Wyatt Graham

Faith | Books | Culture

Hermeneutics

Irresponsible thoughts on Hermeneutics, or Is Israel’s Kingdom the kingdom of God?

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Gregory of Nyssa believed that when Jesus prayed “your kingdom come,” the Lord referred to the Holy Spirit (Matt 6:10). The Spirit of Jesus came down, and God’s will was done on earth. God reigns in this way. 

Does any particular aspect of the Lord’s prayer lead to Gregory’s conclusion? It depends on how one answers the following question: Is the kingdom of Israel the kingdom of God? If one answers no because no particular text ties Israel’s kingdom to God’s kingdom, then one will almost certainly say no to Gregory’s interpretation.  [Read more…] about Irresponsible thoughts on Hermeneutics, or Is Israel’s Kingdom the kingdom of God?

Is Song of Songs Allegorical? Five Questions I Might ask of the text

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As Hosea and Hagar are real people but also signify God and Israel, so it’s possible that Solomon and the Shulammite can be real people who also signify God and his people.

Once you grant this possibility, then you can ask of the Bible some questions such as: [Read more…] about Is Song of Songs Allegorical? Five Questions I Might ask of the text

Is Jeremiah 29:11 a Promise for Us Today?

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For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jer 29:11). 

The words Jeremiah 29:11 often encourages believers who experience difficulty, and they in turn share the verse with others to give hope when much in this world seems hopeless. While almost everyone recognizes the good desire here to share a promise from God’s word, some criticize Christians for doing so. 

The argument goes something like this. Jeremiah 29 is a letter from Jerusalem to exiles, and the promise relates to God’s plan to return the exiles back to Judea after 70 years (Jer 29:10). So, as the argument goes, Christians should not share this as a promise for them. It is for Israel, not us. We may learn some principal lesson here about God fulfilling his promises, but we should not claim for ourselves. 

I disagree. 

Not because I think it wise to ignore the historical context of Jeremiah 29 nor because I am unaware of the land promise to Israel. Rather, I am persuaded that the whole Scripture addresses Christians, including Jeremiah 29:11. 

Let me explain why. [Read more…] about Is Jeremiah 29:11 a Promise for Us Today?

The Literal Sense Is the Christological Sense

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In the NT, Hebrews is the only book that demonstrates a dedicated exposition of Scripture (the OT). Paul exegetes in letters; Acts records snippets; only Hebrews gives us a fulsome example.
 
Significantly, then, Hebrews should at the very least provide us with an elementary hermeneutical perspective and reservoir of exegetical techniques to both grasp the Scriptures and to use them for moral and spiritual edification.
 
Here is one such example that I find significant, though many could be given.

[Read more…] about The Literal Sense Is the Christological Sense

How Did Paul Write His Letters? (Or Why His Letters Don’t Have Emotional Flourishes that Get Away from Him)

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Sometimes we read Paul and think, “Wow, his emotional intensity here really tells me how he feels” or “wow, he got lost in his argument due to his zealousness.” In fact, neither of these observations can be true. 

We cannot psychoanalyze Paul nor gain insight into his emotional life in such a direct way. We cannot do so partly because of the nature of letter writing and because of Paul’s own testimony. These preclude us from making such judgments when we read him.  

Paul could not have written letters with emotional flourish (at least not in a modern sense) for the following reasons:

[Read more…] about How Did Paul Write His Letters? (Or Why His Letters Don’t Have Emotional Flourishes that Get Away from Him)