BIBL 104 1-8 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
What is Hermeneutics? - Answer -It is the art and science (theory and practice) of
interpretation.
What is the concept of canon, and why is it important? - Answer -The word canon
refers to a group of writings regarded as authentic. It is used to describe the body of
literature in the Bible. A standard that something else is measured against (ruler, rod).
In biblical terms, the canon is the collection of books that are viewed as Scripture.
In the NT, why were many of the Epistles written before the Gospels? - Answer -The
early church was convinced that the return of Jesus was right around the corner and a
written argument that He was the Messiah did not seem to be needed.
Why did it take time for the NT canon to be agreed upon? - Answer -It took time for all
the churches in various cities to amass a complete collection because most of the NT
books are letters and copies of letters sent to various churches throughout the
Mediterranean region. They wanted to make sure that everything was right.
What is the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls? - Answer -It demonstrates that the
Masoretic text has been stable since that time and thus shows the reliability of modern
English translations.
In what three languages were the 66 books of the Protestant Bible originally written? -
Answer -Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
Original Language: - Answer -The language that one is translating from; in our case
Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek.
Receptor Language: - Answer -The language that one is translating into; in our case,
English.
Historical distance: - Answer -The differences that exist between the original language
and the receptor language in matters of words, grammar, idioms, culture and history.
What is the problem with literal translation? - Answer -It often makes the English
ambiguous, where the Greek or Hebrew was quite clear to the original recipients.
Formal equivalence: - Answer -The attempt to keep a close to the "form" of the Hebrew
or Greek as can be conveniently put into understandable English. (Literal)
What is the problem with a formal-equivalent translation? - Answer -It keeps distance at
the wrong places--in language and grammar.
, Functional equivalence: - Answer -The attempt to keep the meaning of the Hebrew or
Greek but to put their words and idioms into what would be the normal way of saying
the same thing in English. (keep the meaning but change the style "updated")
Free translation: - Answer -The attempt to translate the ideas from one language to
another with less concern about using the exact words of the original. (paraphrasing)
Theory of translation: - Answer -One puts primary emphasis on formal or on functional
equivalency bridging into modern language.
Problem areas with translations: - Answer -Weights, measures, money. Euphemisms.
Vocabulary. Wordplays. Grammar and Syntax. Matters of Gender.
What is the implicit teaching component found in biblical narratives? - Answer -God's
presence is the implicit teaching found in biblical narratives. 40% of the literary genre in
the OT is narrative. It is the most misinterpreted and misapplied scripture.
Internal Evidence: - Answer -It has to do with the mistakes to which the copyists and
authors of the variants were susceptible.
External Evidence: - Answer -It has to do with the quality and age of the manuscripts
that support a give variant.
What kind of teaching takes place in a Narrative? - Answer -The OT Narratives do not
teach directly, they ofthen illustrate what is taught explicitly and categorically. This
represents an implicit kind of teaching by illustrating the corresponding explicit
teachings of Scripture.
What are the author's implicit teachings from the book of Ruth? - Answer -Ruth
converted to faith in the Lord, Boaz was a righteous Israelite, a foreign woman belongs
to the ancestry of King David, and Bethlehem was an exceptional town.
Allegorizing: - Answer -People relegate the text to merely reflecting another meaning
beyond the text instead of concentrating on the clear meaning of the narrative.
Decontextualizing: - Answer -People ignore the full historical and literary contexts, and
concentrate on small units only and thus miss interpretational clues. (taking things out of
context to say anything you want it to)
Selectivity: - Answer -It involves picking and choosing specific words and phrases to
concentrate on while ignoring the others and ignoring the overall point of the narrative.
Moralizing: - Answer -The assumption that principles for living can be derived from all
passages. (What is the moral of this story?) They are historical narratives not illustrative
narratives.
What is Hermeneutics? - Answer -It is the art and science (theory and practice) of
interpretation.
What is the concept of canon, and why is it important? - Answer -The word canon
refers to a group of writings regarded as authentic. It is used to describe the body of
literature in the Bible. A standard that something else is measured against (ruler, rod).
In biblical terms, the canon is the collection of books that are viewed as Scripture.
In the NT, why were many of the Epistles written before the Gospels? - Answer -The
early church was convinced that the return of Jesus was right around the corner and a
written argument that He was the Messiah did not seem to be needed.
Why did it take time for the NT canon to be agreed upon? - Answer -It took time for all
the churches in various cities to amass a complete collection because most of the NT
books are letters and copies of letters sent to various churches throughout the
Mediterranean region. They wanted to make sure that everything was right.
What is the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls? - Answer -It demonstrates that the
Masoretic text has been stable since that time and thus shows the reliability of modern
English translations.
In what three languages were the 66 books of the Protestant Bible originally written? -
Answer -Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
Original Language: - Answer -The language that one is translating from; in our case
Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek.
Receptor Language: - Answer -The language that one is translating into; in our case,
English.
Historical distance: - Answer -The differences that exist between the original language
and the receptor language in matters of words, grammar, idioms, culture and history.
What is the problem with literal translation? - Answer -It often makes the English
ambiguous, where the Greek or Hebrew was quite clear to the original recipients.
Formal equivalence: - Answer -The attempt to keep a close to the "form" of the Hebrew
or Greek as can be conveniently put into understandable English. (Literal)
What is the problem with a formal-equivalent translation? - Answer -It keeps distance at
the wrong places--in language and grammar.
, Functional equivalence: - Answer -The attempt to keep the meaning of the Hebrew or
Greek but to put their words and idioms into what would be the normal way of saying
the same thing in English. (keep the meaning but change the style "updated")
Free translation: - Answer -The attempt to translate the ideas from one language to
another with less concern about using the exact words of the original. (paraphrasing)
Theory of translation: - Answer -One puts primary emphasis on formal or on functional
equivalency bridging into modern language.
Problem areas with translations: - Answer -Weights, measures, money. Euphemisms.
Vocabulary. Wordplays. Grammar and Syntax. Matters of Gender.
What is the implicit teaching component found in biblical narratives? - Answer -God's
presence is the implicit teaching found in biblical narratives. 40% of the literary genre in
the OT is narrative. It is the most misinterpreted and misapplied scripture.
Internal Evidence: - Answer -It has to do with the mistakes to which the copyists and
authors of the variants were susceptible.
External Evidence: - Answer -It has to do with the quality and age of the manuscripts
that support a give variant.
What kind of teaching takes place in a Narrative? - Answer -The OT Narratives do not
teach directly, they ofthen illustrate what is taught explicitly and categorically. This
represents an implicit kind of teaching by illustrating the corresponding explicit
teachings of Scripture.
What are the author's implicit teachings from the book of Ruth? - Answer -Ruth
converted to faith in the Lord, Boaz was a righteous Israelite, a foreign woman belongs
to the ancestry of King David, and Bethlehem was an exceptional town.
Allegorizing: - Answer -People relegate the text to merely reflecting another meaning
beyond the text instead of concentrating on the clear meaning of the narrative.
Decontextualizing: - Answer -People ignore the full historical and literary contexts, and
concentrate on small units only and thus miss interpretational clues. (taking things out of
context to say anything you want it to)
Selectivity: - Answer -It involves picking and choosing specific words and phrases to
concentrate on while ignoring the others and ignoring the overall point of the narrative.
Moralizing: - Answer -The assumption that principles for living can be derived from all
passages. (What is the moral of this story?) They are historical narratives not illustrative
narratives.
