Tag: resources

An Approach to Learning Isaiah

I’m still learning how to study my bible, so I figured I’d post this approach to Isaiah that I’m taking in case it helps someone find some direction for their own study.

I’m currently digging into Isaiah because Paul establishes much of his thinking, purpose, and ministry on the ideas and words in Isaiah. My approach is this:

1. Listen to Isaiah

Listening to the scriptures is how much of the ancient Jewish world absorbed them. And like a school of fish in water, the ancient Jews understood their scriptures not just as a component of their culture, but their culture itself; the environment they lived, worked, and breathed in. My goal here was to get the big picture; understand where ideas, topics, and audiences shifted; and to see Isaiah come to life in my mind like a movie. Aside from audible chapter breaks, there would be no verse numbers or chapter headers distracting me.

Listening took me about three days to do so as contiguously as possible. I’ve worked hard at learning how to pay attention to audio study as I’m going about day-to-day activities, e.g., driving or cleaning around the house. And when I can’t pay attention, like when I enter the grocery store to pick up a few items, I pause the audio. I know I want to pay attention, and I have to modify my behavior in order to do this effectively. I know that looking for items on the store shelves will require more attention than I have to also hear what’s playing through my headphones. So I pause. When I listen, I listen at 1.5x speed. If you listen to The Bible Project podcasts, you’ll thank me for that if you aren’t already listening at 1.5x.

2. Listening to audio, write down 3-10 key ideas and details for each chapter

This took a couple of weeks. I couldn’t do this in the car. I had to do this sitting down, closing my eyes, and hitting play on the bible app. I would listen to each chapter in its entirety, listening carefully, making mental notes, and then pause at the end of the chapter to write down some bullet points.

I use Logos to support my study. It will read the audio, allow me to adjust the speed, and provide a single repository for all my notes in a tag-able, searchable format. I know YouVersion will play audio for free. And probably other apps too.

3. Transcribe Isaiah chapter-by-chapter

Yes, I’m typing the words of Isaiah from the ESV into my Logos notes as I read them out loud to myself. While I’m doing this I also have the interlinear pane turned on so that I can see the Hebrew and have quick access to Logos Word Studies that give me fingertip access to meanings and context.

In my transcription I substitute Yahweh for LORD, Yaweh sabaot (Lord of hosts – the leader of Yahweh’s army), El or el / Eloha / Elohe / Elohim for God, elohim for god (when distinguishing between Yahweh the El of Israel and the other gods / el/elohim of other nations), Qadosh Israel (Holy One of Israel), and Adonai for Lord (the English translators use “lord” to mean a few different things) in order to help me make the words I’m reading very clear to me so I get the right understanding, e.g., which god are we talking about, or which form or role of the Hebrew God is in play.

Taking this approach gives me an opportunity to understand what the original writers were thinking. This all helps with clarity of meaning of the text. As I write this on Dec 28 I’m around chapter 50.

You can find free interlinears online. Logos interlinear is a paid feature (I think around $20) and well worth the cost for the extremely effective formatting and the integration with the entire Logos platform.

Try following this example.

This is my transcription of a segment of Isaiah 41. Notice the “god” words. Qadosh is Holy One; Yahweh is usually translated LORD; and Elohe is god/God, so in this case it’s the God of Israel (as opposed to another god).

Transcription Example: Notice the “god” words

Here is what the interlinear in Logos looks like and what I used to make my English substitutions. When I click on a word in the text, the interlinear pane at the bottom of the screen highlights the current word and provides context. In this case I’ve highlighted “the God” and you can see in the interlinear that the transliteration (English spelling of the Hebrew sounds) is Elohe. Logos will tell you what part of speech the word is and even pronounce it for you.

Interlinear Example

Sometimes I come across an English word in the ESV that just doesn’t sound right in the context of what I’m reading. One of those cases for me is the word “savior” as used a few times in Isaiah. I’m thinking that they aren’t talking about a savior the way modern evangelicals think about Jesus and that this word can confuse ideas and lead to a misunderstanding of Isaiah. I use the interlinear to help me understand what’s happening behind the English translation. In this case I’m thinking “deliverer” provides a clearer understanding of the point Isaiah makes.

The Hebrew linguistic context of the English translation Savior in Isaiah 43

Without departing too far from my workflow, I can quickly get additional context in Logos by right clicking a word. Logos provides a number of options to drill into.

Right clicking on “Savior” provides this contextual menu of options in Logos

If I choose Bible Word Study near the top right of the context menu, Logos provides, well, a Word Study tool where I can get an understanding of the word, its meaning, and how its used throughout both scripture and other non-biblical content that I own in my Logos library.

Logos Word Study – Savior

4. Chapter-by-chapter notes and in-depth contextual study

Once I complete the transcription I’ll leverage my Logos library (in which I’ve invested quite a bit) to support my study. I’ll take notes on my findings as I spend time reading passage-by passage through Isaiah again, accessing dictionaries and commentaries, soaking in the history and looking up words I don’t know. Places and geography matters. Finding these on maps will further refine my understanding. Most of this work I can do in Logos without having to keep hard copy books open on my desk. Having multiple monitors helps keep all the content accessible.

This will have been my fourth pass through Isaiah, getting a bit deeper with each pass.

5. Understanding the interconnections within the text

One of my goals in this phase of the study will be to identify and understand where and why Paul refers to Isaiah as he corresponds with the different churches as well as the record of Paul’s behavior in Luke’s account of Acts. How did Paul’s understanding of Judaism change? How does he understand his role in God’s unfolding plan? What is Paul’s understanding of the meaning of scripture? There are many questions here.

In one sense this is pretty easy to do. Most English bibles footnote the New Testament text where the writers refer to Old Testament passages. So just follow the footnotes.

In another sense, this is crazy stupid hard to do because you have to channel your inner ancient Israelite in order to really get it. New Testament writers don’t refer to an Old Testament passage just for the passage’s sake. That’s called proof texting, and the ancient Israelites didn’t handle their scriptures that way. Because the ancient community is as familiar with their heritage as a fish is with water, when the writer refers to a passage, that writer also assumes the reader or hearer will pull in all of the Old Testament context associated with that passage in order to understand the point. As modern readers, we don’t get that context at all by just following the footnotes. In order to understand our New Testament the way the NT writers meant us to, we have to not just know the words in our OT, but also their context and meaning. They need to live within us. For me, everything I outlined above is the foundational work that helps me get ready to do the hard work of interconnection.

I have Matt Halstead’s book Paul and the Meaning of Scripture on my list. It’s not in Logos yet, so I’m debating on the Kindle version now ($10), or wait. NT Wright’s academic work on Paul is also on my list, but it’s a 1,600 page slog. Both of these will make the connections between the Jewish scriptures and Paul’s thinking that will provide context for New Testament readers. I do own the Dictionary of Paul and his Letters which I expect to aid in my research. What’s nice about Logos is that I don’t have to remember what content I own. I perform the searches I need to do, and Logos returns the hits across my library.

So that’s how I’m approaching my Isaiah study. I hope this helps.

2022 Resource List

Here are the resources that I leveraged in 2022 to help shape my thinking and understanding of the world.

Books

This was a year of friends making book recommendations to me. I tend to stay more technical in my reading, so these recommendations were, in my opinion, a necessary departure from my normal patterns and provided some much needed perspective.

Extra-Biblical Sources

Part of my research this year included Jude and 2 Peter. The Assumption of Moses and the Testimony of Moses were two sources referenced in the research. I read the Assumption of Moses, which is a short document that sort of provides some context.

Journal Articles

Courses

Podcasts I keep current with – these are all 5-star

  • Ask NT Wright Anything – This podcast gives me so many research ideas and well-thought-out perspective. Wright is a New Testament scholar, and that includes a thorough grasp of the Old Testament prophets which serve as the foundation of the New Testament. If you don’t know your prophets you’re only getting about 20% of the New Testament.
  • BEMA – The Jewish understanding of the scriptures. This is a refreshing look at God’s word, especially if you are steeped in the Enlightenment / Reformation worldview that can hamstring your ability to see God’s word for what it is. If you don’t know if this is your worldview, it is. It’s the default. You need to intentionally work at dismantling this. Marty is great, esp Seasons 1-5. The introduction of Elle Grover Fricks (and YouTube) and Josh Bosse to the fray brings a level of scholarship in parallel with rabbis and academics.
  • Reasonable Faith – William Lane Craig is quantifiably in the list of top living philosophers as a measure of the times his work is cited by other researchers. I spent many years studying apologetics and have moved away from the value there and am spending more time in theology. The Reasonable Faith podcast allows me to keep a toe in the apologetics world while also providing access to a mind that thinks deeply and chooses words carefully. These skills have helped me hone my ability to think clearly. Craig also publishes a Defenders podcast, which is a 3-year systematic theology in lecture form. While I’m not a huge fan of systematics, I’ve worked through this series twice and can assure you you’ll learn a ton if you are new to bible study or systematics.
  • Naked Bible – Michael Heiser made my mind explode a half-decade ago and showed me just how little I knew about my bible. He’s very technical and makes academic research available to his audience. If you are looking for more than just devotional or personal character development and are willing to spend the effort wading through difficult topics that you won’t understand, knowing that someday you will, this podcast will push you to levels you didn’t know could be attained.
  • Israel Bible Podcast – Cyndi Parker, the host, is an instructor at the Israel Bible Center. She publishes a weekly podcast interviewing other instructors at IBC about their courses. It’s a taste of what is available in their courses. This is another podcast that has provided a number of research ideas. While I’m not a student yet, I’m pretty sure I’ll be signing up in 2023. I think it’s $300 annually for full access to their course catalog, round table discussions with scholars, and articles.
  • The Bible Project – This is probably a familiar name to most people who have gone past bible reading and are trying to understand more about their bibles. If you’ve only watch the BP YouTube videos, letting Tim and Jon talk to you about the content more comprehensively may be your next step in bible study. Tim Mackie is probably the most accessible and well-rounded theologian I’ve studied with. Tons of book recommendations made in this podcast.

Honorable Mention Podcast

  • The Bible for Normal People – Pete Enns is a well-known and controversial scholar referenced by Wright, Heiser, and others from time to time. I don’t stay current with this one, but will listen from time to time to make sure I challenge my own comfortability in my biblical understanding. If you are rigid in your faith, don’t listen to this one. It could shake you. Or make you more rigid. Neither of which are good options.

Thinking about the ICOC

Truth Trauma Theology Podcast, Patreon, and YouTube – Kyle Spears provides valuable mental health content with a focus on healing. An aspect of his work provides access to influential thought leadership in the International Churches of Christ where an internal ongoing conversation about trauma and healing is taking place. Some of the ICOC and Theology content is available on Kyle’s public YouTube channel and podcast. Some of the more sensitive content is available through his Patreon behind a very low cost paywall – enough to require effort on your part to demonstrate a willingness to engage.

Here are the important non-paywalled discussions that interact with ICOC cultural dynamics and, with the John Mark Hicks discussion, the traditional COC approach to theology and hermeneutics:

Wander through Kyle’s YouTube channel and you’ll find interviews with John Louis, Ed & Deb Anton, Steve & Lisa Johnson, Steve Kinnard, Daren Overstreet, Todd Asaad, Tammy Fleming, Jeanie Shaw, Wade Cook, Gordon Ferguson, Robert Carillo, Michael Burns, Vince Hawkins, and Steve Saindon.

On Kyle’s Patreon feed you’ll also find an Andy Fleming interview that sheds light on his paper I referenced above along with more personal “Off The Record” commentary by his guests not publicly available.

Debunking the Hermeneutic of Obedience and the Deprioritization of the Old Testament

Evangelicalism suffers from the hermeneutic of obedience, and by implication the deprioritization of the content of the Old Testament. The New Testament fundamentally depends on the Old Testament, and to marginalize its importance is harmful and dangerous.

A hermeneutic is a lens that you use to support interpretation. If you’re aware of the lens, then you can adopt a given lens to do some interpretation. When you’re done you probably adopt another lens to do a different kind of interpretation. In biblical studies, examples include the tried-and-true standard historical-grammatical academic hermeneutic that aims to discover an author’s original meaning. An alternative might be the African-American hermeneutic that Esau McCaulley adopts in his book Reading While Black.

Evangelicals seem to suffer from what I’ll call the hermeneutic of obedience where they read the bible looking for commands to obey. I won’t say this is an invalid hermeneutic, but when it’s a preacher’s primary lens for how they read their bible, it’s harmful and downright dangerous. In my experience, every sermon, no matter which passages are used, becomes a lesson of “You’re not good enough.” This lens also robs a person of the opportunity to have a good conscience towards God. Instead, their behavior is an exercise of trying to obey in order to relieve the guilt.

If it’s not obvious, there are a number of strong qualitative reasons to choose a different hermeneutic as your primary lens on the bible. We’re not going to look at the qualitative reasons in this post. Instead we’re going to take a quantitative, data-driven, look at the hermeneutic of obedience, first, because it should be obvious just how bad it is after doing so, and second because the graphs just look cool.

When I hear preachers camp on obedience, the other thing I tend to hear is that the Old Testament isn’t that important. That shouldn’t surprise us because, as we’ll see, the Old Testament isn’t full of commands to obey. The fact that the bible of the early church, the bible of Acts 2, was the Jewish scripture (yes, that body of work we call the Old Testament) is completely lost on them. It shows just how little these people understand their bible. In my sphere of information, this hermeneutic seems endemic in evangelicalism, but I get a sense the tides are shifting given the tremendous access of good bible teaching at our fingertips. Hopefully it’s a short matter of time before we can bury this one.

I use Logos as my bible study tool. It’s not inexpensive. If you’re just a bible reader, don’t get it. But if you want to invest time and money to learn how to study your bible, then perhaps give it a spin. If you do want to try it, contact me as I get access to discounts from time to time.

If you take a look at the video, I walk through the Bible Books Explorer in Logos. The tremendous value of Logos is the work they do to tag EVERYTHING to so many different taxonomies. You can slice and dice biblical data in ways unimaginable a couple decades ago. The Bible Books Explorer adopts the taxonomy work of Robert Longacre to categorize the biblical text into

  • Narrative – story telling
  • Procedure – think Levitical laws
  • Behavior – commands to obey
  • Exposition – what things are like

At a glance in the video it’s obvious that those who subscribe to the hermeneutic of obedience have to deprioritize the Old Testament because there just aren’t a lot of commands to obey. What’s missed is that even the New Testament contains significantly little command language relative to the entire body of New Testament content. To adopt this approach essentially means ignoring more than half of the New Testament.

Sometimes Acts 2:42 is used to support deprioritizing the Old Testament because the disciples “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching . . .,” and you find the apostles’ teaching in the New Testament. The problem is that most of the apostles didn’t contribute to the New Testament, and all of the apostles taught from the Old Testament (sort of, but we’ll just say that to simplify things).

In the video you’ll see how literally dependent on the Old Testament that the early church is.1 For us today, without a deep understanding of the Old Testament you’re going to get your interpretation of the New Testament wrong. Or at best be woefully incomplete. You just are. And frankly, if you find yourself in a community where obedience is valued and the Old Testament is deprioritized, you wouldn’t be faulted for taking whatever is taught with a grain of salt.

  1. Without getting into the detail here, the early church is a sect of Judaism. There isn’t a conversion per se to Christianity. So it’s not so much that the early church was dependent on the OT as much as the OT is their scripture. To be blunt, even after ALL the New Testament is written, the Old Testament is still the church’s scripture. It doesn’t stop being the foundation of all they know and believe just because Paul and others explained the implications of Jesus in documents that were shared among the believers.