Hermeneutics + Exegesis
Class Schedule | 6:30–8:30 pm
September 11, 2022
September 25, 2022
October 9, 2022
October 23, 2022
November 6, 2022
November 20, 2022
December 4, 2022
December 18, 2022
Course Description
This course will teach us how to be good students of the Bible, as we seek to interpret the Bible under the authorial intent. The first portion of the class will be looking at how we understand our interpretive methodologies as deduced from Scripture. The latter portion of the class will center around proper exegesis of selected passages of Scripture. It is our hope that this course will draw us to love God, understand his word, and devote ourselves to rightly dividing the word of truth.
Textbook
The two required textbooks for the class are Louis Berkhof’s Principles of Biblical Interpretation and Zondervan’s Grasping God’s Word. Below you will find links to sources where you can obtain copies of the book.
Berkhof, Louis. Principles of Biblical Interpretation, Baker Publishing Group 1994.
ISBN-10: 0801064775 | ISBN-13: 978-0801064777
This textbook can be purchased new or used at the following links:
Amazon | AbeBooks | Monergism (free ebook)Strauss, Mark L., Vanhoozer, Kevin J. Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible, Third Edition, Zondervan 2012.
ISBN-10: 0310492572 | ISBN-13: 978-0310492573
This textbook can be purchased new or used at the following links:
Amazon | AbeBooks
Course Requirements
Class Attendance and Participation. Due to the brevity of our class and the amount of material that we must cover please make all possible arrangements to attend every class and fully participate in the discussions.
It is expected that you will have read all of the material with reasonable care and completed the homework, if assigned, before class.
A final 3–5 page paper will be completed before the end of the semester. An MLA Report template can be downloaded here: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html
Hermeneutics + Exegesis Paper
The final paper will be the culmination of all the skills that we have learned throughout the course.
A passage will be selected by you and you will demonstrate the authorial meaning of the text.
We will be presenting papers on the final day of class.
Here is a brief outline on how to best structure the paper:
Introduction: State the thesis of the paper and preview the argument of the paper in the first two paragraphs. To be clear, the thesis of the paper is the thesis of the passage, and the argument of the paper is the argument of the passage.
Body of the paper: The purpose of the body of the paper is to prove your thesis. This will be done by looking at the text through several lenses: historical context, where it fits within the redemptive plan of God, type of genre, literary context, and grammatical analysis. In addition to this it is beneficial to find key words and biblical themes that are woven through the text. Again, it is essential to demonstrate how each of these uphold and prove your thesis.
Conclusion: In the conclusion, restate your thesis and summarize the sections of your argument for this thesis.
Regarding application: You may include a brief application at the end of your paper to demonstrate the implications of the passage in our Christian lives. However, this class is about understanding the meaning of a passage. Making detailed and relevant application will be addressed in later courses, but it is imperative to first understand the text.
What this paper is not: This paper is not a random collection of loosely related observations on a passage, nor is this paper a commentary on the passage.
What this paper is: This paper is an argument for a certain idea as the main point of a passage. Choose a passage, then study the passage until you understand its main point. Then show how everything else in the passage contributes to what you are claiming is the main point of the passage
Reading Schedule
Below are the assigned chapters from the textbooks that should be read before the corresponding class date. There will be additional source materials sent out via email for various classes. Please have all reading accomplished before the beginning of class so that you are able to fully participate in the discussions.
Berkhof: Ch. 1–5 | Grasping God’s Word: Appendix 1
Berkhof: Ch. 6–7 | Grasping God’s Word: Ch. 1
Grasping God’s Word: Ch. 3–5, 7, 9
Grasping God’s Word: Ch. 10–13
Grasping God’s Word: Ch. 18–20, 22
Grasping God’s Word: Ch. 17, 21
Grasping God’s Word: Ch. 14–16
Presentation of Papers
09/11/2022
09/25/2022
10/09/2022
10/23/2022
11/06/2022
11/20/2022
12/04/2022
12/18/2022