All Roads Lead to the Text: Eight Methods of Inquiry into the Bible

Top Highlights

“Our method leaves these options to the individual; any road can be walked down first or last. Since each path leads to the text, the procedural order is negotiable. However, it is crucial that each path is investigated.” (Page xiii)

“In the final analysis, God is the hero of all the biblical narratives.” (Page 12)

“Logos Bible Software contains a helpful tool to visualize the structuring of pericipes. Under the ‘Tools’ menu and the ‘Passage Analysis’ bar, choose ‘Compare Pericopes’ at the bottom of the screen. Then you can choose which Bible versions you want to compare and easily visualize the pericope delimitation of the various translations. Through discerning the literary devices of repetition and a change in genre, we have discovered how Matthew structures Jesus’ birth narrative as his prologue to the Gospel. The fulfillment of OT prophecies is crucial to the message that Matthew intends to deliver to his audience.” (Page 2)

“Perceptive readers can establish the limits of a pericope under study by noting a number of ‘tells’ in the text. Transition devices like statements of introduction or conclusion are certainly the most obvious as, for example, the use of disjunctive clauses in Hebrew. In narratives, a change in the setting, time frame, or characters regularly introduces a new section. Literarily, the substitution of alternative genres as well as the presence of repetitive grammatical features signal a new beginning. Finally, the reader should always attempt to perceive an alteration of theme.” (Page 1)

“Picturing Jesus as divine is the pinnacle of Johannine Christology.” (Page 4)