Chapter 1
• Know the four basic steps of the interpretive journey. o Grasping the Text in Their Town o Measuring the Width of the River to Cross o Crossing the Principlizing Bridge o Grasping the Text in Our Town
• Know the order of these four basic steps. Why is order important in following the interpretive journey? o Because in doing so we take the ancient meaning for the ancient audience and cross over the river to the legitimate meaning that it has for us today.
• What is a theological principle? o The meaning that the text has for us today
• Does it apply only to modern readers, or did theological principles apply to the original recipients of Scripture as well? o It applied to both, but it means different things to each generation of people.
• What are some of the barriers that constitute the "river" distancing readers of the Bible from an accurate understanding of the meaning of the text? o Culture, Language, Situation, Time, and often Covenant
• Are theological principles always culturally bound, or can they transcend culture? o They can transcend culture
• What differences exist between modern readers and the biblical audience? o One of the biggest things is that we have Christ and the people in the Old Testament did not. Another aspect is time and how governments and life itself has changed.
• How does this affect how we determine the meaning of the text? o It shows that we have to look deeper into the text instead of just looking at what is one the outside. We have to dig into the text and pull from it what we can that is relevant for us today.
Chapter 2
• Know that at the level of observation, we are not yet determining the meaning of the text. Rather, we are simply seeking to know the facts that lie before us.
• Know and be