Mobile Ed: BI164 Problems in Bible Interpretation: Difficult Passages IV (2 hour course)
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
In Problems in Bible Interpretation: Difficult Passages IV (BI164) Dr. Mike Heiser addresses five Old Testament and five New Testament passages that challenge readers of the Bible. Old Testament topics include (1) tattoos, (2) the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, (3) the “strange” fire of Nadab and Abihu, (4) whether God causes people to sin, and (5) the “secret things” of God. New Testament topics include (1) guardian angels, (2) Jesus as “firstborn,” (3) Paul’s use of Psalm 68:18, (4) unworthy participation in the Lord’s Supper, and (5) Jude quoting Enoch. The course will help equip you to better interpret these challenging passages yourself and encourage you to study God’s Word deeper.
- Define the interpretive issue for each of the ten difficult passages
- Analyze and critique common traditional interpretations for each of the passages
- Outline and defend a biblically solid interpretation for each
Introduction
- Introducing the Speaker and Course
Unit 1: Tattoos (Lev 19:28)
- Interpretative Issue (Lev 19:28)
- Immediate Literary Context (Lev 19:28)
- Expanded Literary Context (Lev 19:28)
- Conclusion (Lev 19:28)
Unit 2: Take not Your Holy Spirit from Me (Psa 51:10–11)
- Interpretive Issue (Psa 51:10–11)
- New Testament Literary Context (Rom 5:5; 8:9–11)
- Promise of a New Covenant (Jer 31:31–33)
- Promise of Holy Spirit (Ezek 36:24–27; Joel 2:28–29)
- Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
- Conclusion (Psa 51:10–11)
Unit 3: “Foreign” Fire (Lev 10:1–3)
- Interpretive Issue (Lev 10:1–3)
- “Unauthorized” Fire?
- Sacred Space
Unit 4: Samson’s Plans vis-à-vis God’s Will (Judg 14:1–4)
- Interpretive Issue (Judg 14:1–4)
- Interpretive Pointer (Judg 14:4)
- Man’s Plans vis-à-vis God’s Will
- Joseph’s Story
Unit 5: Secrets vis-à-vis Revelation (Deut 29:29)
- Interpretive Issue (Deut 29:29)
- Importance of Context (Deut 29:29)
- Historical and Literary Context (Deut 29:29)
Unit 6: “Guardian Angels”? (Matt 18:10)
- Interpretive Issue (Matt 18:10)
- Angelic Protection (Psa 91:11–12)
- Angelic Mediation
- Heavenly Council
- Heavenly Books
Unit 7: Firstborn of Creation (Col 1:15)
- Interpretive Issue (Col 1:13–17)
- Israel as “Firstborn” (Exod 4:21–23)
- David as “Firstborn” (Psa 89:20–29)
- “Firstborn” Indicating Preeminence
- Literary Context (Col 1:15, 19)
- Conclusion: Preeminence not Chronology
Unit 8: Ascending, Descending, Captives, and Gifts (Eph 4:8–9)
- Interpretive Issue (Eph 4:8–9)
- Old Testament Context (Psa 68:18)
- Paul, Jesus, and the Old Testament
- Ascending and Descending (Eph 4:9–10)
- Jesus and the Holy Spirit
Unit 9: Unworthy Approach to the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:27–30)
- Interpretive Issue (1 Cor 11:27–30)
- Three Key Questions
- Mistreating the Poor
- Correcting Behavior
- Conclusion (1 Cor 11:33–34)
Unit 10: Enoch Prophesied (Jude 14–15)
- Interpretive Issue (Jude 14–15)
- What Makes a Prophet?
- Value of Extrabiblical Texts
Conclusion
- Continuing to Learn with Logos
- Title: BI164 Problems in Bible Interpretation: Difficult Passages IV
- Instructor: Michael S. Heiser
- Publisher: Lexham Press
- Publication Date: 2020
- Product Type: Logos Mobile Education
- Resource Type: Courseware, including transcripts, audio, and video resources
- Courses: 1
- Video Hours: 2
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.
