Mark 9:38-40

     Inerrancy: The 1987 Southern Baptist Convention

     2 Timothy 3:14-17

     A question of translation: John 3:6-7 – anwqehn / John 3:16 – outwz

     Historically: John 2 vs. Matt 21; Matt 27:3, 5 vs. Acts 1:18

     Contextually: Jer 14:9a

     Temporally:

Culturally: Eleanor Smith Bowen, Return to Laughter,¹

Dei Verbum, 11: God is their author; they are inspired by the Holy Spirit; their scope is limited by God’s intent

Dei Verbum, 12: The scriptures are not to be treated as 20th / 21st century literature

A question of pedagogy: 1 Cor 3:1-3

How do we enter into an ancient culture?

Twelve Anthropological Cautions:

1. Know your own bias, and attempt to divorce yourself from it.
2. Be particularly aware of unconscious sexist interpretation, either your own or that of studied cultures.
3. Avoid labels, e.g., noble, savage, pagan, primitive
4. Distinguish between what a society says about itself (emic) and what can be observed (etic). Emic – Acts 2:42-47 / Etic – Acts 6:1; Gal 2:11-13
5. Cultures are not monolithic. They have subcultures, which, in turn, divide into factions.
6. Include the lower classes, which are often dismissed in cultural analyses. Psalm 90:10; Mark 1:29-30
7. Cultures change with time. They are not set in stone. – FWUY:}
8. Cultures aren't always systematic and regular. They often have inexplicable traits. Rom 12:9-18 / Gal 3:1-3; 5:12
9. Neighboring cultures affect one another, but do not determine one another. Luke 2:8-11, 15-17
10. Neighboring cultures can exhibit identical behavior, stemming from different causes.
11. Expect the religious aspects of a culture to interact, affect and be affected by other aspects of culture.
12. Individuals can't be summed up by cultural origins. They can rebel or reflect only partial enculturation.

How do we understand the conventions of their literature?
Thucydides: Peloponnesian War

     (1) that surface readings sometimes miss the point and

     (2) that in depth research offers tremendous paybacks

• God’s anger – Gen 6:5-7 vs 6:11-13
• How many animals? – 6:19 vs. 7:2
• How many embarkations? – 7:7-9 vs. 7:12-14
• When do they land? 8:3b-4 vs. 8:13

     Luke 1:3 and akribeia

     1 Cor 7:29-35

     ecclesia = ekklhsia

     2 Thes 1:6-10

     Eph 5:21-33 and upotassouenoi (hupotassomenoi)

     Eph 1:22-23

     Matt 18:15-17

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¹ Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1964

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