Hermeneutics (Online)
MBS 1st Semester 2025
Lecturer: Dr Paul Thompson
Email: paul.t@kvbcequip.org
Phone: +60 19 898 6509
3 credits, 120 study hours
Presuppositions
- 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 ” (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 … 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)
- 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 After all, He knows what we need better than we do!
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
- Understand theologically why we should practice historical-grammatical
- 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
| Classes: | 9 throughout
semester |
Tuesdays, beginning 7pm sharp
MBS students online; Equip students in person Most classes will finish by 9:30pm |
| MBS Tutorials: | 4 throughout
semester |
See selected Tuesdays below.
MBS students only online Begin at 7pm sharp. Will last only as long as necessary to answer students’ questions |
| Required Reading: | All students need to submit a reading diary indicating completion by the specified deadline. Failure to do so will result in a grade (10%) deduction) MBS students:
Vorderman, Carol. Help your Kids with English: A Unique Step-by-step Visual Guide; Key Stages 3 C 4 Ages 10–16. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2013 (before midnight on 3 Feb 2025). Roberts, Vaughan. God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2002 (7 Apr 2025) Equip students: Goldsworthy, Graeme. Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture: The Application of Biblical Theology to Expository Preaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans; Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 2000. (7 Apr 2025) |
|
| Weekly
Observation Homework: |
33% | To be submitted via Moodle before midnight on the day before
(i.e., the Monday) the next class begins. Late submissions after midnight but before the class begins will be penalised by a third of a grade (3⅓%). Homework submitted after class begins will not be marked and will be awarded 0%. |
| I hope to mark homework before the next class, but cannot guarantee it. In any case, I will demonstrate my working through at least one of the homework
exercises at the beginning of each class. |
||
| Assignment: | 33% | Observation essay, due before midnight Tues 6 May 2025 |
| 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 |
||
| Exam: | 33% | Observation test |
You are prohibited from using commentaries and all other resources for all assignments. I will fail any assignment in which I detect their use. The only item you can use is an electronic version of the ESV Bible text. It can be downloaded for free at:
- STEP Bible Software (https://www.stepbible.org/)
- ESV online (https://www.esv.org/)
- and/or from elsewhere
Provisional Calendar
| Tues 7 Jan | Class 1 7pm | Introduction, Inspiration C Hermeneutics
Observations (1): Grammar |
| Tues 14 Jan | Class 2 7pm | Observations (2): Phrases, clauses and sentences
Observations (3): What is significant? |
| Tues 21 Jan | Tutorial 1 7pm | MBS Students only |
| Tues 28 Jan | No Class — CNY | |
| Tues 4 Feb | Class 3 7pm | Observations (4): Conjunctions and Clauses |
| Tues 11 Feb | No Class — Thaipusam | |
| Tues 28 Feb | Class 4 7pm | Hermeneutics of the interpreter
Observations (5): More details |
| Tues 25 Feb | Class 5 7pm | Observations (6): Discourses |
| Tues 4 Mar | Tutorial 2 7pm | MBS Students only |
| Tues 11 Mar | No Class — MBS semester break | |
| Tues 18 Mar | Class 6 7pm | Observations (7): Context and Bible books
Observations (8): Words and vocabulary |
| Tues 25 Mar | Class 7 7pm | Exegetical essays |
| Tues 1 Apr | No Class — Hari Raya Pusa | |
| Tues 8 Apr | Tutorial 3 7pm | MBS Students only |
| Tues 15 Apr | Class 8 7pm | Biblical Theology |
| Tues 22 Apr | Class G 7pm | God, Christ, us and me |
| Tues 29 Apr | Tutorial 4 7pm | MBS Students only |
| Tues 6 May | Study week | |
| Tues 13 May | Exam week | Maximum 3 hours. Usually in person at either MBS or
Equip. Exact date/time TBC. |
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-conan- doyle.com/index.php/A_Scandal_in_Bohemia.