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Three Levels of Context. Historical Context – Author, Recipient, Date, Situation. Cultural Context – Incorporating the text into your personal setting. Literary Context (Text Surrounding a Passage) Purpose of the book Structure:Genre & Plan Immediate Context. Dangers to Context.
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Three Levels of Context Historical Context – Author, Recipient, Date, Situation. Cultural Context – Incorporating the text into your personal setting • Literary Context (Text Surrounding a Passage) • Purpose of the book • Structure:Genre & Plan • Immediate Context
Dangers to Context • Memorizing individual verses Attitude of quasi magical formula of verses (power verses worn as amulets) Concordance Work Claiming promises or commands not made to you. Axiom #2: Context is King (of interpretation)
Identifying the Purpose of a Book • Sometimes it’s clearly stated (Jn 20:31; Lk 1:1-4; 1 Jn 5:13; Prov 1:1-6; Eccl 12:13) Occasion for writing: Jeremiah; Amos; Philemon, etc. • Sometimes it is implied: • Selection or placement of details • Hortatory or parenthetical comments
Various Structural Arrangements Chronological: Gen., Exod., Josh., 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chron., Ezra, Esther; or Geographical : Neh. , Jonah, Acts • Wisdom/Poetry: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes Biographical: Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John Legal: Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Cyclical: Judges, Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs • Letters: Romans, 1 & 2 Cor, Gal., Eph., Phil., Col., 1 & 2 Thess., • 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 & 2 Peter, 1—3 John, Jude Visionary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Revelation
Literary Devices Acrostic: Prov 31:10-31; Psa 119; Lam 2 Chiasm: Mt 13 Parallelism: Luke - Acts Inclusio: Genesis 37-39; Mk 11:12-25
Outlining is the best way to see the structure of your book: • Don’t strictly follow verse divisions. They come from the 13th century and don’t always work well (e.g. Acts 8:1; Eph 5:21; Isa 53:1) • Poor examples: Acts 8:1; Eph 5:21; Isa 53:1; 2 Cor 2:1
Circles of Context Author Book Section Paragraph Text Pericope chapter Covenant
Project #3 Discover the purpose/theme of your book, theauthor, thedate, the destination and any occasion that might have prompted the writing of that book.