HERMENEUTICS
LESSON 12
GENRES: GOSPELS, ACTS, AND THE EPISTLES
(LETTERS)
GENRES: GOSPELS, ACTS, AND THE EPISTLES (LETTERS)
•Word pictures help us experience the emotions and intellect of
the speaker.
•9/10 teachings/ statements of Jesus are spoken in word pictures
–Gospels
•Acts often shows truth through stories/events
•The Epistles are more intimate and real-life in approach
PERICOPE:
•Sallman’s portrait of Jesus was not to create an
image of what Jesus could have looked like
•It was an interpretation of what the artist felt
Christ is like. Through this image, the personality
and character of Christ are revealed.
•The Gospels do the same by using ‘pericopes’. A
writing style like a newspaper article. They are
small, self-contained units that go together to
form a Gospel. “Chunks”
Sallman’s 1940 portrait of Jesus
•Pericopes do not always follow chronological order. The writer often
groups events topically or by theme to emphasize his purpose for
writing.
•Pericopes are mosaic tiles that build a complete
picture one independent tile at a time. Must be read
as a whole unit –not one verse alone
•The pericope opens with a change of location, audience, or time. Ex:
Mark 2:1–12: “A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum...”
Mark 2:13–17: “Once again . . . beside the lake. A large crowd came to him . . .As he
walked along” (vv. 13–14).
Mark 2:23–27: “One Sabbath . . . grainfields . . . Pharisees said” (vv. 23–24)
What is a pericope? Give an example:
•Types, Purpose, and Examples of Pericopes:
Type:
Purpose:
Example:
Annunciation/nativity
stories
These stories prove the
uniqueness of Christ’s birth
and relate it to prophecy.
Birth of John (Luke 1:5
–25)
Birth of Christ (Luke 2:1
–7)
Visit of Magi (Matthew 2:1
–
12)
Calling stories
Someone is called to follow
Christ or respond to a specific
command.
Calling the disciples (John
1:35
–51)
Calling of Levi (Mark 2:13
-
17)
Miracle stories
These stories recount
miracles of healing the sick,
controlling
nature,casting
out
demons, or resurrecting the
dead.
Calms storm (Matt 8:23
–27)
Casts out demons
(Matt 8:28
–34)
Raises girl (Matt 9:18
–26)
Recognition and witness
stories
In
recognition stories,
someone discovers who
Christ is. In
witness stories,
someone testifies about
what He has done.
Both
present Christ as the
Messiah.
Peter’s confession (Matt
16:13
–20)
Witness of the man healed of
legion of demons (Mark 5:1
–
20)
The centurion (Matt 27:45
–
54)
Encounter stories
Jesus has face
-to-face dialog
with an individual.
Nicodemus (Jn 3:2
–21)
Samaritan woman (Jn 4:7
–
26)
Man at the pool (Jn 5:5
–15)
Conflict stories
Jesus confronted by opposing
people. Apologetic in nature.
Showing how Christ answers His
critics and the accusations of His
enemies.
Sabbath controversy (Luke
6:1
–11)
Hand washing (Matt 15:1
–20)
Accusation (Matthew 12:22
–37)
Pronouncement stories
These stories end with a
memorial
pronouncement of Christ.
Paralytic healed (Mark 2:1
–12)
Levi called (Mark 2:13
–17)
Fasting question (Mark 2:18
–
22)
Sermons/teachings
Jesus explains something
about entering, serving,
or proclaiming His
kingdom.
Sermon on the Mount (Matt.
5
–7)
Commission (Matt 9:35
–
10:42)
Last things (Matt 23
–25)
Parables
These stories illustrate a
truth about Christ and His
kingdom.
The soils (Matthew 13:1
–23)
The wedding (Matthew 22:1
–14)
The talents (Matthew 25:14
–30)
Passion stories
These stories are related
to the death and
resurrection of Christ
Last Supper (Jn 13:1
–30)
Crucifixion (Jn 19:16
–27)
Resurrection (Jn 20:1
–8)
INDIVIDUAL PERICOPES AND THEME OF THE KING AND HIS KINGDOM
•One common purpose—to proclaim the coming of the Messiah and His kingdom.
The kingdom of God (heaven) is the governing theme of the Gospels. The word
“kingdom(s)” appears 128 times in the four Gospels.
•The Gospels refer to the kingdom of God as both at hand and yet to come. Christ
inaugurated His kingdom during His first coming, but we await His second coming
when He will fully claim His kingdom. At present, the Kingdom refers to a spiritual
reign rather than an earthly realm. It refers more to personal transformation than
to political reform.
•Twin terms: “this age” and “the age to come”: This age = generally apply to
Creation to the resurrection; Age to come = 2nd Coming to Great White Throne
Judgement
Reading the Gospels both Vertically and
Horizontally
•The faces of a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle from
Ezekiel and Rev: Matthew—the promised king
(lion), Mark—the suffering servant (ox), Luke—the
perfect man (man), and John—the divine One
(eagle).
•Read the Gospels ‘Vertically’: First, literary unity is
evident in the Gospel of Matthew, which is divided
into five sections. Each section contains a historical
narrative, then a major sermon, and a concluding
statement beginning with “when Jesus had
finished”...see page 239. When we speak of
reading a Gospel vertically, we must start with the
confidence that it is one, unified, whole Gospel
and the work of one inspired author. This is called
the principle of literary unity.
Read the Gospels Horizontally
•Reading to compare parallel accounts is referred to as horizontal reading.
The primary goal in comparing the accounts is not to harmonize them
into one account.
Teaching Methods of Christ
•Christ’s Concrete Imagery = “The salt of the earth”-Matt 5:13; “Our
daily bread” – 6:11; and “Pearls before swine” – 7:6
•Christ’s Sayings: (Mark 2:13-17) Christ’s sayings are generalized – “short
and sweet” Climatic endings: “the law of end stress” = a summary
statement of the pericope, “I tell you”; “verily, verily I say to you”; or “in
the same way”
•Christ’s Use of Exaggerated Language: One of the most powerful
methods that Christ used to arrest attention was overstatement or
hyperbole.
The statement
The problem
“‘Remove the log in
your eye’” (Matt 7:5).
This is a physical
impossibility.
“‘When you pray, go
into your room’”
(Matt 6:6).
Christ did not limit His
own prayer to a room,
and restricting our
praying to a certain
location was not
what Christ intended.
“‘Pluck out your eye’”
(Matt 5:29)
Mutilation of the body
would not have the
result Christ wanted.
Acts: An Interpretive History
•The book of Acts is far more than a historical record. It is an interpretive
history. Luke presents theology through history.
•The book of Acts gives us twenty-eight chapters packed with trials, riots,
persecutions, escapes, martyrdoms, voyages, shipwrecks, and rescues.
And all of this action takes place in the major cities of the ancient world:
Jerusalem, Antioch, Philippi, Corinth, Antioch, Ephesus, and Rome. There
is an equal variety in the settings: temples, prisons, courts, deserts,
ships, seas, barracks, and theaters...
•Review the differences between normative or descriptive writing:
Chapter 7 states an action that is meant to be a pattern for all believers
of all time is called normative. An action that only describes what
happened or illustrates the faith of biblical characters is called
descriptive.
•Doctrine Must Not Be Based on a Single Event Alone
•Doctrines Must Be Confirmed by Consistent Witness of Scripture
•Doctrines Must Reflect the Intention of the Original Writer
Epistles –Occasional/Situational Documents
•The Epistles are not addressed to us directly. We are eavesdropping on real and
personal correspondence sent in the first century.
•22 of the 27 NT books are written as epistles, interweaving historical circumstances
with the teachings.
•Note: I Peter mentions persecution several times – paralleling Nero’s persecution
against Christians
•Paul is writing to the Philippians while he is under arrest and waiting for Nero’s
sentence adds depth to the interpretation of his message. Paul is in chains, yet he
takes time from his crisis to pray for the Philippians and thank them for their gift. At
any moment, he could be called before Caesar, yet his mind is on the unity in the
church in Philippi (Philippians 1:24; 2:1–4), he states, “stop complaining”, and
specifically on the tension between two women in the congregation—Euodia and
Syntyche (Philippians 4:2). With his life in danger, he still is concerned that the church
maintains its unity (Philippians 1:27; 2:1–4).
For All Christians or Only for the Original Readers
•Descriptive instruction illustrates how a truth was applied in one historic case. The
application is limited to the first century, but the truth it illustrates is still eternal.
•Normative or Descriptive, ask:
1. Is the instruction mentioned more than once in the Bible?
2. Is the instruction confirmed or clarified by other passages? To be normative, the
instruction should be clearly taught in other passages and be the uniform testimony of
Scripture.
3. How does this instruction fit into the entire message of the Epistle? The original
intent of the author and the circumstances of the readers should guide the
interpretation.
4. What truth does the passage teach to the modern believer? If the instruction is
descriptive, the interpreter must look for the underlying truth it illustrates.