Personal Context
By personal context, I mean the beliefs and preconceived notions that we as readers and interpreters bring to the text. As readers of the bible, we are not neutral or objective, and in fact, it is impossible for us to be, nor is this the goal. We bring a lot of preconceived notions and influences with us when we read. Thus, we need to examine these influences lest they lead us astray in the search for the meaning of the text. These notions can be expressed in two words: preunderstanding and presuppositions
Preunderstanding- This refers to all of our preconceived notions and understandings that we bring to the text, which have been formulated both consciously and subconsciously, before we actually study the text in detail. It is formed by good and bad influences, both Christian and secular. A good example of this is Jonah and the Great Fish. When you think of Jonah inside the fish, what does it look like in there? Many of us picture Pinocchio, when in reality, the scene is much more grotesque and messy. Here, our preunderstanding can be faulty. However, at some points, our preunderstanding will be correct. Still though, we must be careful, for it is arrogant to assume that our preunderstandinig is always correct! Also, we must not come to the text with a theological agenda. We are here to understand the text, not to stand over it and dictate a meaning to it that will fit our agenda.
Presuppositions- The word literally means to assume something in advance. While our preunderstanding must change, there are certain presuppositions that we must have in order to correctly understand the Bible. Like I mentioned earlier, our goal is not total objectivity here, for that is impossible. For example, we should not throw aside faith and adopt the interpretation methods of non believers simply because it would help us be more objective! No, there are certain presuppositions that we must have about the Bible in order to correctly interpret and understand it. They are:
- The Bible is the Word of God. Although God worked through people to produce it, it is nonetheless inspired by the Holy Spirit.
- The Bible is trustworthy and true.
- God has entered into human history, thus the supernatural does occur.
- The Bible is not contradictory; it is unified, yet diverse.
Historical-Cultural Context
The way that we approach the Bible (the way we listen to God) should match how God gave us the Bible (the way God chose to speak). Otherwise, we will misunderstand what God is trying to say to us. The way we listen to God must respect the way God chose to communicate. God chose to communicate to and through cultures and context that are radically different than ours today. Therefore, we must understand that each passage of scripture was God’s word to other people before it became God’s word to us. God cared deeply about the original hearers and spoke to them in their context and situation. God also cares for us and wants to speak to us. Thus, the time bound and culture bound message of scripture contains eternally relevant theological principles that we can discover and apply to our lives. In order to do this correctly, we must determine what the scripture meant to its original hearers.
Historical-Cultural Context- It is the context that involves the biblical writer, the biblical audience, and any historical-cultural elements touched on by the passage itself (anything outside the text that will help you understand the text itself- what the Pharisees believed about the Sabbath, where Paul was when he wrote Philippians, etc.). Let’s now look at some of these categories
The Biblical Writer
When working through the interpretation process, we have to engage the biblical author. Here are some important questions to ask:
Who was the author?
When did he write?
What kind of ministry did he have?
Who was his audience?
What was the specific relationship between the writer and his audience?
What is the writer’s background (king, fisherman, priest?)
Where does he come from (Jew or a Gentile? What city?)
Why is he writing?
What were their circumstances?
How was their relationship with God?
What was happening at the time the book was being written?
The Biblical Audience
It is also important that we know about the biblical audience and their circumstance. For example, when John was writing his first letter, Christians were dealing with an early form of Gnostic heresy that taught that the spirit is entirely good, but matter is entirely evil, therefore Christ was not a real human being. Thus, it makes more sense for John to write 1 John 4:1-3 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”
Other Elements
Finally, other elements of context that we need to consider are:
historical
social
religious
political
economic
geography or topography
Coming to grasps with the historical-cultural context helps us to put the bible in its place, so to speak. It gives us a setting and situation in which we can place the development of arguments and ideas, and begin to see how the ancient world understood what we being written to them.
The Literary Context
This refers to the particular form a passage takes (the literary genre) and to the words, sentences, and paragraphs that surround the passage you are studying (the surrounding context). Within the bible, we have various literary styles, or genres. Each genre has its own style, purpose, and presentation of things so that a certain point can be made or idea can be grasped.
Literary Genres of the Bible:
Old Testament
narrative
law
poetry
prophecy
wisdom
New Testament
gospel
history
letter
apocalyptic
Each of these genres is to be treated differently in the interpretive process. For example, apocalyptic writings such as Revelation are full of symbols, and are not meant to be read literally, where as passages from the law are straightforward commands, meant to be taken literally.
Surrounding Context
This refers to the passages that surround the text you are studying. For example, we cannot simply look at the words of one text and pull it out of its context and cause it to stand alone. That text has a place in the paragraph; that paragraph has a place in the larger flow of the discourse; that discourse has a place in the book as a whole, and that book has a place in the rest of the bible. Therefore, we have to consider how the passage fits into the rest of its circle of influence.
Tomorrow, I will walk you through some passages of scripture and show you how these principles apply.