History and Letters Discussion

Week 4

Week 4

by Jim Damman -
Number of replies: 3

Greetings all!

Let's get to it, shall we?

What does the phrase "Theologized History" mean? How does viewing the narrative parts of the Bible in this way change how we interpret them?

It's interesting, I listened to the lecture twice and I did not pick up on this term, BUT I believe I can infer from the totality of the lecture what "theologized history" means.  Theologized history is a lens with which to view biblical text as a historical artifact that is rooted in divine inspiration.  It goes beyond just a recording of historical facts and figures and imbues the history with what God was doing with those facts and figures - how He was interacting and affecting the history itself.  Concerning the narrative parts of the Bible this can change how they are interpreted based on what lens someone is choosing to use.  If they are reviewing in a theologized manner than they would do a few things: read it within the historical context that it was written/recorded and read it like a good (Hebrew) story. They would also be looking for where God impacts the history and the result of that influence. 

Which of the characteristics or principles of biblical letters was new to you? How does that principle inform your understanding of these letters?

Perhaps the "newest" or least considered characteristic of biblical letters for me is that they are not to be read in bite-sized snippets. Here is why:  In the past I have been encouraged by ministry staff to read "small amounts" of the Bible so as to make it not feel like a daunting task.  Perhaps I should have gained clarity or they also were not aware of this advice but I know that I have made the letters into "snippets" as I have both read AND prepared to preach!  Knowing that it is not best practice to break up the letters, my new strategy will be to read in its entirety BEFORE focusing in on small parts for study.  If these letters were originally utilized to be read aloud in their entirety  - it makes sense for me to model that at least once to gain a historical perspective accurate to its original intent!


In reply to Jim Damman

Re: Week 4

by Alex Nagy -
Jim, I'm impressed by your explanation of Theologized History! It was well explained and worded.

I feel this is a common thing for pastors to say to people who aren't reading their Bibles. I'm wonder if its still good advise to get them started or if it makes it harder to understand what you're reading.
In reply to Jim Damman

Re: Week 4

by Jorden Gemuend -
Good read Jim! I have to agree that looking at the letters for what they are - full letters intended to be read in their entirety - causes me to reexamine myself and the way I read them. Like you stated, this directly impacts how I want to approach preaching and makes me to feel the weight of giving context to snippets of scripture within the whole letter.

Knowing that these letters were most likely orally read before congregations gathered together to listen to them, another thought that crosses my mind is how it would feel to have these letters read to you, not being able to follow along word-by-word with your eyes. Did the common congregant ever get the chance to hear a section re-read, or even look at the letter with their own eyes? How would this type of learning, auditory versus visual, have impacted their hearing of these letters. Did this reality cause the listeners to be that much more invested and attentive when they were read? I want to read scripture with that level of intentionality.
In reply to Jim Damman

Re: Week 4

by Ashley Duval -
Hi Jim,

I struggle with the same thought - whether to take bite sized morsels or to read an entirety! My struggle comes in that if I read an entire letter, specifically when sermon writing, I want to then teach the ENTIRE letter -which is difficult to do in 25 minutes! I find myself battling back and forth and have had to figure out how to break down the entire context of a letter in order to arrive at a specific passage that the sermon is on. Add in the fact that there are numerous references and parallels between the Old Testament, New Testament, prophecies fulfilled, and suddenly I want to teach the entire Bible. Haha BUT I have found that reading an entire letter first has helped to understand fully the point and context and aided in my own understanding of the fullness of each letter!