1 Timothy 4:13—Till I come, give attention to reading (what the Scriptures say),
to exhortation (what the Scriptures mean), and to doctrine (what the Scriptures teach).

Presuppositional and categorical belief in the inspiration and, thus, the authority of Scripture becomes the ground and governance of theological education and practice for all who hold that tenet. For them any inquiry into theology, in the broad sense of the term, is an inquiry into the text. The substance and goal of this approach might be called "revelational theology." In revelational or text-centered theological education, all of the disciplines of the encyclopedia of theology must be governed by and tailored to the words and the witness of divine revelation. When the text of Scripture becomes the ground and guardian of all academic, theological disciplines, biblical exegesis becomes focal. The pivotal nature of exegesis is substantiated by the fact that each of the academic, theological disciplines either leads to or derives from biblical exegesis. If biblical exegesis is, in fact, the fulcrum of text-centered theology and education, then mentor and student alike should strive, primarily, toward an expert knowledge and a practiced skill in the discipline of biblical exegesis.

Biblical exegesis is the science of "leading out" (ἐξηγέομαι) or imparting the meaning of a biblical text. The goal is to understand, as fully as possible, the intent of the author as he originally recorded his words. The practice of thorough, accurate, biblical exegesis involves numerous demands. Among the most basic requisites are the following: 1) a methodology–a comprehensive, technical, text-centered schema which leads from the text and all of its facets to its meaning; 2) a knowledge of the biblical languages– the ability to work with the text and the tools of biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek; 3) an honest yet governed open-mindedness–an impartiality to the possibilities and the conclusions of the exegetical process, all the while bound by the very presuppositions that drive the exegetical process, namely, the inspiration of holy Scripture by a holy God. To the degree that the student of Scripture is deficient in these demands, the exegetical process will be impaired.

In examining the following broad categories of the encyclopedia of theological studies and their relationship to biblical exegesis, certain things must be remembered. First, this study is preliminary. Observations, questions, constructive criticism, and suggestions are welcomed. Second, this examination presupposes that the ground and goal of all theological study is text-centered. Finally, like the exegetical process itself, there is a sense in which the actual relationship and flow of the encyclopedia of theology is a spiral. The empirical relationship of these disciplines may deviate from their apparent, logical relationship.

Disciplines that Precede Exegesis

Certain disciplines in the broad spectrum of theological studies precede biblical exegesis. These disciplines are necessary antecedents to exegetical analysis because they authenticate and inform, specify, and govern the task of exegesis. Three such disciplines and their respective sub-studies are suggested as essential precursors to exegesis: Biblical Introduction (Higher Criticism), Textual Criticism (Lower Criticism), and Hermeneutics. The content, value, and relative contribution of these disciplines might be summarized as follows.

Biblical Introduction (Higher Criticism)

Theological training that is text-centered logically begins with matters of Biblical Introduction. Biblical Introduction concerns itself with two major issues: 1) the specific character of the text, and 2) the general content of the text. Both emphases within this discipline are foundational to precise and accurate exegesis. The science that underlies Biblical Introduction is called Higher Criticism.

The character of the text. Biblical Introduction is first concerned with the character of the text: what written documents comprise the authentic, inscribed revelation of God? The underlying quest is to recognize and isolate the corpus or canon of the biblical text. Higher Critical studies begin with the historicity of a given text. Here the question concerns immediate canonical integrity. The text's own claim regarding its origin, authorship, date, background, and authenticity begin the process of distinguishing the canon of Scripture. These inquiries lead to an examination of the history of the text. Here the question concerns protracted canonical integrity. The continued recognition, authoritative status, and perpetuation of a document assist in recognizing the canon of Scripture. The chief value in establishing the character of the text is apologetic. Such a study lends authority to the work of the exegete. Certainly the efforts of biblical exegesis must be directed solely at those writings that are, indeed, "biblical." True theology can only derive from the Truth, and the Truth can only be found in those documents that are, in point of fact, the Scriptures. Thus, the discipline of Higher Criticism, which examines the character of the text, serves to authenticate the object of exegesis as "biblical," first by verifying the canonicity or divine origin of the text.

The content of the text. Next, Biblical Introduction analyzes the content of the text: what, in broad and general terms, is the document all about? What does it embody and to what does it pertain? Included in this Higher Critical analysis are numerous, specific, internal issues regarding the substance of the document, for example: its stated purpose, its theme and audience, its structure(s), and generic and formal aspects. Also important is the examination of even broader external issues such as the cultural setting and historical background of the text. Finally, the text should be examined as to its relational status: how does the document pertain to other canonical texts and to the canon as a whole? The primary value in establishing the general content of the text is interpretive. While the specific study of the character of the text lends a degree of authority to the exegete, the broad study of the content of the text lends a degree of accuracy to the work of exegesis. Biblical exegesis is not just grammatical/syntactic in nature; it does not deal with words alone. There are also essential cultural and historical elements that frame the words and, thus, attend the discipline of exegesis. The author, the audience, and the autographs all derive from an historical milieu that demands attention if the meaning of the text is to be determined accurately. Biblical exegesis must also be contextual in its literary setting. No biblical text stands isolated from all or any other written revelation. Each text is rooted not only in an historical milieu, but also in a literary montage and motif, the substance of which moves progressively outward from the immediate context (words, phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs/strophes) to the context of the whole (chapters, books, collections, etc.). The discipline of Higher Criticism, which examines the content of the text, serves to inform the exegete, and this wealth of information about the text cannot be ignored if accuracy is deemed essential to the goal of biblical exegesis.

Textual Criticism (Lower Criticism)

Theological education that is textually based proceeds from the task of Higher Criticism, which examines the genuine character (canonicity) and general content (substance) of the text, to the task of Lower Criticism, which examines the specific words of the text. Having established that a general document is, in fact, the word of God, it must then be established that a given copy of that document accurately records the words of God. This discipline is necessary in light of numerous related and incontrovertible facts. First, no original autograph of Scripture is accessible to the student. Second, every person engaged in the study of God's Word must rely on derived sources such as copies or translations of copies. Third, God has nowhere in Scripture promised to preserve, perfectly, his word in one particular copy, family of copies, translation, version, or the like. Fourth, every student of God's Word depends upon the process of textual criticism in the analysis of any biblical text (either their own critical evaluation or the critical evaluation of others).

Textual criticism is the process of examining the available evidence with the goal of eliminating textual errors within manuscript copies in order to restore the original reading. No one can plausibly deny the fact that transmissional errors exist in derivative biblical texts. These mistakes are, for the most part, attributable to normal, human exigencies that attend the hand-copying of written documents. If transmissional errors exist, then they must be evaluated and decisions must be made regarding the correct reading of the text. Available evidence for the discovery and correction of such mistakes in biblical texts is massive. Unparalleled numbers of manuscripts, versions, and citations exist when comparing the task of biblical textual criticism to that of other ancient writings. Further, the refinement and practice of the science of textual criticism has advanced to the place where numerous sources are available to the exegete that simplify the task of textual criticism, though certainly not nullifying the task altogether.

The study and practice of textual criticism lends specificity to the discipline of biblical exegesis. The Scriptures clearly assert that God originally "breathed" his inscribed revelation to mankind in such a fashion that the very words, word combinations, and connotations recorded in the autographs were inerrant and infallible. This teaching, the doctrine of inspiration, demands the task of textual criticism in light of the realities of textual transmission. The discipline of Lower or Textual Criticism specifically accomplishes for the exegete what the discipline of Higher Criticism accomplishes generally. Both disciplines assure the exegete that the object of his or her exegesis is authentic. Higher criticism investigates and substantiates the credibility of the document in general. Lower Criticism investigates and substantiates the credibility of a manuscript's record specifically. The discipline of Lower Criticism serves to delimit the object of exegesis by isolating the precise words that God engaged in the autographs for the communication of his truth.

Hermeneutics

A textually based theological education logically proceeds from critical studies (Higher and Lower Criticism) to the discipline of Hermeneutics. Having established the character of the text (is the document in question canonical?) and the content of the text (what, in general, does this canonical document embody?), and having determined, as nearly as possible, the exact wording of the text, the question of interpreting the text must follow. On what basis/bases can the reader construe the meaning of the text?

Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation. It seeks to establish an ideology, a methodology, and regulatory strictures that govern the interpretation of a text. The proper understanding of any document is contingent upon the methods and rules that are engaged to interpret it. The discipline of Hermeneutics, then, lends order to the practice of biblical exegesis. It formulates and legislates interpretive principles that, in turn, generate and regulate defensible, paradigmatical, and methodical procedures for exegesis. It provides the infrastructure on which the superstructure is built. Hermeneutics, then, serves to govern exegesis. The principles of interpretation (Hermeneutics) capacitate and regulate the process of interpretation (Exegesis). Exegesis, which immediately follows Hermeneutics, actuates the interpretation of the text in order to expose the meaning and, thus, the teaching of the author.

Disciplines that Follow Exegesis

Having examined those disciplines in theological studies that precede biblical exegesis, it is important to note those disciplines that follow or issue from biblical exegesis. This inquiry serves not only to acknowledge those ensuing disciplines, but also to accentuate their dependence upon the exegetical process. Recognition of this contingent relationship confirms the importance of exegesis and, thus, the merit of requiring, carefully cultivating, and incessantly perfecting exegetical skills in serious Bible students.

If God has, in fact, disclosed himself in Scripture (revelation), and if Scripture is the only means by which man today might authoritatively discourse or reason regarding God (theology), then mankind must interpret biblical revelation in order to deduce authoritative theology. That being the case, all of those studies that subsume under the general rubric of revelational theology (theology that derives from biblical revelation) are studies that depend, ultimately, upon exegesis: Biblical Theology, Systematic Theology, Historical Theology, and Practical Theology. Given this construct, the consummate value of the exegetical process becomes notably evident.

Biblical Theology

Biblical Theology has come to connote that theology which is distilled from the Bible specifically, apart from extraneous sources, categories, or other theological prejudgments. Biblical Theology, in an exclusively text-based approach, is theology at its source and, thus, theology at its primary, most fundamental level. Simply put, Biblical Theology seeks to ascertain what the Bible means and teaches in terms of theology. Any search for biblical meaning and, thus, biblical teaching demands biblical exegesis. Numerous theological subcategories derive from this discipline: Old Testament Theology, New Testament Theology, the Theology of the Pentateuch, the Gospels, Paul, the Epistle of Romans, and the like. It would seem that every academic exercise in Bible Exposition would proceed from this discipline. Any time a particular text or portion of the Scriptures is under selective evaluation for the purpose of drawing out and understanding its theological intent apart from superfluous influences, the primary fruit of that endeavor is the establishment of a biblical theology. Since all Biblical Theology derives from the process of Bible Interpretation (Hermeneutics), then all Biblical Theology derives from the process of Biblical Exegesis. Exegesis serves as the basis of all Biblical Theology.

Systematic Theology

Systematic Theology is commonly understood to refer to that discipline which organizes broader reaches of biblical teaching under a thematic head or headings. The object of this endeavor is usually to establish and/or demonstrate the cohesiveness of scriptural teaching. Various sub-categories of systematic theological studies, beyond those that follow the typical systematic categories, might include Dispensational Theology, Kingdom Theology, The Theology of Sacrifice, and the like. Systematic Theology that finds its basis exclusively in the text logically follows Biblical Theology, for Systematic Theology is essentially Biblical Theology that is thematically systematized. Since Systematic Theology derives from Biblical Theology, Biblical exegesis remains essential to the process of systematics. Systematic theologians should, first and foremost, be biblical theologians and thus, fundamentally, skilled biblical exegetes.

Historical Theology

Historical Theology examines the establishment and progress of theological beliefs within (synchronically) and/or through (diachronically) the passing of human history. This task may seek a variety of goals. Early practitioners of this discipline geared their search primarily toward the discovery of a static core of Christian belief. More recently, this branch of theology has researched the development and flux of Christian belief through time, sometimes expanding the goal by assessing the interplay between theology and philosophy and/or sociology within time. Subcategories of this field would include historical studies in specific areas such as Patristic Theology, Anabaptist Theology, Liberation Theology, and the like. In terms of revelational theology in general, Historical Theology logically follows Biblical and Systematic Theology in that Historical Theology simply observes the outgrowth of these disciplines synchronically or diachronically. The task of Historical Theology is not, in itself, the interpretation of the text of Scripture. That being the case, biblical exegesis has impact upon Historical Theology only in ancillary fashion. Historical Theology explores the fruit of exegesis, it does not engage the process itself.

Practical Theology

Practical Theology is a broad, categorical term that originally pertained to the practice of professional ministry. More recently the discipline is understood to subsume the practice of the church-body at large. Generally speaking, the discipline of Practical Theology, if textually based, seeks to subjugate and coordinate all aspects of Christian life and ministry to the teachings of Scripture, both explicit and implied. The text, then, becomes the authority not only for faith (Biblical, Systematic Theology, Historical Theology), but also for practice (Practical Theology). Included in this discipline would be such sub-studies as Pastoral Theology and its assorted sub-sets (Church Administration, Christian Education, Church Finances, Church Growth, Homiletics, etc.), along with broader areas of application such as Christian Living, Ethics, Evangelism, Missions, Counseling, and the like. These kinds of practical biblical studies establish their ideology not only from the explicit teachings of Scripture but also, often, from principles and precepts that are derived from the teaching of Scripture. Nonetheless, any teaching that is truly derived from biblical revelation must find its apologetic in soundly interpreted, explicit revelation, and soundly interpreted explicit revelation derives, ultimately, from biblical exegesis. Exegesis, therefore, is the primary determiner of all textually based Practical Theology.

Conclusion

In the larger view of things, Biblical Exegesis is the focal-point of all theological disciplines in a text-based system of theological studies. Some disciplines precede and contribute to Biblical Exegesis. Biblical Introduction or Higher Criticism authenticates and informs exegesis by establishing the character and general content of the text. This study lends authority and accuracy to exegesis. Textual Criticism, or Lower Criticism, specifies the task of exegesis by affirming the precise text of Scripture. This discipline lends specificity to the task of exegesis by delimiting the words that were engaged by human authors under the superintendence of the Holy Spirit for the communication of divine truth. Hermeneutics gives order to the task of exegesis. It governs the process of interpretation by establishing principles, guidelines, and a methodology for proper interpretation. Exegesis follows these disciplines by isolating a canonical text, examining its general content, background, and literary constructs, establishing its original wording, and then applying the strictures and the methodology of proper interpretation in order to explicate the meaning of the original author of the text.

Out of the womb of biblical exegesis is born a corpus of theology, and it follows that textually based exegesis is the only thing that will produce textually based theology. Biblical Theology, when grounded in revelation, is that which most directly derives from the process of exegesis as applied to the biblical text. All that the Bible explicitly teaches is garnered by means of the examination and the interpretation of the text. Accurate, substantive interpretation necessitates accurate and strenuous exegesis. Systematic Theology, when text-centered, compiles and correlates the product of biblical exegesis, for all that the Scriptures collectively teach also derive from the process of Bible interpretation and exegetical inquiry. Historical Theology examines and evaluates the ever-growing and changing cache of theological studies. Here, too, exegesis has, or had, a part, for all of the doctrines formerly taught either derived from or are judged by biblical exegesis. Practical Theology, when truth-based, is the application of accurate Biblical, Systematic, and Historical Theology. All that the Bible teaches or implies practically for the believer is rooted in and exposed by biblical exegesis.

Exegesis, then, is not only the fulcrum in the disciplines of theology, it is the source of all theology itself: its formulation (Biblical), correlation (Systematic), progression (Historical), and actualization (Practical). The implications of this assertion are compelling: 1) If all of theology derives from biblical exegesis, then biblical exegesis must comprise the core of all theological education and practice. To the extent that biblical exegesis is curtailed in theological studies, to that extent theological acumen is diminished. 2) If biblical exegesis is the source of all theology, then biblical language skills must be forged, tempered, and constantly honed. The student of Scripture who lacks language skills, lacks the primary tool of biblical exegesis, and to the degree that this tool is slighted, skillful exegesis is impaired. 3) If all of theology derives from biblical exegesis, then all theological belief is contingent. Everything that the theologian, minister, or Bible teacher personally believes and everything that such a person dogmatically teaches in the realm of theology is contingent upon biblical interpretation and, ultimately, exegesis–either personal exegesis, or the exegesis of another. To the degree that the Bible student lacks exegetical skills or ignores the practice of biblical exegesis, to that degree he or she must depend upon the interpretation and analysis of others; and to the same degree, the object and source of faith and authority is transferred, equally distantiating faith and authority from the Scriptures. Awareness of the exponential increase in reliance upon others and, thus, the exponential distantiation from the text of Scripture is, at best, disconcerting. Technical theologians and Christian ministers alike must give precedence not only to close communion with God, but also to the careful handling of his word (Acts 6:4—"But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word"). Biblical exegesis is essential to careful Bible interpretation and to substantive, biblical ministry.

Sources Consulted:

New Dictionary of Theology. Edited by Sinclair B. Ferguson and David F. Wright, IVP, 1988. S.v. "Biblical Theology," by D. L. Baker. S.v. "Historical Theology," by A. N. S. Lane. S.v. "Pastoral Theology," by D. J. Tidball, S.v. "Practical Theology," by D. J. Tidball. S.v. "Theology," by D. F. Wright.

Orth, Stanford. "A Method for Exegesis of the Greek New Testament." Th.D. Dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1962.

Terry, Milton S. Biblical Hermeneutics: A Treatise on the Interpretation of the Old and New Testaments. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1974.

Wurthewein, Ernst. The Text of the Old Testament. Translated by Erroll F. Rhodes. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979.

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Relative Nature of the Theological Encyclopedia

A. Biblical Introduction (Higher Criticism)

1. Character of the text – its integrity (authority)

2. Content of the text – its substance, forms, background

B. Textual Criticism (Lower Criticism)

original wording of the text

C. Hermeneutics

principles, methods, rules of interpretation

D. EXEGESIS – grammatical/historical/contextual

the meaning of the text

E. Biblical Theology

immediate revelational theology

F. Systematic Theology

thematic revelational theology

G. Historical Theology

historic (revelational) theology

H. Practical Theology – applied revelational theology

1. Pastoral Theology – Church Administration, Church Growth, etc.

2. Personal Theology – Ethics, Christian Life, Evangelism, etc.

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—Revised 2007