Interpretative Principles of Biblical Reading and Understanding Facilitator's Guide

I. Class Preparation A. Prepare for today's lesson by reading the following Scriptures in multiple versions (NRSV, NIV, CEV, etc.) 1. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 2. 2 Peter 1:19-21 3. Romans 15:4 4. Isaiah 8:19-20 5. Psalms 119 6. John 10:35-37 B. Pray Over the Lesson and For Each Class Member C. For Advance Readers, Pastors, and Teachers Review the following terms or concepts in your favorite Bible Dictionary or Handbook. Authority (of Scripture) Canon Illumination Inerrancy (of Scripture) Infallibility (of Scripture) Inspiration (of Scripture) Modal Inspiration Plenary Inspiration Verbal Inspiration Suggested resources: A Handbook of Theological Terms by Van A. Harvey Harper Collins Bible Dictionary by Paul J. Achtemeier, Ed New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible by Robert C. Tannehill, Pheme Perkins, N. T. Wright, and Richard B. Hays The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church by F. L. Cross, Ed. The Oxford Companion to the Bible by Bruce Metzger and Michael Coogan, Eds. Note: For Lesson Three the page numbering between the facilitators' guide and the students' handouts do not match. The facilitators' guides have several added pages of narratives that the students' handouts do not have. Those narratives are for the facilitators to read out loud to the class participants. *II. Introduction [50 - 100 Minutes (including 5 Minutes Opening Housekeeping)] Facilitators' Note: You may want to break this lesson into two 50 minute sessions at the start. You can present this session in 50 minutes if you cut out the two classroom discussions breaks and questions in Section III below. End the class at the end of Section IV. Section V and following can be class homework; the students can read and answer the questions in Section V and following and bring their answers to the next class if they have any questions for you to address at the start of the class. If you want to teach this lesson in two parts, start the second session at Section V for the second session. Opening Activities [3 minutes] 1. Prayer 2. Introductions of self and topic for this lesson A. Read and present the following introduction aloud. [7 Minutes] Today's lesson is about the application of the ideas, beliefs, concepts, thoughts, practices, and principles found in the Bible to today's churches and individuals. More specifically it deals with the question, "Does what the Bible say or portray have any bearing on what we should believe and how we should act now?" While this question itself is not made explicitly in Loving, Open and Transforming (LOT), it is still crucial for gaining a more panoramic view of why Christians often have divergent views on how we should use the Bible in today's world. This type of discussion is usually identified with the following terms: "Hermeneutics," "The Authority of Scripture," or "The Inspiration of Scripture." My purpose is not to summarize the history of this topic nor its historical development. My purpose is to help the reader of LOT gain a better understanding of what lies behind the various positions taken by pastors, theologians, and Bible scholars on this issue. As such, this is about the gestalt perspectives that are taken by readers of the Bible. My aim is to help the reader of LOT to perceive what the differences are and why. The various models or positions listed below are conceptually like gestalt images. And just like the famous Gestalt figures, your mind must be trained to perceive how to switch your focus to view the foreground as the background and the background as the foreground. In the vase/faces image printed below, if one sees the white as the background and the black as the foreground, then the individual will see two faces facing one another. If one sees the black as the background and white as the foreground, then the individual will see a vase in the same picture. The trick is to visually imagine or pick out grounding clues or focal points to help you switch back and forth from one image to another. Undifferentiated Facial Clues Vase Clues On a more concrete level, we can turn to the world of cooking. What one has as ingredients will lead one to produce different gastronomic creations. If you gave various persons the same access to the same varieties of juices and told them to make a punch mixture, you could end up with different results. Facilitators' Note: You may want to bring items for one of the examples listed below and place them on a table in front of the class. You may even want to ask class members at the start of class what they would make with the ingredients and list them. 1. Red Grape Juice 2. White Grape Juice 3. White Grape Juice Cherry Juice Orange Juice Pineapple Juice Apple Juice Grapefruit Juice Papaya Juice Fruit Syrup Lemon Juice Mango Nectar Lime Juice Banana Nectar Kiwi Nectar Fruit Punch Citrus Punch Tropical Punch If you give the following ingredients to different persons and told them to bake something and that individual could choose (1) what ingredients to use or not use, (2) the proportions of the ingredients, and (3) the process, you would again have the possibility of several different results or culinary products. 1. White, Bleached Flour 2. White, Bleached Flour 3. White, Bleached Flour Vanilla Vanilla Vanilla Salt Salt Salt Yeast Yeast Yeast Baking Powder Baking Powder Baking Powder Milk Milk Milk Water Water Water Sugar Sugar Sugar Eggs Eggs Eggs Butter Butter Butter Shortening Shortening Shortening Vegetable Oil Vegetable Oil Vegetable Oil Results: Biscuits French or White Bread Vanilla Cake (egg whites) or Gold Layer Cake Bold, Italics and Underlined equals ingredients used from each column My point in using the above illustrations is that a similar process or gestalt perspective often takes place when it comes to how someone interprets the Bible. For many Christians, the Bible is only one ingredient, one tool, or one gestalt among many that a person should use to interpret and apply the Bible in today's world. This process is what pastors, theologians and Bible scholars technically called hermeneutics. We will see below that how one views, orders, proportions, and arranges the sources (that is, the ingredients) will ultimately determine in large part what sort of hermeneutical product one will produce or create in the application of Biblical texts and principles. III. The Sources of Authority Among Christians. [20 minutes/30 minutes with discussion breaks and questions] A. Hermeneutics and Sources of Inspiration and Authority 1. Introduction and Framing of the Problem Most Christians would hold the Bible to be authoritative, but would not all agree that it is the only source of authority, the primary or supreme source of authority, or the foundation of authority. Why? Some would say that we have several sources for authority. (See below). Others would say that the Bible derives its authority from--and cannot be talked about apart from--the authority God decreed to the Church. (See below). And still others, that the authority of Scripture is secondary to other sources. Consequently, we must discover how an author would answer the following questions: a. Is there One Source of Authority or Several Sources of Authority for Christians? b. Does the Bible Get Its Authority From God Through the Church or Directly From God? c. Is the Authority of the Bible or Scripture Secondary to Other Sources of Authority? 2. Differences in an Individuals' Understanding of the Origins of the Bible's Source of Authority Many Christians hold that the genesis of the authority of Scriptures is derived from more than one of the following below. Many Christians will, therefore, have different understandings of the origin(s) of the Bible's source or sources of authority. It is not enough to know if Christians hold the Bible as being authoritative. One must also know the origin, type(s), and source(s) of the Bible's authority to fully understand why an author will interpret the Scriptures in one way as oppose to another. We must know how many sources, what types of sources, in what combination(s) and in what priority? Consequently, we need to determine how the Bible is seen as being authoritative by a speaker or author. Sources and Types of Biblical Authority a. The authority accorded to all great works of art. b. The authority accorded to it by its long usage and its pragmatic staying power. For example, we hold the works of Plato, the plays of Shakespeare, the Magna Carte, and the Declaration of Independence as authorities because of their historical utility, influence and the way their ideas have been used and put into practical use. c. The authority accorded to Scriptures by the community and the traditions it has fostered. As such, it is venerated alongside that of the Athenians and Roman democratic institutions. d. The authority accorded to the Bible is simply the by-product of the authority and power of the Church or the community. e. The authority accorded to it is the result of its supernatural inspiration. As we alluded to in our discussion on gestalt figures and recipes illustrations above, it is important to consider how the various conceptions of authority are used. Different variations of the genesis of the Bible authority will produce different hermeneutical or interpretive outcomes. 3. Different Sources of (or ingredients for the) Authority Like in the prior section on the origin or basis of the Bible's authority, our gestalt figures and the recipes' illustrations are also brought to bear on how we select and use various authoritative sources for interpreting the Bible and Christian ethical standards. Each of the authorities listed below are ingredients that have been used to make one's own hermeneutic creation. Each of those creations will become like an interpretive gestalt that others may have trouble observing from the perspective of their own hermeneutical creations. Sources of Christian Authorities a. Scriptures/Bible b. Church c. Reason --Modern Sciences --History --Logic d. Individual Illumination/Individual Inspiration e. Individual or Anecdotal Experience and Life Lessons f. The Collective Experiences of a Community [5 Minute Optional Discussion Break or Feedback Session] B. The Historical Development of the Bible (The Canonization of Scripture) Facilitators' Note: Canonization of Scripture Definition The process by which the books of the Bible were collected, judged and recognized by the community of faith as being authoritative and inspired because these writings contained the standard or rule for the Christian faith. Before examining how individuals have mixed together their understanding of the origins of the Scriptures' authority with the various others sources of authority for their hermeneutic interpretations, I will seek to give you a brief summary of the historical development of the Bible. This will provide you with the necessary background information to determine where you stand on the issue of the inspiration and authority of Scriptures. We will also look at how these historical facts and theological beliefs are used for making a relative ranking of the Scriptures vis-à-vis other sources of authority. 1. Summary of the History of the Development of the Bible a. The Development of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament The Hebrew Bible, Jewish Bible, or Old Testament, as we now have it, was closed to other writings and accepted as an authoritative collection of books between 300 BCE to 100 BCE. This is evidence by the reverence Jewish scholar had for the Hebrew Bible and the ways the New Testament writers and Jesus himself viewed it. The individual books are dated from 1000 BCE to 300 BCE although many would argue that they are based on earlier writings and/or sources as indicated in the books of First and Second Kings. b. The Development of the New Testament The New Testament, as we now have it, was closed to other writings around 110 AD and accepted as an authoritative collection of books by 230 AD. Although the individual books and letters of the New Testament were written between 50 AD to 110 AD, the church quickly came to recognize them as being of utmost importance to help individuals to come to what it perceived as the correct understanding of God's will and purpose for humanity. This process of canonization can be attested historically through the composite sources that constitute what is called the writings of the Early Fathers, that is, the sermons, letters, and commentaries of the leaders of the Christian Church throughout the ancient world from roughly 110 AD to 250 AD. c. The Reformation and the Acceptance of the Old and New Testaments In the 1500s and 1600s, certain Protestant reformers (e.g., Martin Luther and John Calvin) and their representative churches had questions regarding the inclusion of several New Testament books, e.g., Hebrews and James, into the canon, that is, the authoritative collection of the New Testament. They also questioned putting into the Old Testament portion of the Bible certain books that were considered by Roman Catholics as being "differently inspired," that is, what we call the Apocrypha books, for example, The Books of Maccabees, Bel and the Dragon, etc. Eventually, all of the mainline and evangelical Protestant denominations have come to accept Hebrews and James as being as equally authoritative as other New Testament books and have come to included only those books into the Old Testament that were used by Palestinian Jews during the time of Jesus. Facilitators' Note: To speed up the class and save time, you may want the class to read the below silently. [Approximately 3 minutes.] 2. The History of the Development of the Bible and Arguments for and against Its Authority Being Preeminent to Other Sources a. Arguments for The Bible's Subjugation to the Church i. The Use of History Given the history of the collection of the writings of Scripture, many Christians would argue (1) that since God created the community first (Ancient Israel and the New Testament church) and (2) the Bible second, consequently the community or church should have final authority over and against the Bible, itself. The community came first historically and developmentally, so, therefore, the community's or church's authority should be primary over and against the Bible's authority. ii. The Use of Theology It is also argued (1) that since the Holy Spirit inspired individuals, not the inanimate pages of the Bible, to write down what God had spoken to them or what they had seen in visions or dreams, and (2) that since the Holy Spirit inspired a community to edit and collect those writings, and not other writings, the Church is to be seen as having an authority that supersedes the Bible. b. Arguments for The Bible's Preeminence Others would argue that it is not the historical introduction of a community or an event that determines its importance. The sequencing of historical events or the sequencing of one's birth does not necessarily equal that event's or person's prominence or importance. After all, Jesus was born after Adam, after Abraham, after Moses, after David, after Mary, and even after John the Baptists, but the writers of the New Testament proclaimed Jesus and his teachings as being superior to and/or the culmination of all of the other prior prophets and forefathers. (See for example, the book of Hebrews.) Since this is so, then the Bible, which is seen as the Word of God, can also be given pre-eminence and authority over and against the church. Just as Mary, the bearer of Christ will bow her knees to Jesus when he returns; in a similar way, the church universal seeks it guidance from the Word of God that was birth through it. [5 Minute Optional Discussion Break or Feedback Session] Facilitators' Notes: This is the halfway point if you are breaking Lesson 3 into two parts. *IV. Hermeneutical Creations and Results [20 Minutes] Facilitators Note: If you are running out of time, you can have the class read this section silently instead of taking turns reading the following out loud. As was argued in Section III, different ingredients will yield different results. What we are presenting below is the different ingredients used by Christians to construct their models or understandings of the proper way to build their hermeneutical creations. We will present the six basic options below. A. No Hierarchy or Proportioning of Sources (Ingredients) is needed. All loci or places (all ingredients) of authority are equally valid and useful. 1. Holders: Some Liberal and Mainline Christians 2. Sources or Ingredients (All are equal in authority.) Primary: a. Christ/Holy Spirit Primary: b Church or the Collective Spiritual Experience of the Community Primary: c. Bible Primary: d. Science/Reason/Nature Primary: e. Anecdotal Personal Experience B. The Primary Locus or Place of Authority is in Christ or the Holy Spirit while the Church is Secondary. In other words, the primary ingredient is Christ, the secondary ingredient is the Church, and the tertiary ingredient is the Bible or the Bible along with other sources. 1. Holders: Some Episcopalians/Roman Catholics/Greek Orthodox/Liberals and Mainline Christians 2. Sources or Ingredients and Their Hierarchy or Proportion a. Model One Primary: Christ/Holy Spirit Secondary: Church or the Collective Spiritual Experience of the Community Tertiary: Bible Quaternary: Science/Reason/Nature Quinary: Anecdotal Personal Experience b. Model Two (The Ranking of Tertiary Sources is up to the Individual.) Primary: Christ/Holy Spirit Secondary: Church or the Collective Spiritual Experience of the Community Tertiary: a. Bible b. Science/Reason/Nature c. Anecdotal Personal Experience C. The Primary Locus or Place of Authority is in Christ or the Holy Spirit while Personal Experience is Secondary. In other words, the primary ingredient is Christ; the secondary ingredient is personal or anecdotal experiences as grounded in a targeted community. 1. Holders: Liberation Theologians, Feminist Theologians, New Age Religions Supporters 2. Sources or Ingredients and Their Hierarchy or Proportion Primary: Christ/Holy Spirit Secondary: Anecdotal Personal Experience Tertiary: Church or the Collective Spiritual Experience of the Community Quaternary: a. Bible Quaternary: b. Science/Reason/Nature D. The Primary Locus or Place of Authority is in Christ or the Holy Spirit while Scriptures is Secondary. There are no other sources of authority. In this view or model, all other institutions or sources derived their power and reasons for existence and use from the Holy Spirit. If the structures, offices, liturgy, or belief systems are not found in the Bible, then they are not to be considered authoritative. Other sources may have practical and pragmatic power or utility, but they cannot be considered authoritative. Individuals and communities can dispense with them or use them at will as long as they do not violate a principle found within the Scriptures. This does not mean that the Bible is always interpreted the same and applied the same nor that different tertiary authorities are merely matters of personal opinions. For example, the Reformers still had different ideals regarding the "correct" Biblical patterns of civil government, church polity and administration, communion, liturgy, and etc. Consequently, it is not always the different types or ordering of sources that cause different interpretations. Sometimes the differences are results of different interpretive principles being employed and different life experiences filtering the data. Sometimes it is simply a matter of our sin filled nature and our wrong applications. 1. Holders: Early Reformers and Some Protestant Evangelicals and Mainline Evangelicals 2. Sources or Ingredients and Their Hierarchy or Proportion Primary: Christ/Holy Spirit Secondary: Bible/Scriptures Only E. The Primary Locus or Place of Authority is in Christ or the Holy Spirit while Scripture is Secondary. Although there are other sources of authority given by God, they take a back seat to that of Scripture and are considered Tertiary or Quaternary. 1. Holders: Some Protestant Evangelicals, Mainline Evangelicals, and Mainline Christians 2. Sources or Ingredients and Their Hierarchy or Proportion a. Model One Primary: Christ/Holy Spirit Secondary: Bible Tertiary: a. Church or the Collective Spiritual Experience of the Community b. Science/Reason/Nature b. Model Two Primary: Christ/Holy Spirit Secondary: Bible Tertiary: Science/Reason/Nature Quaternary: Church or the Collective Spiritual Experience of the Community F. The Authority of Scripture is Two Dimensional. It has both a Modal (Process/Development/Historical) and a Locus (Place or Spatial) Dimension. [This is the view of Paul Achtemeier in his book The Inspiration of Scripture.] The primary place of Authority is in Christ or the Holy Spirit. The primary mode of authority is in the revelation, or the unfolding, of that authority through the collective lives of individuals known as the Church universal. The secondary place of authority is the Bible. The secondary mode of authority is in the illumination, that is, the process of discernment, of individual believers and the Church collectively. As the primary and definitive record of the process of God's inspiration, the Bible continues to be an illuminating tool of the Holy Spirit to give insight to individuals and to the Church regarding the will and purpose of God. Through Scriptures, the Holy Spirit reveals who God is and what are God's plans for us individually and collectively. As such, it is the primary measuring tool by which individuals and the church--illuminated by the Holy Spirit--are able to determine whether current actions and beliefs are derived from and are consistent with the primary mode (the historical community) and locus of authority (God) that have already been revealed. 1. Holders: Some Mainline Evangelicals and Mainline Christians 2. Sources or Ingredients and Their Hierarchy or Proportion Primary Locus: Christ/Holy Spirit Primary Modes: a. Laws of Physics as observed by individuals [Natural and Moral Theology/Philosophy] b. Revealed Laws (Bible) as received by Individuals and the Community of Faith Secondary Locus: Bible (as the Record of the Above Processes) Secondary Mode: The Holy Spirit working through and in Individuals within the Community of Faith [Illumination and Development of Doctrine] Tertiary Mode: Science, Reason, History, etc. Facilitators' Note: This is the optional end to complete Lesson 3 taught in one class session. [In this format, Lesson 3 takes approximately 50 Minutes without the two discussion breaks and feedback questions above and 60 minutes with the same.] If you broke Lesson Three into two parts (two separate class periods) and concluded the first session at the end of "Section III," then you should continue on to the end of the lesson. Appendix C: Lesson Plans (Facilitator's Guides) Loving, Open and Transforming(r) Lesson Guide 3-- Interpretative Principles of Biblical Reading and Understanding Lesson 3 -- Page 1 of 28 Copyright (c) 2004 and 2010 by Floyd Knight. All Rights Reserved Appendix C: Lesson Plans (Facilitator's Guides) Loving, Open and Transforming(r) Lesson Guide 3-- Interpretative Principles of Biblical Reading and Understanding Lesson 3 -- Page 16 of 28 Copyright (c) 2004 and 2010 by Floyd Knight. All Rights Reserved