Sailhamer- The Meaning of the Pentateuch
Introduction (pp. 18-23)
Hermeneutics
· “The goal of a theological study of the Pentateuch is the biblical author’s intent as realized in the work itself.” (19)
· “The Pentateuch may be compared to a Rembrandt painting of real person or events We do not understand a Rembrandt painting by taking a photograph of the ‘thing’ that Rembrandt painted and comparing it with painting itself. That may help us understand the ‘thing’ that the Rembrandt painted, his subject matter, but it will not help us understand the painting itself. To understand Rembrandt’s painting, we must look at it and see its colors, shapes, and textures. … To understand Rembrandt’s painting, one must study the painting itself. To understand the Pentateuch, one must study the Pentateuch itself.”(19-20)
Finding the Author’s Intent
· “Every part of the Pentateuch has its place within the context of its big idea. … whatever we say about the meaning of the details and parts of the Pentateuch should be brought into line with the author’s intent for the whole.” (20)
The Composition of the Pentateuch
· “The Pentateuch as we now have it is the product of much reflection and organization of its material. There is a strategy in its final shape.” (23)
· “The author took written records and wove them together into a coherent whole so that the whole of his narrative has a center, a focus, and tells a complete story of real events. The most direct indication of the author’s meaning in the Pentateuch is the overall literary strategy of the book and the verbal seams that unite the final form of the text.”(23)
· “The authorship of the Pentateuch is much like that of the Gospels, Samuel, and Kings, all of which appear to have used written sources to tell their story.”(23)
Introduction (pp. 18-23)
Hermeneutics
· “The goal of a theological study of the Pentateuch is the biblical author’s intent as realized in the work itself.” (19)
· “The Pentateuch may be compared to a Rembrandt painting of real person or events We do not understand a Rembrandt painting by taking a photograph of the ‘thing’ that Rembrandt painted and comparing it with painting itself. That may help us understand the ‘thing’ that the Rembrandt painted, his subject matter, but it will not help us understand the painting itself. To understand Rembrandt’s painting, we must look at it and see its colors, shapes, and textures. … To understand Rembrandt’s painting, one must study the painting itself. To understand the Pentateuch, one must study the Pentateuch itself.”(19-20)
Finding the Author’s Intent
· “Every part of the Pentateuch has its place within the context of its big idea. … whatever we say about the meaning of the details and parts of the Pentateuch should be brought into line with the author’s intent for the whole.” (20)
The Composition of the Pentateuch
· “The Pentateuch as we now have it is the product of much reflection and organization of its material. There is a strategy in its final shape.” (23)
· “The author took written records and wove them together into a coherent whole so that the whole of his narrative has a center, a focus, and tells a complete story of real events. The most direct indication of the author’s meaning in the Pentateuch is the overall literary strategy of the book and the verbal seams that unite the final form of the text.”(23)
· “The authorship of the Pentateuch is much like that of the Gospels, Samuel, and Kings, all of which appear to have used written sources to tell their story.”(23)
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