Elements of Biblical Exegesis
Michael Gorman
- 9 minutes read - 1816 wordsChapter 1: The Task
P10 exegisis may be defined as the careful historical literary and theological analysis of a text…
P10 "close reading" …. a word by word phrase by phrase reading
P11 exegesis is an investigation - what’s going on here?
Asking questions even if they’re not immediately resolved
P11 As Conversation - listening to others even those with whom we disagree
P12 The exigetical method is more art than science
Choosing an approach
Synchronic (within time)
Diachronic (across time)
Existential
Synchronic
Looking only within the text
Literary criticism
narrative criticism
Rhetorical criticism
Lexical, grammatical and syntactic analysis
Semantic or discourse analysis
Social scientific criticism
Diachronic
The long view, aka historical critical method. Common in 20th century but now more blended with synchronic.
The existential approach
P18 Experiential, self involving
P19 challenge to enlightenment thinking
Contrast between Trust/ consent (sympathetic) approach including lectio divina and suspicion p22 (seeking to free readers from oppressive power (eg support for empire and colonization)
P23 This book blended all but emphasizes synchronic
P25 An overview of the method
p25 A process with 7 elements (though not simple sequential steps) - sometimes hermeneutical circle
List from p29 (https://ereader.perlego.com/1/book/2606862/12?element_plgo_uid=ch12__567&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=share-with-location&utm_source=perlego)
survey/intro (5% or 125 words)
contextual analysis (history and literary) (10-20% or 250-500 words)
social: 162
hist: 172
lit: 84
canonical: 133
formal analysis (form, structure and movement) (5-15% or 125-375 words)
detailed analysis (50-65% or 1250-1625 words)
synthesis(holistically) (5% or 125 words)
reflection (the text today) - supplemental? (20%)
expansion and refinement (not separate part)
Q Gorman happy to argue for personal as well as textual response, notes from David Firth and others very strongly caution against application except perhaps in conclusion
p28 3 observations
start anywhere (except synthesis) but cover all
all biblical and literary scholars follow the same pattern
start with the text before heading to secondary sources
Note % guidance per section in brackets above but p29 of the book
Chapter summary
exegesis: "to lead out"; "close reading"
investigation, conversation, art
approaches
analytical
diachronic
synchronic
engaged
ideological criticism / advocacy hermeneutics
contextual exegesis
theological interpretation / theological exegesis
Gorman is a blend: synchronic with theological purpose
7 elements
"what?" and "so what?"
start on your own before consulting the experts
Chapter 2: The Text
rule of thumb: 1-4 paragraphs; 5-20 verses
Chapter 3: Survey
Chapter 4: Contextual Analysis
Challenges and cautions
Historical context means text’s author and audience not narrative of characters in the story. (Least problematic in context of letters as it is to some extent stated).
Chapter Summary
Historical context: Confine to just that which affects interpretation of this passage
Literary & Rhetorical context: "Why this?" and "Why here?"
Canonical context: May see connections not intended or known to the original authors
"A text without context is a pretext" - Anon
Ch 5: Formal analysis
Not universally shared but Gorman defines
Genre = larger literary units (prophetic book, letter, gospel)
Form = smaller unit (prophetic oracle, parable miracle story)
The Bible and Formal Analysis
Although exegesis deals with a short text, nonetheless need to consider genre it sits in:
What kind of writing is the document (biblical book) in which our passage is found?
Are there general principles for the interpretation of this kind of writing that need to be employed?
For example, failure to recognize Daniel and Revelation as apocalyptic set up trouble.
Have an eye to how form changes within book. Does change of style denote the same author at different times of life, a pastiche, or a very talented writer - the 2 Corinthians conundrum and how opinions have evolved is cited as a useful example.
"…more than one professor of biblical studies thinks that discerning the structure of a text is the key to exegesis. On the other hand, sometimes structure, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder…"
"The structure of a passage refers to its parts, its main divisions and subdivisions, while the movement of a passage refers to the progression of the text through those parts, from beginning to end" Gorman: https://ereader.perlego.com/1/book/2606862/17?element_plgo_uid=ch17__110&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=share-with-location&utm_source=perlego
Outlines can be helpful. Two levels (I, II, III and A,B,C) recommended
Common Structural Patterns
Repetition [A,X,A,Y,A,Z]
Contrast / Antithesis [A -A]
Parallelism aka 'thought rhyme' (a Biblical specialism of either repetition or contrast)
also inclusio or sandwich - Rom 5:1-11 cited as an example though starts justified and ends reconciled: https://ereader.perlego.com/1/book/2606862/17?element_plgo_uid=ch17__205&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=share-with-location&utm_source=perlego [A,B,A]
concentric or chiasmus [A,B,B',A'] cites Psalm 51:1
A Justification by faith, peace with God through Christ (vv. 12a)
B Hope for glory (vv. 2b5)
C Christs death as the manifestation of Gods love (vv. 68)
Bʹ Certain hope of future salvation (vv. 910)
Aʹ Reconciliation with God through Christ (v. 11)
[Gorman](https://ereader.perlego.com/1/book/2606862/17?element_plgo_uid=ch17__245&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=share-with-location&utm_source=perlego)
Patterns common to certain literary forms
Ancient rhetorical pattern (https://ereader.perlego.com/1/book/2606862/17?element_plgo_uid=ch17__268&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=share-with-location&utm_source=perlego)
introduction of the speaker and topic (exordium)
narration of relevant events (narratio)
thesis or proposition (propositio)
arguments for the thesis (probatio)
refutation of counterarguments (refutatio)
recapitulation and appeal (peroratio)
Narrative [arc]
Introduction → climax → Closure / Denouement
For instance, prophetic call narratives, found especially in the Old Testament, often contain the following components:
setting divine word/call
human objection
divine response and
commissioning
Healing stories such as those recorded in the Gospels often follow a pattern as well:
description of the illness
request for healing and expression of faith
narrative of the healing
reaction of the person healed, the crowd, and/or opponents
Movement
For example Rom 5:1-11 moves from present to future
Other ideas:
description—general identification to specific details; Leviticus 25:1–7, the sabbatical year
explanation—announcement of topic followed by a sequence of ideas or emotions; Isaiah 1:2–20, the divine lawsuit
repetition—Deuteronomy 27:11–26, the Mosaic covenantal curses
logic—if . . . then or since . . . then; Romans 6, the consequences of baptism
catalog—list; Galatians 5:19–23, works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit
comparison/contrast—Hebrews 9:1–14, the two sacrifices
Chapter Summary
Formal analysis refers to structure (divs and subdivs) and movement from beginning to end
See example structure list above
Some principles of interpretation are applicable to all forms and genres; some grnres require specific interpretation
See example movement list above
Ch 6: Detailed analysis
"The very heart of exegesis."
"The main points of engagement with the text almost invariably arise from careful study of the details."
Recent commentaries treat larger chunks in contrast to the word-by-word previously common. Both have their place.
Discuss in chunks following the sections formal analysis identified.
Be selective, commenting on the most significant features.
Things to consider (he says sufficient and then expands in nauseating detail)
Basic Literary and Rhetorical Dimensions
What are the key terms and images?
What do they mean?
Are there any key terms or ideas whose meaning may be explained by looking elsewhere in the book?
Are there any literary or rhetorical devices (simile, metaphor, hyperbole, personification, repetition, irony, etc.), and if so, what is their effect?
What kinds of sentences are used? What are the major components of each sentence? What verbal actions or states appear in these sentences, and what subjects are associated with them?
#### Traditions, Scripture, and Other Sources * Does the text include appeals to tradition or Scripture, such as stories, beliefs, laws, and well-known historical figures? If so, how do these appeals function? * Does the text appear to use sources, whether written or oral? If so, how are the sources used?
#### Larger Literary and Rhetorical Dimensions * If the text is a narrative, what aspects of setting, plot (conflict, suspense, resolution), and character development does each part of the text (or the text as a whole) convey? * Which components of the text work, individually or together, to instruct, delight, or move the reader? * What is the tone, or mood, of the passage, and what features convey that tone?
#### The Parts and the Whole * How does each part of the passage relate to the other parts? * How does each part contribute to the whole? * How does my emerging understanding of the whole affect the meaning of the parts?
#### Overall Communication * What does the text communicate, and how? * How do the various parts of the passage reflect or address the situation of the readers?
Ch 7 Synthesis
Return from trees to the forest.
Not simply summarising but reaching a conclusion.
May be ambiguous
More than one reading may be possible
Ch 8 Reflection - theological interpretation
A shift from 'What?' to 'So what?'
Five postures / perspectives / hermeneutics
Antipathy (opposition): For example: 'What erroneous view of the world and what deleterious consequences for human life together does this text perpetuate?'
Suspicion: Typically expressed by those who have been part of an reacted against a religious community. For example: 'How does this text condone or promote oppression? Can any of it be salvaged to liberate those it is intended to oppress?
Appreciation or non-committment: For readers of the Bible who may just as happily be reading and analysing Shakespeare. What does this text tell me about an ancient people’s view of realty? Or about some universal human condition?
Discernment or inquiry: What mode of life does this text suggest and how satisfying is it intellectually, spiritually, ethically, compared to others?
Consent or Trust: Though not without hesitation or even suspicion
Notes that theological interpretation, neglected largely - in academic circles - since the Enlightenment, has had a recent (21st C) and dramatic recovery
8 principles of theological interpretation (details in the chapter if needed: Chalcedonian (or incarnational), catholic (or universal), communal (or ecclesial), canonical, coherence, charismatic, conversion (or transformative), and constructive.
Theological interpretation is distinguished by the goal of guiding theological development of the community or individual (If you intend it to the theological it is)
Missional hermeneutics is a subset of theological hermeneutics and means reading to discern and participate in the mission of God (missio dei the human need for salvation)
Reflection on the two horizons: past (reflection) and present (application) is essential
Ch 9: expansion and refinement
Rule of thumb: Working bibliography should contain approx. same number of items as pages.
Resources to use:
At least one commentary from the last 10 years
Also look for diversity in place and time
Ch 10: Errors to avoid, discoveries to make
Solid practical advice and refreshingly brief, read at start and end of essay
Ch 11: resources
Appendix A: Various approaches and methods
Appendix B: Practical guidance
Five stages
Preparation
iii. Consult one or more resources that deal with the book in which the passage is located (such as introductory texts, one-volume commentaries, or Bible dictionaries).
(a) Take notes on what you discover about the basic historical context—the circumstances of the text’s writing (who, what, when, where, why, etc.).
(b) Take notes on what you discover about the basic literary context—what is the general outline of the book, and where does the passage fit into that outline?