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ReEd 2 Hand Out General Introduction of The Bible

1) The document provides an introduction to biblical exegesis, which is the process of analyzing a text to derive its intended meaning by examining word definitions, literary context, cultural and historical background, and parallel passages. 2) Exegesis aims to understand the text based on what is present in the text itself, whereas eisegesis imposes one's own biases or ideas onto the text. 3) Tools for biblical study include concordances, dictionaries, handbooks, atlases, and commentaries to help understand the context surrounding passages. 4) Exegesis is important for deepening one's faith by properly understanding the intended messages of God as conveyed in scripture rather

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302 views

ReEd 2 Hand Out General Introduction of The Bible

1) The document provides an introduction to biblical exegesis, which is the process of analyzing a text to derive its intended meaning by examining word definitions, literary context, cultural and historical background, and parallel passages. 2) Exegesis aims to understand the text based on what is present in the text itself, whereas eisegesis imposes one's own biases or ideas onto the text. 3) Tools for biblical study include concordances, dictionaries, handbooks, atlases, and commentaries to help understand the context surrounding passages. 4) Exegesis is important for deepening one's faith by properly understanding the intended messages of God as conveyed in scripture rather

Uploaded by

Danica Rafols
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Hand out on

ReEd 2 Written that You May Believe: An Introduction to Biblical Exegesis

Lesson 1: General Introduction of the Bible

Introduction

The Scriptures are part and parcel of the Catholic life and worldview. A committed catholic
faithful mark his week through the celebration of the Eucharist and Masses always embrace
the reading and proclamation of the Scriptures. Growing up Catholic therefore includes with
devotion the vocabulary and intimations of the word of God.

To properly understand the context of message in the Bible, exegesis serves vital. It is a normal
activity that we practice in everyday living. Whenever we try to understand something we
have heard or read.

In order to reveal himself to men, in the condescension of HIS goodness God speaks in human
words – The word of God or Scripture.

1. THE NAME “BIBLE”

The word of God is known by the different names: Scriptures, the Sacred Scripture, the
testament, the Holy Book, the Bible.

2. The nature of the “BIBLE”

It is the literature of the people of God. Their life and faith have strongly influenced the
contexts of the bible.

a. The Bible is the word of God


❑ As the written word of God, the bible is used in sacred liturgy and other prayers. The
bible as the word of God is also useful in our personal lives for our spiritual growth. St.
Jerome says ‘Ignorance of the scripture is ignorance of Christ.”

b. The Bible is the source of Divine Revelation


❑ The Bible is the word of God as well as the source of Divine revelation. There is a doctrine
called Prima Scriptura which says that the canonized scripture is “First” or “above all
source of Divine Revelation “
What is Exegesis

The term “exegesis” is from a combination of the Greek word ‘ex’ – which means “Out of”, of
‘ago’ which means “to lead” and of ‘sis’ which denotes a process. Exegesis means the process
of leading out the meaning from the text. In a broader sense the term exegesis can refer to
any act of interpretation or explanation.

Exegesis is in contrast with eisegesis. EISEGESIS ‘eis’ in Greek means ‘into’. Eisegesis means the
process of leading one’s own meaning into the text.

Comparison:
1. Exegesis is critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of Scripture. Eisegesis
is an interpretation, especially of Scripture, that expresses the interpreter’s own ideas, bias, or
the like rather than the meaning of the text.
2. An exegete is a person skilled in exegesis, an expounder or textual interpreter, especially
of Scripture. An exegete is like a good friend who listens to you, makes sure to understand you,
and really considers everything you say. An Eisegete is a person who places meaning on a text
which is not originally or inherently present in the text. An Eisegete is like an obnoxious coworker
who has selective hearing, exaggerates everything, talks over you, puts words into your mouth,
and makes himself the hero of every story.
3. Exegesis means reading and understanding the Bible the way that the text itself
expresses effectively. Eisegesis is reading and understanding the text the way the reader
understands it.
4. Exegesis is the objective way of interpreting the Bible. Eisegesis is the subjective way of
understanding the text.
Doing Biblical Exegesis

1. Mark 3:34-35
34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My
brothers! 35“For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

For the Eisegete (“Behold My mother and My brothers!”)


The interpretation of physical meaning brothers and sisters of Jesus. This is imposition of personal
interpretation on the words of Jesus which was not meant by the text.

For the Exegete (In this passage, we see clearly the meaning of ‘brother’, ‘sister’, and ‘mother’
as referring to ‘whoever does the will of God’.) If we take the meaning of out from the text,
then the kind of relationship here that Jesus himself is indicating is a spiritual relationship in terms
of ‘doing the will of God’.

Exegesis takes into consideration the parallelism


In Mark 3:33 Jesus questioned the meaning of physical ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’. “Who are my
mother and brothers?”
Tools in Studying the Bible
1. A Bible concordance is a concordance, or verbal index, to the Bible. A simple form lists Biblical
words alphabetically, with indications to enable the inquirer to find the passages of the Bible
where the words occur.

2. A Bible dictionary is a reference work containing encyclopedic entries related to the Bible,
typically concerning people, places, customs, doctrine.

3. A Bible Handbook is Intended to help readers understand the place of the Bible in Catholic
tradition, the history of the Bible, biblical interpretation, and the use of the Bible in prayer.
This handbook is invaluable for preparing Sunday Lectionary readings and includes a
suggested plan for reading the Bible, a chart of New Testament parables, and much more.

4. An Atlas is a book on the geography, civilizations and cartography of the Holy Land. It
describes the movements of biblical characters, trade routes and battles.

5. A Bible Commentary offers the insights of one who has deeply studied the text.

Conclusion

As believers, there is a need to reviewing the grounds of faith in relation to its source, the Holy
Scripture. In deepening one’s faith orientation, it is but necessary to inform it employing
scientific method to better understand the message of God of fulfilling His mission in each one.
This method serves vital to opening the door to a new horizon that is God’s so as to avoid the
problem of succumbing to personal interpretation of the message of God.

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