STUDYING THE

Prepared by the Reverend Brent Anderson

WHAT IS THE BIBLE? The word “Bible” is derived from a plural Greek word, into covenant relation with the God of justice and ta biblia, “the little scrolls” or “the books”. While steadfast love and to bring God’s way and blessings to many think of the Bible as a single book, it is actually a the nations. The is considerably short- collection of books—a collection of many diverse er than the Old Testament. It consists of twenty-seven writings from our ancestors in the faith who tell the books written entirely in Greek. It records the life, story of God and God’s love. Like an ancestral scrap- work and significance of Christ (including the book, the Bible is the witness of God’s people of God’s practical and ethical implications of following him) and commitment to Israel—and through Israel to the it describes the spread of the early Christian church as world—and God’s decisive activity on behalf of the well as a vision of God’s ultimate desires for God’s world through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus people and creation. Christ. It is a book that gathers the testimonies and THE PURPOSE OF BIBLE STUDY confessions of the ancient Israelites and early Chris- Our goal in studying the Bible is not primarily to learn tians regarding the nature and will of God—revealing information—to learn the history or story of God’s who God is and what God is like. people. And our goal is not simply to learn about God. The Bible is separated into two sections: the Old Tes- Instead, our goal is always, first and foremost, to know tament and the New Testament. The term “Old Testa- God—to enter into an ever-deepening relationship ment” is used by Christians to refer to those books of with God through Christ. We study to understand, to the Christian Bible which are regarded as sacred scrip- grow, and to respond. Scripture is a place where God ture by Judaism. It consists of thirty-nine books and is meets us as the living, loving, saving God who is active written almost entirely in Hebrew, the language of Is- in the world. Through Scripture, God draws us in and rael. It sets forth the call of a special people to enter transforms us in ways beyond our imagination.

INFORMATIONAL READING VERSUS FORMATIONAL READING* There is a difference between informational reading and formational reading. Both are necessary, helpful and needed when studying scripture. Informational reading seeks to understand the details and content of a passage of scripture. We read the Bible informationally to hear the biblical story, to familiarize ourselves with the plot, to understand the actions and the teachings, and to become acquainted with the characters. In formational reading, we approach the text in a spirit of prayer. We acknowledge that we are seeking the living, active presence of God in and through God’s Word. We come to the text with an openness to hear, to receive and to respond. We make listening for God’s voice a priority. We keep asking “God, what are you seeking to say to me through this?” There is an openness and humility and sense of mystery in formational reading. It facilitates genu- ine spiritual formation—the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

*adapted from ch. 5 of Shaped by the Word: The Power of Scripture in Spiritual Formation (Upper Room Books, 1985) by M. Robert Mulholland Jr. Meeting God through Reading Scripture

Prepared by the Reverend Brent Anderson

“Our goal in reading the Bible is not to learn about God. Our goal in reading the Bible is to know God—to enter into an ever-deepening relationship with God through Christ.”

GATHER this time to God and that God calls Ask: “God, what are you trying to you to be a light to the world. And say to me in this passage?” Gather the following tools: note- then open your time together with book or journal, pen, candle, God and the scriptures in prayer. RECORD , and a copy of the Prayerfully ask God to meet you Doubleday Pocket Bible Guide or and speak to you through these Write down the things that you another resource containing the scriptures. notice in your notebook. Write Revised Common Lectionary. A down any questions you have or tablet or computer can also be “God be present with me now as I any insights you gain. Do this for helpful as there are numerous val- dedicate this time to you. Open each of the four assigned read- uable resources on the internet. my heart and my mind—make me ings. Beyond the typical Who, attentive to your voice. Speak to What, Where, When, Why and me through these words of scrip- How questions, consider answer- PREPARE ture so that I can know you better ing the following: Open your journal or notebook and in knowing you, respond by and write the date for the follow- living according to your Word.  What does this passage say ing Sunday at the top of the page Help me to reflect your light and about God? along with the references to the your love in this world through  What does this passage say assigned lectionary scripture pas- Christ our Lord. Amen.” about humanity? sages. I suggest using two pages each week—one page for the Old  What does this passage say Testament, Psalm and Epistle READ about our relationship with readings and one page for the Read through each of the scrip- God? Gospel reading. This is where you ture readings one at a time. Read  What does this passage say will write your questions, your them slowly, meditatively, and about our relationship with expectantly. The goal is not to get reflections and your insights. the world?

through as much scripture as pos- sible in the fastest time possible. Also consider the question: PRAY The goal is to let the words of  God, how are you asking me Give yourself the time and space scripture to dwell inside of you— to live my life differently to- to quiet yourself down—to be- to let them speak to your heart day in response to your come still, relinquish your agenda, and mind. Word? and acknowledge the presence of

God. Find a quiet place, set apart, What comes to your mind as you where you can remain uninter- read them? What do you notice? PRAY Is there anything that bothers you, rupted. Light a candle as a symbol Relax and enjoy being in God’s puzzles you, inspires you, or sur- of God’s presence—to remind presence for a few moments. prises you? yourself that you are dedicating Then close your time in prayer.

“What we need and seek in the Bible is not the Bible, but God. Scripture is a place where God meets us as the living, loving, saving God who is active in the world. Through Scripture, God draws us in and transforms us in ways beyond our imagination.” BIBLE STUDY THE EIGHT STEPS OF BIBLICAL EXEGESIS DIGGING DEEPER

❶ FIND A QUIET PLACE ❸ READ FOR BASIC UNDERSTANDING Find a comfortable place where you are least likely to Read through the scripture passage carefully and be distracted or disturbed. Gather a Pen, Notebook, attentively to make sure that you have a straightfor- Bible, Bible Dictionary, Concordance, Lectionary Re- ward understanding of the text. If you come across source, and a Tablet or Computer (if desired). A table any unfamiliar terms, look them up in the glossary at or a desk will allow you to spread out while keeping all the back of your Bible or in a good Bible Dictionary. of your books and other resources ready at your fin- Pay attention to any footnotes in the text These will gertips. Spend a few moments to quiet yourself down. usually tell you where the interpreters had to make Close your eyes and open yourself to God’s presence. difficult decisions. Typically a word or phrase can have A candle is a helpful reminder of God’s presence as a variety of meanings and interpreters need to use well as God’s call for you to be a light to the world. As their best judgment to determine which meaning is you light a candle, offer your time and your attention intended by the author. Some footnotes will point to to God in prayer. the fact that there is a disagreement among ancient ❷ SELECT A PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE manuscripts as to what a verse actually says. Some- Consult the Revised Common Lectionary to see which times different manuscripts will include extra words or texts might be assigned for the coming Sunday and phrases and sometimes words or phrases will be miss- determine which text you intend to study more thor- ing in other ancient manuscripts. Make note of any oughly. Once selected, make sure you know where important differences in your notes. the text begins and ends. Examine what comes before Consider asking some basic questions of the text—the and what comes after in order to see whether you who, what, where, when, why, and how questions. agree with the breaks proposed by the Lectionary. ↗ Who is involved—what people or groups? What ↙

“The Bible is not primarily a book of information, it is story. It is God’s story. It is our story. It’s the story that teaches us to love the right things, to dream the right things, to practice the right things.” happens—what is the sequence of events? Where does this story take place and why might that be sig- EIGHT SIMPLE STEPS TO nificant? When does this story take place and why might that be significant? Why does this story take IN-DEPTH BIBLE STUDY place—what is the reason or purpose for this event? Consider writing some answers to these questions in ❶ FIND A QUIET PLACE your journal or notebook. Remember, you are not seeking to uncover any hidden meanings or delve into ❷ SELECT A PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE the theological implications of the text. You simply want to understand the text in its basic most ❸ READ FOR BASIC UNDERSTANDING straightforward meaning. ❹ CONSIDER THE CONTEXT ❹ CONSIDER THE CONTEXT Investigate the literary context of the text. Skim ❺ QUESTION THE TEXT through or read the surrounding passages. How do the passages that precede and follow what is ❻ SEEK ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS happening in this text? Remember that the Bible is not primarily a book of information, it is story. How ❼ SUMMARIZE YOUR DISCOVERIES does this particular story or argument fit into the larg- ❽ CLOSE IN PRAYER er story or argument of the book you are studying?

Prepared by the Reverend Brent Anderson BIBLE STUDY THE EIGHT STEPS OF BIBLICAL EXEGESIS DIGGING DEEPER

Sometimes looking at your Study Bible’s outline can be listening to what the text actually says. Listen carefully helpful (normally found in the Introduction to each to the text. Try to avoid letting your preconceived ide- book). Ask yourself: How does the context of this as define your interpretation of the text. passage shape my understanding of the text? ❻ SEEK ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS Another part of investigating the context of the text is Now is the time to test what you have heard—to in- to understand this text within its larger Biblical con- vestigate the answers to your questions and try to de- text. Look for any cross-references listed in the notes termine what God is trying to say to you and the of your Study Bible. Use the concordance to find church through this text. where other passages of scripture might relate to this text or shed light on what is said. Take a look at your list of questions and determine which questions are most sig- Read not only the cross- “Hold the text up in front nificant or important. Then referenced passages them- seek out answers to those selves, but always pay atten- of you, look at it from all questions. Use commen- tion to their context. Some- taries, Bible introductions, times biblical authors will angles, and ask it and scholarly websites (like quote a small portion of what you find at scripture, knowing that this absolutely anything that www.enterthebible.com) to will trigger people’s memo- help you. The scholarly notes ries of that quote’s larger you think is worth in your Study Bible can be context or story. Sometimes discovering, investigating helpful as well. The point of it’s not the quote, but a your seeking these answers is quote’s context that en- or noticing.” so that you can better know hances our understanding. God and God’s desires for Also, when studying the gospels, look to see if this pas- you, God’s people, and all of God’s creation. sage has a parallel in any of the other gospels. How did the other gospel writers tell this story differently? ❼ SUMMARIZE YOUR DISCOVERIES Sometimes the parallel story in another gospel can Having read commentaries and others study aids, try reveal differences (small or large) that can serve as reading the passage one last time. Consider how your interpretive clues. understanding has changed. What new and inter- esting discoveries did you make? Does this passage ❺ QUESTION THE TEXT help you understand God in a new and interesting Now wrestle with the text. Question the text. Chal- way? How does this passage challenge you or lenge the text. Argue with it. Give yourself the free- strengthen you as a disciple of Christ? How does the dom to ask the text anything. Don’t worry about biblical story shape your desires and fears, hopes and whether your questions are too basic or too difficult; actions? How is God calling you to respond to what theologically incorrect or irreverent. Bombard the text you have learned or discovered? Write your answers with every honest question you can think up. This is in your notebook. not the time for trying to find the answers. This is the One fun and helpful way to think about summarizing a time for questions. text is to imagine that a friend of yours missed the ser- Hold the text up in front of you, look at it from all an- mon on Sunday. Imagine that you see them at lunch gles, and ask it absolutely anything that you think is and they say “Hey! I missed worship today. I heard worth discovering, investigating or noticing. Write that the gospel lesson was fascinating. What was it your questions down in your journal or notebook. about? What did I miss?” How would you quickly and succinctly respond to your friend? Using only a sen- The purpose of asking so many questions of the text is tence or two, write your answer in your journal or to free ourselves from all of our previous assumptions notebook. so that the text is free to speak to us anew. Some- times we see a word or a phrase in the text and we ❽ CLOSE IN PRAYER assume we know what it means based on what we’ve Close your time in prayer by thanking God for any new been taught in a sermon or some other location. And insights you have gained and asking God to help you we impose our assumptions on the text rather than embrace, proclaim and live out what you have learned. Tools for Bible Study

STUDY COMMENTARY SERIES A good Study Bible will contain most of the things one  For Everyone by NT Wright (Westminster John Knox needs to study sacred scripture well: Introductions to Press) each book, helpful maps and tables, footnotes from  The New Daily Study Bible by William Barclay experts on the Bible and the Ancient Near East, a glos- (Westminster John Knox Press) sary and a concordance. Several study bibles I recom- mend are:  The New Interpreters Bible (Abingdon Press)  The New – Fourth Edition  Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching by and Preaching (Westminster John Knox Press)  The New Interpreter’s Study Bible by Abingdon Press BIBLE INTRODUCTIONS  An Introduction to the Old Testament by Walter  The HarperCollins Study Bible by HarperCollins Pub- Brueggemann (Louisville: Westminster John Knox lishers Press, 2003)  The NIV Study Bible by  Understanding the Old Testament – 5th Edition by Bernhard Anderson, Steven Bishop, & Judith New- RECOMMENDED BIBLE VERSION – NRSV man (2006) New (NRSV) considered to  Introducing the New Testament by Marianne be the most ecumenical modern literal translation. Thompson, Joel B. Green and Paul J. Achtemeier (Eerdmans, 2001) THE REVISED COMMON LECTIONARY  Doubleday Pocket Bible Guide by Linda Grenz  The Writings of the New Testament by Luke Timo- (Doubleday, 1997) thy Johnson (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1999)  A Guide to Prayer for All Who Walk with God by  A Critical Introduction to the New Testament by Reuben Job & Norman Shawchuck (UpperRoom, Carl Holladay (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005) 2013)  Introduction to the New Testament by Raymond Brown (New York: Anchor Bible, 1997) BIBLE DICTIONARIES  A Beginners Guide to the New Testament by Wil-  The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary – Revised and liam Barclay (Westminster John Knox Press, 1995) Updated edited by Mark Allan Powell (2011)  Anchor Bible Dictionary (6 Volumes) edited by David WEBSITES WORTH VISITING Noel Freedman (1992)  lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu CONCORDANCES  www.enterthebible.org  The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concord-  www.workingpreacher.org ance of the Bible by James Strong (Thomas Nelson,  www.textweek.com 2010)  www.biblia.com  Exhaustive Concordance: New Revised Standard  www.biblica.com Version by Bruce Metzger (Thomas Nelson, 1991)  www.biblestudytools.com ONE VOLUME COMMENTARIES  www.biblegateway.com  The New Interpreters Bible One-Volume Commen-  www.crosswalk.com tary by Beverly Gaventa & David Peterson  www.followtherabbi.com (Abingdon, 2010)  www.lectionary.org  HarperCollins Bible Commentary – Revised Edition by James L. Mays (HarperCollins, 2000)  www.thethoughtfulchristian.org  www.odtd.net Prepared by the Reverend Brent Anderson