How to Read the Bible
Ask Me Anything
Week 5: How to Read the Bible
What should I look for as I read the Bible?
How can I use the Bible responsibly to develop stances on controversial issues?
Christians have a deeply shame-based relationship with the Bible. A lot of church spaces put a lot of weight and emphasis on having regular "quiet time." Though I firmly believe that the Bible holds a lot of wisdom and it can be beneficial to read and learn about our faith's beliefs, history, and tradition, the emphasis put on personal Bible study can sometimes lead to a very shame-based, unhealthy relationship to scripture. There is so much pressure and judgment around how often we read it. There is an idea pushed that you have to wake up first thing and pour over scripture for hours before starting your day; that you have to find comfort, knowledge, and wisdom with each Bible study; that if you don’t enjoy it, you are doing something wrong; if you have questions, you aren’t reading it correctly. It is exhausting.
Different churches and faith traditions teach this to varying degrees. A large issue in the United Methodist Church is not teaching members how to read the Bible. The UMC website states "We admit that there's still vast 'biblical illiteracy' in our denomination. We need to help one another open the Bible and use it." The Methodist church teaches that the Bible is inspired, and to engage scripture with context and Holy Spirit discernment, but we aren't given tools. In spaces that take scripture literally, often you are given the tools but are taught that scripture can only be interpreted in a specific way, which is usually dictated by the pastor. This takes the point out of reading for ourselves! This isn't to say that we should do away with pastors and never listen to their interpretation of scripture, there is definitely value in learning from those who have been to seminary. However, it is dangerous to say there is only one interpretation. We need to find a middle ground where we are able to have a healthier relationship to the Bible. We need to be taught the history and given tools to read and engage with scripture so that we can responsibly form our own opinions.
First things first, all understandings of scripture are interpretation. Anyone reading the Bible is interpreting it based on a variety of factors. Therefore, be wary of anyone claiming to have the absolute correct translation. Disagreements about scripture have happened since the very beginning, that is okay and largely unavoidable. After all, we are all humans trying to understand the mystery of the divine. It's important to note that there are many ways to engage with scripture. Sometimes it is used for prayer, worship and edification. Other times it will be more for study and understanding.
What is hermeneutics?
Hermeneutics is the field of study related to interpretation. This term doesn’t apply solely to scripture, but it is used to better understand the Bible. Whenever we interpret anything—books, movies, songs, conversations—we always have lenses. It is important to recognize that the same is true of the Bible. We carry certain lenses that will influence how we read and engage with scripture. These are all of the intersectional pieces that make up your identity such as: race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, political standings, etc. There are any number of things that come together to influence our understandings of scripture. Below is some general information on hermeneutics.
Nature of perception: We don’t see things as objects and then give meaning, rather we see things in a certain way based on our history, context and profession.
Knowledge is innately linked to passion: We seek to understand what we care about.
Fusion of horizons: We integrate that which is unfamiliar into our familiar contexts. When we understand something, we are fusing someone else's viewpoint with our own. We are transformed and broadened.
Tradition is a good thing: Since enlightenment, the western world has seen tradition as the opposite of critical thinking. Tradition is crucial to teaching us the first initial tools of discovery and teaching us what is actually worth knowing. There is tension between being stuck in tradition and recognizing its role in interpretation.
Hermeneutics is not relativism: The most common misconception of hermeneutics is that its insistence on the interpretive nature of all knowledge destroys objectivity.
“We don’t construct the world, but the world discloses itself to us based on our angle of vision.”
Hermeneutics is the antidote to fundamentalism: Fundamentalism is the inability to recognize that even our most deeply felt convictions are mediated through language tradition and history. When we acknowledge that interpretations can be different and some are worse than others, we can begin asking better questions.
There are extremes to interpretation. Some will tell you that there is only one way, others will tell you every interpretation is valid. It is important to note that there can be bad, misinformed hermeneutics. Some things that can influence that is how far removed we are from the context. The closer you are to the content, the less detailed an interpretation can be. For instance, think of Twilight vs Frankenstein. We understand a lot of the cities, states, technology, and phrases in Twilight, whereas when reading Frankenstein, we would need more context to better understand and appreciate the work. The farther you are from the context of a work, the more important it is to arrive at an informed hermeneutic, because we interpret things differently over time. When we look at the Bible, we can see how there have been bad, damaging hermeneutics that have happened over time. For instance, slavery was constantly upheld with key passages (Genesis 9:18-27; Ephesians 6:5-7) that were grossly misinterpreted in order to justify slavery in the U.S.
What is exegesis?
Hermeneutics is the theory of interpretation, whereas, exegesis is the method. Lawyers have to use exegesis to interpret laws. Faith leaders use it to interpret scripture. Below are some critical methods of exegesis.
Textual Criticism: Establishing, as far as possible, the original text on the basis of available materials.
Philological criticism: Study of biblical languages so that vocabulary and writings can be understood as accurately as possible.
Literary criticism: Structure, understanding when it was written, date, authorship.
Tradition criticism: Going behind written sources to trace development of oral tradition.
Each successive phase is necessary to the interpretation of the material received and delivered by one generation after another.
Form criticism: Understanding genre (legal, poetic, etc.).
Redaction Criticism: Concentrates on the end product, studying the way in which the final authors or editors used the traditional material that they received and the special purpose that each had in view.
Historical criticism: Places the documents in their historical setting and promotes their interpretation in the light of their contemporary setting.
Understand historical distance; there were words used that mean something totally different now and we need to think about those implications.
When it comes to reading the bible, it is definitely important to start with asking yourself what you are hoping to gain, or why you are reading? Are you seeking inspiration and comfort, or are you seeking to dive in and learn more about a specific book/verse? There is no clear cut guideline to reading the Bible, but there are definitely practical ways that we can practice mindful, responsible interpretation. Below are some rough guidelines and practices for ways you can engage and read scripture, while being mindful of hermeneutics and exegesis.
Ask Questions: Ask questions before, during, and after you read. This will give you guidelines on where to study deeper.
What have you been taught about this before?
What did you notice?
What is the big takeaway?
What’s missing?
What doesn’t make sense?
I wonder (why/how/about) ____?
What is the meaning of _____?
What is the relationship between X and Y?
What is the opposite of (that word/action/characteristic/belief)?
Establish Context: Discover who wrote the book, who the book was written for and why.
Author: Who wrote it, why, what were their circumstances, how did they relate to God (faith context/beliefs)?
Audience: Why was it written for this audience? What relationship existed between author/audience?
Genre: What type of writing is it?
Time period: What was going on at the time politically, economically, spiritually?
Location: Where was it written, where did it take place?
Cross-Reference: Because scripture was written over a 1,000 year span, scripture is often quoted within scripture. If you are studying a specific passage, use your footnotes to see if that passage is referenced elsewhere.
Is this same event/idea mentioned in other books of the Bible?
Use footnotes or study bibles to look at cross-references and context listed in your Bible.
Look at parallel/similar passages.
Language Study: Dig deeper into a specific idea/word.
Look the word up in Strong’s concordance: blueletterbible.org
Find the word in other verses. How was this word used? Does it change its meaning?
Determine part of speech.
Look at the word in other translations and see how they translate that specific word.
Think about how our culture understands this word vs. how the historical culture have understood the word.
Read Commentary + Criticism
Look at how the passage has been understood historically, and if it's shifted.
Try to find multiple viewpoints!
Google “critical commentary of…”
Try listening to sermons/messages from faith leaders that you trust on this topic.
Discussion Questions
What are your feelings toward Bible study?
Have you felt guilt or shame due to pressure to read regularly?
What barriers have kept you from studying the Bible?
Have you had successful periods of study? What made them successful to you?
Were you taught any methods for reading the Bible? How do they compare with what we discussed tonight?
Why might it be important to explore multiple viewpoints when studying scripture?
What can we gain from reading commentary that we disagree with?
What factors should we consider when deeming interpretations as correct or incorrect?
Resources
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It
Misreading Scripture Through Western Eyes