Sign and Shadow

Theology Seeking Eschatology

Tagged: hermeneutics

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Hermeneutics / Exegesis / Featured

The Bible isn’t Just Extraordinary, It’s Also Ordinary

This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series Ordinary Bible Reading

In other words, while the Bible is always extra-ordinary, it is such through the use of the ordinary ways that human beings speak to one another. It is supernatural revelation that God has given in natural language. The Bible is special and unique, but it is not special and unique in this way, that is, in the manner by which it communicates truth to human beings. That’s why the Westminster Standards go on to describe the meaning of the Bible as accessible “through a due use of ordinary means” (WCF 1.7).

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Exegesis / Featured

Exegetical Inquiry: The Question is more important than the Answer

This entry is part 3 of 5 in the series Exegesis without the Languages

We think exegesis is at its best when we arrive at “the answer,” when we reach “understanding,” but actually exegesis is at its best when the text seems strange and alien to us. We need to make the text strange again.

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Eschatology / Exegesis / Featured

Everything I need to Know about Revelation I Learned in the First Eight Verses

Revelation seems so difficult and confusing, but John has actually given us firm footholds in the opening of his letter. He’s guiding his readers in how Revelation is to be read.

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Hermeneutics / Greek

Real Questions: What does “the” mean?

This entry is part 1 of 5 in the series Real Questions

The point: when translating from the Greek, these subtleties won’t always show up in translation. That’s why it probably feels “low impact.” But such questions are worth thinking about because, though subtle, the rhetorical and semantic functions are different in many contexts.

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Featured / Hermeneutics / Exegesis

Why the NLT is Good, actually

As a working guideline, then, I propose we evaluate translations on the basis of three criteria. A good translation (1) has a well-defined, well-reasoned, and useful translation philosophy, (2) applies that philosophy consistently over the “many parts and various ways” God has spoken to us in his word (Heb. 1:1), and (3) uses the “best of what’s around” to understand the original Hebrew and Greek text. The NLT gets an “A” in all three of these categories, as I will establish in a bit.

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Hermeneutics / Exegesis / Featured

The Seven Letters in Revelation are Sermons on the Rest of the Book

Imagine you are tasked with preaching the entirety of Revelation to your congregation in a single sermon. The whole book. One sermon. Majoring on relevance and application. How would you do it? Or maybe...

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Hermeneutics

New Blog Name and Address: Sign and Shadow

Well, I’m sad to say it, but given the feedback I’ve received probably no one else will be: unfinalizable.com is now signandshadow.com. Apparently the word “unfinalizable,” in addition to being unpronounceable, was too esoteric. I...

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Uncategorized

Recent Review from Tim Challies of the ESV Reader’s Bible

I recently blogged about why am ESV Readers Bible is a must have. Tim Challies recently reviews the multi-volume edition here.

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