Welcome to Foundations

of the Christian Life

Session 1 – To Every Man an

Answer: Learn How to
Defend the Authority of the
Scriptures

Session 2 – Know Your Bible

by Friday: a Crash Course
in all 66 Books of Scripture

Session 3 – How to Read the

Bible for All its Worth: An
Overview and Hands On
Encounter with
Interpretational Methods

Session 4 – So What, Now

What? How to Apply the
Scriptures in the Power of

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the Spirit
 Table of Contents

Introduction .....................................................................3

Session 1: To Every Man An Answer ...............................5

Session 2: Know Your Bible By Friday ...........................6

Session 3: How to Read the Bible for all Its Worth ....10
Steps for Interpretation .........................................................................................................13
Ways People Misread or Mishandle the Scriptures .............................................................32

Session 4: Experiencing God Through Application of

Scripture .....................................................................17

Appendix ............................................................................20
Book Critique of How to Read the Bible for all Its Worth......................................................20
Essay on the Williams Article: “The Reliability of the Scriptures” .........................................34
Overview of the Bible ...........................................................................................................39
Resources…………………………………………………………………………………...……...53
End Notes ............................................................................................................................54

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 INTRODUCTION TO FOUNDATIONS

Let’s Look at Jesus’ Use of the Imagery...

i Matt 7:24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did
not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of
mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and
it fell with a great crash."

1. Be careful what you build your life on.

Jesus was a carpenter – which in that time means “stone mason” (tekton
in Greek)

2. “Building” IS application. “…and who does not put them into

practice…”(v.26).
The “building” Jesus mentions here is code for “apply to your life”.

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 Let’s Look at Paul’s Use of the Imagery...

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1 Cor. 3: 10 “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and
someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can
lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds
on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be
shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and
the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will
receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as
one escaping through the flames. 16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and
that God's Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's
temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”

Paul picks up on this rich analogy that was established in the building of God’s Temple. (1
Kings 5:13; 1 Kings 7:9; 1 Kings 7:10; Psalms 11:3)

Let’s make some observations from Paul’s passage here.

1. Be careful how you build on the foundation. Paul said that he came to the Corinthians
as an “expert” builder. Not a novice.

Expert builders…
 Use the right materials

 Anticipate final inspection

2. Make sure you finish what you start. Never stop with a good foundation. (Luke 14:29
For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him.
(Hebrews 6:1)

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 Session I To Every Man An Answer: How To Defend Scripture

1. Understand that we don’t have any original manuscripts. This means that we don’t have the originals
that Matthew, Mark and Paul etc. wrote.

2. Even though we don’t have the originals, we do have very good copies.

• The Bible exists in 5700 Greek copies (Greek was the original language). It
exists in 1 million quotations of the Church Fathers (those are disciples of the
Disciples). It is extent in 15,000 early translations (like Coptic, Syriac,
Aramaic, Egyptian etc.)

Papyrus 52 is a
fragment from John 18

Author Approx Date Earliest Copy Time between original & Number of copies
Written earliest copy

Caesar 100-44BC 900AD 1000 yrs 10

Livy 59BC-17AD 350AD 400 yrs 27

Plato 42BC-347BC 900AD 1200 yrs 7
Thucydides 46BC-400BC 900AD 1300 yrs 20
Tacitus 5AD-120AD 1100AD 1000 yrs 3
Suetonius 6AD-140AD 950AD 800 yrs 200
Herodotus 484BC-425BC 100AD 400 yrs 75
Homer’s Illiad 900BC 400BC 500 yrs 643
New Testament 40-90AD 100-150AD 25-50 yrs 5700

(Exercise)
2 Timothy 3:14-16

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 SESSION II:
Know Your Bible By Friday

Divisions of the Bible

THE OLD TESTAMENT:

1. The Pentateuch (Five Books: Genesis through Deuteronomy)
2. Historical Books (Twelve Books: Joshua through Esther)
3. Poetic Books (Five Books: Job through Song of Songs)
4. Prophetic Books (Seventeen Books: Isaiah through Malachi)

THE NEW TESTAMENT:

1. Biographical Books (Four Books: Matthew-John)
2. Historical Books (One Book: Acts)
3. The Pauline Letters (Thirteen Books: Romans through
Philemon)
4. General Letters (Eight Books: Hebrews through Jude)
5. Prophetic Books (One Book: Revelation)

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 1 Genres of the Bible1
2
Genres of the Old Testament:
1. Narratives (Biblical narratives are trying to communicate Godʼs story, not just what happened):
Narratives make up 40% of the OT.
Examples of Narratives in the OT are Genesis, most of Exodus, 1 & 2 Chronicles.
There are different types of narratives in the Old Testament:
a. Reports. Presents facts without literary embellishment (eg. Judges 1:16-17). This type of
narrative has many sub-categories.
b. Heroic Narrative. A series of episodes that focus on the life of a hero later considered important
to remember (eg. Moses in Exodus through Deuteronomy).
c. Prophet Story. Recounts events in the life of a prophet with virtues worthy of emulation (eg.
Elijah and Elisha in 1 Kings 17 - 2 Kings 9).
d. Comedy. A narrative which has a plot with a happy ending and/or a dramatic reversal (eg.
Esther).
e. Farewell Speech. An address in the first-person given by someone shortly before their death
(eg. Moses in Deuteronomy).

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f. Embedded Genres. Made up of popular proverbs, riddles, fables, parables, songs and lists.

2. Law:
a. Cauistic Law. “If...then” structure (eg. Exodus 21:18-19).
b. Apodictic Law. Laws promulgated in unconditional, categorical directives such as commands
and prohibitions (eg. Exodus 20:13).
c. Legal Series. A text with a small number of laws phrased in a similar style (eg. Deuteronomy
5:6-21).
d. Legal Instruction. Priestly instruction (eg. Leviticus 6-7) and ritual instruction for the community
(eg. Leviticus 1-5).
e. Deuteronomy. Comprehensive restatement of the Mosaic Law closely resembling the suzerain-
vassal treaties of the ancient near-east.

3. Poetry (Poetry is poetic, it uses figurative language and cannot be taken literally):
a. Prayers. Prayed by individuals or the community to Yahweh for deliverance (eg. Psalm 22).
b. Songs. Sung in worship at the temple (eg. Psalm 30).
c. Liturgies. A text used in worship in which two or more speakers participate in response to each
other (e.g. Psalm 118).
d. Wisdom Psalms. Having to do with the private educational sphere of Israelʼs wisdom teachers
(eg. Psalm 1).

4. Prophecy (Prophecy contains FORETELLING and FORTH-TELLING. When we read the

foretelling sections, we must remember that almost all of what is written has been fulfilled):
a. Prophecy of Disaster. A prophet announces imminent or future disaster either to an individual or
to an entire nation (eg. 2 Kings 1:3-4).
b. Prophecy of Salvation. Announcement of restoration for an individual or a nation (eg. Isaiah
2:1-5).
c. Woe Speech. Pronouncement of doom with the opening interjection “Woe to you who...”
followed by a description of the details as to why the audience deserves woe, and concludes
with a prediction of divine punishment (eg. Micah 2:1-5).
d. Prophetic Dirge. A funeral lament pronounced as if Israel as a nation was ready for burial (eg.
Amos 5:1-3).
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 a. Prophetic Hymn. See Songs under Poetry (eg. Amos 4:13).
b. Prophetic Liturgy. Involving two speakers: 1) the prophet and 2) Yahweh. It asks for Yahweh to
relent of punishing Israel usually with Yahweh refusing (eg. Habakkuk 1:2-2:4).
c. Prophetic Disputation. Disputation is a rhetorical device in which the speaker tries to persuade the
audience to accept the validity of some truth (eg. Amos 3:3-8).
d. Prophetic Lawsuit. A prophet speaks as if Israel is on trial accused of a crime (eg. Hosea 4:1-3).
e. Prophetic Vision Report. Autobiographical reports of things the prophet saw in a vision that
conveys Godʼs message (eg. Isaiah 6).
f. Prophetic Narratives. Two types: 1) Vocation Reports narrating the prophetʼs call and commission
by God (eg. Ezekiel 1-3), and 2) Instruction About Symbolic Actions containing a command to
perform an action, a report of the performance and itʼs interpretation (eg. Hosea 1:2-9).
g. Apocalyptic Prophecy. Describes prophecies in which God “reveals” his hidden future plans,
usually through dreams or visions with elaborate and at times strange symbolism or numbers.
Has a unique view of Godʼs relationship to human history - rather than working within it, the
apocalyptic God radically intervenes from outside it (eg. Daniel 7-12).

1. Wisdom (In reading and applying Proverbs, one must remember that they are GENERAL
STATEMENTS about life and reality, they are not laws or promises):
a. Proverbs. A concise, memorable statement of truth learned over extended human experience.

i
Proverbs offer general principles for successful living rather than a comprehensive “legal code
for life.” (eg. Proverbs 30:18-19)
b. Instruction. A brief or long exhortation with the purpose of persuading the hearer to adopt or
abandon certain conduct or attitudes (eg. Proverbs 22:17-24:22).
c. Example Story and Reflection. In example stories, the writer narrates a personal experience or
other illustration from which he has distilled an important truth to pass on (eg. Proverbs
24:30-34). In a reflection the writer reports personal musings and conclusions about a truth,
often citing firsthand observations, example stories and lengthy thought (eg. Ecclesiastes
1:12-2:26).
d. Disputation Speeches. Specific to the book of Job, the speakers debate the cause of Jobʼs
suffering, but in the end YHWHʼs irrefutable speeches reduce Job to humble acquiescence (eg.
Job 38-39).

Genres of the New Testament:

1. Gospels. Formally, a gospel is a narrative account concerning the public life and teaching of a
significant person that is composed of discreet traditional units placed in the context of
Scriptures. . . . Materially, the genre consists of the message that God was at work in Jesusʼ life,
death, and resurrection effecting his promises found in the Scriptures. Note: The gospels are
homilies by the authors intended to bring about particular attitudes and actions. The
gospels contain individual forms:
a. Parables. Metaphorical discourse creating impact through their choice of imagery and narrative
form (eg. Luke 17:5-8).
b. Miracle Stories. Demonstrate who Jesus was and corroborate his claims that the kingship of God
was breaking into human history (eg. Matthew 11:5-6).
c. Pronouncement Stories. Designates a short, self-contained narrative that functions primarily to
introduce a key climactic saying (or pronouncement) of Jesus (eg. Mark 2:13-17).

2. Acts. Bears strong resemblance to the Gospel genre, but focusses on the lives of a number of early
church leaders.

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3. Epistles. An epistle is a letter. In the New Testament they are from apostles to various Christian
communities and individuals. Epistles primarily teach theology and offer ethical instruction. The
epistles contain individual forms:
a. Creeds or Hymns.
b. The Domestic Code.
c. Slogans.
d. Vice and Virtue Lists.

4. Revelation. Revelation combines parts of three distinct genres:

a. Epistle.
b. Prophecy.
c. Apocalyptic.

Resources to Help with Biblical Genres:

1. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart

2. A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible: Playing by the Rules by Robert H. Stein

3. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation by Dr. William W. Klein, Dr. Craig L. Blomberg, and Dr.
Robert L. Hubbard, Jr.

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 SESSION III:
HOW TO READ THE BIBLE FOR ALL ITS WORTH

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The word “interpretation” comes from the Greek word hermeneuo meaning “to interpret.”
This is where we get the term “hermeneutics.”

Facts about Interpretation

1. Everyone interprets.

2. Everyone is biased to some degree.

3. There are some spiritual qualifications that a person needs to understand

the Bible.

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 Schools of Interpretation
1. The Allegorical School
The approach of the allegorical school is to
interpret a passage for its spiritualized meaning.
This method tends to see a dual sense in every
passage of scripture - meaning that there is the
apparent, or “surface” meaning and then there
is the “spiritual” or “deeper” meaning of the text.
Note: one must distinguish between allegory
and the allegorization of non-allegorical
passages. Allegory is a legitimate literary
G
device which Paul himself uses to describe the
difference between the Old and New Covenants
(vis a vis. Sarah and Hagar). But note that Paul
begins by stating, “now this is an allegory...”
2. The Literal-Grammatical-Historical
method of interpretation.
This method seeks to establish authors
intended meaning by examining the culture, the
context, and the content of the passage in
question.
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Note: The Literal-historical approach does not
seek to interpret every line of scripture in a
wooden literal fashion. Instead, this
interpretative method seeks the actual meaning
of a text based on the particular genre (or
literary type) where a passage may be found.
The Bible contains the following literary
types:
• Historical Narrative
• Law (Forensic) texts
• Poetry
• Wisdom literature
• Apocalyptic and Prophetic
• Parable
• Epistolary
Thus, the Lit.Gram.Hist. method seeks to
export meaning from the text, rather than
importing meaning to the it.
 i
Let’s now look at some basic principles of Bible
Interpretation.

1. Pay attention to the immediate context.

(Gal. 3:9)

2. Seek to discover what scripture meant before you jump to what it means.
With every line of Scripture you should be asking “what did this mean to say?” and not “what can
this be made to say?”

 Historical context
– Consider the Inherited culture (the OT)
- Consider the Immediate culture
 Literary context – what kind of literature are you dealing with? What are the special rules
for the book you’re studying?
 Lateral context – what do other books and biblical authors have to say on this issue (this
is also referred to as the “analogy of Scripture”?

3. Draw out the principle where possible.

4. Plain statements explain obscure ones. “women are to remain silent…” I Cor. 14:34 (see
also Romans 15:1-4, 1 Cor. 11, Acts 6)

5. Literal statements explain metaphorical ones. (Matt. 13)

6. The NT interprets the OT, the OT is the foundation for and anticipates the NT. (Matt.
24ff)

7. The Bible doesn’t always approve of what it records.

And sometimes it does not record what it may approve!

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 Ways People Misread Or Mishandle The Scriptures

Adapted from Dr. James Sire’s book, Scripture Twisting, Intervarsity Press. Below are some
common ways that cults, skeptics an the garden variety critic will mishandle scripture.

1. Inaccurate quotation – make sure that you are accurately citing the text before you build
doctrine on it.

Example: The Bible does not say that “money is the root of all evil” instead it states that the
“love of money is the root of all evil.”

2. Inaccurate translation – avoid any non-standard translations such as the NWT (New World
Translation), the Philips and Living Bible (which are paraphrases), and the KJV (the KJV is a
good translation based on very late manuscripts and contains about 12 verses and other
stories that do not belong in the scriptures). Lastly, avoid quoting from Bibles with the
Apocrypha (books such as Judith, Tobit, Baruch, etc.) which contains non-inspired writings
(note: these writings are fine sources for understanding certain things about the literary
environment of the first century, but are not on par with scripture).

3. Proof Texting – Proof texting is the practice of surgically removing a passage from its original
paragraph in order to prove one’s case. When the context is examined, the original paragraph
does not support or may even explicitly deny one’s doctrine.

Example: Jesus told the Pharisees, “you search the scriptures because in them you think you
have eternal life (Jn. 5:39).” This text has been used to support the claim that Jesus chastised
the religious Jews for relying too much on the historical record of the OT, and not enough on
their “feelings.” However, the passage makes it clear that they have given the historical record
concerning the messiah too little attention, not too much.

4. Practicing Bate and Switch – This is also known as the “Biblical Hook.” This occurs when
someone quotes a passage, then pours non-Christian teaching into it.

Example: Mormons use James 1:5 which states, “If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask God
who gives generously.” This text is quoted and then they immediately make it say that Joseph
Smith did this, and was given special “wisdom” of the Mormon message. However, this
passage is not referring to asking God for special revelation, rather it is simply telling us to ask
for wise counsel regarding how we live.

5. Collapsing contexts – This occurs when a person fuses several non-related passages
together into a patchwork of texts that appear to make a case for them.

Example: James 1:23 and 1 Cor. 13:12 both use the imagery of the “mirror” in relation to the
scriptures. Some have collapsed these contexts to be referring to the same thing. However,
Paul’s context in 1 Cor. is spiritual gifts and the imperfect nature of the gifts (“seeing dimly
through a mirror”) and James’ context is the perfect and sufficient nature of God’s word to
make one wise for salvation. Same imagery, different contexts.

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6. Overspecification – This is where we wring too much out of the authors stated or implied
purpose in writing.

Example: What are the last words of Jesus?

Matthew 27:46 (Mark agrees) states, “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me?"

Luke 23:46 states, “46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my
spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.”

John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed
his head and gave up his spirit.”

These three passages together make a circumstantial case that the writers were not in
agreement about what the last words of Jesus were. However, capturing the last words of
someone was not the concern of an ancient writer. That is a modern concern that is being
superimposed on the text. We must not mistake “last words” for the “last recorded words.”

Also, there is only one passage that claims to have the last recorded words of Jesus and that
is in Acts 1 after his resurrection from the dead.

7. Word Play Fallacies – This is the practice of taking a modern translation of a biblical term and
building doctrine based on a clever but misguided word play or word association approach.

Example: Joseph did not play tennis because he “served in Pharoah’s court” and Jesus was
not expecting the disciples to put him back together as they “re-membered” him in communion.
These are silly and not serious approaches and should be avoided.

8. “Code” Cracking Fallacies – When someone alleges that they can read an anachronistic
(after the fact) code, back into scripture to find hidden and esoteric messages, that person is
flirting with what the scriptures refer to as “divination.” This is a completely inappropriate
means of uncovering the meaning of scripture.

Example: Many like Michael Drosnin, Grant Jeffries and Chuck Missler dabble with the “Bible
Codes” trying to apply a complex algorithm to scripture in order to surface a hidden meaning.
Unfortunately, the Hebrew Language can be putty in the interpreters hands with a few carefully
placed vowel points. Also, the messages are always after the fact, therefore have no prophetic
value whatsoever because they are self-validating.

9. Practicing Extended Typology – The NT reveals that much of the OT sacrificial system
particularly the feasts, the temple, the sacrificial proceedures and the priesthood was a type
that has been fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus. However, we can not press the OT for
more “types” than it is prepared to yeild.

Example: Though it perfectly appropriate to see the temple and tabernacle as a

foreshadowing of Christ’s work and his taking residence in the hearts of people (the new living
temples cf. 1 Cor. 3; 6), pressing the chambers and the hallways and every little emblem to
allegorically represent something in your life is not necessary.

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 1 Steps for Interpretation
2
Step 1: Read
Read the text in a variety of translations such as:
NIV, NASB, NKJV, NLT, NRSV, ESV

Step 2: Look at the Content

A. Ask these GENERAL questions about the text:
1. Make some initial observations of the text. What sticks out to you about it?
2. Dose anything seem odd?
3. How do the translations differ in their word choices in certain places?

B. Ask SPECIFIC questions about the text you are reading.

Step 3: Look at the Context

Use resources that will key you into the HISTORICAL, SOCIAL, RELIGIOUS,
etc. context of the passage.
Examples:
ZONDERVAN BIBLE BACKGROUNDS COMMENTARY / THE IVP BIBLE BACKGROUND
COMMENTARY / THE ZONDERVAN PICTORIAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE BIBLE /
ZONDERVAN HANDBOOK TO THE BIBLE

Step 4: Look at the Culture

Use resources that will key you into the CULTURE and CULTURAL ISSUES within the text.
You can use the same resources as in Step 3.

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 Interpretation Exercise: Matt 9:20-26

Step 1: READ

a NIV (New International Translation) A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman

18While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But
come and put your hand on her, and she will live." 19Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his
disciples.20Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him
and touched the edge of his cloak. 21She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."
22Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman
was healed from that moment. 23When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the
noisy crowd, 24he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. 25After the
crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26News of this
spread through all that region.

NLT (New Living Translation)

Jesus Heals in Response to Faith 18 As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and
a
knelt before him. “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you
just come and lay your hand on her.”19 So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. 20 Just
then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She
touched the fringe of his robe, 21 for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”22 Jesus
turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.”
And the woman was healed at that moment.23 When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, he saw the
noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. 24 “Get out!” he told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only
asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him. 25 After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and
took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! 26 The report of this miracle swept through the entire
countryside.

a
Miracles of Healing
NASB (New American Standard Bible)

18While He was saying these things to them, a synagogue official came and bowed down before Him,
and said, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live."19Jesus got
up and began to follow him, and so did His disciples.
20And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and
touched the fringe of His cloak; 21for she was saying to herself, "If I only touch His garment, I will get
well."22But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well."
At once the woman was made well.23When Jesus came into the official's house, and saw the flute-
players and the crowd in noisy disorder,24He said, "Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep." And
they began laughing at Him. 25But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and (AD)took her by
the hand, and the girl got up. 26This news spread throughout all that land.

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 Step 2: CONTENT
Make some initial observations of the story. What sticks out to you about it?

Does anything seem odd?

How do the translations differ in their word choices in certain places?

What was the woman who came to Jesus suffering of?

How did the woman with the issue of blood approach Jesus?

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 Step 3: CONTEXT
1. Read the Historical Context of the story. Numbers 15:37-54

What does this passage state that men are to fashion on the “corners” (Hebrew kannaphim) of their garments?

Read Malachi 4:2

The Hebrew word for corners kannaph, can also mean, “wings.”
What does this passage say that the Sun of Righteousness will arise with?

Source #1 - Aramaic Targum (Jewish commentary that existed in Jesus’ time, and that most Jews followed)
The Jews believed that the Messiah would come wearing the tassels of Numbers 15, on the kannaphim, or corners of
his garments, and they interpreted Malachi’s statement to mean that the Messiah would have healing power in the
“wings” of his rabbinic robe. All Jewish teachers wore the tassels in the hope that they were the one! It was every
Jewish males dream to have someone healed by touching their kannaph!

2. What book does the story appear in? Is the story a parable, allegory, law document, or is it a narrative that tells us a
straightforward story?

3. In the immediate context, How does Jesus seem to act with this woman? How does the story turn out at the end?

Step 4: CULTURE

Source #2 – Jewish NT Commentary p.37

Tsitsit (pronounced “tseet tseet”), was the word for the tassels or “hem”. Observant Jewish men in Yeshua’s time and
today have worn fringes on the corners of their garments, in obedience to Numbers 15:37ff, the third of the three Torah
passages recited in the Sh’ma (Deut. 6:4ff), portion of the synagogue service. These fringes or tassels are made in a
special way and have a unique appearance. Their general purpose is to remind God’s people to obey his
commandments…
She touched the holiest part of his garment. No wonder she approached from behind – she was afraid; this is why she
hesitated to answer his question “who touched me”? Because she could be stoned publicly for this.

Source #3 – Historian Ray Vanderlaan

“Over time, they (the Jews) began to believe that in the Messianic age, the TsitTsit (tassels), attached to the kanaphim
would take on special meaning…and that woman (the hemophiliac of Matthew 9:19-22) believed profoundly that Jesus
was the Messiah. She risked much to touch him for she was untouchable in that ritualistically “pure” society.”

Source # 4 - Gary Burge, NT Scholar

Contact with a woman who had a condition of bleeding like this would make the most pious Jew ritually contaminated.
The woman could not participate in Synagogue services, Temple worship, social gatherings, and would defile anyone
she came into contact with.

Why did Matthew put this story in his Gospel?

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 SESSION IV:
Experiencing God Through Application Of Scripture

1 The Importance of Application

2
James 1:22-25

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do

what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do
what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror
and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately
forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently
into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do
this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will
be blessed in what he does.”

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 1 Principles of Application1:
2
1. Find General Principles.

Question 1: Does the author STATE a general principle?

Question 2: Why was this SPECIFIC instruction or command

GIVEN?

Question 3: Does the broader context reveal a general principle?

D
Most General This is the overarching principle

More GeneralThis is the principle behind the command

Most Specific This is the immediate command

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Principles of Application cont...

2. Apply the General Principles.

A. Applying a principle to the identical situation.

B. Applying a principle to a comparable situation.

• Identify the key elements common to both the original situation and the
principle we wish to apply.
• Determine whether our situation contains each of these key elements.

3. Apply the Scriptures in the power of the Holy Spirit.

i
Using the information you discovered in interpreting Matthew 9:18-26 from
the previous session, do the following:

1. From the specific context locate the general principle(s) in the text.

2. Describe how this principle can be applied in your life specifically.

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How to Read the Bible for All Its worth.
Jeff Kennedy

Book Critique of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

Fee, Gordon D., and Stuart, Douglas. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Third Edition.

Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003.

At the outset of his ministry, Jesus made it clear that the hallmark of true discipleship was the

commitment to put his teachings into practice (Mathew 7:15-27). Application of his teaching was

the distinguishing feature between those who were considered “wise” and those who were

considered “foolish.” Since it is impossible to apply what one fails to understand, the commitment

to apprehend the meaning of scripture is the disciple’s highest priority. In it’s third edition, How to

Read the Bible for All Its Worth offers the serious student of scripture a road- map to accurately

understanding the plain meaning of the biblical text. Authors Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart offer

a scholarly but accessible approach to the craft of interpretation. The book delineates two

essential approaches to interpretation: general rules that apply to all biblical books, and specific

rules that are particular to a given genre.

SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS

The first part of the book presents the dilemma for the modern interpreter. The plain meaning

of scripture is often obscured by all that the interpreter imports to the text, and by the nature of

scripture itself (Fee, 14). Fee and Stuart assert that because God’s word to us first comes as his

word to “them” we must not bypass the step of discovering the historical peculiarities of the biblical

text (Fee, 17).

Therefore, one must begin with a commitment to the methodological constraints of exegesis.

Exegesis is the attempt to draw out the intended meaning from the text. The authors commend

the student to thinking exegetically as second nature. The key to doing this, according to Fee and

Stuart, is to engage the text methodically and skillfully, paying close attention to the historical,

literary and immediate contexts. This can be done with a few simple tools, and by developing a

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Jeff Kennedy

few simple reading habits.

The second task, according to the authors, is to move from exegesis to hermeneutics. In this

book, hermeneutics specifically refers to the current relevance of the ancient text and its meaning

(Fee, 25). Therefore, the goal is to translate the intended meaning of scripture to our

contemporary lives. In stating this, Fee and Stuart stress again that the meaning of scripture and

its bearing on our modern life cannot be arrived at by the interpreter without the controlling factor

of the author’s original intent (Fee, 24). However, this definition of hermeneutics seems to be too

restrictive and narrow. It is preferable to view hermeneutics as the overarching framework in

which all the disciplines and interpretive approaches should fit.

The book commends the student to picking up a reliable translation, and specifically

advocates the NIV, the NRSV (with caution) and possibly the GNB. There is a brief explanation of

the differences between literal translations such as the NASB and the KJV, and the dynamically

equivalent translations of the NIV and NRSV (Fee, 28-30). Additionally, chapter two gives the

student a basic primer in textual criticism designed to explain the importance of reading the

textual notes in the footnotes of modern translations.

After first addressing the need to interpret along with the foundational discipline of exegesis,

as well as the essential tools involved in the task, the authors turn their attention to a discussion

of genre. Chapter three begins with the New Testament epistles. Fee asserts that, in spite of the

epistles’ apparent ease of interpretation, the epistles are embedded with many cultural

phenomena that can present difficulty for the average interpreter. The answer to this difficulty in

interpretation is a contextual approach. The first priority is to take into consideration the historical

context. Reading carefully through the text will typically help the interpreter to recover the original

situation, the recipients, and the purpose of the letter. Fee and Stuart recommend beginning with

a reliable Bible dictionary or reference work that will give the student much information about the

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Jeff Kennedy

original situation. After establishing the original context, the authors recommend reading the entire

document while making observations of the text. After these initial observations, the student is to

outline the epistle. Fee and Stuart then walk the reader through a passage from 1 Corinthians and

Philippians, using the method of historical and literary context. They advocate that the student

should learn to think in paragraphs (Fee, 54).

Lastly, the authors note the difficult passages such as Paul’s words the to the Thessalonian

believers that they should recall all that he taught them while he was with them (59-60). The

difficulty here lies in the fact that we do not have access to Paul’s teaching when he was with

them, and he assumes they already understand the issue in question. This is where the

interpreter must come to the text with great humility and must refrain from being dogmatic.

Chapter four explores the hermeneutical problems that the interpreter faces. Fee raises the

question about whether it is appropriate to practice extended application of a text granted that

there is contextual parallel and a specific parallel to our modern situation. His answer is

emphatically – no! If we amplify our application of the text to many situations beyond the direct

parallel, he argues, then why bother with exegesis at all (Fee, 66-67)? He then addresses the

issue of contexts and situations that have no parallel in our modern culture such as the relative

silence of women and the worship of objects as gods. The authors suggest that in these cases,

the interpreter should start with solid exegesis of the passage so that the principle may be

transferred to its modern day cultural equivalent (Fee, 68).

Fee and Stuart then give guidelines for situations that are culturally relative, and how to

distinguish between something that is culturally relative and instruction that is binding for all

generations and cultures. For example, it is crucial to distinguish between the timeless “sin lists”

of Paul which apply to all cultures in all times, with those peripheral issues that only affect a

culture, and are not morally binding e.g. the role of women in ministry. Next, the interpreter must

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Jeff Kennedy

take note of those places where the New Testament presents a unified and consistent witness

(Fee, 72). Lastly, the interpreter must be content with the relative silence from scripture on

matters of theology. Since the epistles are all occasional in nature, their theology is what Fee and

Stuart refer to as “task theology” (76-77). The implication for the modern interpreter is that we

must be content with the limits of such task theology. In my view, there are no flaws in the

reasoning and logic of this chapter.

Chapter five addresses the genre of historical narrative. Contrary to pure history or myths that

are meant to be taken allegorically, Fee and Stuart insist that the stories in the Old Testament are

divine narratives in which God himself is the hero in the story (Fee, 81). Because these narratives

present God as the hero, Fee and Stuart assert that they do not always teach us an immediate

lesson about ourselves (Fee, 82). Instead, many of the Old Testament narratives function simply

as connecting links that illustrate lessons that are taught elsewhere in scripture (Fee, 82). Fee

and Stuart claim that the danger in approaching biblical narratives is to approach them as if each

individual unit can yield specific points of application for our modern lives. In other words, the

narrative’s greatest point is found as the reader zooms all the way out and takes in the full

breadth of the story being told.

The authors provide us with several keys or guidelines for understanding narratives. It is

critical, they assert, that we not confuse what the Bible records for what it approves. Or that we

not press the narratives for theology the way we might Paul’s epistles, or the laws. In essence,

most narratives teach implicitly a lesson that can be found elsewhere. Although some stories

teach explicitly about God, their primary purpose is not to communicate the gamut of theological

truth about a given subject, but instead refer to specific issues that the story touches (Fee, 84).

Fee and Stuart then proceed to walk the interpreter through the stories of Joseph and Ruth

(briefly). They caution the reader against making the common mistake of wringing a specific moral

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Jeff Kennedy

or lesson(s) from the narrative. Fee and Stuart’s argument seems to be that we should be careful

about what scripture intends for us to take as normative behavior, or a typical experience for the

modern believer and reader (Fee, 85). They end the section with some additional cautions about

the abuse of narratives such as allegorizing, decontextualizing, selectively citing, falsely

combining, and redefining texts.

Though the point is well argued, one wonders if the reader should not draw out general

principles from narratives that demonstrate how God interacts with people. Though it is true that

one should not press the narratives for a moral that it doesn’t intend to convey, it seems clear that

God has a certain pattern of interaction. Though the details of each event may vary, general

principles of how God interacts with his people can be very beneficial. As well, it seems that the

mistakes and victories of each biblical character should also to be taken into account.

Chapter six addresses the question of the book of Acts and historical precedent. The authors

suggest that what has plagued the restoration movement’s interpretation of Acts has been

whether the narratives are descriptive or prescriptive. Fee and Stuart suggest that the reader learn

to distinguish between what happened and what must happen (Fee, 106). Their general principle

is that unless the Bible explicitly prescribes belief or behavior, then the interpreter must refrain

from making that narrative a normative pattern for church life and doctrine. One is to pay attention

to the details in the narrative that are incidental and inconsistent. These details serve to

accentuate the main point, and should not be forced to yield meaning where there is none.

The point is well taken that a text describing how first century Christians behaved does not

necessarily prescribe that behavior. However, it is also true, that if that practice is beneficial to a

modern church or group, the scripture is not explicitly forbidding that practice either. This issue

does not seem to be addressed in the chapter.

Chapter seven touches on the genre of Gospel. The Gospels tell one story with an apparent

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patchwork of genres contained within them, and therefore qualify as a unique literary category

altogether (Fee, 114-115). Several peculiar oddities surface as one compares the Gospels to each

other.

Fee and Stuart suggest that the reader is not to be put off by their apparent lack of exactness

with regards to chronology and the specific wording of the same narrative found in each (Fee,

114). Fee and Stuart commend the interpreter to return to the basics of exegesis, which is to

establish the historical context above all. They begin with the general historical context and move

to the specific context of Jesus’ world. The authors caution against viewing the moral imperatives

as cultural and viewing them as law. They are neither (Fee, 130).

Additionally, the narratives do not primarily teach a moral lesson. Those lessons are

secondary to their purpose. Instead, the narratives, particularly the signs and miracles, teach us

about the power and importance of the Kingdom (Fee, 130). Fee and Stuart impress upon the

interpreter the need to grasp Jesus’ Kingdom message. Understanding the overarching Kingdom

idea will keep the reader from arbitrarily assigning meaning to the passages (Fee, 131-134).

Again the same criticism for historical narrative can be adapted for the Gospels. Even though the

individual narratives should not be forced to yield doctrinal content, we should examine them to

understand how Jesus interacted with disciples, Pharisees, Roman soldiers, Samaritans, and

women etc.

Fee and Stuart devote an entire chapter to parables and their use. Jesus used a variety of

similitudes, metaphors and short stories (true parables) to illustrate his truth (Fee, 137). The

authors assert that the parables only have one major point, and are designed for reader response

(Fee, 136; 138-139). Parables are very much like jokes. To over-examine a parable and wring too

much out of it causes one to miss the punch line. Interpreting a joke will of course ruin the joke.

Similarly, one should not explain parables. Instead, the reader should become familiar with the

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Jeff Kennedy

referents to which the first century audience would have been so familiar. The details are there to

give the final twist, or the pithy ending of the parable its “punch” (Fee, 139).

Additionally, parables are not allegories (Fee, 140). In an allegory, every specific detail has

independent meaning all its own. The entire story serves as a vehicle to convey those particular

meanings that are encoded in the details of the story. However, a parable functions much the

opposite way. The many details are mere scenery so that the speaker may lead the listener to the

turn around, or the twist which is surprising and illicits response. In my view, Fee and Stuart have

done the body of Christ a great service in establishing these guidelines, and helping the modern

interpreter to understand this specific rhetorical device, and the differences between analogous

material, true parable, and “kingdom” parables (Fee, 144-146).

Chapter nine addresses the role of the law for New Covenant people. The authors offer six

guidelines that will help the reader of scripture to understand the role of the law. First, the

interpreter should understand that the Old Testament law is a covenant, or a contract in which

God as the suzerain unilaterally establishes benefits for covenant observance and the

consequences of noncompliance (Fee, 150-151). Secondly, the Old Testament is not our

Testament. It is critical for the New Covenant person to understand that Israel’s Testament is theirs

not ours. Thirdly, some stipulations have not been renewed in the New Covenant. Fourth, part of

the Old is renewed in the new. Particularly many of the timeless ethical demands that are rooted in

God’s character. Fifth, all the Old Covenant is still the word of God for us, even though it is not the

word of God to us. Sixth, only that which is explicitly renewed in the New Testament from the Old

will be considered applicable for us (Fee, 150-154).

Beyond this, Fee and Stuart explore the role of the law. It is incorrect to assert that possession

of the law was a badge of membership for Old Covenant people. Instead, it was God who saved

them, not their law. Fee and Stuart mention two kinds of laws, apodictic (general laws) and

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Jeff Kennedy

casuistic (case by case) laws (Fee, 154-158). All of these laws serve as the kind of standards that

we should expect from God as his New Covenant people (Fee, 158).

Chapter ten unpacks the purpose and nature of prophetic literature. The first caution that the

authors address is the tendency to view the prophets as mere predictors of the future. The authors

remind us that only 1 percent of all Old Testament prophecy deals with future events, 2 percent

relate to the Messiah, and only 5 percent refer to the New Covenant at all (Fee, 166). Instead of

seeing the prophets as prognosticators of the future only, we should view them as God’s

spokesman, covenantal mediators who most often speak back into the Torah to remind Israel of

their roots and restorative promises (Fee, 165-172).

Fee and Stuart assert that without some external helps (commentaries and a Bible dictionary)

the student will find it nearly impossible to understand the prophetic oracles (Fee, 172-176). The

individual oracles are a collection of oral prophecies and are difficult to read without a knowledge

of the historical background. Additionally, one must understand the various rhetorical devices in

which the prophets engage. The prophet can use lawsuit, promise, and poetry. The hermeneutical

key to understanding their message to us, according to Fee and Stuart, is to draw out the principle

where possible (Fee, 181).

The authors go on to give the reader a caution about collapsing “temporal” predictions into

future ones. In certain cases e.g. passages in Ezekiel, the prophecy was fulfilled within decades

of its utterance. However, there may be passages that speak of the future New Covenant (Ez.

37), but we must be careful not to amplify temporal passages with a future application (Fee,

181-183). In the same way, the interpreter should not look for second meanings (sensus plenior)

in all prophetic passages. When New Testament writers see fuller meanings in Old Testament

passages, it is because they are being given a prerogative that we do not have. Seeing the Old

Testament passage as analogous to our New Testament experience was an inspired perspective

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Jeff Kennedy

that does not continue in perpetuity for all believers (Fee, 183-186). Though the authors caution

the interpreter to refrain from this approach altogether, I do not think that using the text

illustratively is a problem as long as the interpreter is not asserting that the analogy they have

drawn is the one interpretation of the text. Indeed, the fact that the biblical writers use the Old

Testament this way can not invalidate the use of allegory altogether.

Chapter eleven sheds light on the Psalms and their usage. Fee and Stuart instruct the reader

to refrain from over-exegeting the psalm. Instead, the psalms are messages about God primarily

in poetic form. The various prosaic truths understood from the psalms are communicated

poetically, and are not intended to teach doctrinal content. The “vocabulary” of poetic literature is

intentionally metaphorical, and should not be literalized (Fee, 190).

As literature, there are various types of psalms that the Israelites were aware of that the

modern reader may not understand. Bridging this “type” barrier for the modern reader is therefore

critical (Fee, 191). Each of these types of psalms serve a particular function, have a specific form,

and demonstrate various patterns. The psalms should always be taken as a literary unit. The

authors suggest that the modern reader learn to become familiar with several of these types:

laments, thanksgiving psalms, hymns of praise, salvation history psalms, celebration and

affirmation psalms, wisdom psalms, psalms of trust, and imprecatory, or negative psalms.

The Psalms serve as a prayer book, helping us to worship God, to express our feelings and

thoughts, and to meditate on God’s ways (Fee, 204-205). Psalms are to be used in devotional

commitment to and reflection upon God, not as guarantees of future blessing (Fee, 205).

Chapter twelve introduces us to wisdom literature. Wisdom literature is often misunderstood

because the reader doesn’t understand the nature of ancient sources of wisdom as well as the

role wisdom played in ancient cultures. It is the wise application of knowledge. Ancient cultures

often employed wise teachers known as “wise men” (i.e. the satrapi of Babylon). These men were

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Jeff Kennedy

instrumental in composing and collecting wise sayings (Fee, 210- 212). Similarly, the biblical order

of wise men emerged at the same time as the monarchy and instructed Israel regarding the wise

application of its laws to daily affairs. Job presents historical wisdom (narrative wisdom), Proverbs

presents poetic wisdom, and Ecclesiastes communicates cynical wisdom. Fee and Stuart provide

the modern reader with various cautions against the abuse of ancient wisdom literature such as

pressing proverbs for promises, or transposing a particular narrative to modern life (Fee,

225-230).

Fee and Stuart end the book with some specifics on how to approach apocalyptic literature,

particularly the book of Revelation. The problem with the book of Revelation is that it uses

unfamiliar symbols, it speaks of the future, it is set in history, and it presents an apocalyptic vision

of God’s coming kingdom (Fee, 231). The authors strongly caution the interpreter to approach the

book with a degree of humility and to become as familiar with the historical background as

possible.

There are several distinguishing features of apocalyptic literature. First, the “taproot” of

apocalyptic is Old Testament prophetic literature (Fee, 232-234). Second, apocalyptic is a literary

work from stem to stern. They are not intended to be spoken and collected (as oracles were), but

are intended to be written and read. Third, the material of apocalyptic is presented in highly

charged visions, cryptic dreams and symbolic activity. Fourth, the imagery of apocalyptic is most

often that of fantasy imagery rather than that of reality. Fifth, because it is primarily literary, the

“sets” of images do not necessarily follow each other, or communicate a sequential reality.

Though Revelation is apocalyptic literature, it is also prophetic. This distinguishes it from

Jewish apocalyptic in that it intends to present a message from God to the recipient (and the

reader), instead of being just an allegorical re-telling of a particular historical event. Therefore,

God has a message to the churches of that time, and his temporal message to these churches

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Jeff Kennedy

has application for ensuing generations of believers (Fee, 233-235).

Lastly, the Revelation is also an epistle. It has both an epilogue and salutation, which

distinguishes it from typical apocalyptic literature. The significance here is that like Paul’s letters,

the Revelation is “occasional.” That is, a particular circumstance has prompted the need for the

vision and the letter. In this case, the church is facing corrosion from within, and persecution from

without.

Fee and Stuart suggest the following guidelines for interpreting this genre: first, the reader

should appreciate the rich background of the various symbols. John pulls from the Old Testament

as well as mythical and extra-biblical apocalyptical imagery. Second, one must distinguish

between constant images and specific ones. Third, John’s own interpretations of the images must

be the starting point for any subsequent interpretation. Fourth, one must see the visionary content as a

whole and refrain from pressing the details for meaning (Fee, 236-238).

Lastly, Fee and Stuart draw attention to the clear distinction within the text between tribulation

and wrath. To view these two critical themes as interchangeable will leave the modern reader in a

state of hopeless confusion (Fee, 239). Additionally, the modern reader must learn to distinguish

between the various genres contained within Revelation.

In my view, though the book clearly deals with future events, it would be a violation of the

literature to ignore the literal churches and the literal threats they faced in the first century or early

second century. To immediately extrapolate to a future perfected church during a “tribulation”

would be to ignore the original recipients and the implication of the prophetic message to them.

One may be able to get there, but you have to get there from the past, not in blatant disregarding

of it.

CONCLUSION

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth is one of the most critical books for our postmodern era

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Jeff Kennedy

of interpretation. The “worth” of scripture, according to author’s Fee and Stuart, is found in the

biblical author’s original intention to his original audience. Its message to us must be first be found

in his message to them. Fee and Stuart rightly suggest that there is a right way and a wrong way

to interpret scripture. The right way is to be thoroughly acquainted with the general rules that

apply to all forms of literature, and the specific rules that apply to various genres. This book offers

many practical insights to help the serious student to understand the contents of scripture. These

insights will assist the modern interpreter to extract as much as possible as they learn to “take up

and read” the biblical text as it was intended.

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J. Kennedy
Nov 18th, 2009
Essay on the Williams Article: “The Reliability of the Scriptures”

Essay on the Williams Article: “The Reliability of the Scriptures”

The article by Jimmy Williams is a fairly standard presentation of the general evidence for the

reliability of Scripture. I found much of the information in the article to be dated and most of the

arguments were oversimplified probably due to space constraints. In spite of this, I did find the

opening question to be compelling. Williams asks, “Haven't copyists down through the centuries

inserted, deleted and embellished the documents so that the original message of the Bible has been

obscured?” This is a fair question but does seem to conflate two issues: the facts regarding

manuscript transmissional practices, and the implications of that data. The first part of William’s

question is simply not in dispute. However, the second part of the question is an implication that is

hotly disputed by scholars such as Bart Erhman and Daniel Wallace (two ends of the textual criticism

spectrum).

First, virtually no scholar would disagree that the New Testament copyists have made many

errors, blunders, and interpolations into the New Testament manuscripts (and some of these errors

are quite embarrassing). Bart Erhman, a popular skeptic and textual critic who studied under Bruce

Metzger (author of Misquoting Jesus, The Lost Scriptures, etc.), regularly challenges the inspiration of

scripture based on the many discrepancies between synoptic narratives, and the widening gap of

uniformity between the earliest and oldest manuscripts. Thus, Bart’s approach is to tether the issue of

biblical inspiration to the historical trustworthiness of the documents. If the scriptural narratives can be

shown to have serious or even minor discrepancies that are of an irreconcilable nature and if the

manuscripts themselves contain errors, then according to Bart and skeptics like him, this is evidence

that God could not have preserved the text. Therefore, it follows that he would not have originally

inspired something that he ostensibly had no interest in preserving perfectly. This line of reasoning is

what is known as the fallacy of a false criteria. Imposing a modern concern on ancient people when it

wasn’t their own concern is simply unwarranted by the evidence.

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J. Kennedy
Nov 18th, 2009
Essay on the Williams Article: “The Reliability of the Scriptures”

On the other end of the spectrum, Dan Wallace at Dallas Seminary has vigorously argued that

the mistakes between the manuscript copies (particularly the earlier ones), though they number in the

hundreds of thousands (Wallace actually cites 400,000 variants), do not alter any core belief of the

Christian faith. In fact, the vast majority of these “errors” can be blamed on the movable nu in Greek

composition and other incidental changes. The preservation of the text, though imperfect, is relatively

quite good. This is hardly a reason to impugn the message of the New Testament text.

So the answer to the opening question in the Williams essay is partly, “yes, the copies have

many (but statistically negligible) textual variants which include everything from the movable nu, to

interpolated stories, to interpolated verses (e.g. the Comman Johaneum 1 Jn 5:7-8).” The obvious

implication of this is that we have not been left with perfect copies. Yet, because we have been left

with so many of them we may be able to approximate the original material through comparative

analysis. Though scholars will never be able to reconstruct the originals through the manuscript

witnesses, they can at least have a reasonable confidence that the copies we have been left with are

statistically similar to the original texts.

But, the answer to the second part of William’s question is that it simply doesn’t follow that the

message of the New Testament text has been hopelessly obscured because one can demonstrate

that there are errors in minor details. This is not a standard that we apply to any other book of

antiquity. It is simply a false dilemma to say that one has to choose between believing in the absolute

preservation of the text and all its copies, or the absolution corruption of the text and all its copies.

These are not the only two options on the table.

Of course, the skeptic will cite that the Bible makes supernatural claims and therefore we need

some kind of extraordinary evidence to support it. Here I find that the skeptic simply cannot have it both

ways. Most of the time skeptical scholars take pains to show that the New Testament is just like any

other book of antiquity – filled with the same kinds of miracle stories and extraordinary claims regarding

its ancient hero.

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J. Kennedy
Nov 18th, 2009
Essay on the Williams Article: “The Reliability of the Scriptures”

But, then to assail the scriptures on the basis that they make an extraordinary claim that needs to be

supported by extraordinary evidence I find to be a dubious assertion. For example, the manuscript

evidence chart in the William’s article lists many ancient works that are riddled with supernaturalism.

Therefore, the Scriptures should be adjudicated on the same basis that historians use to verify the

record of say, Caesar crossing the Rubicon. This story is also found in four ancient and varied

sources, and some are even filled with extra-natural phenomena. Yet, most generally accept that

Caesar did cross the Rubicon. Since the New Testament is based on qualitatively superior

documents, we should not view them with more skepticism than we do other ancient biographies or

witnesses.

Lastly, Williams points out in the article that the New Testament boasts an avalanche of ancient

manuscript witnesses (he cites 4000, and to date there are actually about 5900 and counting). Not

only are there far more and earlier texts that attest to the Scriptures, but the stories in them contain a

high degree of agreement when judged against the Jewish and Greco-Roman literary standards of the

day. The alleged discrepancies between the Gospel accounts cannot all simply be lumped into one

category (i.e. “error”). This is a critical factor to take into account when assessing historical reliability.

In this respect, the Christian faith does not even need the doctrine of inerrancy to demonstrate that the

New Testament text is a relatively good and reliable source for the historical Jesus – a first century

miracle worker and exorcist who claimed to be divine. As Wallace maintains, we may be able to

establish that doctrine inductively (going where the evidence leads us), but we do not need to hold to

inerrancy presuppositionally in order to determine anything at all about the general reliability of the

biblical record. Wallace maintains that when we are discussing the issue of the scripture’s inspiration,

we are actually talking about its authority in our lives as the Word of God. But, the authority of the

scriptures is simply a separate issue from its general reliability as a historical source. Though, I

believe that once a person is willing to concede that the scriptures are reliable then they will naturally

be open to the notion that the scriptures are authoritative as well.

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J. Kennedy
Nov 18th, 2009
Essay on the Williams Article: “The Reliability of the Scriptures”

In summary, it is true that most believers do begin with a commitment to the Bible before

encountering the evidence for its inspired status. Belief in the scriptures as God’s authoritative and

inerrant Word is a theological commitment on the part of the believer. It is true that there are many

assumptions about God that the believer makes before he has any empirical evidence to verify his

faith. In the final analysis, it turns out that the best argument for God is God himself, and the best

argument that his Word is authoritative is the immediate application of its principles and doctrines to

ones life.

However, as Philosopher William Lane Craig has noted, there is a difference between knowing

God and showing God. We may directly encounter him through the person of the Holy Spirit, and we

may be fully convinced that he has left an authoritative and inspired written record of his Word. Yet, as

we encounter those without faith we must be ready to give an answer having understood the

bibliographic, internal, and external evidences for Scripture as a reliable source. Our goal with the

skeptic is not to convince them that the Bible is the authoritative infallible Word of God. A better

approach with skeptics like Erhman, Borg, Chilton et. al. would be to start with some common ground.

This common ground can be reached if we refuse to accept absolute propositions as the criteria for

authenticity. Instead, we should agree on the minimal facts and then follow those facts in the

trajectory that they lead us. If it can be shown that the Scriptures meet and exceed the general criteria

for the authenticity of an ancient document, then this warrants an investigation of the documents

theological claims. But to bind the issue of its general historical trustworthiness to the theological

commitment of inerrancy is simply a false dilemma. We should give the Bible at least the same benefit

of the doubt as we give any other historical source, especially considering that the Scriptures boast an

embarrassment of riches in textual evidence to support it. But, asking the skeptic to believe that the

Bible is the error-free Word of the Living God is a bit like asking a hardened atheist to believe in the

Trinity. Before the atheist can accept a Trinitarian God, he must first commit to believing in some kind

of God or a super intelligent prime reality. Likewise, it is best to get the skeptic of the Bible to meet us

where we can all agree and on the ground that is indisputable: the general historical reliability of the

ancient text.

37
 Inerrancy:
The Scriptures are free from intentional and unintentional errors

Infallibility:
This means that since the Scriptures are historically reliable and since
they are God’s Word to us, then the Scriptures are infallible in all they
command, commend, and compel us to. They are infallible in all they
purport to say and teach.

Inspiration:
This is a theological commitment on the part of the believer. It means
that the Bible is the product of God on the minds of men.

Historical Reliability:
The general historical reliability of the NT text based on the criteria
for authenticity

38
 Overview of the Bible1
OVERVIEW OF THE BIBLE
THE OLD TESTAMENT:
1. The Pentateuch (Five Books: Genesis through
Deuteronomy)
2. Historical Books (Twelve Books: Joshua
through Esther)
3. Poetic Books (Five Books: Job through Song of
Songs)
4. Prophetic Books (Seventeen Books: Isaiah
through Malachi)
THE NEW TESTAMENT:
1. Biographical Books (Four Books: Matthew
through John)
2. Historical Books (One Book: Acts)
3. The Pauline Letters (Thirteen Books: Romans
through Philemon)
4. General Letters (Eight Books: Hebrews through
Jude)
5. Prophetic Books (One Book: Revelation)
THE OLD TESTAMENT
i
GENESIS:
A. Content: the story of the creation, of human
disobedience and its tragic consequences, and of
God’s choosing of Abraham and his offspring—
the beginning of the story of redemption.
B. Historical Coverage: from creation to the death
of Joseph in Egypt (ca. 1600 B.C.?)
C. Emphases: God as the creator of all that is;
God’s creation of human beings in his image; the
nature and consequences of human
disobedience; the beginning of the divine
covenants; God’s choice of a people through
whom he will bless the nations.
D. Outline of Genesis2:
1. Creation to the Fall (1:1-3:24)
2. Antediluvian (4:1-11:32)
3. The Patriarchs (12:1-50:26)
EXODUS:
A. Content: Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, her
constitution as a people through covenant law,
and instructions for and construction of the
tabernacle—the place of God’s presence
B. Historical Coverage: from Joseph’s death (ca.
1600 B.C.?) to Israel’s encampment at Sinai
(either 1440 or 1260 B.C.)
C. Emphases: God’s miraculous rescue of Israel
from Egypt through Moses; covenant law given at
Mount Sinai; the tabernacle as the place of God’s
presence and Israel’s proper worship; God’s
revelation of himself and his character; Israel’s
tendency to complain and rebel against God;
God’s judgment and mercy toward his people
when they rebel
D. Outline of Exodus:
1. Introduction (1:1-2:25)
39
2. Deliverance (3:1-15:21)
3. Journey (15:22-18:27)
4. Covenant (19:1-40:38)
LEVITICUS:
A. Content: various laws having to do with holiness
before God and with love of neighbor, including
sacrifices, ritual cleanness, and social
obligations, as well as laws for the Levites
regarding their priestly duties.
B. Historical Coverage: at Sinai
C. Emphases: getting it right with regard to worship,
for both people and priests; institution of the
priesthood under Aaron; laws protecting ritual
cleanness, including atonement for sins (the Day
of Atonement); laws regulating sexual relations,
family life, punishments for major crimes,
festivals, and special years (sabbaths and
jubilees)
D. Outline of Leviticus:
1. Sacrificial Laws (1:1-7:38)
2. Priestly Narrative (8:1-10:20)
3. Laws to Protect Ritual Cleanness
NUMBERS:
(11:1-16:34)
4. Holiness Code (17-27)
A. Content: the Israelites’ long stay in the desert as
they journey from Mount Sinai to the plains of
Moab, with supplemental covenant laws
B. Historical Coverage: forty years, a period within
which the generation that left Egypt died off
C. Emphases: preparation for military conquest of
the promised land; God’s covenant loyalty toward
Israel with regard to the land; Israel’s repeated
failure to keep covenant with God; God’s
leadership of his people and affirmation of Moses’
leadership; preparations for entering and
worshiping in the promised land; conquest and
settlement of the land east of the Jordan River
D. Outline of Numbers:
1. The End of the Old: The First Generation of
God’s People Out of Egypt on the March in
the Wilderness (1:1-25:18)
2. The Birth of the New: The Second
Generation of God’s People Out of Egypt as
They Prepare to Enter the Promised Land
(26:1-36:13)
DEUTERONOMY:
A. Content: rehearsal of the covenant for a new
generation of Israelites just before the conquest
B. Historical Coverage: during the final weeks east
of the Jordan
C. Emphases: the oneness and uniqueness of
Yahweh, the God of Israel, over against all other
gods; Yahweh’s covenant love for Israel in
making them his people; Yahweh’s universal
sovereignty over all peoples; Israel as Yahweh’s
model for the nations; the significance of the
central sanctuary where Yahweh is to be
 worshiped; Yahweh’s concern for justice—that
his people reflect his character; the blessings of
obedience and the dangers of disobedience
D. Outline of Deuteronomy:
1. The Outer Frame: A Look Backwards (1-3)
2. The Inner Frame: The Great Exhortation
(4-11)
3. The Central Core: The Stipulations of the
Covenant (12-26)
4. The Inner Frame: The Covenant Ceremony
(27-30)
5. The Outer Frame: A Look Forward (31-34)
JOSHUA:
A. Content: the partial conquest, distribution, and
settlement of the promised land
B. Historical Coverage: from the beginning of the
conquest to the death of Joshua
C. Emphases: the engagement of the holy war, as
God through his people repeatedly defeats the
idolatrous Canaanites; the gift of the land to
God’s people, thus fulfilling God’s covenant
promise to the patriarchs; Israel’s need for
continuing covenant faithfulness to the one true
God
D. Outline of Joshua:
1. Military Conquest (1-12)
i 2. Enjoying the Land (13-22)
3. Renewal of the Covenant (23-24)
JUDGES:
A. Content: the cyclical narrative of the time of the
judges, with emphasis on Israel’s repeated lack
of covenant loyalty
B. Historical Coverage: from the death of Joshua
to the beginning of the monarchy
C. Emphases: the tenuous results of the conquest;
God’s constant rescue of his people, despite
their habitual failure to keep covenant with him;
the desperate conditions and overall downward
spiral during this period; the need for a good king
D. Outline of Judges:
1. Introduction: An “overture” setting forth the
main themes (1:1-3:6)
2. Main Narrative Cycle: A series of “variations”
on the themes (3:7-16:31)
3. Epilogue: A “coda” illustrating the primary
theme (17:1-21:25)
RUTH:
A. Content: a story of loyalty to Yahweh during the
period of the judges, in which Naomi’s fortunes
mirror Israel’s during this period (while also
providing the lineage of King David)
B. Historical Coverage: a few years around 1100
B.C.
C. Emphases: life in a village that remains loyal to
Yahweh during the time of the judges; the
welcoming of a foreign woman under Yahweh’s
wings; God’s superintending care that provides
Israel with its great king
D. Outline for Ruth:
1. Introduction (1:1-5)
2. Act 1: The Exodus (1:6-18)
40
3. Act 2: Bethlehem (1:19-22)
4. Act 3: Boaz Introduced (2:1-23)
5. Act 4: The Plan (3:1-18)
6. Act 5: The Public Pronouncement (4:1-12)
7. Postlude (4:13-22)
1 & 2 SAMUEL:
A. Content: the transition from the last judge,
Samuel, to the first king, Saul; the rise and reign
of David
B. Historical Coverage: from Samuel’s birth (ca.
1100 B.C.) to the end of David’s kingship (970
B.C.)
C. Emphases: the beginning of kingship in Israel;
the concern over kingship and covenant loyalty;
the ark of the covenant as representing God’s
presence; the choice of Jerusalem as “the City of
David”; the Davidic covenant with its messianic
overtones; David’s adultery and its
consequences
D. Outline of 1 & 2 Samuel:
1. Samuel (1 Samuel 1-7)
2. Samuel & Saul (1 Samuel 8-15)
3. Saul & David (1 Samuel 16-31)
4. David (2 Samuel)
1 & 2 KINGS:
A. Content: starting with the reign of Solomon, the
story of the decline and eventual dissolution of
the monarchy in Israel and the expulsion of
God’s people from the land
B. Historical Coverage: from the death of David
(970 B.C.) to the sixth-century exile of Judah
(586 B.C.)
C. Emphases: the evaluation of the monarchy on
the basis of covenant loyalty; the fateful national
consequences of disloyalty to Yahweh, resulting
finally in expulsion from the land; the schism and
civil wars between north and south; the rise of
superpowers that, under the direction of God,
subjugated Israel and Judah; the role of prophets
who speak for God in Israel’s national life
D. Outline of 1 & 2 Kings:
1. Solomon (1 Kings 1:1-11:43)
2. The Divided Kingdom (1 Kings 12:1-2 Kings
17:41)
3. Judah’s Final Years & the Exile (2 Kings
18:1-25:30)
1 & 2 CHRONICLES:
A. Content: a post exilic, positive history of Judah’s
kings, with emphasis on the temple and its
worship
B. Historical Coverage: an opening genealogy
goes back to Adam; the narrative itself covers
the kingdom of Judah from David (ca. 1000 B.C.)
to the decree of Cyrus (539/8 B.C.)
C. Emphases: the continuity of the people of Judah
(and others) through the exile and beyond;
David’s and Solomon’s covenant loyalty as
models for the time of restoration; the central role
of the temple and worship for the restoration;
true worship as a matter of the heart and full of
joy and song; divine blessing and rest for
obedience, and retribution for disobedience
 D. Outline of 1 & 2 Chronicles:
1. Genealogies (1 Chronicles 1-9)
2. United Monarchy (1 Chronicles 10-2
Chronicles 9)
3. Judah During the Divided Kingdom (2
Chronicles 10-36)
EZRA-NEHEMIAH:
A. Content: rebuilding and reform in postexilic
Judah through the latter half of the fifth century
B.C.
B. Historical Coverage: from the first return (539/8
B.C.) to the end of the fifth century, but especially
from 458 to 430, during the reign of Artaxerxes of
Persia
C. Emphases: successful completion of the second
temple despite opposition; successful rebuilding
of the walls of Jerusalem despite opposition; the
crisis of intermarriage and national identity;
concern for covenant renewal and reform, based
on the law, among the exiles who had returned to
Jerusalem
D. Outline of Ezra-Nehemiah:
1. The Goal Initiated Cyrus’ Decree to Build the
House of God (Ezra 1:1-4)
2. The Community Builds the House of God
(Ezra 1:5-Nehemiah 7:72)
3. The Goal Reached: “The community
i celebrates the completion of the house of
God according to Torah” (Nehemiah
7:73-13:31)
ESTHER:
A. Content: the story of God’s providential
preservation of Jews throughout the Persian
Empire through Mordecai and his niece, Esther
B. Historical Coverage: most of the story takes
place during a single year during the reign of
Xerxes (486-465 B.C.), a generation before the
events recorded in Ezra-Nehemiah
C. Emphases: God’s providential care of the Jews
in a context of a program against them; Jewish
remembrance of their survival through the feast
of Purim
D. Outline of Esther:
1. The feasts of Xerxes (1:1-2:18)
2. The feasts of Esther (2:19-7:10)
3. The feasts of Purim (8-10)
JOB:
A. Content: a brilliant wrestling with the issue of
suffering of the righteous and the justice of God,
while also speaking to the larger question,
“Where is wisdom found?”
B. Date: the story takes place in the period of the
patriarchs; carious suggestions have been
offered regarding the composition itself
C. Emphases: wisdom is ultimately found in God
alone; human wisdom cannot on its own fathom
the ways of God; undeserved suffering has no
easy answer; God is not obligated to fallen
human beings to explain all things; the fear of the
Lord is the path to true wisdom
D. Outline of Job:
1. Prologue (1-2)
41
2. The Three Dialogue-Disputes (4-27)
3. The Discourse on “Where does wisdom
come from?” (28)
4. The Three Monologues (29-41)
5. Epilogue (42)
PSALMS:
A. Content: 150 psalms of rich diversity, which in
their present arrangement served as the
“hymnbook” for postexilic (Second Temple)
Judaism
B. Date of Composition: the psalms themselves
date from the early monarchy to a time after the
exile (ca. 1000 to 400 B.C.); the collection in its
present form may be part of the reform
movement reflected in Chronicles and Ezra-
Nehemiah
C. Emphases: trust in and praise to Yahweh for his
goodness; lament over wickedness and
injustices; Yahweh as king of the universe and
the nations; Israel’s king as Yahweh’s
representative in Israel; Israel (and individual
Israelites) as God’s covenant people; Zion (and
its temple) as the special place of Yahweh’s
presence on earth
D. Outline of Psalms:
1. Book 1 (Psalms1-41)
2. Book 2 (Psalms 42-72)
3. Book 3 (Psalms 73-89)
4. Book 4 (90-106)
5. Book 5 (107-150)
PROVERBS:
A. Content: a series of opening poems praising
wisdom and warning against folly, followed by
several collections of proverbs from sages who
taught wisdom to Israel, starting with Solomon
B. Author(s): collections of proverbs originating
with Solomon, various wise men, Agur, and
Lemuel’s mother—gathered and arranged for
later generations by someone otherwise
unknown
C. Emphases: wisdom begins with the fear of and
trust in Yahweh; at the practical level, it consists
of making wise choices between good and evil
behavior; such wisdom is to be desired above all
else in order to live a full and godly life
D. Outline of Proverbs:
1. Preamble (1:1-7)
2. Extended Discourses on Wisdom (1:8-9:18)
3. Solomonic Proverbs (10:1-22:16; 25:1-29:27)
4. Sayings of the Wise (22:17-24:34)
5. Sayings of Agur (30)
6. Sayings of King Lemuel (31:1-9)
7. Poem to the Virtuous Woman (31:10-31)
ECCLESIASTES:
A. Content: the ponderings of a Wisdom teacher
who wrestles with life’s realities; what is to be
gained by achieving wealth or wisdom when in
the end death claims both rich and poor, wise ad
foolish; but especially set ina context of knowing
the fear of God
 B. Date of Composition: unknown; scholarly
guesses cover a broad range
C. Emphases: the transitory nature of present life;
how to live wisely in a world where the only
certainty is death and judgment; the futility of
human pursuits that do not take the fear of God
into account
D. Outline of Ecclesiastes:
1. Prologue (1:1-11)
2. Monologue by Qohelet (1:12-12:8)
3. Epilogue (12:8-14)
SONG OF SONGS:
A. Content: a love poem of several episodes,
celebrating the sexual love between a woman
and a man
B. Date of Composition: unknown; scholarly
guesses cover a broad range
C. Emphases: the proper love of a woman and
man for one another; the unquenchable nature of
pure love; the delight in and longing for each
other that pure love engenders
D. Outline of Song of Songs:
1. The Lovers Presented (1:1-6)
2. First & Second Scenes (1:7-27; 2:8-3:5)
3. Solomon’s Wealth & Extravagance (3:6-11)
4. Third, Fourth & Fifth Scenes (4:1-5:1;
5:2-6:3; 6:4-8:4)
i 5. Conclusion (8:5-14)
LAMENTATIONS:
A. Content: a series of five laments over the fall of
Jerusalem
B. Date of Composition: unknown, probably soon
after the fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.)
C. Emphases: the deep personal suffering and
spiritual agony experienced at the fall of
Jerusalem; the justice of God in carrying out the
overthrow of Zion; hope lies finally in God’s
character alone
D. Outline of Lamentations:
1. First Lament (1:1-22)
2. Second Lament (2:1-22)
3. Third Lament (3:1-66)
4. Fourth Lament (4:1-22)
5. Fifth Lament (5:1-22)
ISAIAH:
A. Content: Yahweh’s sovereign majesty and
redemptive love, revealed in his dealings with his
chosen people the Israelites, who are destined
for both judgment and salvation, in which the
nations will also be included
B. Prophet: Isaiah of Jerusalem
C. Date of Prophetic Activity: from about 740 to
687 B.C. (see 1:1)
D. Emphases: the holiness, majesty, and
righteousness of Yahweh; the compassion and
saving mercy of Yahweh; the central role of Israel
in Yahweh’s plans for the nations and the world;
the central role of Zion in these plans; the
redemptive role of God’s suffering servant; the
glorious final future God has in store for those
who are his
E. Outline of Isaiah:
42
1. Volume 1 (1-33)
2. Volume 2 (34-66)
JEREMIAH:
A. Content: oracles of judgment against Judah and
the nations, along with oracles of future hope,
interwoven with narratives of Jeremiah’s role in
the concluding days of Judah
B. Prophet: Jeremiah, of priestly lineage from the
village of Anathoth, about three miles south of
Jerusalem
C. Date of Prophetic Activity: from 627 to 585
B.C. (see 1:2-3)
D. Emphases: Judah’s unfaithfulness to Yahweh
will end in its destruction; in keeping with the
promises of Deuteronomy, God has a bright
future for his people—a time of restoration and a
new covenant; Yahweh’s own heart for his
people revealed through the heart of Jeremiah
E. Outline of Jeremiah:
1. Prophecies of Judgment Against Jerusalem
(1-25)
2. Narratives Holding Out Hope for the Future
(26-36)
3. Narratives Regarding the Fall of Jerusalem
(37-45)
4. Prophecies of Judgment Against the Nations
(46-51)
5. Epilogue (52)
EZEKIEL:
A. Content: a series of prophecies announcing the
fall of Jerusalem, including the departure of
Yahweh, followed by Israel’s eventual restoration
with the return of Yahweh
B. Prophet: Ezekiel, an Israelite priest and prophet
who was taken to Babylon among the first wave
of captives from Judah in 598 B.C., and a
younger contemporary of Jeremiah
C. Date of Prophetic Activity: from 593 (Ezekiel
1:2) until 571 B.C. (29:17)
D. Emphases: the inevitability of the fall of
Jerusalem because of her sins, especially
idolatry; the transcendent sovereignty of God as
Lord of all the nations and all history; the loss
and restoration of the land and of Yahweh’s
presence among the people of God; the promise
of the life-giving Spirit as the key to covenant
faithfulness
E. Outline of Ezekiel:
1. Oracles of Judgment Against Israel (1-24)
2. Oracles of Judgment Against the Nations
(25-32)
3. Oracles of Hope and Consolation (33-48)
DANIEL:
A. Content: a series of stories about how God
brings honor to himself through Daniel and his
three friends in Babylon, followed by four
apocalyptic visions about the future kingdoms
and God’s final kingdom
B. Prophet: Daniel, on of the early exiles to
Babylon, who was selected to serve as a
provincial administrator in the Babylonian—and
finally Persian—court
 Babylon, who was selected to serve as a
provincial administrator in the Babylonian—and
finally Persian—court
C. Date of Composition: unknown; presumably
toward the end of the sixth century B.C. (ca.
520), although many have suggested it dates
from the early second century B.C. (ca. 165)
D. Emphases: God’s sovereignty over all the
nations and their rulers; God’s care for the Jews
in exile, with promises of final restoration; God’s
present overruling of and victory over human evil
E. Outline of Daniel:
1. Court Stories (1-6)
2. Apocalyptic Visions (7-12)
HOSEA:
A. Content: Yahweh’s compassion for the northern
kingdom (Israel), yet his condemnation of them
for their unfaithfulness to him
B. Prophet: Hosea, a northern prophet, probably
from Samaria
C. Date of Prophetic Activity: ca. 758-722 B.C.
D. Emphases: Yahweh’s unfailing love for his
people, even when he must punish them for
unfaithfulness
E. Outline of Hosea:
1. Superscription (1:1)
2. Hosea’s Troubled Marriage Reflects God’s
i Relationship with Israel (1:2-3:5)
3. First Prophetic Cycle (4:1-11:11)
4. Second Prophetic Cycle (11:12-14:8)
5. Wisdom Colophon (14:9)
JOEL:
A. Content: a devastating plague sets the stage for
a twofold summons to repentance, to which God
responds with a promise of mercy and an
outpouring of his Spirit, with a day of judgment
on the nations
B. Prophet: Joel, who is otherwise unknown; his
concern for Judah and Jerusalem (2:23, 32; 3:1)
suggests that he was from the southern kingdom
C. Date of Prophetic Activity: uncertain; perhaps
ca. 590 B.C., but possibly after 500 B.C.
D. Emphases: the impending day of Yahweh—a
day of judgment and salvation; Yahweh chastens
those he loves, and his chastening calls his
people to repentance; Israel’s God keeps
covenant by showing mercy to his people;
Yahweh is sovereign over all the nations and will
judge those who have shown no mercy to his
people
E. Outline of Joel:
1. Heading (1:1)
2. Scene 1 (1:2-20)
3. Scene 2 (2:1-17)
4. Scene 3 (2:18-32)
5. Scene 4 (3:1-21)
AMOS:
A. Content: in a period of rare economic prosperity
and political strength for Israel, Yahweh
announces their doom because she has failed to
keep covenant with him
43
B. Prophet: Amos, a shepherd/farmer from Tekoa,
south of Bethlehem in Judah
C. Date of Prophetic Activity: ca. 760 B.C., for an
apparently brief period (at the peak of the reigns
of Jeroboam II in Samaria [793-753] and Uzziah
in Jerusalem [792-740])
D. Emphases: Yahweh is God over all the nations
and the whole universe; Yahweh will bring utter
ruin to Israel for her covenant disloyalty;
syncretistic religion is anathema to Yahweh;
Yahweh requires justice for the innocent and
mercy for the poor; religious observances are no
substitute for doing good and showing mercy
E. Outline of Amos:
1. Heading (1:1-2)
2. Judgment (1:3-2:16)
3. Oracles (3:1-5:17)
4. False Security (5:18-6:14)
5. Three Visions (7:1-9)
6. Encounter with Amaziah (7:10-17)
7. Two Visions (8:1-9:10)
8. Hope for the Future (9:11-15)
OBADIAH:
A. Content: a doom oracle against Edom for taking
advantage of (probably) the Babylonian conquest
of Jerusalem in 588-86 B.C.
B. Prophet: Obadiah, a prophet from Judah
C. Date of Prophetic Activity: probably just after
the fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.?)
D. Emphases: God’s judgment on Edom for her
sins against God’s people; the defeat of those
who think themselves unconquerable; Israel’s
deliverance and restoration on the day of the
Lord
E. Outline of Obadiah:
1. Title and Introduction (verse 1)
2. Edom’s doom (verses 2-14)
3. The Day of the Lord (verses 15-21)
JONAH:
A. Content: through a very reluctant prophet, God
shows compassion for one of Israel’s hated
enemies
B. Prophet: Jonah, son of Amittai, who prophesied
during the reign of Jeroboam II (see 2 Kings
14:25)
C. Emphases: Yahweh as Creator, Sustainer, and
Redeemer of all; Yahweh’s compassionate
concern for the Gentiles (represented by
Nineveh); Israel’s reluctance (represented by
Jonah) to acknowledge Yahweh’s compassion for
the nations
D. Outline of Jonah:
1. Jonah Runs from the Lord (1:1-17)
2. Jonah’s Prayer of Thanksgiving (2:1-10)
3. Jonah’s Preaching and Nineveh’s
Repentance (3:1-10)
4. Jonah’s Anger at Yahweh’s Compassion
(4:1-11)
MICAH:
A. Content: alternating oracles of doom on Israel
and Judah for their idolatry and social injustices
and of future hope because of Yahweh’s mercies
 B. Prophet: Micah, a Judean prophet from
Moresheth, a town about twenty-five miles
southwest of Jerusalem
C. Date of Prophetic Activity: some length of time
between the accession of Jotham (740 B.C.) and
the death of Hezekiah (686)
D. Emphases: the threat of divine judgment for
breaking covenant with Yahweh; Yahweh as a
God of justice and mercy who pleads the cause
of the poor and requires his people to do the
same; after judgment Yahweh will restore
Jerusalem through the promised Davidic king;
Yahweh as God of all the nations
E. Outline of Micah:
1. Superscription (1:1)
2. First Round of Judgment and Salvation
(1:2-5:15)
3. Second Round of Judgment and Salvation
(6:1-7:20)
NAHUM:
A. Content: a prophecy of God’s judgment against
Nineveh (Assyria) for her oppression, cruelty, and
idolatry, concluding with the announced
destruction of the city
B. Prophet: Nahum, from Judah, otherwise
unknown (even his hometown is uncertain)
i C. Date of Prophetic Activity: sometime before the
fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C., during the period of
Judah’s being a vassal to Assyria
D. Emphases: Yahweh’s sovereignty over all the
nations; Yahweh’s execution of justice against
cruelty; Yahweh’s overthrow of the arrogant who
think of themselves as eternal
E. Outline of Nahum:
1. Triumph of the Divine Warrior (1:1-8)
2. Nineveh’s Ruin and Judah’s Salvation
(1:9-2:2)
3. Vision and Taunt Over Nineveh’s Fall (2:3-13)
4. A Pronouncement of Woe and Taunt Over
Nineveh (3:1-7)
5. Concluding Taunts and Dirge Over Assyria’s
Fall (3:8-19)
HABAKKUK:
A. Content: Habakkuk enters into dialogue with
God over the question of injustice (How do
people get away with evil and God seems to do
nothing?) and receives grounds for trust
B. Prophet: Habakkuk, a prophet of Judah, is
unknown apart from this book
C. Date of Prophetic Activity: sometime between
612 and 599 B.C., when Babylon had begun to
dominate the international scene, but before she
had attacked Jerusalem
D. Emphases: prophetic indignation over God’s
apparent toleration of injustice; prophetic
confidence in the justice and power of God; the
stance of the righteous is faithfulness and trust in
God; God’s assurance that the wicked will be
punished
E. Outline of Habakkuk:
1. Initial Exchange (1:1-11)
2. Second Exchange (1:12-2:5)
44
3. Woe Oracles Against the Oppressor (2:6-20)
ZEPHANIAH:
A. Content: oracles of coming catastrophic
judgments against Jerusalem (thus Judah) and
surrounding nations, plus an oracle of restoration
for a remnant of Judah
B. Prophet: Zephaniah of Jerusalem, possibly of
the royal lineage of Hezekiah
C. Date of Prophetic Activity: sometime during the
reign of Josiah of Judah (640-609 B.C.)
D. Emphases: the coming day of Yahweh; judgment
against Judah for her sins; Yahweh as God of all
the nations; judgments against the nations;
eventual salvation of a remnant of Judah
E. Outline of Zephaniah:
1. God’s Judgment of Judah (1:1-18)
2. God’s Judgment of the Nations (2:1-3:8)
3. God’s Redemption of the Remnant, with
Consequent Rejoicing (3:9-21)
HAGGAI:
A. Content: four oracles encouraging God’s people
to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem
B. Prophet: Haggai, a postexilic prophet in
Jerusalem and contemporary of Zechariah (see
Ezra 5:1; 6:14)
C. Date of Prophetic Activity: a four-month period
during the second year of the reign of Darius of
Persia (520 B.C.)
D. Emphases: God’s people need to rebuild the
temple as the place of God’s presence and of
their worship; current hardships stem from failure
in this matter; a glorious future awaits the people
of God and Zerubbabel (thus David’s kingly line)
E. Outline of Haggai:
1. Call to Rebuild the Temple (1:1-15)
2. The Glory of the Second Temple (2:1-9)
3. A Defiled People Purified and Blessed
(2:10-19)
4. A Message to Zerubbabel (2:20-23)
ZECHARIAH:
A. Content: visions aimed at encouraging the
postexilic community, especially the leadership,
to rebuild the temple, plus oracles about the
future coming King who would be slain and
eventually triumph
B. Prophet: Zechariah of Jerusalem, a
contemporary of Haggai, but with a longer known
ministry (cf. Zech 1:1 and 7:1 with Hag 1:1; see
also Ezra 5:1; 6:14)
C. Date of Prophetic Activity: 520 B.C. until
sometime in the early 400s
D. Emphases: God is with the remnant community
of people who have returned from exile; God will
prosper her leaders; the future of Jerusalem and
Judah is bright and full of peace and glory;
Israel’s King will come back to Jerusalem in
triumph; yet he will be slain for the sins of the
people; God will punish his people’s enemies, yet
many of the nations will come to know the Lord
E. Outline of Zechariah:
1. Zechariah’s Claim to Authority (1:1-6)
2. The Night Visions (1:7-6:8)
 3. Crown for the High Priest (6:9-15)
4. A Question About Fasting (7:1-8:23)
5. Two Oracles (9-11; 12-14)
MALACHI:
A. Content: in six disputes with his people, Yahweh
warns them of future judgments and promises
redemption to the faithful
B. Prophet: Malachi (“my messenger”), otherwise
unknown
C. Date of Prophetic Activity: unknown; perhaps
ca. 460 B.C., just before the reforms of Ezra and
Nehemiah
D. Emphases: Yahweh is a covenant-keeping God
and requires the same of his people; God’s
people show disdain for God by their apathy and
moral and religious decline; God will judge his
people in justice for their halfhearted obedience
E. Outline of Malachi:
1. Heading (1:1)
2. Six Disputes (1:2-4:3)
3. Two Appended Words: the Law and the
Prophets (Moses and Elijah) (4:4-6)
THE NEW TESTAMENT
MATTHEW:
A. Content: the story of Jesus, including large
blocks of teaching, from the announcement of his
i birth to the commissioning of the disciples to
make disciples of the Gentiles
B. Author: anonymous; Papias (ca. A.D. 125)
attributes “the first Gospel” to the apostle
LUKE:
Matthew; scholarship is divided
C. Date: unknown (since he used Mark, very likely
in the 70s or 80s)
D. Recipients: unknown; but almost certainly
Jewish Christians with a commitment to the
Gentile mission, most commonly thought to have
lived in and around Antioch of Syria
E. Emphases: Jesus is the Son of God, the
(messianic) King of the Jews; Jesus is God
present with us in miraculous power; Jesus is the
church’s Lord; the teaching of Jesus has
continuing importance for God’s people; the
gospel of the kingdom is for all peoples—Jew
and Gentile alike
F. Outline of Matthew:
1.Prologue: Jesus’ Divine and Human Origins
(1:1-2:23)
2.Introduction to Jesus (3:1-4:11)
3.The Proclamation of the Kingdom (4:12-7:29)
4.The Power and Mission of the Kingdom
(8:1-10:42)
5.Opposition to Jesus (11:1-18:35)
6.Jerusalem Receives and Rejects Her King
(19:1-25:46)
7.The King is Tried, Crucified and Raised
(26:1-28:20)
MARK:
A. Content: the story of Jesus from his baptism to
his resurrection, about two-thirds of which tells
his ministry in Galilee, while the last third
narrates his final week in Jerusalem
45
B. Author: anonymous; attributed (by Papias, ca.
A.D. 125) to John Mark, a sometime companion
of Paul (Col 4:10) and later of Peter (1 Peter
5:13)
C. Date: ca. A.D. 65 (according to Papias, soon
after the deaths of Paul and Peter in Rome)
D. Recipients: the church in Rome (according to
Papias), which accounts for its preservation
along with the longer Matthew and Luke
E. Emphases: the time of God’s rule (the kingdom
of God) has come with Jesus; Jesus has brought
about the new exodus promised in Isaiah; the
kingly Messiah came in weakness, his identity a
secret except to those to whom it is revealed; the
way of the new exodus leads to Jesus’ death in
Jerusalem; the way of discipleship is to take up a
cross and follow him
F. Outline of Mark:
1. Prologue (1:1-15)
2. Part 1: The Kingdom Goes Public—
Disciples, Crowds, Opposition (1:16-3:6)
3. Part 2: The Mystery of the Kingdom—Faith,
Misunderstanding, Hard Hearts (3:7-8:21)
4. Part 3: The Mystery Unveiled—The Cross
and the Way of Discipleship (8:22-10:45)
5. Part 4: The King Comes to Jerusalem to Die
(10:46-15:47)
6. Epilogue: The Story is not Over (16:1-8)
A. Content: the story of Jesus as part 1 of Luke-
Acts, which is the story of the salvation of
“Israel,” which Christ and the Spirit have brought
about; part 1 begins with the announcement of
Jesus’ birth by the Spirit and carries through to
his ascension
B. Author: according to very early tradition, Luke
the physician and sometime companion of the
apostle Paul (see Col 4:14), the only Gentile
author in the Bible
C. Date: uncertain; scholars are divided between a
date before the death of Paul (ca. A.D. 64; see
Acts 28:30-31) and one after the fall of
Jerusalem (A.D. 70, because of his use of Mark)
D. Recipient(s): Theophilus us otherwise unknown;
in keeping with such prefaces in Greco-Roman
literature, he was probably the patron of Luke-
Acts, thus underwriting its publication; the implied
readers are Gentile Christians, whose place in
God’s story is ensured through the work of Jesus
Christ and the Spirit
E. Emphases: God’s Messiah has come to his
people, Israel, with the promised inclusion of
Gentiles; Jesus came to save the lost, including
every kind of marginalized person whom
traditional religion would put outside the
boundaries; Jesus’ ministry is carried out under
the power of the Holy Sprit; the necessity of
Jesus’ death and resurrection (which fulfilled OT
promises) for the forgiveness of sins
F. Outline of Luke:
1. The Prologue (1:1-4)
2. The Announcement and Birth of Jesus, the
Messiah (1:5-2:52)
3. Jesus’ Preparation for Ministry (3:1-4:13)
 4. The ministry of Jesus in Galilee (4:14-9:50)
5. On the Way to Jerusalem (9:51-19:44)
6. The Events of the End (and New Beginning)
in Jerusalem (19:45-24:53)
ACTS:
A. Content: part 2 of Luke’s account of the good
new about Jesus; how by the power of the Spirit
the good news spread from Jerusalem to Rome
B. Author: Same as Luke
C. Date: Same as Luke
D. Recipients: Same as Luke
E. Emphases: the good news of God’s salvation
through Jesus is for Jew and Gentile alike, thus
fulfilling OT expectations; the Holy Sprit guides
the church in spreading the good news; the
church has the good sense to side with God
regarding his salvation and the inclusion of the
Gentiles; salvation for all is God’s thing and
nothing can hinder it; the good new is accepted in
joy by some and rejected in anger by others
F. Outline of Acts:
1. The Good News Begins in Jerusalem
(1:1-6:7)
2. The Good News Spreads to Judea and
Samaria (6:8-9:31)
3. The Good News Spreads to the Gentiles
(9:32-28:30)
i
JOHN:
A. Content: the story of Jesus, Messiah and Son of
God, told from the perspective of postresurrection
insights; in his incarnation Jesus made God
known and made his life available to all through
the cross
B. Author: the beloved disciple who “wrote [these
things] down” (21:24) most likely refers to John
the apostle, son of Zebedee (otherwise not
named in this Gospel); the “we” of 21:24
suggests another person is responsible for the
Gospel in its final form
C. Date: unknown; probably ca. A.D. 90-95
D. Recipients: see 1 John, to which this Gospel is
closely related
E. Emphases: Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of
God; in his incarnation and the crucifixion, he
both revealed God’s love and redeemed
humanity; discipleship means to “remain in the
vine” (Jesus) and to bear fruit (to love as he
loved); the Holy Spirit will be given to his people
to continue his work
F. Outline of John:
1.Prologue (1:1-18)
2.The Messiah/Son of God is Manifested to His
Disciples (1:19-2:12)
3.The Messiah/Son of God is Manifested to the
World (2:13-12:50)
4.The Final Passover: The Messiah/Son of God
Dies for the World (13:1-20:31)
5.Epilogue (21)
ROMANS:
A. Content: a letter of instruction and exhortation
setting forth Paul’s understanding of the gospel—
the Jew and Gentile together form one people of
46
God, based on God’s righteousness received
through faith in Jesus Christ and on the gift of the
Spirit
B. Author: the apostle Paul
C. Date: ca. A.D. 57, from Corinth (cf. Rom
15:25-26 with 1 Cor 16:1-7)
D. Recipients: the church in Rome, which was
neither founded by Paul nor under his jurisdiction
—although he greets at least twenty-six people
known to him (16:3-16)
E. Occasion: a combination of three factors: 1)
Phoebe’s proposed visit to Rome, 2) Paul’s own
anticipated visit to Rome and desire that they
help him with his proposed mission to Spain, and
3) information about tensions between Jewish
and Gentile believers there
F. Emphases: Jews and Gentiles together as the
one people of God; the role of the Jews in God’s
salvation through Christ Jesus and effected by
the Spirit; the failure of the law and success of
the Spirit in producing righteousness; the need to
be transformed in mind (by the Spirit) so as to
live in unity as God’s people in the present
G. Outline of Romans:
1. Salutation (1:1-7)
2. Thanksgiving and Prayer (1:8-15)
3. The Thesis Stated (1:16-17)
4. Part 1: On Sin, the Law, Christ, and Faith
(1:18-5:11)
5. Part 2: On Sin, Christ, the Law, and the Spirit
(5:12-8:39)
6. Part 3: God’s faithfulness and Jewish
Unfaithfulness (9:1-11:36)
7. Part 4: The Practical Outworking of God’s
Righteousness (12:1-15:13)
8. Paul, the Gentile Mission, and Rome
(15:14-33)
9. Concluding Matters (16:1-27)
1 CORINTHIANS:
A. Content: a letter of correction, in which Paul
stands over against the Corinthians on issue after
issue, mostly behavioral, but which are
nevertheless betrayals of the gospel of Christ and
the life in the Spirit
B. Author: the apostle Paul
C. Date: ca. A.D. 53-54, from Ephesus (see 16:8)
D. Recipients: the church in Corinth, composed
mostly of Gentiles (12:2; 8:7)
E. Emphases: a crucified Messiah as the central
message of the gospel; the cross as God’s
wisdom and power; Christian behavior that
conforms to the gospel; the true nature of life in
the Spirit; the future bodily resurrection of the
Christian dead
F. Outline of 1 Corinthians:
1. Salutation (1:1-9)
2. Correction (1:10-15:58)
3. On the Collection for the Poor (16:1-11)
4. Concluding Matters (16:12-24)
2 CORINTHIANS:
A. Content: probably two letters (chs. 1-9; 10-13)
combined into one, dealing primarily with Paul’s
tenuous relationship with the Corinthian church
and in the process touching on several other
matters as well (Paul’s ministry, the collection for
the poor in Jerusalem, and some Jewish
Christian itinerants who have invaded the
church)
B. Author: the apostle Paul, joined by Timothy
C. Date: ca. A.D. 54-55, from Macedonia (2:13; 7:5)
—most likely Philippi
D. Recipients: see 1 Corinthians
E. Occasion: Titus’ return from a recent visit (7:5-7)
and Paul’s anticipated third visit to the church
(13:1) in light of 1) the church’s need to have the
collection ready before Paul gets there and 2)
their readiness to embrace some “false
apostles…masquerading as apostles of
Christ” (11:13)
F. Emphases: Christian ministry as servanthood,
reflecting that of Christ; the greater glory of the
new covenant in contrast to the old; the glory of
the gospel exhibited in the weakness of its
ministers; the gospel as reconciliation; giving to
the poor as an expression of generosity, not of
obligation
G. Outline of 2 Corinthians:
i 1. Salutation (1:1-11)
2. An Explanation of Paul’s Change of Plans
(1:12-2:13)
3. Paul, Minister of the New Covenant
(2:14-7:4)
4. The Explanation Renewed (7:5-16)
5. The Collection (8:1-9:15)
6. Defense of Paul’s Ministry Against False
Apostles (10:1-13:14)
GALATIANS:
A. Content: a heated argument with the (Gentile)
Galatian believers against some Jewish Christ
“missionaries” who insist that Gentiles be
circumcised if they are to be included in the
people of God
B. Author: the apostle Paul, joined by “all the
brothers and sisters” with him (1:2)
C. Date: probably ca. A.D. 55 (although some think
as early as 47-48), with no indication of place of
origin
D. Recipients: Gentile believers n Galatia, either
ethnic Galatians (whose territory in central Asia
Minor had been earlier settled by people from
Gaul [modern France]) or those in the Roman
province of Galatia, which also included peoples
of Pisidia, Lycaonia, and Phrygia (Acts 13-14; 16)
E. Occasion: the churches of Galatia have been
invaded by some agitators (5:12) who have
questioned Paul’s gospel and his apostleship;
apparently some Galatians are on the verge of
capitulating to them, which sparks a vigorous
defense by Paul of his gospel and his calling
F. Emphases: Paul’s apostleship and gospel come
directly from God and Christ, not through human
mediation; the death of Jesus has brought an
end to ethnic religious observances; the Spirit
produces the righteousness the law could not;
47
the Spirit enables believers not to yield to sinful
desires; one receives the Spirit through faith in
Christ Jesus
G. Outline of Galatians:
1. Salutation (1:1-5)
2. Defending the Gospel (1:6-6:10)
3. Conclusion: Circumcision No, the Cross Yes
(6:11-18)
EPHESIANS:
A. Content: a letter of encouragement and
exhortation, set against the backdrop of “the
powers” (6:12), portraying Christ’s bringing Jew
and Gentile together into the one people of God
as his ultimate triumph and glory
B. Author: the apostle Paul
C. Date: A.D. 61-62, probably from prison in Rome
D. Recipients: uncertain; perhaps a circular letter to
many churches in the province of Asia, of which
Ephesus is the capital (no city is given in the
earliest manuscripts; Paul assumes the readers
do no know him personally, 1:15; 3:2)
E. Occasion: Tychicus, who is carrying this letter
(6:21-22), is also carrying two letters to Colosse
(Colossians and Philemon [Col 4:7-9]); perhaps
after reflecting further on the Colossian situation
and on the glory of Christ, and knowing the Asian
fear of “the powers of this dark world,” Paul
writes a general pastoral letter for the churches
of that area
F. Emphases: the cosmic scope of the work of
Christ; Christ’s reconciliation of the Jew and
Gentile through the cross; Christ’s supremacy
over “the powers” for the sake of the church;
Christian behavior that reflects the unity of the
Spirit
G. Outline of Ephesians:
1. Introduction (1:1-23)
2. Reconciliation (2:1-3:21)
3. Unity (4:1-6:9)
4. Conclusion: Stand Strong Against the
Powers (6:10-20)
PHILIPPIANS:
A. Content: Paul’s thanksgiving for, encouragement
of, and exhortation to the suffering community of
believers in Philippi, who are also experiencing
some internal struggles
B. Author: the apostle Paul, joined by his younger
companion Timothy
C. Date: probably A.D. 62, almost certainly from
Rom
D. Recipients: the church in Philippi (mostly
Gentile), founded around A.D. 48-49 by Paul,
Silas, and Timothy; Philippi is located at the
eastern end of the vast plain of Macedonia on
the very important Egnatian Way, which
connected Rome with Byzantium (later
Constantinople and Istanbul
E. Occasion: Epaphroditus, who had brought
information about the church to Paul in prison
and delivered their gift to him (2:30; 4:18), is
about to return to Philippi, having now recovered
from a nearly fatal illness (2:26-27)
F. Emphases: Paul’s and the Philippians’
 partnership in the gospel; Christ as the key to all E. Occasion: the return of Timothy to Paul and
life, from beginning to end; knowing Christ, by Silas in Corinth; Timothy had been sent to
becoming like him in his death (sacrificing oneself Thessalonica to see how the new believers were
for others); rejoicing in Christ even in suffering; doing (see 3:5-7)
unity through humility and love; the certainty and F. Emphases: Paul’s loving concern for his friends
pursuit of the final prize in Thessalonica; suffering as part of Christian life;
G. Outline of Philippians: holiness regarding sexual matters; the need to do
1. Salutation (1:1-11) one’s own work and not live off the largesse of
2. Circumstances & Exhortations (1:12-4:9) others; the resurrection of the Christian dead;
3. Acknowledging Their Gift; Friendship and the readiness for Christ’s coming
Gospel (4:10-20) G. Outline of 1 Thessalonians (taken from
4. Closing Greetings (4:21-23) Expositors Bible Commentary):
1.Salutation (1:1)
2.Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians (1:2-10)
COLOSSIANS:
3.Vindication Before the Thessalonians (2:1-3:13)
A. Content: a letter encouraging relatively new
4.Exhortation to the Thessalonians (4:1-5:22)
believers to continue in the truth of Christ they
5.Conclusion (5:23-28)
have received, and warning them against outside
religious influences
2 THESSALONIANS:
B. Author: the apostle Paul, joined by his younger
A. Content: a letter of further encouragement in the
companion Timothy
face of suffering, of warning against being misled
C. Date: probably A.D. 60-61 (if Paul is in Rome, as
regarding the coming of the Lord, and of
is most likely)
exhortation for some to work with their own
D. Recipient(s): the (mostly Gentile) believers in
hands and not sponge off others
Colosse (Colosse was the least significant of
B. Author: the apostle Paul
three towns noted for their medicinal spas
C. Date: A.D. 51 (probably), very shortly after 1
[including Hierapolis and Laodicea] at a crucial
Thessalonians (although some would reverse the
crossroads in the Lycus River Valley,
order of our two letters)
i approximately 120 miles southwest of Ephesus);
the letter is also to be read, as an exchange, in
Laodicea (4:16)
E. Occasion: Epaphras, a Pauline coworker who
had founded the churches in the Lycus Valley,
D. Recipients: same as 1 Thessalonians
E. Occasion: Paul has received word that some
(probably by prophetic word) have spoken in
Paul’s name to the effect that the day of the Lord
(= the coming of Christ) has already taken place,
has recently come to paul bringing news of the
plus the fact that the disruptive loafers spoken to
church, mostly good but some less so
in 1 Thessalonians have not mended their ways
F. Emphases: the absolute supremacy and all-
F. Emphases: the sure salvation of the
sufficiency of Christ, the Son of God; that Christ
Thessalonian believers and the sure judgment of
both forgives sin and removes one from the terror
their persecutors; the day of the Lord is still
of “the powers”; religious rules and regulations
ahead and will be preceded by “the rebellion”;
count for nothing, but ethical life that bears God’s
those who are idle and disruptive should work for
own image counts for everything; Christlike living
their food
affects relationships of all kinds
G. Outline of 2 Thessalonians (taken from
G. Outline of Colossians:
Expositors Bible Commentary):
1. Salutation (1:1-2)
1. Salutation (1:1-2)
2. Thanksgiving and Prayer (1:3-14)
2. Assurance of Repayment at God’s Righteous
3. The Supremacy of the Son of God (1:15-23)
Judgment (1:3-12)
4. Paul’s Role (1:24-2:5)
3. Assurance of Noninvolvement in the Day of
5. Christ Over Against Religious Seductions of
the Lord (2:1-17)
All Kinds (2:6-23)
4. Encouragement to Gainful Employment for
6. The New Basis for Christian Behavior
the Present (3:1-15)
(3:1-11)
5. Conclusion (3:16-18)
7. What Christian Life Looks Like (3:12-4:6)
8. Final Greetings (4:7-18)
1 TIMOTHY:
A. Content: an indictment of some false teachers—
1 THESSALONIANS:
their character and teachings—with instructions
A. Content: a letter of thanksgiving,
on various community matters these teachers
encouragement, exhortation, and information for
have brought to crisis, interspersed with words of
very recent Gentile believers in Christ
encouragement to Timothy
B. Author: the apostle Paul
B. Author: the apostle Paul (although doubted by
C. Date: A.D. 50 or 51, while Paul is in Corinth,
many)
probably the earliest document in the NT
C. Date: A.D. 62-63, from Macedonia (probably
D. Recipients: quite new converts to Christ in
Philippi or Thessalonica), apparently after his
Thessalonica, mostly Gentile—Thessalonica was
(expected) release from the imprisonment noted
a northern Aegean seaport that also sat astraddle
in Philippians 1:13 and 2:23-24
the Egnatian Way; in the time of Paul it was the
D. Recipient(s): Timothy, a longtime, younger
chief city of Macedonia
48
 companion of Paul; and (ultimately) the church in
Ephesus (the grace-benediction in 6:21 is plural)
E. Occasion: Paul has left Timothy in charge of a
very difficult situation in the church in Ephesus,
where false teachers (probably local elders) are
leading some house churches astray; Paul writes
to the whole church through Timothy in order to
strengthen Timothy’s hand in stopping these stray
elders and some younger widows who have
followed them
F. Emphases: the truth of the gospel as God’s
mercy shown toward all people; character
qualifications for church leadership; speculative
teachings, asceticism, and love of controversy
and money disqualify one from church
leadership; Timothy, by holding fast to the gospel,
should model genuine Christian character and
leadership
G. Outline of 1 Timothy:
1. Salutation (1:1-2)
2. First Charge to Timothy (1:3-20)
3. Instructions on Community Matters (2:1-15)
4. Qualifications for Church Leaders (3:1-13)
5. The Purpose for the Letter (3:14-4:5)
6. Renewed Charge to Timothy (4:6-16)
7. On Widows and Elders (and Slaves)
(5:1-6:2b)
8. Final Indictment of the False Teachers
i
2 TIMOTHY:
(6:2c-10)
9. Final Charge to Timothy (6:11-21)
A. Content: an appeal to Timothy to remain loyal to
Christ, to the gospel, and to Paul, including a final
salvo at the false teachers (of 1 Timothy)
B. Author: the apostle Paul (though doubted by
many)
C. Date: ca. A.D. 64, from a prison in Rome (the lion
in 4:17 is an allusion to Nero or to the empire
itself)
D. Recipient(s): Timothy primarily; secondarily to
the church (the first “you” in 4:22 is singular, the
final one is plural)
E. Occasion: Paul has been once more arrested
and taken to Rome (most likely from Troas and at
the instigation of Alexander, 4:13-15 [probably the
same man who was disfellowshiped in 1 Tim
1:19-20]); the letter urges Timothy to come to
Paul’s side, but mostly offers him a kind of last
will and testament
F. Emphases: the saving work of Christ, “who has
destroyed death and brought life… through the
gospel” (1:10); loyalty to Christ by perseverance
in suffering and hardship; loyalty to Paul by
recalling their longtime relationship; loyalty to the
gospel by being faithful in proclaiming/teaching
“the word” (= the gospel message); the deadly
spread, but final demise, of false teaching; the
final salvation of those who are Christ’s
G. Outline of 2 Timothy:
1. Salutation and Thanksgiving (1:1-5)
2. First Appeal (1:6-2:13)
3. Context for the Appeal: The False Teachers
(2:14-3:9)
4. Final Appeal (3:10-4:8)
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5. The First Reason for the Letter (4:9-18)
6. Final Greetings (4:19-22)
TITUS:
A. Content: instructions to Titus for setting in order
the church(es) on Crete, including the
appointment of qualified elders and the
instruction of various social groups, set against
the backdrop of some false teachers
B. Author: ca. A.D. 62-63, apparently from
Macedonia at about the same time as 1 Timothy
(see 3:12; Nicopolis is on the Adriatic coast of
Macedonia)
C. Recipient(s): Titus, a Gentile and sometime
traveling companion of Paul (see Gal 2:1-3; 2 Cor
7:6-16; 8:6, 16-24; 12:17-18); and the churches
on Crete (Titus 3:15, “you all”)
D. Occasion: Paul had left Titus on Crete to finish
setting the churches in order, while he and
Timothy (apparently) went on to Ephesus, where
they met a very distressing situation (see 1 Tim).
But Paul had to go on to Macedonia (1 Tim 1:3;
cf. Phil 2:19-24); perhaps the Holy Spirit
reminded him while writing 1 Timothy that some
similar problems had emerged in Crete, so he
addressed the churches through a letter to Titus
E. Emphases: God’s people must be and do good
—this is especially true of church leaders; the
gospel of grace stands over against false
teachings based on the Jewish law
F. Outline of Titus (taken from Expositors Bible
Commentary):
1. Salutation (1:1-4)
2. Concerning Elders and Errorists in Crete
(1:5-16)
3. Concerning the Natural Groups in the
Congregations (2:1-15)
4. Concerning Believers Among Men Generally
(3:1-11)
5. Conclusion (3:12-15)
PHILEMON:
A. Content: the sole purpose of this letter is to
secure forgiveness for a (probably runaway)
slave named Onesimus
B. Author: the apostle Paul, joined by his younger
companion Timothy
C. Date: probably A.D. 60-61
D. Recipient(s): Philemon is a Gentile believer in
Colosse (see Col 4:9), in whose house a church
meets; the salutation and final greeting indicate
that Paul expected Philemon to share the letter
with the church
E. Occasion: Onesimus has recently been
converted and has been serving Paul, who is in
prison; now Onesimus is being sent back to
Philemon, accompanied by Tychicus, who is also
carrying letters to the churches in Colosse
(Colossians) and Asia (Ephesians)
F. Emphases: the gospel reconciles people to one
another, not only Jew (Paul) and Gentile
(Philemon), but also (runaway) slave and master,
making them all brothers!
G. Outline of Philemon:
1. Salutation (1-3)
 2. Thanksgiving and Prayer (4-7)
3. The Appeal (8-21)
4. Personal Word and Greetings (22-25)
HEBREWS:
A. Content: a “word of exhortation” (13:22) sent in
letter form, encouraging faithful perseverance in
light of the superlative final word God has spoken
in Christ
B. Author: unknown; a second-generation believer
(2:3), who was a skilled preacher and interpreter
of Scripture, with an excellent command of Greek
(it came into the canon among Paul’s letters, but
definitely not by him)
C. Date: unknown; guesses range from A.D. 50-90;
probably before 70 (since the author gives no hint
that the Jewish temple has been destroyed)
D. Recipients: an unknown but specific group of
(predominantly) Jewish Christians; perhaps a
house church in Rome (13:24) that is opting out
of relationships with the larger Christian
community (10:25; 13:7, 17)
E. Occasion: the community is discouraged
because of suffering (10:35-39) and perhaps from
doubts about whether Jesus really took care of
sin; the author writes to convince them to “not
throw away your confidence” (10:35; cf. 2:1; 4:14)
F. Emphases: God has spoken his absolutely final
i word in his Son; to abandon Christ is to abandon
God altogether; Christ is superior to everything
that went before—the old revelation, its angelic
mediators, the first exodus (Moses and Joshua),
and the whole priestly system; God’s people can
have full confidence in God’s Son, the perfect
high priest, who gives all people ready access to
God
G. Outline of Hebrews:
1. Introduction (1:1-3)
2. The Supremacy of God’s Son (1:4-4:13)
3. The Supremacy of the Son’s High Priesthood
(4:14-10:18)
4. Final Exhortation to Perseverance
(10:19-12:29)
5. Concluding Practical Exhortations and
Greetings (13:1-25)
JAMES:
A. Content: a treatise composed of short moral
essays, emphasizing endurance in hardship and
responsible Christian living, with special concern
that believers practice what they preach and live
together in harmony
B. Author: James, brother of our Lord (Gal 1:19),
who led the church in Jerusalem for many years
(Acts 15; Gal 2:1-13)—although questioned by
many
C. Date: unknown; dated anywhere from mid-40s
A.D. to the 90s, depending on authorship;
probably earlier than later
D. Recipients: believers in Christ among the Jewish
Diaspora
E. Occasion: unknown, but the treatise shows
concern for real conditions in the churches,
including several trials, dissensions caused by
50
angry and judgmental words, and abuse of the
poor by the wealthy
F. Emphases: practical faith on the part of
believers; joy and patience in the midst of trials;
the nature of true (Christian) wisdom; attitudes of
the rich toward the poor; abuse and proper use of
the tongue
G. Outline of James:
1. Salutation (1:1-18)
2. Putting the Faith into Practice (1:19-2:26)
3. Dissension in the Community (3:1-4:12)
4. To the Rich and the Poor (4:13-5:11)
5. Concluding Exhortations (5:12-20)
1 PETER:
A. Content: a letter of encouragement to Christians
undergoing suffering, instructing them how to
respond Christianly to their persecutors and
urging them to live lives worthy of their calling
B. Author: the apostle Peter; written by Silas (5:12),
the sometime companion of Paul
C. Date: ca. A.D. 64-65 from Rome (5:13, Babylon
was used by both Jews and Christians to refer to
Rome as a place of exile)
D. Recipients: mostly Gentile believers (1:14, 18;
2:9-10; 4:3-4) in the five provinces in the
northwest quadrant of Asia Minor (modern
Turkey), referred to—with a play on the Jewish
Diaspora—as strangers (= exiles) in the world
E. Occasion: probably concern over an outbreak of
local persecution that some newer believers
(2:2-3) were experiencing as a direct result of
their faith in Christ
F. Emphases: suffering for the sake of
righteousness should not surprise us; believers
should submit to unjust suffering the way Christ
did; Christ suffered on our behalf to free us from
sin; God’s people should live righteously at all
times, but especially in the face of hostility; our
hope for the future is based on the certainty of
Christ’s resurrection
G. Outline of 1 Peter:
1. Salutation (1:1-2)
2. A Berakah (Blessing of God) (1:3-12)
3. The Call to Holy Living as God’s People
(1:13-2:10)
4. The Call Particularized in Various Pagan
Settings (2:11-3:7)
5. The Call Generalized—in the Face of
Hostility (3:8-4:11)
6. Conclusion: Suffering, Hope, and Christian
Conduct (4:12-5:11)
7. Final Greeting (5:12-14)
2 PETER:
A. Content: a “farewell speech” sent as a letter,
urging Christian growth and perseverance in light
of some false teachers who both deny the
second coming of Christ and live boldly in sin
B. Author: the apostle Peter, although questioned
both in the early church and by most NT scholars;
possibly a disciple who wrote a kind of “testament
of Peter” for the church
C. Date: ca. A.D. 64 (if by Peter); later if by a
disciple
 D. Recipients: an unknown but specific group of
believers
E. Occasion: a desire to establish the readers in
their own faith and godly living, while warning
them of the false teachers and their way of life
F. Emphases: concern that God’s people grow in
and exhibit godliness; the sure judgment on the
false teachers for their ungodly living; certainty of
the Lord’s coming, despite the scoffing of the
false teachers
G. Outline of 2 Peter:
1. Salutation (1:1-2)
2. The Themes Stated: Godliness and the
Eternal Kingdom (1:3-11)
3. Peter’s Last Testament (1:12-21)
4. The Indictment of the False Teachers
(2:1-22)
5. The Nature of the False Teaching: Denial of
the Lord’s Coming (3:1-10)
6. Exhortation and Conclusion (3:11-18)
1 JOHN:
A. Content: a treatise that offers assurance to some
specific believers, encouraging their loyalty to
Christian faith and practice—in response to some
false prophets who have left the community
B. Author: the same author who wrote 2 and 3
John, who there calls himself “the elder”; a solid
i historical tradition equated him with the apostle
John
C. Date: unknown; probably toward the end of the
first Christian century (late 80s, early 90s).
D. Recipients: a Christian community (or
communities) well known to the author (whom he
calls “dear children” and “dear friends”; the false
prophets defected “from us,” 2:19); it has
traditionally been thought to be located in our
around Ephesus
E. Occasion: the defection of the false prophets
and their followers, who have called into question
the orthodoxy—both teaching and practice—of
those who have remained loyal to what goes
back to the “beginning”
F. Emphases: that Jesus who came in the flesh is
the Son of God; that Jesus showed God’s love for
us through his incarnation and crucifixion; that
true believers love one another as God loved
them in Christ; that God’s children do not
habitually sin, but when we do sin, we receive
forgiveness; that believers can have full
confidence in the God who loves them; that by
trusting in Christ we now have eternal life
G. Outline of 1 John (taken from Expositors Bible
Commentary):
1. Preface (1:1-4)
2. Requirements for Fellowship with God Who
is Light (1:5-2:28)
3. Requirements for Fellowship with God Who
is Righteous (2:29-4:6)
4. Requirements for Fellowship with God Who
is Love (4:7-5:12)
5. Concluding Remarks (5:13-21)
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2 JOHN:
A. Content: “the elder” warns against false teachers
who deny the incarnation of Christ
B. Author: same as 1 John
C. Date: same as 1 John
D. Recipients: the “lady chosen by God” is either a
single, local congregation or a woman who hosts
a house church; “her children” are the members
of the believing community
E. Occasion: John is concerned that after the
defection of the false prophets from his
community, they might spread their teaching in
another community of faith
F. Emphases: same as 1 John
G. Outline of 2 John (taken from Expositors Bible
Commentary):
1. Introduction (1-3)
2. A Formal Word of Instruction (4-11)
3. Conclusion (12-13)
3 JOHN:
A. Content: to borrow the words of the NT scholar
Archibald M. Hunter, 3 John is al about “the
Elder, who wrote it; Gaius, who received it;
Diotrephes, who provoked it; and Demetrius, who
carried it”
B. Author: the same elder who wrote 2 John
C. Date: probably in the A.D. 90s
D. Recipient: Gaius, a beloved friend of the elder
who lives in another town; other believers are to
be greeted by name (v. 14)
E. Occasion: an earlier letter to the church had
been scorned by Diotrephes, who also refused
hospitality to the elder’s friend(s) and
disfellowshipped those who would do so;
consequently John writes to Gaius, urging him to
welcome Demetrius
F. Emphases: the obligations of Christian
hospitality, especially toward approved itinerant
ministers
G. Outline of 3 John (taken from Expositors Bible
Commentary):
1. Salutation (1)
2. Personal Words to Gaius (2-4)
3. Commendation for Gaius’ Hospitality (5-8)
4. Complaints Against Diotrephes (9-10)
5. Exhortation and Endorsement of Demetrius
(11-12)
6. Personal Remarks and Farewell Greetings
(13-15)
JUDE:
A. Content: a pastoral letter of exhortation, full of
strong warning against some false teachers who
have “secretly slipped in” among them
B. Author: Jude, who modestly describes himself
as “the brother of James” (thus of Jesus), but
does not consider himself an apostle (v. 17)
C. Date: unknown; probably later in the first
Christian century (after A.D. 70), since the
apostolic “faith” seems to be well in place (vv. 3,
17)
D. Recipients: unknown; probably a single
congregation of predominately Jewish Christians
somewhere in Palestine who were all acquainted
 with both the OT and Jewish apocalyptic
literature
E. Occasion: the threat posed by some itinerants
who have turned grace into license and who have
“wormed their way in” (NEB) to the church
F. Emphases: the certain judgment on those who
live carelessly and teach others to do so; the
importance of holy living; God’s love for and
preservation of his faithful ones
G. Outline of Jude:
1. Salutation (1-2)
2. The Cause of the Letter (3-4)
3. Three Warning Examples (5-7)
4. Second Description of the False Teachers
(8-10)
5. Further Warning Examples (11-16)
6. The Apostolic Warning (17-19)
7. A Call to Persevere and to Help Others
(20-23)
8. Benediction (24-25)

REVELATION:
A. Content: a Christian prophecy cast in
apocalyptic style and imagery and finally put in
letter form, dealing primarily with tribulation
(suffering) and salvation for God’s people and
God’s wrath (judgment) on the Roman Empire
i B. Author: a man named John (1:1, 4, 9), well
known to the recipients, traditionally identified as
the apostle, the son of Zebedee (Matt 10:2)
C. Date: ca. A.D. 95 (according to Irenaeus [ca. A.D.
180])
D. Recipients: churches in the Roman province of
Asia, who show a mix of fidelity and internal
weaknesses
E. Occasion: the early Christians’ refusal to
participate in the cult of the emperor (who was
acclaimed “lord” and “savior”) was putting them
on a collision course with the state; John saw
prophetically that it would get worse before it got
better and that the churches were poorly
prepared for what was about to take place, so he
writes both to warn and encourage them and to
announce God’s judgment against Rome
F. Emphases: despite appearances to the contrary,
God is in absolute control of history; although
God’s people are destined for suffering in the
present, God’s sure salvation belongs to them;
God’s judgment will come on those responsible
for the church’s suffering; in the end (Rev 21-22)
God will restore what was lost and distorted at
the beginning (Gen 1-3)
G. Outline of Revelation:
1. Introduction: The Historical Setting (chs. 1-3)
2. Introductory Visions: The scene in Heaven
and on Earth (4:1-8:5)
3. Preliminary (Temporal) Judgments on the
Empire (8:6-11:19)
4. Conflict Between the Church and the Evil
Powers (12:1-14:20)
5. The Seven Bowls: God’s Judgment Against
“Babylon” (15:1-16:21)
6. Wrap-Up: The (Original) Tale of Two Cities
(17:1-22:21)

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 RESOURCES:

 Beginner Level:
Concordance – helps you find verses by key words (NIV Exhaustive Concordance).
Bible Dictionary – gives you definitions of Bible words (Smith’s Bible Dictionary,
Nelsons New Illustrated Dictionary, Vines Bible Dictionary of Greek Words)
Study Bible – gives you references and some notes to help (NIV Study Bible,
Thompson Chain)
Haley’s Bible Handbook

 Intermediate Level:
A Bible Handbook – gives you background info and cool pictures to reference
(Eerdmans Handbook, Holman Handbook, Zondervan Handbook)
Commentaries – (NIBC, Jewish NT Commentary, Wuest Word Studies, Zondervan
Illustrated Background Commentary)
More Advanced Study Bible – (Archaeology Study Bible, Apologetics Study Bible)
Encyclopedia – Topical and Alphabetical arrangement of subjects (ISBE,
Zondervan Illustrated Encyclopedia).
Sketches of Jewish social life (Alfred Edersheim)
Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (Edersheim)

 Advanced Level:
Bible Language Interlinear – Has original language and English underneath.
Fritz Reineker’s Linguistic Key to the NT
Vincent’s Greek Word Studies
Analytical Greek Lexicon
Kittel’s Dictionary of Theology
Liddel and Scott’s Lexicon (the gold standard)
Walter Bauer’s Lexicon (the silver standard)

 Online Resources:
blueletterbible.org - bible search and study tools.
jewishencyclopedia.com – a truck load of background on Jesus’ world.
biblegateway.com – online concordance, versions and Hebrew and Greek texts
ntwrightpage.com – Collection of historian NT Wright’s material and lectures.

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