Lecturer: Dr Paul Thompson
paul.t@kvbcequip.org
+60 19 898 6509
Presuppositions
Since God is sovereign and inspired the Biblical text, we must consistently let His Word set our agenda. We focus what God has chosen to say rather than speculate about what God did not say. After all, He knows what we need better than we do!
Inspiration: “16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16–17)
It matters how we interpret: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim
2:15).
Interpretation requires God’s help (we must pray) and our minds (we must think):
“‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’– 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.… 12 Now we have received … the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.… 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:9–14).
“Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2 Tim 2:7).
When our interpretation matches God’s intention, we have heard God speak.
We tend to read far too quickly; we must slow right down to notice all the details: “You see, but you do not observe” (Sherlock Holmes1)
- Arthur Conan Doyle, “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Adventure I.—A Scandal in Bohemia,”
Strand Magazine (July 1891): 62. ↩︎
Aims
By the end of the subject, the student will:
- Become competent at observing and engaging with any Biblical text in English to ascertain its authorial meaning.
- Understand theologically why we should practice historical-grammatical exegesis.
- Distinguish between the text’s authorial meaning, and its contemporary significance / application.
- In preparation for writing exegetical essays in future subjects (that will also engage with other sources), be able to articulate the text’s authorial meaning and justify it through textual observations alone.
Schedule:
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If you are going to be late, you must notify me at least 72 hours before the deadline; otherwise I will automatically penalise you a third of a grade (3⅓%).
Except in cases of medical emergencies etc., MBS late penalties automatically apply:
- up to a week late: one third of a grade (3⅓%)
- up to two weeks late: one grade (10%)
- more than 2 weeks late: assignment and subject fail
Set Texts
There is no subject bibliography beyond the required reading, but most of the material originates from:
Beynon, Nigel and Andrew Sach. Dig Deeper: Tools to Unearth the Bible’s Treasure. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 2005.
Duvall, J. Scott and J. Daniel Hays. Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible. 4th ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2020.
Bibliography
Conan Doyle, Arthur. “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Adventure I.—A Scandal in Bohemia.”
Strand Magazine (July 1891): 61–75. https://www.arthur-onandoyle.com/index.php/A_Scandal_in_Bohemia.