Sola Survey: “Interpreting the Pauline Epistles.”
Interpreting the Pauline Epistles is one of seven volumes in Baker’s Guides to New Testament Exegesis series, a set of handbooks written to address the interpretative issues and methods unique to each genre found in the New Testament. Written by New Testament scholar Thomas Schreiner, Interpreting the Pauline Epistles aims to help students read Paul’s thirteen letters more effectively. The purpose of this review is not to endorse or comprehensively summarize the contents of Interpreting the Pauline Epistles. The purpose, instead, is to explore the foundations, pitfalls, and skills of Bible study presented by Dr. Schreiner in this short yet useful book.
Principles of Bible Study.
Underlying any method of studying the Bible are fundamental beliefs that, when adopted, will guide a student’s study of Scripture. Here are two key principles we found in Interpreting the Pauline Epistles.
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At the beginning of this volume, Schreiner briefly establishes his view on the nature of Scripture. Uniting the biblical authors, Schreiner argues, is a unified, coherent worldview. This worldview, or “systematic theology” as Schreiner calls it elsewhere, proceeds from the common Author who inspired every word of Scripture—God himself. In other words, the Bible is consistent, coherent, cogent. For the purposes of Interpreting the Pauline Epistles, this means Paul never contradicts the Old Testament, Jesus, or James. Instead, Paul’s writings must be viewed in harmony with the rest of Scripture, and any apparent contradictions result from our own misunderstanding or lack of understanding. This is an important foundation for Bible study because it establishes the student’s task to resolve apparent discrepancies by harmonizing the passages in question, rather than choosing one over the other. The existence of a unified worldview also leads to the second foundation for Bible study presented in Schreiner’s book—the need for sound exegesis.
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Exegesis, according to Schreiner, is “the method by which we ascertain what authors meant when they wrote a particular piece of literature.” In other words, exegesis is the work of interpreting the Bible. The goal of this interpretive work is “gain[ing] a worldview based on and informed by the biblical text.” A distance exists between our worldview and the coherent worldview presented in Scripture—sound exegesis closes that gap. “Every Christian,” writes Schreiner, “has a systematic theology. The question is this: Is the systematic theology faithful to the biblical text and logically rigorous, or is it contrary to the biblical text and logically in disarray?” The point is simply this—we want our worldview to align with the worldview presented in Scripture. Achieving such alignment is the work of exegesis. We want to think, feel, and act in ways that accord with the Bible, but we can only get there through sound study.
Pitfalls of Bible Study.
Throughout Interpreting the Pauline Epistles Dr. Schreiner issues warnings and identifies faulty approaches to reading Scripture. While he does not list these dangers the way they’re categorized below, we believe our list accurately reflects some of the pitfalls Schreiner warns against.
Let’s explore each one and how we might avoid them.
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Schreiner says that the “most important issue in interpretation” is understanding a text’s genre. Genre defines how we approach a piece of media. For example, we should approach the Babylon Bee differently than we approach our local newspaper. Why? Because the former is “fake news you can trust” to poke fun at reality, whereas the latter seeks to report reality accurately. It’s all about discerning genre. With that being said, Schreiner warns against missing the genre of Paul’s writings—namely, occassional letters written to address specific situations—and reading them as if they’re theological treatises, intended to cover every nuance of Paul’s theology on any given topic. Though grounded in a coherent theological worldview, none of Paul’s writings fully expound his understanding of the topics he addresses. Schreiner uses one commentator as a cautionary tale of this pitfall, an author who thinks Paul is a libertine in Galatians and a legalist in 1 Corinthians. This writer’s problem, Schreiner says, is his assumption that in each of these letters Paul presents the entirety of his thought on Christian living. Instead, Schreiner suggests, we should recognize that Paul does not intend to cover the entirety of a theological subject (eschatology, ecclesiology, christology, etc.) when any subject arises. Putting Paul’s theology into a coherent structure is the task of systematic theology—and it’s not a task Paul will do on our behalf.
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Unlike Paul’s original audience, we do not share the apostle’s cultural and historical background. Furthermore, because we are not the original audience, we don’t have firsthand knowledge about the situations prompting Paul’s letters. And so Schreiner rightly claims that there is “a historical and cultural gap…fixed between Paul and the modern reader.” We cannot ignore this distance, pretending it doesn’t matter. It does, in fact, matter—and we do well to close the gap as best we can.
How to Avoid this Pitfall
Schreiner suggests we become lifelong students of the New Testament era’s history and culture, for according to him, “the more students read, the better chance they have of bridging that gap.” For more on this topic, see Skill #3: Learning First Century History. -
In Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton’s classic work, the great thinker observed that “we suffer from…humility in the wrong place. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed.” On our journey to understand Paul’s letters, Schreiner channels the spirit of Chesterton by encouraging us to become “doubtful” of ourselves once again. “We should not be afraid to change our mind. We are all learning and growing, and yet we keep straining to see it better.” Schreiner goes on to say “since each one of us inclines toward prejudice in our views, we should listen with extraordinary care to any objections to the views we espouse…New issues and situations rightly call us to reexamine the text to see if we have misunderstood what Paul was saying.” Changing our minds, especially when we have been vocal about our previous position, requires great humility. And such humility is far more desirable than becoming like those who end up “closing their minds and ceasing to ask questions,” for “such persons will cease to learn.”
How to Avoid this Pitfall
The humility Dr. Schreiner calls for in Interpreting the Pauline Epistles is the humility he models in the introduction to his book on spiritual gifts. There he writes: “I could be mistaken in arguing for [my position]…I concede up front that those who differ from me may see things more clearly than I [do].” He goes on to encourage respect between parties that disagree. “Sometimes we harshly criticize those who disagree [with us], but what we need instead is loving and charitable discussion. Respectful discussions on matters where there is disagreement are helpful.” Perhaps this is one way to begin avoiding the pitfall of closed mindedness—enjoy a “charitable discussion” with someone who objects to your viewpoint. -
Throughout Interpreting the Pauline Epistles the word “speculation” comes up several times, always cast in a negative light. Speculation is counter-productive to the task of studying Scripture. When we indulge “speculative theories,” Schreiner says, we are “imposing” something foreign onto the text. Often times, however, we cross the line between study and speculation almost instantaneously, not realizing the transition as we’re making it. Becoming aware of this pitfall should make us vigilant to recognize when this leap takes place, so we can rightly differentiate between studying and speculating.
How to Avoid this Pitfall
In most of Paul’s letter he is addressing specific circumstances. But when it comes to the task of re-constructing those situations Schreiner warns “the best counsel is caution.” When you’re studying Scripture, and an interpretation begins to surface, just ask yourself: Is this interpretation based on speculation or not? Just developing that reflex will make you a better Bible reader, as it will allow you to assess your thinking more objectively. -
Near the end of the book, Schreiner identifies several dangers associated with systematizing Paul’s theology (see Skill #7 below). One of those dangers is that “we all come to the text with…desires about the meaning of the biblical text.” Set aside the cultural-historical gap and lack of first-person knowledge that separates us from Paul and his original audiences. Our study of Scripture can also be hampered by our desires. We’re reluctant to adopt a viewpoint not because it’s a less plausible option but because it’s contrary to our preferred interpretation—the one we want to be true.
How to Avoid this Pitfall
When wrestling with a passage’s interpretation, ask yourself: “What do I want this to mean?” This question will not lead you to new evidence within the passage to help you make a better interpretation. It will, however, lead you to new evidence within yourself to help you become a better interpreter. Too often we ignore an interpretive option, not because it lacks merit, but because it contradicts our desires. When we unearth these desires from our subconscious, we can become more objective and self-aware when trying to interpret the Bible.
Skills of Bible Study.
Alongside the principles and pitfalls of Bible study explored in Interpreting the Pauline Epistles, Dr. Schreiner also provides several skills we can develop to increase our Bible literacy. This goal of this list is not to be comprehensive but to identify the skills in the book we found most helpful.
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If genre is the “most important issue in interpretation,” how should we go about interpreting the genre of Paul’s letters. Schreiner provides four instructions: 1. Expect a careful structure (consisting of an opening, body, and closing) ; 2. Identify particular literary features and forms (such as diatribes, paranesis, hymns, and confessional statments); 3. Cautiously reconstruct the situation or problem that provoked the letter (using prudent “mirror reading”); 4. Don’t expect a complete and definitive exposition of every topic addressed (recognizing the occassional nature of these writings). These directions can help us engage Paul’s letters in a wise way by respecting the genre to which they belong.
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The beginning of Paul’s letters (referred to as the “Openings”)—usually consisting of a sender, addressee, greeting, and prayer—provide insight into the central themes that will develop throughout the letter. This unique feature of the Pauline Epistles deserves our attention. We should spend a disproportionate amount of time studying a letter’s opening, looking for the core ideas that will emerge again and again. Here you can note a few things to get started, like: How does Paul refer to himself? How does he address his audience? And what are some of the key phrases used in the greeting and prayer? Slowing down to carefully analyze the first few verses of Paul’s letters will prove helpful later, when those same ideas crop up again.
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As mentioned in Pitfall #2 above, we can easily overlook the historical and cultural distance between ourselves and Paul. “Yet the more students read,” Schreiner counsels, “the better chance they have of bridging that gap.” Studying Paul’s historical context is not something we should necessarily do as a “distinct step” in our Bible study. Rather we want to “continue to read broadly in this area in order to become familiar with the culture and history of the New Testament era.” Schreiner provides a list of several dozen book recommendations to help us gain a better understanding of Paul’s historical moment. If you’re just getting started, try reading The Lost Letters of Pergamum by Bruce Longenecker, a short historical novel set in the New Testament world.
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It is easy to forget that the Bible is a book. And though inspired by God himself, the “natural means” we use to read this book are no different than those we use to read other books. One such means is sentence diagramming. For those of us who struggled in English class, the thought of diagramming sentences makes us shudder. But Paul, and all the biblical authors, used grammar to form sentences. And while you may be able to understand the structure of Paul’s sentences without diagramming them, Schreiner points out that “students cannot claim to comprehend the syntax [or, arrangement of words] of the passage unless they are able to diagram the passage.” It should be noted that Schreiner teaches how to diagram the original language (Greek) in his book. But by using a simple online guide you can adopt the same practice in English (or another language).
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Paul’s letters are all logically structured, one statement building on the next to form coherent arguments. It is critical, then, that we know how to trace the flow of Paul’s arguments. Schreiner suggests we use a method called “Arcing” to discover and describe Paul’s logic. We recommend this technique, as we’ve found it helpful in our own Bible study. While overwhelming at first, the process is quite simple: (1) isolate the statements into their smallest parts; (2) connect one statement to a neighboring statement; (3) identify the “logical relationship” that exists between the two statements. “This method is valuable,” writes Schreiner, “because it constrains the reader to slow down and observe the function of every propostion [or, statement] in the text”
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Words are the most basic unit of any sentence. There are times when we should choose a specific word in a passage and try to understand it better. Schreiner suggests we do this for three types of words: (1) words that are theologically significant; (2) words that occur often in a passage and contribute to a major theme; (3) words with debated meanings that are crucial for the understanding of a given passage. Schreiner provides nine “rules” for word studies, which we won’t list here, but are worth the price of the book.
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Summarizing Paul’s teachings into a systematized understanding is the work of “theological synthesis,” which Schreiner calls “the capstone of exegesis.” Although Paul’s letters are not theological treatises, they do emanate from a “coherent theological worldview.” It is our task, then, to “work back from the specific letters to the formation of Paul’s worldview.” In other words, we seek to bring Paul’s thoughts together into a systematic theology. How do we do this? by “asking larger questions about Pauline teaching in light of particular texts.” We “wrestle with diverse statements made by Paul and try to discover the unity that undergirds the diversity of his expressions.” For example, say we want to understand Paul’s teaching on the resurrection. Doing so requires that we study all of the passages in which Paul addresses the topic and then reconcile the various teachings into a consistent doctrine.
Reading Paul Isn’t Easy.
The thoughtful reader of Interpreting the Pauline Epistles will likely walk away a little intimidated—does studying Paul really require such effort? Peter seemed to think so (2 Peter 3:16). And so does Schreiner. “The task of trying to understand someone who wrote two thousand years ago in a different language is not easy…Certainly, careful study and disciplined reading requires a great investment of time. Yet the rewards are great.” What are those rewards? Schreiner answers: “As one understands God’s truth, it inflames the heart and constrains one to live a new life and to pass this new truth to others. Thereby the kingdom of God advances, and God is glorified.”