Starting Points

One questions that relates to the study of Romans, as well as to exegetical method, is “what is my starting point?” In other words, what is the place of reference from which I read the book of Romans? Do I come to Romans as one who has no preconceived ideas, with the intention of coming to a rational understanding of its teaching? The answer to that should be somewhat apparent for anyone who has taken a class in philosophy or apologetics. We all have presuppositions that we bring to the table.

What then is my starting point? Do I come to the text as a Reformed/Presbyterian or Baptist/Fundamentalist primarily in order to read the Scriptures rightly? Or should I come to the text merely as a Christian? How does orthodoxy fit in? Do we automatically assume the integrity of orthodoxy, or do we willingly let orthodox beliefs be challenged?

The above questions are difficult to answer, because all readers of Scripture (and any text) come from a particular cultural and ideological tradition that influences the way they think.

Without providing perhaps all the answers that are needed, perhaps the following would give a basic starting point from which to read the book of Romans. We read Romans as the community of God’s people, who are created, redeemed, and empowered by the Triune God, and as such, we have a vital continuity with the community in Rome that Paul was writing to. This is our basic starting point–as members of the people of God. Obviously the other questions are still there, but this is where we start from. Certain orthodox truths come out as we examine what the community is: the Trinity is essential for the Christian community.

Thinking about the starting points of Christian community and faith in reading Romans will be helpful as we actually read Romans, seeking to understand its teaching, and be changed by its truth.

Exegetical Method

The point of my study on Romans and therefore the point of this blog is to determine how the book of Romans should be read for the 21^st Century. In order to explore how to do that, one of the things that must first be done is to look at how exegesis is traditionally done in order to comprehend the Scriptures.

This exegetical step fits into a broader picture of understanding the Scriptures. Typically, the theological process is explained like this: First comes exegetical theology, where the laboring through the Greek or Hebrew text occurs. Second is Biblical Theology, which is placing the passage in the flow of Biblical history. Third is Systematic Theology, in which the student of Scripture attempts to place the Biblical themes into a systematic, logical summation of truth. Last is Homiletics, which is when all of the information that comes out of the previous steps is put into a message meant to impact the people of God.

This post will primarily deal with just that first step. It is important to keep in mind that though these can be thought of as distinct in some sense, there is overlap. Exegetical, Biblical, and Systematic Theology are all related, not completely separate entities. So while I will be referring to exegesis primarily here, biblical theology and systematics do come into play.

“Biblical Greek Exegesis” by Guthrie and Duvall lays out a simple exegetical method for Greek students. This is a workbook designed primarily for 2^nd year Greek students, so it lacks some of the depth that “New Testament Exegesis” by Gordon Fee has, but Part Two of the book provides a simple method for exegesis that will be helpful in talking about exegetical method.

As Guthrie and Duvall lay it out, a possible 12-step exegetical method would be this:

1. Spiritual Preparation
2. General Introduction
3. Literary Context
4. Provisional Translation
5. Grammatical Analysis
6. Semantic Diagram and Provisional Outline
7. Word and Concept Analysis
8. Broader Biblical and Theological Context
9. Commentaries and Special Studies
10. Polished Translation and Extended Paraphrase
11. Application
12. Preaching/Teaching Outline

As the exegetical process takes shape, these steps obviously overlap, and to some extent build on each other. This method could be organized as follows: Steps 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10 all highly relate to the rigorous aspect of working with the original text, looking at the words, sentences, paragraphs and logical argument of a passage (which coincides well with a book like Romans, but not necessarily so well with a narrative). So half of the process is devoted to linguistic and grammatical work.

Step1 is obviously related to the personal spiritual life of the one who would proclaim the word of God to His people. This is an important step, and one which I am sure Guthrie and Duvall would agree should continue throughout the exegetical process.

Steps 2 and 3 deal with the historical and literary context in which the passage was written. For example, who was the author, when was it written, is it a letter or a gospel, and so on. These studies are important, and they are placed at the beginning of the exegetical process. This is because in typical exegesis, it is paramount that the situation in which the passage was written should be understood so as to properly interpret (and even translate) the text. If we don’t understand who wrote the letter, to whom it was written, why it was written, and in what way it was written, it will be difficult to understand the truths which the Scriptures are teaching.

Step 8 deals with the biblical and theological themes that may be referred to in the specific text being exegeted. This is an important step as well, for it places the themes of the passage being examined in the context of the entire biblical revelation as well as in relation to the uniform teaching of the Scriptures. Notice that only one step is devoted to this.

Steps 11 and 12 are the point at which application and preaching come into play. Only one step is devoted specifically to application, and the last step is the “pulling together” of all that has come before into a package ready to be presented to the people of God.

Here are some of the questions that arise as this exegetical model is examined, and as I consider how Romans should be read for today:

1. If Scripture is indeed a unified story of the redemption provided by the Trinitarian God through Christ and by the power of the Spirit, then why is there no point at which the passage is related to the work of Christ or placed within a Trinitarian model? This can be asked both at the level of a study of a whole book or on a smaller scale at the level of a single passage.
2. If Scripture in general, and Romans in particular, is written to the people of God as a community of believers in the Trinitarian God, then why is it that when we sit down to study a book of the Bible, we make no effort to read it as though we are indeed part of the community of God’s people that existed both in Paul’s day and in our own?
3. Why do we spend so much time on the nitty-gritty of the grammar and syntax to the extent that the big biblical and theological picture of the Bible and application only get one step each? Is there perhaps an emphasis on rationalism arising from modernism that has affected the way in which we approach the Scriptures? Should there be a shifting in time spent and even in starting point for a reading of Romans?

I will be examining these questions in greater detail in future posts. I must say as well that I am not attacking the traditional exegetical model as presented by Guthrie and Duvall. I am not qualified to do that. But I am trying to ask if perhaps that model should be enriched or expanded in order to answer the questions that postmodernity has presented. Hopefully as I examine Romans and the nature of exegetical and theological method, this will become clear.

(The Exegetical Method cited above is from “Biblical Greek Exegesis” by Guthrie and Duvall, pages 103-161.)

Reading Romans for Today

This blog records the work done for BIB 452-02, a senior research class at Clearwater Christian College. My name is Joel Swearingen, and my professor for this study is Dr. Daniel Ebert.

As the title indicates, this blog deals with the New Testament book of Romans. While much study has been done on Romans in terms of exegetical and systematic theology, this study will be focused on two areas. First, an attempt will be made to read Romans for today, in light of the current postmodern theological discussion that occupies much attention in academic and ecclesiastical circles. Special emphasis will be put on reading Romans within the light of the community of the people of God and as a believer in the Trinitarian God of Scripture, while remaining textually faithful and exegetically rigorous. This will involve an evaluation of the typical exegetical process, attempting to identify ways to enrich that method by recognizing the underlying narratives in Romans. Second, part of the class requirements are to attempt to integrate Bible software such as Bibleworks and Logos Bible Software into the study of Romans, and so a comparison and contrast will be made between the two programs.

I will post updates regularly on work being done on both parts of the class. At the end of the Fall 2006 Semester, my paper on reading Romans for today and my conclusions about Bible software will be posted. Please feel free to enter the dialogue and post comments. I will attempt to respond to all of them as soon as I can.