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Unveiling Ancient Letters: Interpreting Biblical Epistles

Explore the form and historical settings of Biblical epistles for insightful interpretation. Learn to identify the writer, audience, date, and purpose, delving into greetings, thanksgivings, and farewells. Discover the importance of paying attention to historical context, audience demographics, and the purpose of each epistle. Gain valuable insights on tracing the argument and understanding the interconnected clauses to grasp the message within.

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Unveiling Ancient Letters: Interpreting Biblical Epistles

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  1. Interpreting Biblical Epistles

  2. 1. Form of Ancient Letters • Identification of writer and audience • Greeting (often single word) • Thanksgiving: polite expression of thanks • Body of Letter • Personal News/Greetings • Single-word Farewell

  3. 2. Paying Attention to Historical Setting a. AADP: Author, Audience, Date, Purpose (1) Authorship: • Note if author identified or anonymous (Hebrews) • See Osborne for discussion of use of scribes and pseudonymity

  4. 2. Paying Attention to Historical Setting a. AADP: Author, Audience, Date, Purpose (2) Audience: • Range: From specific to general audiences • Learn about cultural setting of audience and specific church setting

  5. 2. Paying Attention to Historical Setting a. AADP: Author, Audience, Date, Purpose (3) Date: • Use of internal and external evidence • Often broader possibilities

  6. 2. Paying Attention to Historical Setting • Occasion and Purpose Distinction (4) Purpose: Use Internal Evidence Occasion: The initial reason(s) for writing the letter; specific reasons why the author picks up the pen to write Purpose: The broader intention of the author in writing the letter

  7. 2. Paying Attention to Historical Setting b. Historical Reconstruction • Necessary for interpretation of epistles Example: Philippians 2:1-4; 4:2 Issue of Disunity

  8. 2. Paying Attention to Historical Setting Historical Reconstruction • Necessary for interpretation of epistles • Danger of Mirror Reading Mirror Reading: The conclusion that each command or argument of a letter is tied to a specific problem in the audience of the letter

  9. 3. Tracing the Argument • Separation of Clauses [point: to isolate individual ideas] • Identification of Clarifying Conjunctions • [point: to understand connections between clauses] • Identification of Relationship between Clauses • [point: to follow the flow of thought from • beginning to end]

  10. I ate an entire box of chocolates *** I was depressed.

  11. Interpreting Biblical Epistles

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