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5 Keys to Study the Bible Critically

In this blog post, I explain what it means to study the Bible critically and I describe 5 keys to doing it well.

What is critical interpretation?

In her book, Opening Israel’s Scriptures, Ellen Davis identifies five features of “the conscientious practice of critical interpretation.”

I think they are incredibly important.

Before I summarize them, however, I want to explain the phrase “critical interpretation.”

Critical interpretation does not imply a negative attitude towards the Bible. Studying the Bible critically does not necessarily mean trying to show how the Bible is deficient.

Rather, critical interpretation means the careful analysis of the Bible.

This type of interpretation does not make for great Instagram posts or viral tweets. Hopefully, however, your pastor’s sermon is built on a careful investigation of the Bible’s details.

So, once we’ve agreed that critical interpretation is not a bad idea, let’s look at the five features Ellen Davis invites us to implement.

1) We should clarify our presuppositions and concerns when we approach the Bible.

We all come to the Bible with what some scholars call “preunderstanding." That is to say, we all bring our own thoughts and agendas to the Bible.

While this fact is inescapable, we would do well to identify our presuppositions before we start interpreting the Bible.

For example, here are a few aspects of my life that influence my approach to the Bible.

I grew up in a Western culture, which contrasts the Eastern culture behind the Bible.

I live in the U.S.A, a global superpower. Israel and the Jewish people were anything but superpowers in their world.

These two aspects of my personal experience shape the way I see the world. In some ways, they help me read the Bible. In other ways, they can prevent me from understanding the Bible.

We cannot avoid having presuppositions and agendas when we study the Bible. Everyone faces the same challenge.

It is dangerous, however, to act as if our personal experiences don’t impact how we read the Bible. If we want to study the Bible well, we had better examine ourselves first.

2) We must identify the literary features of the text.

I am convinced that studying the Bible well requires us to read it slowly.

When we read the Bible quickly and jump straight to interpretation, we inevitably fill in the gaps with our assumptions and presuppositions. This move will cause us to miss out on so many important details in the Bible.

Davis encourages us to examine every literary feature in the text we are studying. This approach represents one way to respect the Bible. Throughout the centuries, Jews and Christians alike have believed that the Bible’s details matter.

We will not notice the literary features of the Bible if we read it quickly or haphazardly.

3) We must examine the relevant social and historical factors associated with the text.

The biblical world differs drastically from our own.

Most Western Christians live in free, democratic societies. The social world of the Bible knew nothing of the U.S. Constitution. They lived under the thumb of foreign empires.

In addition to our political structures, ancient societies held widely different views about all sorts of social issues. We will do well to learn more about those differences.

In addition to the social factors, we should examine the historical background of the biblical world.

We need to know about…

famous figures and events
daily lives of ordinary people
ancient customs and practices
the composition and development of the Bible

The more we can reconstruct the historical background of the Bible, the better we can understand confusing aspects of the Bible.

4) We need to “justify” our interpretation of the Bible.

The Bible is not easy to interpret.

If it were, we wouldn’t have so many denominations.

So, we need to explain why we think the Bible means what we think it means.

Justifying our interpretations will require us to provide an account of how the details fit together.

How do we explain the literary features of the passage?
Why is our historical reconstruction plausible?
How did we arrive out our interpretation?

If someone can’t or won’t explain why they read the Bible the way they do, we should wonder whether they have an ulterior motive or if they are unqualified to speak about the Bible’s meaning.

5) We must keep an open mind toward revising our interpretations.

Again, the Bible is not easy to interpret. If it were, we wouldn’t have so many denominations.

Just as critical interpretation of the Bible requires us to “justify” our interpretations, it should also encourage us to keep an open mind.

People have been studying the Bible for thousands of years. Still, no one has written the definitive interpretation of any passage. That’s why people keep writing about and debating the meaning of the Bible.

If we want to study the Bible well, we need to keep an open mind. We will likely discover better ways of reading and understanding it.