Mar 20, 2011

Blomberg on Exegesis and Systematic Theology

   
Craig Blomberg has noted four ways that systematic theology can trump biblical exegesis rather than having exegesis as the basis for our systematic theology.

  • If the immediate, literary context of the verses is not examined
  • When textual and contextual features are ignored
  • When interpreters fail to observe differences between one biblical writer's or corpus's use of key words or concepts and another's
  • If parallel accounts of the same teaching or event are inappropriately harmonized so as to lose sight of the distinctive message of each
Craig L. Blomberg with Jennifer Foutz Markley, A Handbook of New Testament Exegesis (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2010), 321. 
 

2 comments:

Mike Gantt said...

Thus we can err regardless of whether we trust systematic theology or biblical theology. Our only hope is to read the Bible with a view to do.

He who does the will of the Lord that he understands, will receive more understanding from the Lord.

Charles Savelle said...

Thanks for you comment. I am not sure I understand your point completely. So I may be misunderstanding you. In any case, I am not sure we can ditch systematic or biblical theology for simply reading and obeying the Bible, This is because we do not read or apply the Bible without at least a bit of theology, both systematic and biblical.