Bible Study Notes

Index

The First Christian Canon  A brief history of how we got the 66 books that are part of our Bible today, and of one of the aberrant movements that set out to destroy most of it.

What is a Pericope?  A literary unit of Scripture. To correctly understand a context one must know where a pericope begins and where it ends. (Knowles)

The Real Meaning of Torah  It has a broader, more weighty meaning than simply "law."

Why Exegetical Confusion?  Scriptural confusion exists because well-meaning teachers don't know what they are talking about. Good surgery isn't done without mastery of the best of instruments. We should expect no less of those who dissect the Word of God.

Basic Rules for NT Exegesis  Exegesis is the Greek word for explanation/interpretation. There is good exegesis and there is bad exegesis--and a multitude of exegetical fallacies. When studying ancient literature composed in cultures foreign to us moderns, interpretation can be difficult. To practice good exegesis a careful process must be observed. This brief article outlines some basic rules for the systematic exegesis of the New Testament. 

Consider the Historical Context  "Text without context is pretext" is more than an old saying among scholars, it is an absolute. Many Bible teachers feel free to read the Bible like a fortune teller reads tea leaves or animal entrails. If they kept their mouths shut that would confine the error, but they like to preach their opinions loud and authoritatively.

Establish the Limits of the Pericope More cautions and principles in discovering/understanding the natural unit of Scripture--the pericope. This is a key step in finding context.

Analyze the Grammar  Some folks who had a hard time with English grammar in school feel free to pose as authorities on 2000-year-old Greek grammar. Unless we are proficient in the original biblical languages, we best rely on those who are.

Analyze Important Words  Words are building blocks for thoughts. They need a context to be correctly understood as the same word can have different meanings. People err when they try to construct doctrine based on word from the Strong's Concordance dictionary.

How To Get The Most Out of Strong's Concordance  It is not authoritative but has value if used properly.