Historical Cultural and Contextual Introduction

• The skill of Biblical interpretation and application is divided into six steps

• 1. Historical-cultural Analysis strives to understand authors allusions, references, and purpose via the historical-cultural milieu wherein he wrote. While Contextual Analysis considers the relationship of a passage to surrounding passages, i.e. the larger context
• 2. Lexical-syntactical analysis definition of words and their relationships.
• 3. Theological Analysis studies theological understanding at the time of the revelation.
• 4. Literary (genre) Analysis identifies the literary form of method used in a given passage. Historical Narrative, letters, doctrinal exposition , poetry, or apocalyptic.
• 5. Comparison with other interpreters compares the tentative interpretation with the work of other interpreters.
• 6. Application is translating the meaning into significance for those in a different time.

• Steps 1-3 belong to general hermeneutics, step 4 to special hermeneutics, step 5 to sanity and common sense, and step 6 is not always considered integral to hermeneutics