In the following article, Witherington notes that “a text without a context is just a pretext for whatever you want it to mean.” He saved his precious papyrus for what was important to him: his gospel meaning. He never mentions Jesus’ birth or childhood. For example, the gospel meaning of Mark is evident in Mark’s emphasis on Jesus’ death and resurrection. The gospel meaning reveals the character and purpose of the subject through episodes, not personal details.

Ancient biographies are different from modern. Each genre must be studied with some awareness of historical context and historical Bible study.

The New Testament includes books that are biographies, histories, letters, sermons, and one book of apocalyptic prophecy. Can we use that logic when we’re understanding revelations in the Bible? Historical Bible study doesn’t treat Revelation as a cosmology textbook. Why? Because the Book of Revelation says that angels stand on the Earth’s four corners. Whether we’re looking for gospel meaning or struggling with understanding revelations in the Bible, historical Bible study can help us find our way.īen Witherington III, author of the following article, “Asking the Right Question,” once hitched a ride from a couple who believed the Earth was flat. Historical Bible study indicates that when Revelation’s author refers to the place inhabited by Satan, he was thinking of Pergamon’s well-known monument: the Great Altar to Zeus. In this 13th-century mosaic in the cupola of the Baptistry in Florence, a voracious Devil devours sinners. Discovering gospel meaning or understanding revelations in the Bible has baffled readers for centuries.

Revelation online things to do