Blog Archives
Interpreting the Bible 12 – Progressive Revelation
(This is a continuation of the “Interpreting The Bible“ video blog series. This post assumes the prerequisite watching of earlier videos in the series. Click the link above to watch the entire series up to this week’s installment.)
This week’s topic in the series involves the principle of “progressive revelation.” Progressive revelation essentially enforces consideration of the fact that God did not reveal all theological truth at once, but over a long period of time. The fullness of what Moses knew about Jehovah, Noah did not know. What the apostles knew, Moses did not know.
Through millennia- from Adam to the apostles – God revealed his plan by small revelations which built upon one another. Even the understanding of Messiah began from an Edenic concept as simple as “a seed of woman” and was further developed in scripture to involve the seed of Abraham, Judah and David. By the time of Christ a composite sketch of many centuries had formed to give Israel an accurate accounting of what she should expect when Messiah was revealed. At the time of Isaiah, however, this portrait of Messiah would have been exceptionally limited; virtually only to lineage.
Understaning the principle of progressive revelation prevents the interpreter from injecting theological knowledge of a later date into the minds of earlier writers. While it is true that later writings bring clarity to earlier ones, it is not true that earlier theological truths are trumped; being interpreted in light of later ones. If that were so, then the earlier writings would have no meaning whatsoever to those to whom they were delivered.
Today’s video lesson explores the impact of progressive revelation on our interpretive process.
Bible Interpretation Pt. 12 from Jeff Kluttz on Vimeo.
Interpreting The Bible 13 – The Law of First Mention
(This is a continuation of the “Interpreting The Bible“ video blog series. This post assumes the prerequisite watching of earlier videos in the series. Click the link above to watch the entire series up to this week’s installment.)
This week’s lesson focuses on a law known as “First Mention.” This law is simple in its principle, but profound in its application. This law essentially uses the concept of “precedent” to assist the biblical interpreter in the proper application of a theological term or truth. If, then, I know how a term or concept has been used earlier in scripture, I can properly interpret a later understanding of the same term or principle.
Bible Interpretation Pt. 13 from Jeff Kluttz on Vimeo.
Interpreting the Bible 14 – The Law of Recurrence
(This is a continuation of the “Interpreting The Bible“ video blog series. This post assumes the prerequisite watching of earlier videos in the series. Click the link above to watch the entire series up to this week’s installment.)
This week’s installation involves what is known as The Law of Recurrence. This principle exists throughout the scriptures as an event narrated in two or more “passes.” In such cases, frequently a story is told very generally, and then told again from the beginning but providing additional detail.
Not only is such recurrence very frequent in scripture, it is in fact the technique by which scripture begins itself in the account of creation. Many have seen this particular instance of recurrence as an argument for two separate creation accounts. Others have seen this recurrence as the very frequent literary device that it is: a story told in passes of varying detail and focus.
Today’s consideration of the law of recurrence includes a good deal of example from scripture to assist the interpreter in the understanding of the principle.
Bible Interpretation Pt. 14 from Jeff Kluttz on Vimeo.
Interpreting the Bible 15 – Hebrew Poetry
(This is a continuation of the “Interpreting The Bible“ video blog series. This post assumes the prerequisite watching of earlier videos in the series. Click the link above to watch the entire series up to this week’s installment.)
Unlike Western poetry, Hebrew poetry is not fashioned with rhythm and rhyme, but with a device known as parallelism. Today’s study focuses on the nature of parallelism so that the biblical student may rightly divide poetic passages in scripture.
Bible Interpretation Pt. 15 – Hebrew Poetry from Jeff Kluttz on Vimeo.
