Read Chapters 1 and 2 Encountering the New Testament A Historical and Theological Survey by Watler Elwell and Robert Yarbrough (3rd ed)
A case study is an open-ended learning activity (i.e., a problem is presented that precipitates discussion) in which the participant must enter into the character of someone in a real-life situation and then reflect on what he/she would do in that situation.
Read the case study associated with this discussion and then compose a thread expressing how you would respond to the situation described, noting especially the degree to which you agree/disagree with the central issue at stake in the case study; namely, the importance of understanding the setting and context of the original writer/readers for properly understanding and interpreting a biblical text
Utilizing the uploaded case study, discuss in 450 words your response to the scenario using the textbooks and presentations and document all sources used in Turabian format. Acceptable sources include the Bible (exclusive of study bible notes), academic biblical commentaries, academic journal articles, textbooks, and course presentations. Use the rubric to ensure the highest points can be awarded in each category.
Case Study
The “Monday Musings” Bible study group meets each Monday at the Higher Grounds Coffee Shop for prayer, fellowship, and Bible study. The participants fluctuate from week to week, but Daniel, William, Phyllis, Sharon, and you comprise the nucleus of the group. Each week one of the group takes the lead in the Bible study, presenting the fruits of their study and leading the ensuing discussion. This week, Daniel is leading the discussion on a passage from the Letters to the Seven Churches in the Book of Revelation. The passage is the message of the Son of Man to the church of Laodicea in which he tells the church that because they are “neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm,” he will spit them out of his mouth.
Daniel, warming to the passage, makes his pitch, “What this passage says to me is that lukewarm believers make God sick! If we’re not going to be on fire for God, then let’s at least not be lukewarm! God would rather we be cold–as– ice pagans than warmed–over, lukewarm Christians.”
Sharon interrupts: “Daniel, with all due respect, I’m not at all sure that that was the original meaning of the passage. I did some digging this week on this passage, and I discovered that when John wrote this passage, Laodicea was one of three cities in the Lycus River Valley, Colossae and Hieropolis being the other two. The information I read indicated that there was a rivalry among the three cities for preeminence, each trying to exploit their natural resources to their advantage. Hieropolis was known for its hot springs that were believed to have great healing powers.
People would come for miles around to bathe in their hot springs. Colossae was known for its cold, fresh spring water, making it also a destination for travelers and tourists. But poor Laodicea had neither hot baths nor cold springs, and so they were missing out. Not to be outdone, Laodicea came up with the idea of building an aqueduct to channel the hot water from Hieropolis down to Laodicea so that they too could have hot, healing baths. But by the time the hot spring water made it down to Laodicea, a few miles away, it had cooled to the point that it was merely lukewarm, fit neither for bathing nor drinking. When we study the original context of the passage, we see that John is not associating cold with paganism and hot with Christianity, as you suggest. Rather, in the original context, both ‘cold’ and ‘hot’ were good things. I don’t believe that John meant that God would rather we be good pagans than lukewarm Christians.”
Daniel: “Well, Sharon, that was interesting. But that was then, and this is now. Does it really matter what the original writer meant? This is what I get from this passage, and if it makes sense to me, isn’t that all that really matters? Who’s to say that my understanding of the passage is wrong just because it might not have been in the mind of the original writer?”
The conversation moves around the table with each one in turn expressing their point of view on the perspectives of Daniel and Sharon. Finally, they come to you, “So, what do you think?”
Note: Please keep in mind that the issue in the case study is not whether Daniel’s or
Sharon’s interpretation of the passage is better, but whether or not an understanding of the original context of a biblical passage is important to its proper interpretation.
