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Three Levels of Context

Three Levels of Context. Historical Context – Author, Recipient, Date, Situation. Contextualization – Incorporating the text into your personal setting. Text Surrounding a Passage Purpose of the book Structure:Genre & Plan Immediate Context. Circles of Context. Author. Book. Section.

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Three Levels of Context

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  1. Three Levels of Context Historical Context – Author, Recipient, Date, Situation. Contextualization – Incorporating the text into your personal setting • Text Surrounding a Passage • Purpose of the book • Structure:Genre & Plan • Immediate Context

  2. Circles of Context Author Book Section Paragraph Text Pericope chapter Covenant

  3. 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)

  4. 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) Flow of thought • Sometimes it is implied: • Selection or placement of details • Hortatory or parenthetical comments Occasion for writing: Jeremiah; Amos; Philemon, etc.

  5. Special Consideration • A book may have multiple purposes It’s purpose may be disputed Specialists, such as teachers, commentaries or even personal memorization, can help.

  6. Structuralism: The Plan of the Book • Authors structure their books differently: • Others have little order (James, Prov., Psa). • Some are meticulous (Mt, Lk/Acts, Heb, Rev) Outlining is the best way to see the order: • Don’t strictly follow verse divisions. They come from the 13th century and don’t always work well. • Poor examples: Acts 8:1; Eph 5:21; Isa 53:1; 2 Cor 2:1

  7. Various Structural Arrangements Chronological: Gen., Exod., Josh., 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chron., Ezra, Esther; or Geographical : Neh. , Jonah, Acts • Wisdom/Poetry: Psa., Prov., Ecclesiastes, Lamentations Biographical: Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John Legal: Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Cyclical: Judges, Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs • Letters: Rom., 1 & 2 Cor, Gal., Eph., Phil., Col., 1 & 2 Thess., • 1 & 2 Tim., Titus, Philemon, Heb., 1 & 2 Peter, 1—3 John, Jude Visionary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Revelation

  8. Literary Devices • Parallels: Genesis 1-2; Psalms; Lk 15 Inclusio: Genesis 37-39; Mk 11:12-25 Chiasm: Mt 13 Acrostic: Prov 31:10-31; Psa 119; 145; Lam 2 Parallelism: Lk/Acts Ascending/Descending: Judges

  9. Identifying Contextual Parameters: Look for change and repetition • Grammatical Clues • Transitional conjunctions • Change in verb tense Narrative Clues: • Change in time, persons, or place • Repeated term, phrase or proposition • Repeated thought • Rhetorical Questions • Vocative, imperative, or hortatory

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