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- Herausgeber: IVP Academic
- Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
- Serie: Little Books
- Sprache: Englisch
Many young Bible scholars are passionate for the Scriptures. But is passion enough?In A Little Book for New Bible Scholars, Randolph Richards and Joseph Dodson encourage young students of the Bible to add substance to their zeal—the kind of substance that comes from the sweat and toil of hard study. "Just as we should avoid knowledge without love," they write, "we should also avoid love without knowledge."Aimed at beginners, this concise overview offers a wealth of good advice, warns of potential pitfalls, and includes wisdom from a variety of other biblical scholars as well as stories from the authors' own long experience in the guild. Full of warmth, humor, and an infectious love for Scripture, this book invites a new generation of young scholars to roll up their sleeves and dig into the complex, captivating world of the Bible.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017
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FOR OUR STUDENTS
who remind us why we do what we do
CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction: A Noble Calling
1. Fall in Love
2. More Stuff, Less Fluff
3. Hold Your Horses!
4. Don’t Play Marbles With Diamonds
5. Speak the Local Language
6. Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing
7. Don’t Get Puffed Up
8. Biblical Studies is an Equal Opportunity Vocation
9. Stay The Course
Conclusion: Don’t Miss the Forest for the Trees
Name and Subject Index
Scripture Index
Praise For A Little Book for New Bible Scholars
About the Authors
Little Books series
More Titles From InterVarsity Press
Copyright
PREFACE
One day after class my professor, Calvin Miller, remarked, “Joey, we are a product of our teachers’ teachers. Like those who have gone before you, don’t just bear fruit. Bear fruit trees!”
Although we, Randy and Joey, come from different generations and different educational paths, we both see our professors’ influence all over our lives. We are forever grateful to the men and women who were faithful to pass along to us what they received from their teachers, and we’ve done our best to follow their example. Randy has done so since 1988 by teaching at evangelical institutions in Texas, Indonesia, Arkansas, and now, Florida. Joey has been teaching since 2005 in universities in Texas, Scotland, and Arkansas. This little book is a modest attempt to give back by sharing from the overflow of what we’ve learned. We aim to help prepare the next generation of “fruit trees”—those who will be Bible teachers after us.
In writing this book, we thought about the things we routinely tell our own students who are new Bible scholars. We also asked other well-respected Bible scholars what kinds of things they routinely tell their students. We included many stories—true, personal stories. They’re written in the first person and use “I,” but we wanted to avoid muddying the waters by constantly indicating who the “I” is. When it matters, such as when the story is about our particular families, we found a way to weave in who’s talking. This book, though, isn’t about us; it’s about you. We wrote for the man or woman who is embarking on a program in biblical studies. Although this usually means a college major or minor or the standard entry track in seminary, some churches are engaging in quality, in-depth biblical training for select leaders. Whatever your path into biblical studies and whatever your goal, we pray God’s richest blessings on your studies.
Joey would like to thank Ouachita Baptist University for granting him a sabbatical to work on this project, as well as the faculty and staff of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary for sharing their resources during the sabbatical. Randy thanks Palm Beach Atlantic University for valuing scholarship and allowing him to carve out time for it. We are both indebted to the professors who graciously volunteered testimonials for this book. We also need to thank Brandon O’Brien, a wonderful writer, friend, and Bible scholar, for his insightful comments on the book. Although we dedicate this book to all our students, we especially note L. J. Brooks, Joey’s son in the faith, who aced life’s final exam in 2012.
INTRODUCTION
A Noble Calling
One day when I was reading Revelation, I came across a passage where John recounts his heavenly vision:
Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” (Rev 5:1-2)
Although I had planned to read the rest of Revelation that day, my curiosity got the best of me. I was puzzled. Why would a scroll have seven seals? At first blush, I guessed that seven seals likely meant “sealed really well.” Then I thought that seven seals could imply “spiritually sealed.” Finally, rather than just sitting there and pondering it, I thought, I should research this. So I did. And here’s what I found.
My initial interpretations were way off. A person hearing this story in the first century would have thought, Seven seals? Oh, that’s a will, as in a “last will and testament.” You see, in the Roman Empire, an ordinary person would gather the heir of the will, the executor, and five witnesses to hear him dictate his will to a secretary. When the document was finished, it was rolled up. Each person attested that it was correct and made it official by wrapping a string around it, tying it up, putting a blob of clay or wax on his knot, and then pressing his seal into the wax. Thus, the will would have seven seals.1
It’s very exciting to think of the implications of Revelation 5 from this perspective. Since the setting in Revelation is a heavenly throne scene, the will with seven seals is the will and testament of God the Father! Moreover, John lets the reader know that this is not a little will. He says that when it was rolled up, one could see the scroll was written on both sides, indicating that the entire document was full of text. In other words, this will has a lot of stuff in it. It’s unsurprising that all of heaven is chomping at the bit to find out what it says.
There’s a problem, however. The will is sealed, and “no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it” (Rev 5:3). Not a single creature in heaven or on earth or under the earth was worthy to break the seals. Not even among the innumerable angels, or the six-winged seraphim (Isa 6:2), or the crown-wearing elders (Rev 4:4). None of the seals belonged to them. Not one had been there when the will was written and sealed.
In response, John wails and sobs because none of the seven were there to open the will.2 But then someone comes forward.John’s eyes behold a lamb “looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne” (Rev 5:6). It is Jesus! Jesus steps up, takes the will from the Father, and opens all seven seals.
This is the part we are supposed to notice. His authority to open all the seals reveals that Jesus is the executor of the will. More than that, however, he is also all five witnesses. Since there had been no one else to witness it but Christ, this will must have been written before creation—before anyone else was around. What is more, in addition to being the executor and witness of the will, he is the heir. Jesus is the Son of God who will inherit it all. As the hosts of angels go on to broadcast, Jesus will receive “power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Rev 5:12).
If you love learning about how the first century background illumines passages like this, then deeper Bible study is for you. While we acknowledge that the truth of God’s Word is radically simple, transforming, and true, we also maintain that Scripture was carefully constructed and is profoundly complex. The same God whose creation is marvelously wonderful and diverse gave us his Word, which, though simple and clear, has sophisticated depth and richness for us to discover.
When the Richards boys were teenagers, I took them to Blanchard Springs Caverns in the Ozark Mountains and signed us up for the “wild cave tour.” Before we departed for the caves, the guides made sure we would be able to crawl on our bellies, tolerate tight spaces, and be willing to get dirty from head to toe. They had us sign waivers assuring them that we realized we were taking our lives into our own hands. Then they issued special equipment and introduced us to our personal guide. For the rest of the day, we crawled through tiny holes. We inched along a ledge with our backs against one wall, our legs braced against the other, and a gorge underneath us. We skirted other dangerous areas. If our headlamps gave out, we would be in deepest darkness. There were no paths and no ropes to mark the walkways. We ate our sack lunches in some deep cavern and then began our ascent. After crawling through a narrow—really narrow—tube, we squeezed through a crevice and emerged on the path of the standard tour, just behind the ropes. Imagine the surprise of the regular tourists when these four bedraggled folks, who seemed to materialize out of a crack, stood up and stepped across the rope and onto the guided path. We were covered with dirt, sweat, and smiles. To be sure, our journey wasn’t for everyone. Most people couldn’t take the claustrophobic spaces. We certainly got our hands (and every other inch of us) dirty. But to see certain treasures required the hard work.
The same is true of advanced biblical studies. Those willing to don the equipment, turn on their headlamps and head underground into dark caves of vocabulary and ancient philosophy—those willing to inch through tubes of church tradition and theology—those willing to brave narrow places recently discovered and to skirt dangerous areas still waiting to be explored—will find untold riches.
This little book is written for those who desire to go beyond the beaten path to pursue biblical studies, whether it is in college, seminary, or an advanced church program. We hope to show you that biblical studies is a noble calling—that it can enable you all the more to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before the Lord. Moreover, we want to show you that biblical studies can help us understand the gospel of Jesus Christ more fully so that we can teach it in our churches more effectively. We should warn you, however, that while graduating college with a major in chemistry makes you a chemist and finishing a major in engineering makes you an engineer, completing a major in biblical studies makes you not so much a Bible expert as much as a lifelong Bible student. We chafe at part of our book’s title—Bible Scholars—but we didn’t know how else to term it. Even though both of your authors have completed PhDs in biblical studies, we remain always and forever students of the Bible. There is so much yet to learn and we have an ever-increasing hunger to learn it, not to mention a matching desire to see it faithfully applied to our lives and churches.
1
FALL IN LOVE
I met her when I was in first grade. She walked into the cafeteria as I was sipping chocolate milk and munching tater tots. I was so compelled by her beauty, I pushed away my tray, stood on my chair, and shouted, “Who is that pretty girl?!” Although I’m not certain I believe in love at first sight, we’ve been together ever since. I pursued her throughout elementary school and declared my love in sixth grade by stealing a kiss (a romantic peck on the cheek). In junior high, I had not yet hit my growth spurt, so at the homecoming dance I was forced to put my head on her shoulder as we swayed the night away. In high school, we went on our first mission trip together, where we both surrendered to the ministry. As I fell in deeper love with her throughout the ensuing years, I wanted to know every detail I could about her. And the more I learned about her, the more I fell in love with her. Now, twenty years of marriage and five little Dodsons later, I am still tempted to stand up whenever she walks into the room.
I also met Jesus Christ as my Savior when I was in first grade. I stood up from my pew, walked down the aisle and declared my commitment to God. The next Sunday, I made it official by following the Lord in baptism. To congratulate me, the church gave me a black, leather-bound, red-letter edition Bible with my name engraved on the front. The more I grew in my relationship with God, the more I wanted to tuck into that Bible. And the more I read that Bible, the more I grew in my relationship with God. My zeal for the Lord and his Word led me to a Christian liberal arts university where I began my education in biblical studies. Even after a handful of degrees and decades in a classroom, I continue to be amazed at how God constantly opens my eyes to wonderful things in his Word—insights that I have never seen before (Ps 119:18). My love for the Lord has motivated me to study the Bible all the more.
Is Love All I Need?
As much as I had love for the Lord, I needed something else. Against the popular sentiment that in the Christian life all you need is love, Scripture makes it clear that love is not all you need. Yes, love for God is paramount and essential (Deut 6:5). But in Philippians 1:9-11, Paul demonstrates the need for knowledge in addition to love. In the passage, Paul tells the church that he is constantly praying that their love will continue to increase more and more in all knowledge and insight. Elsewhere Paul warns of the dangers of having knowledge without love: knowledge puffs us up and leads to pride (1 Cor 8:1), and even a person smart enough to fathom every cosmic mystery is nothing without love (1 Cor 13:1-2). This does not mean that Paul wants his people to be ignorant. Just as we should avoid knowledge without love, we should also avoid love without knowledge. Paul prays that his church will have both. As Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Christian love is not blind! The heart and mind work together so that we have discerning love and loving discernment.”1
Similarly, Peter commands the church to make every effort to add knowledge to their faith, since knowledge is necessary for preventing believers from becoming spiritually blind (2 Pet 1:5-9). Furthermore, what I’ve realized throughout the years is that the knowledge I need goes beyond simply knowing what the Bible says—it’s the knowledge necessary to correctly handle the Bible and interpret what it says.
Is the Bible All I Need?
A popular Christian speaker asked the question “If I were on an island, and I only had the Bible—no one preaching to me, no theology books—what would I believe?” This is an interesting question, but it can imply that a person would not need anything but a Bible to understand the Bible. To be sure, studying about the Bible can never replace studying Scripture. Nevertheless, there is more to understanding Scripture than just reading the Bible. In fact, if all you had were the Bible, you would have something that looks like the figure on the next page.
Sample from a late second- or early third-century papyrus of Paul’s letters (P46).
That is to say, the only reason we have an English Bible (or even a printed Greek text) is because of the hard work of biblical scholars who were not alone on an island. It took centuries of work by innumerable scholars to enable us to hold a modern Bible in our hand. Assuming someone has already translated Scripture into English, is my English Bible enough? Alone on an island, I would not have a community of believers around me nor the great cloud of witnesses who came before me to check, confirm, or complement my interpretations.2 I might discard the Bible as contradicting itself when I read, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly” and then see in the next verse, “Answer a fool according to his folly” (Prov 26:4-5). I’d be puzzled by how Moses could write about himself in Numbers 12:3, “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” Isn’t it haughty to call yourself humble? Moreover, I’d probably believe in baptism for the dead (1 Cor 15:29), snake handling (Mk 16:18), and polygamy (1 Sam 1:2). I might be against women wearing pearl jewelry (1 Tim 2:9), and think it is okay for someone to dress like a prostitute to seduce her father-in-law (Gen 38
