references such as bible commentaries, dictionaries and background commentaries to provide better understanding and avoid making wrong decisions and actions based on our own wrong interpretations of the Bible.
Here I offer some simple practical steps which you might find helpful while reading the Bible.
First step is to ask the correct questions.
Questions
Concerning What Actually Happened
1. What were the events that the author was writing about?
2. Who were the people in these events?
3. What were the historical and cultural contexts in which these events occurred?
4. How did the characters in these events relate to each other?
5. What did these characters talk about?
6. What did they do?
7. Why did they speak and act in such manners?
Concerning the Author and the Audience
1. What were the reasons for the author to write the texts?
2. How did the author understand these events that he was writing about?
3. What were the issues he was trying to raise?
4. What were the answers he was trying to give?
5. What were the historical and cultural contexts in which the author wrote the texts?
6. Who were the people he was writing to?
7. What were the historical and cultural contexts in which the audience lived?
Concerning Application
1. What teachings can we learn from the meanings of the events and from the authors' intention?
2. How similar was their situation to ours?
3. How can we apply the teachings to our own situations and actions?
4. Are we misreading the Bible using our modern historical and cultural contexts?
5. Are we misreading the Bible by forcing our own preconceived ideas onto the meanings of the events and the intentions of the ancient authors?
Second step is to be aware of language use.
Language Tools
Word Use
1. Keep an eye on words which are repeatedly used by the same author in the same text or in different texts.
2. Compare the different situations in which the same words are used by the same author in the same text or in different texts.
3. Are there differences in meanings to these words when used by the same author in the same text or in different texts?
Logical Connectives
1. Pay attention to how connective words like but, because, therefore, when etc.
2. These connective words link the passages of the text to give a more thorough and comprehensive meaning to the passages that the author wrote.
Meanings of Words within the Sentence and Paragraph
1. Try to understand the meanings of words used within a sentence or sentences, and better still within a paragraph or clusters of paragraphs.
Comparing Different Texts
2. Comparing meanings of similar topics and themes in different texts of the Bible and written by different authors.
Final step, use bible commentaries and dictionaries. Books by good authors also help.
References
1. Study bibles
2. Bible commentaries
3. Background commentaries
4. Maps and images
5. Good books
Last but not least, join a bible study group such as the ones on Wednesdays and Fridays. Interpretation of texts is better done and more accurate with check and balance from a group of believers. See you during bible studies! ;-)
We must not be proud and tell ourselves that just because ancient texts of 2000 years old have been translated to modern English, we can read and understand them without any aid or guidance in the comfort of our living rooms. Try reading Homer's Illiad and Odyssey, or Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews or War of the Jews which were written about the same time when the New Testament was penned down. Or the more recent writings of Shakespeare. Or Sun Tzu's Art of War or Confucius' Analects.
You will find that it is not easy at all to properly understand these ancient and old texts because they were written in another cultural and historical context by people living in different times and for people living in circumstances far different from ours. Thus, it is essential that we source out some references such as bible commentaries, dictionaries and background commentaries to provide better understanding and avoid making wrong decisions and actions based on our own wrong interpretations of the Bible.
Here I offer some simple practical steps which you might find helpful while reading the Bible.
First step is to ask the correct questions.
Questions
Concerning What Actually Happened
1. What were the events that the author was writing about?
2. Who were the people in these events?
3. What were the historical and cultural contexts in which these events occurred?
4. How did the characters in these events relate to each other?
5. What did these characters talk about?
6. What did they do?
7. Why did they speak and act in such manners?
Concerning the Author and the Audience
1. What were the reasons for the author to write the texts?
2. How did the author understand these events that he was writing about?
3. What were the issues he was trying to raise?
4. What were the answers he was trying to give?
5. What were the historical and cultural contexts in which the author wrote the texts?
6. Who were the people he was writing to?
7. What were the historical and cultural contexts in which the audience lived?
Concerning Application
1. What teachings can we learn from the meanings of the events and from the authors' intention?
2. How similar was their situation to ours?
3. How can we apply the teachings to our own situations and actions?
4. Are we misreading the Bible using our modern historical and cultural contexts?
5. Are we misreading the Bible by forcing our own preconceived ideas onto the meanings of the events and the intentions of the ancient authors?
Second step is to be aware of language use.
Language Tools
Word Use
1. Keep an eye on words which are repeatedly used by the same author in the same text or in different texts.
2. Compare the different situations in which the same words are used by the same author in the same text or in different texts.
3. Are there differences in meanings to these words when used by the same author in the same text or in different texts?
Logical Connectives
1. Pay attention to how connective words like but, because, therefore, when etc.
2. These connective words link the passages of the text to give a more thorough and comprehensive meaning to the passages that the author wrote.
Meanings of Words within the Sentence and Paragraph
1. Try to understand the meanings of words used within a sentence or sentences, and better still within a paragraph or clusters of paragraphs.
Comparing Different Texts
2. Comparing meanings of similar topics and themes in different texts of the Bible and written by different authors.
Final step, use bible commentaries and dictionaries. Books by good authors also help.
References
1. Study bibles
2. Bible commentaries
3. Background commentaries
4. Maps and images
5. Good books
Last but not least, join a bible study group such as the ones on Wednesdays and Fridays. Interpretation of texts is better done and more accurate with check and balance from a group of believers. See you during bible studies! ;-)
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