Tools for Hermeneutics
The student will post two (2) threads of 400 words each and you must support your assertions with at three (3) scholarly citations from a minimum of two (2) sources in current Turabian format. Each reply must incorporate at least one (1) scholarly citation in current Turabian format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last five years. Acceptable sources include the Bible, textbooks, scholarly articles.
1. Using the 9 items to consider when reading sentences as listed in chapter 3 of Grasping God’s Word (i.e., repetition of words, contrasts, comparisons, lists, cause and effect, figures of speech, conjunctions, verbs, pronouns), list as many observations as you can find in Acts 1:8. You may list these by noting what category the item falls under (e.g., “contrasts”) and then offering an example of that item. For example, an observation would be to note that the sentence starts off with the conjunction “but,” which connects the sentence to the one above it in a contrasting matter. This item could be listed under both “conjunctions” and “contrasts.” We will follow the basic instructions for this assignment as given on page 64 of your text. Do not offer an interpretation or an application of the text. At this point list as many of the 9 items as you can find.
How do you think this exercise helps you to understand the text better? What did you discover that you did not already notice about this passage?
2. Utilizing the 9 items a reader should observe in paragraphs (see chapter 4 of Grasping God’s Word), list as many of these items as you can observe in Philippians 2:1–4. Offer the items as a list (e.g., you could list the “emotional terms” of the passage including such words as “encouragement” or “comfort”). The goal here is to see how many of the 9 you can find in Philippians 2. We are not interested here in interpretation or application, just observations concerning the details of the paragraph with regards to the 9 items a reader should observe.
What details did you discover that you had not noticed before? How do you think this exercise can help you to interpret the text better?
