BJU HERMENEUTICS FINAL | COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE,
PRACTICE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 2026/2027
Elements of Gospel Genre - ANS ✔✔- Biographic
-Didactic
-Prophetic
Principles for Parable Interpretation - ANS ✔✔1. Notice the context.
2.Identify secondary details.
3. Identify MOST significant details
4. Discover the central point.
1. Notice the context - ANS ✔✔Example from Luke 15 (parable of the prodigal son), read the whole
think. In this example the Pharisees where murmuring
2. Identify Secondary Details - ANS ✔✔Still important details but not driving main point.
3. Identify MOST significant details - ANS ✔✔- Example from Luke 15:
- Running away, pursuant father, bitterness of the older brother..
4. Discover the Central Point - ANS ✔✔'Contrast the self righteous hypocrisy of Pharisees with the
extravagant forgiveness of the Father toward repentant sinners'
'Cross saves us from religion and rebelion'
Who wrote most of the NT? - ANS ✔✔Luke..not Paul
Purpose of Luke - ANS ✔✔Jesus as the Son of Man
Purpose of Mark - ANS ✔✔Jesus as the suffering Servant
Purpose of Matthew - ANS ✔✔Jesus as King/Anointed One
Purpose of John - ANS ✔✔Jesus as the Son of God
How many of the epistles were written by Paul? - ANS ✔✔13 of the letters were, 1 letter has an
unknown author
Pauline Soteriological Epistles - ANS ✔✔Study of Salvation, Romans, 1 Cor, 2 Cor, Galatians
Pauline Prison Epistles - ANS ✔✔Colossians, Philippians, Ephesians, 2 Timothy and Philemon
Pastoral Epistles - ANS ✔✔1 and 2 Tim, Titus
Eschatological Epistles - ANS ✔✔1 and 2 Thessalonians
, General Epistles - ANS ✔✔Initially adressed to a far wider audience, 2 John
Less churchy and pastoral tone
Hard to easily categorize
Function of epistles - ANS ✔✔To explain the Christian faith
3 Principles for reading and Understanding the Epistles - ANS ✔✔1. Think holistically
2. Think Historically
3. Think contextually
1. Think Holistically - ANS ✔✔- The epistles are letters; read them as an entire unit
- There were no verse or ch divisions in the originals
- Inspiration applies not merely to the words, but to the syntax, parragraphs, and thematic arrangement
of the epistles.
2. Think Historically - ANS ✔✔- Written for a specific occasion
-Examine Acts ( and sometimes others) for historical details
- Studies for contexts of Epistles start in Acts
-Deduce from the epistles the details about the historical situation
- Refer to good sources for help.
Example of Acts 17: Thessalonica - ANS ✔✔Paul was there for 2-4 weeks, church was mainly greek,
persecution In Phil 415-18 it says Thess. church did not support him
3. Think contextually - ANS ✔✔- Refer to previous lectures
Hermeneutics is ... - ANS ✔✔a tool.
Right Attitudes Necessary for Bible Interpretation - ANS ✔✔- Belief, these are the words of God.
-Humility, come in submission desiring to learn.
- Prayer: ask the Holy Spirit to illumine your mind; plead for wisdom Jn 3
Steps - ANS ✔✔- Investigation
-Interpretation
-Application
-Proclamation--> want to tell
1. INVESTIGATION/ EXPLORATION STAGE - ANS ✔✔What do I see?
Read, read, read.
Ask the WH questions..(why, where , who..)
Textual tip-offs..eg. Heb 8:1
2. INTERPRETATION/ EXPLANATION STAGE - ANS ✔✔What does it mean?
- Examine key words
- Notice textual outline
- What did it mean to the original audience?
PRACTICE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 2026/2027
Elements of Gospel Genre - ANS ✔✔- Biographic
-Didactic
-Prophetic
Principles for Parable Interpretation - ANS ✔✔1. Notice the context.
2.Identify secondary details.
3. Identify MOST significant details
4. Discover the central point.
1. Notice the context - ANS ✔✔Example from Luke 15 (parable of the prodigal son), read the whole
think. In this example the Pharisees where murmuring
2. Identify Secondary Details - ANS ✔✔Still important details but not driving main point.
3. Identify MOST significant details - ANS ✔✔- Example from Luke 15:
- Running away, pursuant father, bitterness of the older brother..
4. Discover the Central Point - ANS ✔✔'Contrast the self righteous hypocrisy of Pharisees with the
extravagant forgiveness of the Father toward repentant sinners'
'Cross saves us from religion and rebelion'
Who wrote most of the NT? - ANS ✔✔Luke..not Paul
Purpose of Luke - ANS ✔✔Jesus as the Son of Man
Purpose of Mark - ANS ✔✔Jesus as the suffering Servant
Purpose of Matthew - ANS ✔✔Jesus as King/Anointed One
Purpose of John - ANS ✔✔Jesus as the Son of God
How many of the epistles were written by Paul? - ANS ✔✔13 of the letters were, 1 letter has an
unknown author
Pauline Soteriological Epistles - ANS ✔✔Study of Salvation, Romans, 1 Cor, 2 Cor, Galatians
Pauline Prison Epistles - ANS ✔✔Colossians, Philippians, Ephesians, 2 Timothy and Philemon
Pastoral Epistles - ANS ✔✔1 and 2 Tim, Titus
Eschatological Epistles - ANS ✔✔1 and 2 Thessalonians
, General Epistles - ANS ✔✔Initially adressed to a far wider audience, 2 John
Less churchy and pastoral tone
Hard to easily categorize
Function of epistles - ANS ✔✔To explain the Christian faith
3 Principles for reading and Understanding the Epistles - ANS ✔✔1. Think holistically
2. Think Historically
3. Think contextually
1. Think Holistically - ANS ✔✔- The epistles are letters; read them as an entire unit
- There were no verse or ch divisions in the originals
- Inspiration applies not merely to the words, but to the syntax, parragraphs, and thematic arrangement
of the epistles.
2. Think Historically - ANS ✔✔- Written for a specific occasion
-Examine Acts ( and sometimes others) for historical details
- Studies for contexts of Epistles start in Acts
-Deduce from the epistles the details about the historical situation
- Refer to good sources for help.
Example of Acts 17: Thessalonica - ANS ✔✔Paul was there for 2-4 weeks, church was mainly greek,
persecution In Phil 415-18 it says Thess. church did not support him
3. Think contextually - ANS ✔✔- Refer to previous lectures
Hermeneutics is ... - ANS ✔✔a tool.
Right Attitudes Necessary for Bible Interpretation - ANS ✔✔- Belief, these are the words of God.
-Humility, come in submission desiring to learn.
- Prayer: ask the Holy Spirit to illumine your mind; plead for wisdom Jn 3
Steps - ANS ✔✔- Investigation
-Interpretation
-Application
-Proclamation--> want to tell
1. INVESTIGATION/ EXPLORATION STAGE - ANS ✔✔What do I see?
Read, read, read.
Ask the WH questions..(why, where , who..)
Textual tip-offs..eg. Heb 8:1
2. INTERPRETATION/ EXPLANATION STAGE - ANS ✔✔What does it mean?
- Examine key words
- Notice textual outline
- What did it mean to the original audience?
