Inductive Bible Study

Observation, Interpretation, and Application through the Lenses of History, Literature, and Theology

Al Fuhr, Andreas J. Köstenberger

• Publisher: B&H Academic
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781433684142
• eBook ISBN: 9781433684159
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

Inductive Bible study is a practical, relevant, and time-tested approach to interpreting Scripture. This volume incorporates insights from contemporary evangelical hermeneutics into an approachable, step-by-step process moving from observation through interpretation and on to the application of God's Word. Each step is viewed through the lenses of the hermeneutical triad, exploring the historical, literary, and theological elements that impact how one observes, interprets, and applies the Bible. Chapter by chapter, Inductive Bible Study explores a broad representation of biblical texts as it illustrates the steps of inductive methodology across the literary landscape of Scripture. Important features of the book include comparing translations, asking the right questions of the text, basic discourse analysis, considering various facets of context, the study of words and phrases, interpretive and thematic correlation, evaluating relevance and determining legitimacy in application, the role of the Holy Spirit in appropriating Scripture, and doing theology as the outflow of inductive Bible study.

Subject Index

A

• acrostic 154, 156, 165, 167, 168, 353
• appropriation gap 14, 18–19
• associations 122, 130, 207, 249, 322, 324
• authorial intention 77, 81, 185, 235

B

• Bible atlases 10, 272, 284, 286–87
• Bible dictionaries 188, 261, 272, 285–86
• Bible introductions 273, 284, 287
• biblical theology 106, 275, 278–79, 286, 308, 341–51, 353
• biographical parallels 223
• boundary features 160, 161, 164, 168, 198, 353

C

• canonical context 27, 33, 184, 195–96, 199, 202–4, 217
• chiasm 165, 166–67, 168, 353
• cohesion 27, 160, 168–72, 198–99
• commentaries 12, 40, 63, 113, 125, 188, 252, 270–84, 278–79, 285, 287
• common priority fallacy 248–49, 353
• concordance 236–38, 241, 244, 251, 353
• conjunctions 122, 131–33, 162, 171, 173
• contextually crucial terms 102–6, 234
• contextual principle 21, 24, 27, 40, 184
• contrast/comparison 122, 127–29, 130, 172, 173, 176
• covenantal context 32, 184, 204, 207–9, 306
• cultural context 25, 184, 186, 189–91, 296, 298, 309, 324
• cultural gap 5, 10–11
• cultural relativity 42, 295–98, 298, 300, 310

D

• Dead Sea Scrolls 63–64, 353
• deduction 35–38, 42
• determining legitimacy 294, 297, 311–15, 322
• devotional summaries 336

E

• escalation 122, 125–27, 135, 149
• evaluating/establishing relevance 290–95, 297, 303, 310, 322, 327
• exegetical decision making 32, 48–55, 60–61
• exegetical dictionaries 233, 237, 238, 252, 253
• exegetical distinction fallacy 249, 250, 354
• exegetically/textually uncertain terms 102, 111–12, 234
• exegetical principle 21, 30–31, 36, 42, 76, 347
• exhaustive Greek and Hebrew concordances 236–37, 251

F

• figurative language 11, 23, 114–16, 143–44
• figures of speech 23, 84, 102, 110, 114–16, 118–19, 122, 143–47, 285
• full semantic range fallacy 246–47, 249, 354

G

• geographical gap 5, 7–10
• geopolitical context 184, 186, 187–89, 191, 194, 195

H

• hapax legomenon 112–13, 354
• harmony principle 22, 33–34, 214
• hermeneutical triad ix–x, 3, 40, 75, 78, 79, 81, 181, 183–84, 195, 203, 272, 293, 295, 352, 354
• hermeneutics ix–x, 20–21, 29, 37, 41, 114, 117, 120, 182, 201–2, 297, 330, 354
• hinge statements 173, 175–76
• historical-cultural context 24–25, 184
• historically particular terms 102, 108–11, 118, 234

I

• illumination 328–31, 354
• inclusio 160–64, 354
• individual appropriation 332, 335–36
• induction 35–38, 42, 76, 82, 101, 241, 349
• interchange 173, 176
• interpretive correlation xi, 34, 40, 79, 213–31, 234, 253, 255, 261, 274, 284, 341, 349
• interpretive questions 40, 43, 47–48, 72, 74–77, 82–86, 87–98, 98–99, 100, 151, 217, 255, 257, 282, 283, 288, 314
• irony 53, 121–22, 128, 139–41, 226

K

• Koine Greek 11, 12, 354

L

• language gap 11, 11–12
• lexicons 112, 237, 239, 251–52, 253
• linguistic principle 22, 31–32
• literal principle 21, 22–24
• literary context xi, 15, 21, 25–26, 40, 137, 181, 184, 194–95, 199–202, 290
• literary dimension 42, 295, 296, 301–7, 310
• literary gap 11, 13–14, 18
• literary genre 11, 13, 26, 78, 108, 113, 123, 126, 164, 167, 183, 186, 195, 199–202, 293, 296, 303, 307, 343
• literary units xi, 77, 152–77, 180, 198–99, 202, 218, 254, 256–57, 274, 275, 303, 343

M

• manuscripts 62–63, 65–68, 353, 355
• Masoretes 63, 355
• Masoretic text 63, 63–65, 355
• metaphor 23, 29, 30, 88, 111, 115, 128, 130, 145, 149, 150, 163, 239, 246–47, 345

N

• nonroutine terms 39, 40, 101–2, 108, 113, 118–19, 234, 237, 241, 245
• normalcy 42
• normativity 298–300

O

• one-meaning principle 21, 28–30, 227

P

• parallel history 220–21
• parallelism 126, 128, 147–50, 168, 235, 250, 355
• paraphrase 55, 60–61, 138, 354
• parenthetical commentary 173, 175–76
• personal assessment 332–33, 335
• presupposition 15, 30–31, 249
• preunderstanding 30–31, 36–37, 180, 350, 355
• progressive principle 22, 32–33, 209

Q

• question and answer 122, 130–31
• questions of content 77, 78, 82–84, 87, 133
• questions of implication 77, 81–84, 88
• questions of intention 77, 80–82, 83, 84, 87
• questions of relationship 77, 79–80, 82–84, 87, 133

R

• reflective meditation 332, 333–35
• relevance continuum 310–11
• repetition 105, 122, 123–25, 126, 159, 165–66, 168, 193, 205, 226, 235, 250, 256, 258, 263, 296, 354
• revelation-historical context 184, 204, 209–11, 214, 217
• rhetorica...

Table of contents

• Authors’ Preface
• Unit I: Introduction: Sizing Up the Task
• Unit II: Observation: Engaging the Text
• Unit III: Interpretation: Investigating the Text
• Unit IV: Application: Acting on the Text
• Glossary
• For Further Study
• Scripture Index
• Name Index
• Subject Index