Bible Interpretation Fall 2019: The Reliability and Usability of The Christian Scriptures In Our Age

Within an awareness of the present post-enlightenment and post Christian skepticism concerning the reliability and usability of the Christian Bible, the objective of this class is to provide the student with an introductory level of confidence in the Reliability and Usability of the Christian Scriptures such as to adopt as a matter of Christian faith and application the following confessions:

Concerning Reliability:… an high and reverent esteem of the Holy Scripture… whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God. WCF 1.4

Concerning Usability: …[That] in a due use of the ordinary means, [we] may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them. WCF 1.5

[Wherein] the whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. WCF 1.6

(c.f. Syllabus)

Part 1: The Reliability of Scripture

Lesson 1: Textual criticism and challenges to historicity (9/18)

Bible Interprestion Lesson 1 PPT

The Enlightenment Informed Presupposition of Textual Criticism:

An analogous relationship between present historical realities and philosophical assumptions is made with the realities and assumptions of the ancient history concurrent with the Biblical period wherein as long as one makes analogous classification based on present a precondition for acceptance, much in the word of the Bible remains without foundation such as to significantly reduce supernatural nature scripture and consequently salvation itself.

Post-Enlightenment Bias Against Miracles (The Issue of “Myth”)
Post-Enlightenment Politicization and Historicity (The Issue of Archeology)
Post-Enlightenment Bias Against Institutional Authority and Canonical Authenticity: (The issue of the Gnostic Gospels)

Lesson 2: The Modern Challenge To Divine Inspiration, Textual Perspicuity and Reliability (9/25)

Lesson 2 PPT

The Enlightenment Informed Presupposition of Interpretive Fallacies:

An analogous relationship between present historical realities and philosophical assumptions is made with the realities and assumptions of the ancient history concurrent with the Biblical period wherein as long as one makes analogous classification based on the present a precondition for biblical interpretation, much of the teachings in scripture can be ignored or expanded upon such as to severally diminish the Lordship of Christ speaking through Scripture.

Post-Enlightenment Individualism, Populism and Subjectivism
Biblical Inspiration Clarified
Biblical Inspiration Applied to:
- Liberalism
- Neo-Orthodoxy
- The “New Hermeneutic” or “Trajectory Method”

Lesson 3: Confusion Concerning Revelation vs Illumination (10/9)

Cultural Challanges to Bible Interpretation
Common Misunderstandings: The Role of the Holy Spirit In Interpretation:
Common Misunderstanding: The Role of the Church In Interpretation:
The Infallible Rule of Interpretation: Scripture Interpreting Scripture and The Redemptive-Historical (Covenantal) Method Introducted.

Lesson 3 ppt

Part 2: The Usability of Scripture

Lesson 4: The Bible As Redemptive History and A Covenantal Method of Interpretation (10/16)