Bible Interpretation Using Various Types of Critical Disciplines
Introducing the old Testament
The Bible can be interpreted using various types of critical disciplines. This is done through interpretation and explanation that is critical of text especially texts of religion. In ancient times the term exegesis, which is the critical expansion and understanding of the religious text, was the primary interpretation of the Bible. Therefore, “Biblical exegesis” is applied in a wider context in the religious text. Exegesis is a combination of a broader perspectives that are critical and disciplines. When we focus on biblical textual criticism, the inquiry of the history and originality of the text, sometimes exegesis it involves the study of cultural and historical backgrounds of the author, the original text and the audience presented. Other interpretations and analysis may involve the categories of the literary forms that is present in the text under interpretation and grammatical analysis and features of synthesis in the text itself (Marshall, 2013). The aim of this paper is to interpret the Bible using the various types of critical disciplines and ensuring that the exegesis responds to the literal and theological criticisms demonstrating an understanding of the history, literature and theology of the Hebrew Bible with ability of doing exegesis.
Proposal and Chapter Verses
The Old Testament is used in the interpretation of the Bible using the various types of critical disciplines. The religious text from the books of Genesis to the book of Malachi has been critically analyzed and interpreted. More emphasis is .put on Chapter 4 verses 3-6 of each Old Testament book except the books of 1st and 2nd Samuel, Ezra and Chronicles where chapter 2 verses 7-10 has been largely interpreted (Marshall 2013). The interpretation closely examines usage of words, people and lands of the Old Testament, religious movements and the commentaries of the Bible.
Usage of Words in the Old Testament
Exegete is the one who practices exegesis or critical explanation and interpretation of a text. When the interpreters are many they are called the exegeses. In reference to the exegesis of the Bible, the reverse of the word exegesis is the ‘eisegesis’. That is ‘drawing in’ which is the opposite of drawing out (Broyles, 2012). In chapter 1 according to Lawrence Boadt, the book of Psalms 104: 24 there is constant use of the word ‘your’. This shows how the Old Testament is personal making reference to God. This shows the power of God because the word ‘your’ is constantly used making reference to the most high. Another word that is commonly used in the Old Testament is the “might” making reference to God also showing how powerful He is. Also there is distinction between the term faiths in the two testaments but much concentration is on the Old Testament.
The People and Lands of the Old Testament
In the Old Testament, the language that was used in the writings can not be easily understood by an ordinary reader and that alone calls for exegesis and interpretation. different races of Christianity have absolutely different views on the Biblical exegesis and how they are carried out. One of the views considers exegesis that God (The Holy spirit) led and inspired those who wrote the scriptural texts, and the words in the context convey a revelation that is divine. According to this view of exegesis, there is principle that applies which is called ‘sensus plenior’, meaning that there is divine authorship inclusive. The scriptures have a deeper meaning than the thinking of the people who wrote them because they could not oversee everything. The other Christian view of the exegesis is rational and bases its explanation and operation purely on human own inspiration “artistic aspiration” meaning that the authorship of the scriptures are absolutely as a result of the human intelligence and the social environment surrounding the authors (Marshall, 2013).
The religious movements
In the Old Testament, there were a number of different movements of schools of thought made by the Romans and Hasmoneans. There was no peace among them as any political situations. The major parties included the Pharisees, Sadducees and the essences. They had different views on the punishment that was before them from God. They developed different interpretations of the commandments of the book of exodus and developed different systems on how it should be followed.
Commentaries of the Bible
The Bible commentary is the most common published form of Biblical exegesis. It takes the form of books like the encyclopedia in which every book is devoted to the explanation and exposition of one or more books of the Holy Book or the Bible and this is usually in the way they are arranged in the Bible or order and that is from the book of Genesis to the Book of revelation. There are those Biblical books that are long like the book of Genesis and Psalms. These long books contain materials that are of speculation of theology and historical criticism. Usually these long books are spilt in volumes of 3 to 4 and the short books like the book of Deuteronomy, Daniel, Esther, and Jeremiah are in most cases squeezed to one volume (Boring, 2011).
In most cases, the biblical books may be similar or accept for differences or variations in style among the many authors which collaborated to write the commentary and gave the critical explanation and the interpretation of the biblical text. The commentary of each biblical book usually has the introduction and the background part. (Murphy, & Huwiler, 2012).
Closing of the Old Testament
Except the book of Esther, fragment pieces of all the books of the Old Testament are found. And the most common here are; Isaiah, Psalms and Deuteronomy; but Isaiah is Complete. Others of great concern were apocrypha and Pseudepignapha, Essence Community documents and other Jewish Literature outside the Bible (Boring, 2011). Exegesis is found to be necessary in the Old Testament because it brings about the critical explanation and interpretation of the Biblical Text making it easy to be understood easily.
The patriarchs
These are the ancestral roots of the people of Israel. Associated with the historical period referred to as the Patriarchal age, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph are the men that saw Israel come to be. They are referred to as the symbols of God as the creator and almighty. They are used to fulfill God’s promises, and are associated with important roles in the Abrahamic Faiths.
Abraham – Abraham, the son of Torah is referred to as the first Patriarch because he was the first man in his kin to break away from the tradition of sun worship. Born in Mesopotamia, Abraham married Sarah (Isaac’s mother). He was also father to Ishmael, who is thought to be the root of the Islamic faith. Abraham is known for obeying God’s order to sacrifice his only son Isaac.
Isaac – after Ishmael’s departure, Isaac was the only son (Marshall, 2013). The life of his parents revolved around him because, having been born when his parents were remarkably aged, he was considered a gift from God. Genesis 24:35-36 states that Isaac was richly left because he inherited all the wealth of his father. Isaac was the father to Jacob (the father of Israel. Isaac was God’s way of fulfilling his promise to Abraham.
Jacob – the name Jacob tells and means just what he was – the father of Israel. Jacob is known as a symbol of perseverance, having worked hard for fourteen years just to marry Rachel. He had two wives – Rachel and her elder sister Leah. The 12 sons of Jacob represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob, Isaac’s son, was a younger brother to Esau and the third patriarch as stated in Genesis 32:35-36 (Murphy& Huwiler, 2012). Died and was buried in the same cave as Abraham, Isaac, Sarah, Rebecca and his first wife Leah.
Joseph – the last patriarch was the eleventh of the 12 sons of Jacob. He was sold to Egypt by his jealousy brothers because his father loved him. In Egypt, he unexpectedly rose to be the second most powerful man after the pharaoh. Joseph received favor in the eyes of God and man because he maintained pure ways.
Yahwist, Elohist, and Priestly Narratives
These are the main sources of information that was used in writing the torah. Arguably the oldest source the priestly sources are associated with the post-exilic period – a time when the province of Judah was part of Persia. This is a time period in the mid-5th century. The distinctive feature of the priestly narratives is the fact that they are based on God’s continual support for the Israelites even in times of adversity (Broyles, 2012). The yahwist, is associated with the people that used the Hebrew word YHWH to refer to God. The term, modernly written as Yahweh is associated with 950 BCE. The distinctive feature of Yahwist is the reality that it relates to the relationship between Yahweh and man. The Elohim is a source of information that replaces Mount Sinai with mount Horeb, as the place where God received the covenants. This source emphasizes the fear of the lord.
Explain how the duplications and differences in the telling of the stories of the various tribes that became the one people Israel, reveal its history and relationship with Yahweh.
There were twelve tribes in the Israelites people. The history of the people of Israel as illustrated descended from the sons and grandsons of Jacob forming twelve tribes. Jacob being their fore father was responsible in naming them and gave them the name Israel. This was as directed by God whom they were serving. The twelve tribes which were Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Ephraim, and Manasseh later moved with their fore father to Egypt. In Egypt, the Israelites were very fertile and prolific this explains their rapid multiplication (Murphy& Huwiler, 2012). Their problems in Egypt under the leadership of pharaoh started after the death of Joseph, one of Jacob’s sons. Pharaoh started torturing them with heavy work. This is the time that God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He made himself known to Moses who was sent to rescue the Israelites from Egypt. In the book of exodus, Moses recorded that the house of Israel was married to Yahweh. This therefore implies that they had a marital relationship.
Discuss the different types of laws in the Pentateuch and why some of them are given more than once.
The three types of laws are ceremonial law, civil law and moral law. According to Leviticus Chapter 1:1-13, the ceremonial law relates to Israel worship and predicts the coming of Jesus. This law became irrelevant after the death of Jesus. Civil law outlined in Deuteronomy chapter 10 & 11 relates to Israel’s daily living and the guidelines governing the relationship between individuals such as an eye for an eye (Boring, 2011). Moral law is God’s direct commandments to the people of Israel for instance the Ten Commandments in exodus chapter 20:1-17. Civil law changed from time to time because the conduct of people and relationships among themselves changed as they interacted with neighbors.
Explain how the law in Pentateuch is connected to the Covenant.
The Pentateuch which consists of the five books contains laws, both traditional Israelites laws and the laws of God which were used by the Israelites in their forty year journey to the Promised Land. The connection between this laws and the covenant is that their continuous modification was stabilized by the over arching Ten Commandments which consolidated the three types of laws.
Compare the key differences in the laws of Deuteronomy from those in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, and the reason for these changes.
The laws in the book of Leviticus are associated with traditional Jerusalem priests and were not fair as they were based in traditions rather than their religious guidelines (Marshall, 2013). In contrast, the laws in the book of Deuteronomy relate mainly to the northern kingdoms which were formed by the ten rebellious tribes which were later to be remarried to God. The laws in the books of numbers changed from time to time along the journey from Egypt to the promised learned because the people were disgruntled by Mosses leadership.
Explain the theological perspective of the book of Deuteronomy and how it determines how the historical narratives of Joshua, Judges, and Samuel are told.
The book of Deuteronomy is a restatement of the first five books and is specifically addressed to the new generation. In the Greek language, deutoro means second and nomos means law therefore Deuteronomy refers to the second law and is connected to the book of judges because it tells of mosses prediction of though rough judgment for such deeds as idle worship (Marshall, 2013). Deuteronomy which is mosses’ parting speech reveals how Israel was to be governed by both bad leadership such as that of soul and the good leadership explained in the book of Samuel, specifically chapter 13.
Discuss the narratives of Israel’s occupation of Canaan described in the book of Joshua and the consequent theological irregularities reflected in the book of Judges
Along their journey from Egypt to Canaan, the Israelites complained about the harsh conditions of the desert especially about food and water. As such, mosses dispatched some spies lead by Joshua to Canaan to find out whether they could conquer the Canaanites. After the spying, the Israelites conquered Canaan and according to the book of Joshua they settled and displaced the people of Canaan. The theological irregularities in the book of Canaan revolve around the sons of Aaron who were the priests in charge. The two sons of Aaron refused to prepare the altar consequently God consumed them with flames of fire.
Compare the Samuel and the Saul traditions on the establishment of the monarchy and explain the ambiguous attitude of Samuel to the institution of the monarchy in Israel.
The differences between Samuel and soul with regard to the establishment of monarchy revolve around their ideas of leadership. While soul believed in self imposed leadership, Samuel believed that the monarchy was established by God (Murphy, & Huwiler, 2012). In establishing the mornachy, Samuel was not only obedient to God but also internalized such obedience and believed that God was the maker of leaders. The ambiguity in samuel’s attitude is rooted in the fact that the people of his kingdom did not understand why Samuel took the descision he took as they did not understand the guidance given to him by God.
References
Boring, M. (2011). Revelation: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Westminster John Knox Press.
Broyles, C. C. (2012). Psalms (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series). Baker Books.
Bruce, F. F. (2011). Philippians (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series). Baker Books.
Marshall, I. (2013). Book Review: Especially for preachers: David Lyle Jeffrey, Luke–Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible. The Expository Times.
Murphy, R. & Huwiler, E. (2012). Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series). Baker Books.
