Aftertaste: A Case for Scripture Part 5

In the past several posts we have discussed the importance of studying Scripture through learning about the historical context and what Scripture might have meant during the original speaking.  We took a look at studying Scripture in context a bit, and then saw how this might impact our lives differently than first appearances might suggest.  Let's now take a look at the importance of studying Scripture in community.

I'd like to offer two various ways of studying Scripture in community which are both compatible with each other and relate to each other.  We can study Scripture in community by interacting with various scholars in the Biblical field through commentaries or monographs (books dedicated to a certain topic within Biblical studies) or we can study Scripture in a group setting, looking for God's word to us as individuals and communities.  In this post, we'll take a look at how we can study Scripture with various scholars.

When looking for scholars and books to read about Scripture, it is crucial that we carefully review the books we wish to read before buying, especially asking the following: does this author believe in Jesus as the Christ, who lived, died, and rose again historically in the flesh?  A quick "Google" search of various authors will usually bring up a biographical page letting folks know about various books that the author has written.   These books can then be looked up on Google in order to find a synopsis (a quick summary) of their contents before purchasing.  As an aside, I would normally stay away from and would not recommend scholars who are a part of the so-called "Jesus Seminar" in the past twenty or thirty years for various reasons that cannot be elaborated here in detail.  Needless to say, many would not be able to answer the above question with a "yes."

My second recommendation would be to start off small.  Tackling a 500 page or 1000 page tome sounds like fun, and is even invigorating on the first page - but by page two or three it can become so dense and tedious it soon takes the place of sleeping pills at night.  This defeats the purpose of studying Scripture and books about Scripture - so start slow and small!  A chapter a day from a small 150 page book can bear much fruit if we sit with it and allow God to teach us through it. 

Finally, remember the purpose behind studying Scripture is to delve deeper into our relationships with Jesus.  It can be stretching, growing, and difficult, but ultimately studying Scripture seriously in community (with scholars!) can lead to drinking long and thirstily from the spring of everlasting life (Jesus).

Here are some recommendations to start you off that can be easily found on amazon.com:

N.T. Wright, New Testament for Everyone, commentary series.  N.T. Wright is one of the leading New Testament scholars in the world, is faithful to Jesus, and balances scholarship with faithful living (he is not only a professor of New Testament, but was the Bishop of Durham for many years). 

Story of God commentary series, edited by Scott McKnight and Tremper Longman.  These editors are deeply faithful, as are the people who write their commentaries.  I have met Scott McKnight, and know John Byron (commentator on 1 & 2 Thessalonians  in this series)  personally.  They are concerned with Jesus, scholarship, and faithful living in today's world.

There are a great deal of very smart and helpful authors to choose from. Let me know if you need help or would like suggestions on where to start! I would be more than happy to suggest or even lend books on various topics. In our next post, we will discuss the importance of a small group in which we can study and think through Scripture together.