Biblical Interpretation: Intermediate Study Bundle

by Michael S. Heiser; Logos Mobile Education; Craig S. Keener; Peter J. Leithart

and

6 more

Publisher:

Lexham Press

, 2013–2022

Overview

In the Biblical Interpretation: Intermediate Study Bundle you’ll build a deeper understanding of biblical interpretation. You’ll learn the history of the text of the Bible and the field of biblical interpretation, how to understand a text in its original context, and why New Testament writers referenced the Old Testament. You’ll also learn how the early church fathers and medieval writers read the Bible and explore why Christians disagree on biblical inspiration, inerrancy, and the canon of Scripture. These courses will help you understand the scope of biblical interpretation across the history of the church and equip you with tools to study the Bible.

Product Details

• Title: Biblical Interpretation: Intermediate Study Bundle
• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Product Type: Logos Mobile Education
• Resource Type: Courseware, including transcripts, audio, and video resources
• Courses: 12
• Video Hours: 65

BI101 Introducing Biblical Interpretation: Contexts and Resources

• Instructor: Michael S. Heiser
• Publication Date: 2018
• Video Hours: 5

The Bible is a vast, complex book, and while some of its contents can be understood by a child, much of it requires careful thought. How do we interpret the Bible correctly? Why do biblical scholars disagree on interpretation?

Dr. Mike Heiser introduces students to the science and art of Bible interpretation. The Bible is a book written for us but not to us, so accurate interpretation needs to be informed by the ancient worldview of the biblical writers, their historical circumstances, cultural and religious beliefs of their day, literary genre, and the original languages of the Bible. Learn the necessary tools for accurate and meaningful biblical interpretation.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and Course
• My Task

Unit 1: Obstacles to Interpretation

• Meaning Is Not Self-Evident
• Obstacle #1: Presuppositions
• Obstacle #2: Author
• Obstacle #3: Reader
• Obstacle #4: Medium
• Obstacle #5: Meaning
• Obstacle #6: Translation
• Obstacle #7: Precedent
• Obstacle #8: Context
• Obstacle #9: Relevance
• Obstacle #10: Validation

Unit 2: Seeing the Bible in Context

• Reading Isn’t Seeing
• Three Biblical Contexts

Unit 3: Worldview Context

• Introduction to Worldview Context
• Historical Context
• Cultural Context
• Religious Context
• Tools for Worldview Context
• Primary Sources
• Reference Works
• Academic Monographs
• Bible Commentaries
• Devotional or Popular Commentaries
• Expositional Commentaries
• Scholarly Commentaries
• Journal Articles
• Digital Resources

Unit 4: Literary Context

• Introduction to Literary Context
• Genre
• How Genre Influences Meaning
• Genre and Structure

Unit 5: Literary Context: Old Testament Genres

• Old Testament Narratives
• Genealogies
• Legal Texts
• Psalms and Prayers
• Types of Psalms
• Psalm Interpretation
• Wisdom Literature
• Proverbs
• Old Testament Prophecy and Apocalyptic
• Interpreting Prophetic Literature

Unit 6: Literary Context: New Testament Genres

• New Testament Narrative
• Gospels
• Epistles
• New Testament Hymns
• Domestic Codes
• Virtue/Vice Lists
• New Testament Apocalyptic

Unit 7: Literary Context: Understanding Prophecy

• Fulfillment
• Literalism and Single Intent
• Amos 9 and Acts 15: Part 1
• Amos 9 and Acts 15: Part 2
• Sensus Plenior: Part 1
• Sensus Plenior: Part 2
• Analogical Fulfillment
• Typological Fulfillment

Unit 8: Literary Context: Literary Devices

• Chiasm
• Gematria
• Hyperbole
• Imagery
• Metaphor
• Merism
• Parallelism

Unit 9: Linguistic Context

• Introduction to Linguistic Context
• Word Level
• Working at the Word Level
• Word-Level Analysis
• Summary of Three Competencies

Unit 10: Application and Conclusion

• Individual and Pastoral Application
• Conclusion to the Course

Dr. Michael S. Heiser is a Scholar-in-Residence for Faithlife Corporation, the makers of Logos Bible Software. His varied academic background enables him to operate in the realm of critical scholarship and the wider Christian community. His experience in teaching at the undergraduate level and writing for the layperson both directly contribute to Logos’ goal of adapting scholarly tools for nonspecialists.

Dr. Heiser earned his PhD in Hebrew Bible and Semitic languages and holds and MA in ancient history and Hebrew studies. He is the coeditor of Old Testament Greek Pseudepigrapha with Morphology and Semitic Inscriptions: Analyzed Texts and English Translations, and can do translation work in roughly a dozen ancient languages, including Biblical Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Ugaritic cuneiform. He also specializes in Israelite religion (especially Israel’s divine council), contextualizing biblical theology with Israelite and ancient Near Eastern religion, Jewish binitarianism, biblical languages, ancient Semitic languages, textual criticism, comparative philology, and Second Temple period Jewish literature. In addition, he was named the 2007 Pacific Northwest Regional Scholar by the Society of Biblical Literature.

BI103 Principles of Bible Interpretation

• Instructor: Craig S. Keener
• Publication Date: 2015
• Video Hours: 2

Join Dr. Craig Keener, a foremost expert in biblical backgrounds, as he provides principles for interpretation along with excellent examples. See the parable of the Prodigal Son through the eyes of a Pharisee, learn the dangers involved in using allegory rather than analogy, and appreciate the contrast between Emperor Augustus and Jesus in the story of the first Christmas. Dr. Keener draws from his meticulous research of the ancient world to show you how to interpret the Bible by understanding its cultural contexts, genres, and more.

Contents:

• Reading the Bible in Context
• Understanding the Background of the Bible
• Interpreting Different Genres in the Bible

Dr. Craig S. Keener is professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary, and is the author of 17 books, four of which have won Christianity Today book awards. One, IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, has sold more than half a million copies. He has authored scholarly commentaries on Matthew, John (two volumes), Acts (four volumes), and more briefly on Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Revelation.

BI181 Introducing Bible Translations

• Instructor: Mark L. Strauss
• Publication Date: 2014
• Video Hours: 2

Bible translation expert Dr. Mark Strauss introduces the philosophies of translation in order to equip students in their selection of a specific version (or versions) of the Bible. Dr. Strauss compares functional and formal equivalence and describes the strengths and weaknesses of each. He discusses elements of language such as gender terminology, idioms, and metaphors to reveal the importance of this often-overlooked but fundamental part of preaching, teaching, and personal Bible study.

Contents:

Unit 1: Introduction to Bible Translation

• Language and Translation
• Philosophies of Translation
• Comparing Translations Using the Version River Graph
• Need for Translations
• Examining the Various Translations of “Gospel”

Unit 2: Translation Processes

• Lexical Semantics
• Studying “Grace” with the Bible Sense Lexicon
• Gender Language
• Translating Idioms
• Helpful Resources for Translating Biblical Idioms
• Translating Metaphors
• Using the UBS Handbooks to Help Translate Metaphors
• Translating Collocations
• Searching the NET Bible Notes for Collocations
• The Precedence of Meaning over Form
• Creating a Parallel Bible Layout in Logos

Unit 3: Translation Philosophies

• Strengths of Formal Equivalence
• Using Visual Filters to Highlight Greek Words in English Translations
• Strengths of Functional Equivalence
• Comparing Translations Using the Text Comparison Tool

Dr. Mark L. Strauss is the professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary in San Diego. He has written several books, including The Davidic Messiah in Luke-Acts, Distorting Scripture? The Challenge of Bible Translation and Gender Accuracy, and Luke in the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary series.

BI201 The Story of the Bible

• Instructor: Michael W. Goheen
• Publication Date: 2014
• Video Hours: 6

The Bible is a grand collection of 66 separate books—how are those books unified? This course introduces students to the unifying storyline that runs through the entire Bible. Dr. Michael Goheen—expert in missiology, theology, and worldview studies—shows how the drama of the Bible unfolds by tracing the major theological themes of redemption and restoration across both Testaments.

Contents:

Unit 1: Introduction

• The Three Categories of This Course
• Starting with Jesus
• Our Lives Are Shaped by Story
• The Bible as One Story
• Using Reading Plans to Help Read the Bible as One Story
• The Authority of the Biblical Story
• Two Different and Incompatible Stories
• The Drama of Scripture
• Quiz – Unit 1

Unit 2: Act 1: God Establishes His Kingdom

• Genesis 1 in Its Historical and Literary Context
• Genesis 1 in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context
• Using The Context of Scripture to Compare Creation Accounts
• Literary Structure of Genesis 1
• The Importance of Genesis 1 in the Bible Story
• Quiz – Unit 2

Unit 3: Act 2: Rebellion in the Kingdom

• Sin and Judgment in Genesis 3–11
• Genesis 3 and the Origin of Sin
• The Consequences of Sin
• Quiz – Unit 3

Unit 4: Act 3: The King Chooses Israel

• Redemption Initiated
• Sin and Promise in Genesis 3–11
• Blessed to Be a Blessing: Genesis 12:1–3
• Using Theological Lexicons to Understand the Meaning of Blessing
• From Promise to Covenant
• The Patriarchal Narratives of Genesis 12–50
• From Genesis to Exodus
• Redemption from Egypt
• God and Israel’s Covenant
• Israel’s Covenant Vocation
• The Purpose of the Law
• God’s Tabernacle Presence
• Using a Bible Dictionary to Understand the Significance of Tabernacle
• Leviticus: Repairing the Covenant
• Numbers: Through the Wilderness
• Deuteronomy: Israel Prepared to Enter the Land
• Quiz – Unit 4a
• Israel on the Land
• Joshua: God Gives Israel the Land
• Judges: Israel’s Failure on the Land
• The Storyline of Samuel
• A Faithful Covenant King
• The Davidic Covenant
• The Temple
• Using a Greek Lexicon to Look Up the Basic Meaning of Greek Words
• Historical Overview
• First and Second Kings: Israel’s Demise
• The Prophetic Message
• Return from Exile
• Ezra and Nehemiah: Post-Exilic Crisis of Faith
• The Writings
• The Intertestamental Period
• The Unfolding Story of the Intertestamental Period
• Quiz – Unit 4b
• Midterm Exam

Unit 5: Act 4: The Coming of the King

• The Kingdom of God
• Highlighting “Kingdom” in the Gospels with Visual Filters
• Jesus’ Kingdom Mission: A New Way
• Jesus Prepares for His Kingdom Mission
• Jesus Gathers His People
• Jesus Announces the Arrival of the Kingdom
• An “Already–Not Yet” Kingdom
• Jesus Reveals the Kingdom
• The Source of Jesus’ Power
• Opposition to Jesus’ Mission
• Jesus Welcomes Sinners and Outcasts
• Quiz – Unit 5a
• Jesus Forms an “End-Time” Community
• Jesus Explains the Kingdom with Parables
• Jesus Is the Embodiment of the Kingdom
• Who Is Jesus?
• Finding the Titles of Jesus with the Bible Facts Tool
• Three Symbolic Actions of Jesus
• The Context for the Cross and Resurrection
• Crucifixion and the Death of Jesus
• The Significance and Meaning of the Death of Jesus
• The Significance and Meaning of the Resurrection of Jesus
• Resurrection in Three Stages
• The Risen Lord Commissions His Disciples
• Using the Passage Guide to Find Parallel Gospel Accounts
• Quiz – Unit 5b

Unit 6: Act 5: Spreading the News of the King

• The Mission of the Church
• The Exaltation of Jesus
• Pentecost: The Coming of the Spirit
• The Story of Acts
• Prophecy Fulfilled: A Light on a Hill
• Searching for “Means of Grace”
• Witness in Judea and Samaria
• The Church as a Missionary Community
• Spontaneous Expansion of the Church
• The Pattern of Paul
• Two Perspectives on Paul
• The Teaching of Paul
• The Ending of Acts
• Our Place in the Story
• Creating and Searching a Church History Collection
• Quiz – Unit 6

Unit 7: Act 6: Return of the King

• Restoration Completed
• The End of the Story
• Quiz – Unit 7
• Final Exam

Dr. Michael W. Goheen, professor of missiology at Calvin Theological Seminary, served as the Geneva Chair of Worldview Studies at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia, and teaching fellow in mission studies at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia.

He has taught worldview, biblical theology, mission, and world Christianity at Redeemer University College and Dordt College. He began his professional life as a church planter and pastor in the Toronto area. He is also recognized as a leading scholar on the thought of Lesslie Newbigin.

Dr. Goheen has authored several books, including A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church in the Biblical Story (Baker, 2010) and As the Father Has Sent Me, I am Sending You: J.E. Lesslie Newbigin’s Missionary Ecclesiology (Zoetermeer, 2000). He also coauthored the best-selling Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story (Baker, 2004), Living at the Crossroads: An Introduction to Christian Worldview (Baker, 2008), and The True Story of the Whole World: Finding Your Place in the Biblical Drama (Faith Alive, 2009). He has also coedited two volumes on globalization and the gospel, and on the unity of the church.

Dr. Goheen lives in the Vancouver area where he is minister of preaching at New West Christian Reformed Church. He’s been married to his wife, Marnie, for 33 years and has four married children and four grandchildren.

OT201 Old Testament Genres

• Instructor: John H. Walton
• Publication Date: 2014
• Video Hours: 4

Dr. John Walton guides students through the types of literature in the Old Testament. Beginning with narrative and continuing through prophecy, apocalyptic literature, wisdom literature, and the Psalms, this course explains how to best read and understand the Old Testament. Students should walk away with a strong interpretive framework through which they can grapple with the Old Testament. The course guides students into asking broader questions about the overall purpose of the Old Testament and God’s revelations throughout it.

Contents:

Unit 1: Foundations

• Introduction
• Identifying Old Testament Genres
• About the Old Testament
• Introduction to Authority, Inspiration, and Revelation
• Authority
• Inspiration
• Revelation
• Literary Analysis
• Identifying Emphasis in Old Testament Narratives
• What Sort of Reader?
• Ethical Reading
• Unit 1 Quiz

Unit 2: Genres: Law

• Law: Part 1
• Law: Part 2
• Finding English Translations of Ancient Legal Texts
• Law: Part 3
• Unit 2 Quiz

Unit 3: Genres: Narrative

• The Significance of Story
• Misreading Biblical Narrative, Part 1
• Using Visual Filters to Identify God as the Subject
• Misreading Biblical Narrative, Part 2
• Finding Practical Ways to Preach Old Testament Narratives
• Writing History
• Ancient History Writing
• Unit 3 Quiz
• Midterm Exam

Unit 4: Genres: Prophecy and Apocalyptic

• Prophets
• Using the Bible Facts Report to Research the Role of a Prophet
• Prophecy for the Present
• Kinds of Prophetic Illocution
• Search Parameters for the Prophetic Literature
• The Message of the Prophets
• Focusing on the Message
• Prophecy and the New Testament
• Locating Prophecies about Jesus
• Apocalyptic Literature
• Unit 4 Quiz

Unit 5: Genres: Wisdom and Psalms

• Introduction to Wisdom
• The Book of Job
• Discovering Ancient Near Eastern Parallels to the Book of Job
• The Book of Ecclesiastes
• Song of Songs
• Speaker Identifications in English Translations
• Psalms
• Unit 6: Theology and Faith
• God’s Presence
• Faith
• Unit 5–6 Quiz
• Final Exam

Dr. John Walton, professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, spent 20 years teaching at Moody Bible Institute.

In his college years, he developed a passion for archaeology and Bible history. Instead of training to be an archaeologist, though, he focused his attention on studies comparing the culture and literature of the Bible and the ancient Near East. He has never lost his fascination with this subject, but comparative studies only provide one of the means by which he tries to get people excited about the Old Testament. He’s saddened by how little exposure to and understanding of the Old Testament many Christians have, but he’s passionate in doing whatever he can to remedy this spiritual and theological loss.

BI260 Interpreting New Testament Genres

• Instructor: William W. Klein
• Publication Date: 2015
• Video Hours: 9

Develop a new level of competency in interpreting the New Testament with Dr. William Klein’s guidance and insight on New Testament genres. Learn how to interpret the different genres found in the New Testament epistles. Distinguish which events in Acts are meant to be descriptive, describing what happened, and which are meant to be prescriptive, instructing on how to live. Discover how the book of Revelation combines three genres, and how this affects its interpretation.

Dr. Klein concludes each unit with practice exercises. He challenges you to interpret a passage using the methods he describes, and then shows you step-by-step how he would interpret it.

Contents:

• The Gospels
• Acts
• Epistles
• Revelation

Dr. William W. Klein is professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary and serves as Chair of the Division of Biblical Studies. He edited and was the major contributor to Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, wrote the commentary on Ephesians in the Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised Edition, and has consulted on several recent Bible versions, serving as chief exegetical consultant for the New Testament portion of The Message.

BI131 Introducing Literary Interpretation

• Instructor: Jeannine K. Brown
• Publication Date: 2015
• Video Hours: 5

Many of us read the Bible a passage or verse at a time. In this course, Dr. Jeannine Brown shows the importance of understanding biblical books as a whole. With her clear and simple approach, Dr. Brown demonstrates three methods to help you grasp the specific messages intended by Old Testament and New Testament authors. Learn about the different literary genres in Scripture and see how authors used certain genres to communicate their message. Discover how to read a passage in its literary context, and understand the importance of the Bible’s historical setting.

Dr. Brown is passionate about helping people understand Scripture and provides the knowledge and practical tools to equip you in this task.

Contents:

• Important Terms: Exegesis, Contextualization, and Hermeneutics
• The Goals of Biblical Interpretation
• Key Values for Exegesis
• A Closer Look at Genre
• Three Primary Genres in the Bible
• A Closer Look at Literary Context
• A Closer Look at Historical Setting
• Bringing All Three Together
• Presuppositions in Biblical Interpretation

Dr. Jeannine K. Brown has taught at Bethel Seminary for nearly two decades in the areas of New Testament, hermeneutics, and integration. Her books include Scripture as Communication: Introducing Biblical Hermeneutics, Becoming Whole and Holy: An Integrative Conversation about Christian Formation, and the forthcoming volume on Matthew in the Teach the Text Commentary series. She’s also associate editor of the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, 2nd ed..

BI190 The Use of the Old Testament in the New Testament: Methodology and Practice

• Instructor: Jeannine K. Brown
• Publication Date: 2015
• Video Hours: 5

In this course, Dr. Jeannine Brown shows how we can better understand what the New Testament writers were communicating, by looking at how they referenced the Old Testament. Dr. Brown begins by explaining why New Testament writers referenced the Old Testament, and the four ways in which they did so. She then walks through references in Matthew, John, Philippians, and 1 Peter.

See how Jesus is portrayed as the new Adam in John’s Gospel. Discover connections between Jesus’ teaching and the stories of Cain and Abel, Noah, Sodom, and others. Learn new methods for interpreting Scripture, and come away with a fuller picture of how Jesus fulfills the hopes of the Old Testament and completes the story God began with Israel.

Contents:

Interpretative Issues

• Assumptions about the New Testament Authors’ Use of the Old Testament
• First-Century Jewish Interpretive Traditions
• Types of Old Testament References in the New Testament
• Christological Lens for Old Testament Usage

Application: New Testament

• The Use of Isaiah and Deuteronomy in Philippians
• The Use of Genesis in Matthew
• The Use of Genesis in John
• The Use of the Old Testament in 1 Peter

Dr. Jeannine K. Brown has taught at Bethel Seminary for nearly two decades in the areas of New Testament, hermeneutics, and integration. Her books include Scripture as Communication: Introducing Biblical Hermeneutics, Becoming Whole and Holy: An Integrative Conversation about Christian Formation, and the forthcoming volume on Matthew in the Teach the Text Commentary series. She’s also associate editor of the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, 2nd ed..

BI351 History of Biblical Interpretation: Second Temple Judaism through the Reformation

• Instructor: Gerald L. Bray
• Publication Date: 2016
• Video Hours: 8

In BI351 Dr. Bray explores the history of the text of the Bible and biblical interpretation. He examines the concept of the Bible as self-revelation—a record of the encounters people had with God, which presents a message to be received by faith. He also covers the importance of the Word being communicated and understood, and the value of the discipline of interpretation as a means of bringing people to truths beyond what they are able to discover on their own.

Contents:

Unit 1: The Concept of Scripture: Revelation and Its Forms

• What Revelation Is
• Personal Relationship and Communication
• Speech as the Preferred Mode of Communication
• Human Hearing and the Bible
• Spoken and Written Words: Part 1
• Spoken and Written Words: Part 2
• The Character of Revelation

Unit 2: Jewish Interpretation in New Testament Times

• General Themes of Jewish Interpretation
• Literal Interpretation
• Midrashic Interpretation
• Pesher Interpretation
• Allegorical Interpretation

Unit 3: Early Christian Use of the Old Testament

• General Principles
• Jesus Christ’s Teaching
• Paul’s Preaching
• Gospels, Acts, and Hebrews

Unit 4: The Formation of the Christian Canon of Scripture

• What Is the Canon?
• The Establishment of the Old Testament Canon
• The Establishment of the New Testament Canon
• A Canon within the Canon?
• Heretics and the Canon
• Scripture and Creedal Formation: Creeds and the Gospel Message

Unit 5: The Four Senses of Interpretation

• The Greek Background
• Origen’s Basic Principles
• The Literal and “Higher” Sense of Scripture
• The Moral, Spiritual, and Anagogical Senses of Scripture

Unit 6: Medieval Exegesis

• Jerome and the Latin Bible
• The Inspiration of Scripture
• The Literal Sense of Interpretation
• The Commentary Style
• The Medieval Legacy: What We Still Do Today
• The New Synthesis
• Lectio, Disputatio, Praedicatio, and the Decline of Spiritual Interpretation
• Thomism

Unit 7: Renaissance Humanism and the Reformation

• John Wycliffe and Jan Hus
• Lorenzo Valla and Onward
• Martin Luther (1483–1546)
• John Calvin (1509–1564): Part 1
• John Calvin (1509–1564): Part 2
• The Authority of Scripture

Unit 8: Orthodox Protestant Hermeneutics

• The Supremacy of Scripture
• The Covenant Principle
• Interpretation of the Covenant
• Application of Orthodox Protestant Hermeneutics
• Strengths and Weaknesses of Orthodox Protestant Hermeneutics

Dr. Gerald L. Bray is research professor of divinity, history, and doctrine at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama, and distinguished professor of historical theology at Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Dr. Bray is the editor of the Anglican journal Churchman and has published a number of books, including the award-winning Biblical Interpretation: Past and Present, Yours Is the Kingdom: A Systematic Theology of the Lord’s Prayer, God Is Love: A Biblical and Systematic Theology, and God Has Spoken: A History of Christian Theology.

BI352 History of Biblical Interpretation: Seventeenth Century to the Present

• Instructor: Gerald L. Bray
• Publication Date: 2016
• Video Hours: 11

In BI352 Dr. Bray examines the foundations of the Old and New Testaments as well as the development of new theological perspectives since the 17th century. He outlines significant trends and major players in biblical criticism and how these relate to the modern scholarly climate. Dr. Bray provides guidance on how to approach Bible study and emphasizes the importance of applying God’s word.

Contents:

Unit 1: The Beginnings of Critical Method

• Disagreements about the Bible
• The Growth of Skepticism
• Beginnings of Old Testament Criticism
• The Attack on the Supernatural
• Neologism and Romanticism

Unit 2: Old Testament Criticism: de Wette to Wellhausen (1800–1918)

• W. M. L. de Wette and the Old Testament Text
• Old Testament Theology
• Revival of Confessionalism
• The New Liberalism

Unit 3: Old Testament Criticism: Wellhausen to Alt (1918–1956)

• New Directions
• History of Religions School
• Beyond Literary Criticism

Unit 4: Anglo-Saxon Old Testament Scholarship since 1800

• The Situation from 1800 to 1850
• The Acceptance of Critical Method
• The Development of Archaeology
• Liberal/Conservative Divide

Unit 5: Modern Old Testament Criticism

• Do We Need the Old Testament?
• Post-Barthian Criticism
• Marxist Biblical Interpretation
• Current Issues in Old Testament Interpretation

Unit 6: New Testament Criticism: Reimarus to Strauss (1750–1835)

• H. S. Reimarus (1694–1768)
• Early Rationalism and Some Important Proponents of These Ideas
• The Invention of the Historical Jesus

Unit 7: New Testament Criticism: Strauss to Bousset (1835–1920)

• Reactions to Strauss
• The Tübingen School and Ferdinand Christian Baur (1792–1860)
• Bruno Bauer (1809–1883)
• Later Lives of Jesus
• The Final Phase

Unit 8: Anglo-Saxon New Testament Scholarship since 1800

• Background and the Cambridge School
• English Liberalism and Source Criticism
• The Impact of Archaeology
• English Neo-Conservatism

Unit 9: Modern New Testament Criticism: Jesus

• Form Criticism (1920–1950)
• Redaction Criticism (after 1945) and the Historical Jesus: the New Quest
• The Historical Jesus: Third Quest
• Jesus and the Church

Unit 10: Modern New Testament Criticism: Church

• Paul and the Law
• Paul and Judaism: Montefiore (1856–1938)
• The New Perspective on Paul

Unit 11: Recent Trends in Interpretation: Historical-Critical Approach

• The Inadequacies of the Method
• Two Horizons: the New Hermeneutic
• Points to Remember about the New Hermeneutic

Unit 12: Recent Trends in Interpretation: Literary Approaches

• Literary Criticism and Linguistic Theory
• Non-Ideological Literary Criticism

Unit 13: Recent Trends in Interpretation: Sociological Approaches

• Introduction to Sociological Approaches
• Some Examples of Interpretation
• Sociology as Normative for Interpretation

Unit 14: An Evangelical Approach to Critical Issues

• Introduction to Evangelical Approaches to Critical Issues
• Evangelical Achievements
• The Inspiration of Scripture
• Inerrancy and Infallibility
• Evolving Attitudes on Inerrancy
• Two Testaments, One Bible
• Evangelical Strengths and Weaknesses

Unit 15: An Evangelical Approach to Practical Application

• Different Ways of Reading the Bible
• How to Approach Reading the Bible
• How to Preach the Bible
• Preaching and Application: Part 1
• Preaching and Application: Part 2
• Preaching and Free Interpretation
• Preaching and the Preacher: Part 1
• Preaching and the Preacher: Part 2

Dr. Gerald L. Bray is research professor of divinity, history, and doctrine at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama, and distinguished professor of historical theology at Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Dr. Bray is the editor of the Anglican journal Churchman and has published a number of books, including the award-winning Biblical Interpretation: Past and Present, Yours Is the Kingdom: A Systematic Theology of the Lord’s Prayer, God Is Love: A Biblical and Systematic Theology, and God Has Spoken: A History of Christian Theology.

BI111 Typological Hermeneutics: Finding Christ in the Whole Bible

• Instructor: Peter J. Leithart
• Publication Date: 2016
• Video Hours: 4

Explore the art and science of Bible interpretation, teaching you how to become a good reader of the Bible so you will hear everything God says in His inspired Word. Dr. Leithart teaches a hermeneutical approach grounded in a robust theology of language, modelled after the way Jesus and the apostles interpreted the Old Testament, and drawing on elements from patristic and medieval methods. Other crucial topics are discussed, such as the nature of texts, semantics, intertextuality, biblical allusions, and literary structure, all reinforced with a plethora of examples from both biblical and extrabiblical literature. All of this contributes to the main point of reading Scripture: to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

Contents:

Unit 1:History of Interpretation

• Early Church to Middle Ages
• Reformation to Present

Unit 2: The God Who Speaks Human

• God Speaks
• God Speaks Human
• God Speaks Truth
• Three Models of Theological Language
• Poetry of Creation in Genesis 1: Light
• Poetry of Creation in Genesis 1: Images of God

Unit 3: Everything Concerning Himself

• The Bible Is about Jesus: Part 1
• The Bible Is about Jesus: Part 2
• Typology is a Film, Not a Picture

Unit 4: Open Ears: Becoming a Good Reader

• Qualifications of an Interpreter
• Reading According to the Spirit
• Rules of Reading

Unit 5: Verbal Magic

• Exegesis and Eisegesis
• Semantics: Part 1
• Semantics: Part 2
• Intertextuality: Part 1
• Intertextuality: Part 2
• Scenic Imagery: Part 1
• Scenic Imagery: Part 2

Unit 6: Textual Rhythms

• Reasons for Paying Attention to the Structure of Biblical Texts
• Stage 1: Determine the Subunits of the Text (Part 1)
• Stage 1: Determine the Subunits of the Text (Part 2)
• Stage 1: Determine the Subunits of the Text (Part 3)
• Stage 2: Discern How the Units Are Arranged (Part 1)
• Stage 2: Discern How the Units Are Arranged (Part 2)
• Stage 2: Discern How the Units Are Arranged (Part 3), and Stage 3: What Does It Mean?

Unit 7: Reading to Teach

• Quadriga: The Medieval Fourfold Method
• Strengths of the Quadriga
• Examples of the Quadriga: David and Goliath
• Examples of the Quadriga: Ruth

Peter J. Leithart received an AB in English and History from Hillsdale College in 1981, and a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in 1986 and 1987, respectively. In 1998 he received his PhD at the University of Cambridge in England. He has served as editor and writer for American Vision in Atlanta, Georgia (1987-1989), and as a pastor of Reformed Heritage Presbyterian Church (now Trinity Presbyterian Church), Birmingham, Alabama from 1989-1995. From 1998-2013, he taught Theology and Literature at New Saint Andrews College and between 2003 and 2013 served as pastor of Trinity Reformed Church. He is currently President of the Theopolis Institute, a pastoral training institute in Birmingham, Alabama.

BI173 Problems in Bible Interpretation: Why Do Christians Disagree about the Bible?

• Instructor: Michael S. Heiser
• Publication Date: 2017
• Video Hours: 4

Christians believe the Bible is God’s Word, but the specific implications behind what that means are debated. In Problems in Bible Interpretation: Why Do Christians Disagree about the Bible? (BI173), Dr. Michael Heiser examines the issues of inspiration, inerrancy, and the canon. He explores different views on what role human authors played in the writings found in the Bible and how they were inspired by God. Then he moves on to address several questions surrounding the doctrine of inerrancy: What does the term mean? How have Christians understood it historically? What constitutes an “error”? Finally, he looks at the books included in the Bible, or the canon, and how it came to be. Through a discussion of the historical development of the Christian canon, he explains the reasons why various traditions regard different books as authoritative.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Inspiration

• Millard Erickson’s Five Categories
• Dynamic, Verbal, Dictation
• Human and Divine Element of Inspiration

Unit 2: Inerrancy

• What Does Inerrancy Mean?
• Historical Positions: Part 1
• Historical Positions: Part 2
• Inerrancy: Part 1
• Inerrancy: Part 2
• Historical Positions
• Struggle

Unit 3: What Is an Error?

• Specific Difficulties
• Israelite Cosmology
• The Waters above and below the Heavens
• “God’s Eye” View of the Created World
• Point
• Primitive Conception of Conception: Part 1
• Primitive Conception of Conception: Part 2
• Prophecies that Don’t Happen
• Number Discrepancies: Part 1
• Number Discrepancies: Part 2
• Number Discrepancies: Part 3
• New Testament Citation of Old Testament
• Differences in Gospels: Dialogue
• Differences in Gospels: Narrative Elements
• Editorial Hands
• How Do We Define Inspiration and Inerrancy?

Unit 4: Canon

• Disagreement over What Books Should Be Recognized as Inspired
• Complicating Factors
• Protestant, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Canon
• New Testament Canon
• 1 Enoch—Special Case: Part 1
• 1 Enoch—Special Case: Part 2

Conclusion

• Conclusion to the Course

Dr. Michael S. Heiser is a Scholar-in-Residence for Faithlife Corporation, the makers of Logos Bible Software. His varied academic background enables him to operate in the realm of critical scholarship and the wider Christian community. His experience in teaching at the undergraduate level and writing for the layperson both directly contribute to Logos’ goal of adapting scholarly tools for nonspecialists.

Dr. Heiser earned his PhD in Hebrew Bible and Semitic languages and holds and MA in ancient history and Hebrew studies. He is the coeditor of Old Testament Greek Pseudepigrapha with Morphology and Semitic Inscriptions: Analyzed Texts and English Translations, and can do translation work in roughly a dozen ancient languages, including Biblical Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Ugaritic cuneiform. He also specializes in Israelite religion (especially Israel’s divine council), contextualizing biblical theology with Israelite and ancient Near Eastern religion, Jewish binitarianism, biblical languages, ancient Semitic languages, textual criticism, comparative philology, and Second Temple period Jewish literature. In addition, he was named the 2007 Pacific Northwest Regional Scholar by the Society of Biblical Literature.