Dieter Mitternacht LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY February 28, 2011 50 To Fung Shan Road, Shatin, N.T., HONG KONG, S.A.R. “How to do” a historical-literary interpretation The basic steps Contents 1 A first examination of the passage in question ............................... 2 2 The literary context ........................................................................... 2 2.1 The wider literary context of the whole document .............................................. 2 2.2 The narrow literary context of the passage ........................................................... 3 3 Genre and function ........................................................................... 3 4 The structure of the text ................................................................... 4 5 Words and expressions ..................................................................... 5 6 Inter-texts .......................................................................................... 6 7 The historical context ....................................................................... 6 7.1 The specific background ........................................................................................ 7 7.2 The symbolic world ................................................................................................ 7 8 Summary and conclusion ................................................................. 9 9 Analogies............................................................................................ 9 This “How to do” presentation presents the basic methodological steps of a historical-literary interpretation. To begin with, the context of the interpretive task is set out according to the formula presented in the companion paper “How to read the NT”: the Interpreter (I) is defined as a student with the task of analyzing a New Testament 1 Dieter Mitternacht, “How to do” a historical-literary interpretation (work in progress!) passage (T), in order to produce an academic paper (O) for a course in New Testament studies (R). The NT passage is part of a literary unit that belongs within a historical context. This means, that the passage is to be examined as part of a larger whole. Using the historical-literary method (M) means following a series of interpretive steps along a predefined path (gr. methodos = path, road). The order or sequence of steps of the analysis is designed for the working process (via inventionis). It does not mean that the final form of the presentation (via expositionis), has to follow the same order as the one used in working process. 1 A FIRST EXAMINATION OF THE PASSAGE IN QUESTION Begin by reading the passage in question carefully, compare different translations with each other, and if possible with the Greek text. Use commentaries and dictionaries and reflect on how and why translations differ. Make notes of what may be important to consider more carefully later on. You may have to reassess your choices as you go along, but don’t forget to make notes of what you observe from the very beginning. 2 THE LITERARY CONTEXT As you examine the place of a passage in a document, you may distinguish the wider from the narrow context. The wider context concerns the document as a whole; the narrow context looks for the interrelations of the passage in question to the part of the document to which it belongs. 2.1 The wider literary context of the whole document Regarding the wider literary context, you may ask yourself: What kind of document is this, what genre and character? What are the main divisions and what is the main content of the document as a whole and of the main divisions? 2 Dieter Mitternacht, “How to do” a historical-literary interpretation (work in progress!) Maybe it is difficult to identify clear divisions and the line of thought seems progress spirally rather than sequential. Maybe a theme seems to be recurring in different shades. Make a note! Consider to which part of the text your own passage belongs. Is it part of the document’s central proposition, or is it a subsection of another argument? Is it maybe an independent passage that appears to have been inserted into the document? 2.2 The narrow literary context of the passage The narrow literary context of the passage in question may be divided into parts of an argument or a story. How does your text fit into the passage? What are the connecting verses immediately before and after your text? Are there any recurring key words? Is there a main heading under which your text can be subsumed? What are the specifics of the main parts of the passage? How does your text fit into the narrow literary context? What does the passage contribute to the whole document and how does it separate from the whole, formally (conjunctions, shift of genre, etc.) or in terms of content? 3 GENRE AND FUNCTION Text genres concern literary type, character and purpose. The term “genre” can be described as a “family term”. Texts that have certain characteristics in common, belong to the same genre, just like members of the same family. Consider the reactions and expectations that a text evokes in you as a reader. For instance, what reactions and expectations does a text evoke in you that starts with the phrase “Once upon a time...”? How about a text with the heading “Recipe”, or a letter that starts with a greeting such as “Dear ant Lucy”. Without making a conscious choice, we treat each these texts differently, i.e. we ascribe to them a genre that guides our reactions and expectations. Entire documents may belong to a particular genre. But also within a document we may find shifts of genres that trigger different 3 Dieter Mitternacht, “How to do” a historical-literary interpretation (work in progress!) responses. As we look at Paul’s letters, we find exhortation passages (e.g. Rom 12:1ff), theological reasoning (Rom 6:1-11); midrash (allegorical interpretation of a biblical passage, e.g. Gal 4:21-5:1); hymns (e.g. Phil 2.6-11), lists of virtues and vices (e.g. Gal 5.19-23) and poetic passages (e.g. 1 Cor 13). Sometimes translators mark a genre change within a text typographically, as, for instance, when passages like the beatitudes (Matt 5:3-10) or the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) are presented in poetic verse form. Thus, different types of texts trigger different types of readings and thus also, different types of meaning. We don’t read a poem like a newspaper article, a historical account like a novel, a story like an argumentation, a parable like a reality depiction. A letter triggers different association than a biography or a gospel story. An apocalyptic text like the book of Revelation requires a different method of interpretation than a historical text like the Book of Acts, etc. Define the genre and function of your text and the passage that it is part of, and use these considerations to define the relationship between your passage and the document as a whole. 4 THE STRUCTURE OF THE TEXT As you proceed to examine your text in detail, you ask yourself how the different parts of the text relate to each other. There is more than one way of doing this, but the basic idea is to divide the text into smaller units and to define how the units relate to each other, structurally or thematically. Sometimes you may find a structural element such as a chiasm, sometimes there may be a pattern of repetitions, and sometimes you may find an inclusive frame or a narrative substructure. In a letter the beginning of a section may be marked by an epistolary formula and thus define the passage as part of the epistolary frame. Sometimes it is possible to identify a rhetorical type that helps clarify the structure. When formal structures seem obscure, it may be 4 Dieter Mitternacht, “How to do” a historical-literary interpretation (work in progress!) possible to distinguish a thematic progression of content, or to separate teaching sections from admonishing sections.s In other words, observe choices of words, repetitions, trains of thought, narrative patters, progression of argument, progression of narration, differences in content, etc. Make notes! Mark the things that you identify as structural indicators in the text. Make your structure visible by dividing the text up, underlining crucial words or phrases, adding headings to parts, etc. 5 WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS a) As you structure your text, you will comer across words and expressions that require further thought. Examine the most important of those words and expressions by consulting dictionaries and commentaries, and define how they affect the meaning of the passage as a whole. Well known words such as “blessed”, “faith”, “Christ” or “Pharisees” often yield new insights as you examine them closely. Words like “Galilee”, “Romans”, “fishermen”, “crucifixion”, “Corinth”, “Cephas”, “circumcision”, or expressions like “at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be made...” (Luke 2:1) may require research into geographical, historical, social and other background knowledge. b) You may also come across expressions that require acquaintance with the geographical, cultural and religious milieu of the time. Why are the Pharisees upset when the disciples pluck some heads of grain on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-24)? What does it mean when Paul speaks of being “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Cor 12:2)? How many heavens are (were) there? What kind of experience may he be talking about? Are there other ancient sources that refer to similar experiences? Or why would he praise the Galatians because “though my illness was a trial to you, you did not show any distaste or revulsion” (Gal 4:14, NJB)? Why should illness be the cause of revulsion? 5 Dieter Mitternacht, “How to do” a historical-literary interpretation (work in progress!) c) Compare your text with other passages in the same document or in other documents by the same author where the same word or expression occurs. For this you may consult concordances, dictionaries and commentaries. d) Beware, that the same words and expressions can shift in meaning from one document to another. Do not, for instance, assume a Pauline understanding of the word “faith” if you interpret the same word in the Letter of James. 6 INTER-TEXTS If there is a quote or an allusion in your passage to another text source, examine how the quote or the allusion is used and how that contributes to the point that is being made in your passage. As is well known, the Synoptic Gospels are interdependent and one of the exiting challenges can be to investigate how Matt and Luke have incorporated a passage from Mk into their own Gospel. In addition there are frequent quotes from and allusions to the Hebrew Bible, and at times, a New Testament author will explicitly admit to having incorporated an earlier traditions into his text (cf. 1 Cor 15). Remember that there was no Old Testament as Paul or the gospel writers composed their texts. Instead the Jewish scriptures were their (only) holy scriptures. Thus, Paul would refer to a Jewish text, in order to strengthen his argument ( cf. e.g. Gal 3:10ff). Another interesting case of inter-texts consists of a comparison of the gospel of John with the first letter of John. Comparing similarities and contrasts can provide a clearer understanding of both texts. 7 THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT As you examined the literary context of the passage in question, you have already encountered a number of historical questions, such as genre issues, word meanings, etc., At this time you focus on the historical context, as well as on the specific historical genesis of the document as a whole. 6 Dieter Mitternacht, “How to do” a historical-literary interpretation (work in progress!) 7.1 The specific background Ask questions such as: Who wrote the text to whom? What seems to be the overall purpose of writing? What does the text divulge about the relationship between sender(s) and addressee(s)? What do we know about geographical, political, social and religious conditions and circumstances? a) For instance, how does the fact that Paul writes a letter to churches in Rome, i.e. churches he had not founded himself and a city where he had never been, affect his way of communicating? You may compare the style and tone of the letter to the Romans with that of the second letter to the Corinthians, written to a church that Paul had founded himself and to which he was closely attached. b) The composition of the Gospels has a history that stretches over a period of thirty years and more, from the time of Jesus’ ministry to the final redaction of the Gospels. An analysis of a Gospel passage can therefore provide insights into more than just one historical setting. c) In addition, a comparison of Mark and Mathew, for instance, may highlight a number of differences that reflects different authorial intents, different target groups, different views of the law and the Jewish people, differences in theological outlook, etc. Conclusions concerning the historical context of an entire document may require more work than can be expected from an assignment such as this. In order to attain the necessary background information, you may therefore look for help from books and articles where these kinds of questions are dealt with. 7.2 The symbolic world Texts are written for, and function in, different cultural and religious settings. As people think, act and write, they comply with societal roles, expectations, conventions and power structures. They adhere to, or react against, customs and values of their cultures and times. All of these aspects affect communication and determine, consciously and subconsciously, how people interact. The construction of an argument, the problems and conflicts that surface, etc., may seem trivial in one setting, yet weighty in another setting. Thus, as we 7 Dieter Mitternacht, “How to do” a historical-literary interpretation (work in progress!) consider the circumstances of the New Testament texts we need to consider the environment, the symbolic world of the time. In an ancient Mediterranean setting, the awareness of a person’s individuality was less clear-cut than in modern cultures. This affects how one perceives questions of identity, mentality and attitudes. In such a culture, where attitudes and actions are strongly determined by societal patterns of honor and shame, conversion is never just a personal matter, as it may be in a modern, individualistic setting. Instead, religious conversion was easily perceived as a breach of loyalty with family, community, city, even state and emperor, and the consequences of one person’s action as affecting everybody and everything around, even nature, a disruption of spiritual harmony between a people and their gods, and, consequently as a threat to family and society. For instance, as Gentile Christ-believers shifted their loyalties from a pagan household to a synagogue or an unknown new religious house group, they became a threat to family and community. As they refused to honor Caesar and instead praised Christ as their king and Lord, people around them were assured that the societal balance structure was affected negatively. Thus it was a “natural” reaction that those who had converted to the Christian faith would be blamed, if a sudden death occurred, a failed crop or some other calamity hit a community. The New Testament texts purport conflicts and disagreements between Christians and of Christians in relation to their pagan surroundings. Before we jump to readymade conclusions, we need to be mindful of the particular life conditions, societal values, structures of authority, i.e. the symbolic world of that society. These aspects are not always apparent on the surface of the text and can be difficult to identify. Consult, therefore, commentaries that provide comparative materials and background information about the historical circumstances of the time. 8 Dieter Mitternacht, “How to do” a historical-literary interpretation (work in progress!) 8 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION Having reached the end of the methodological procedure, it is now time to summarize the findings that you have accumulated. The purpose of a summary is not to write something “new” or different from the methodological analysis, but to present its results. Use your findings and describe how you perceive the main argument / point / message of the passage. 9 ANALOGIES The interpreter’s personal concerns, cultural contexts and inherited presuppositions will always affect his/her interpretations. No man is an island. Even a preference for either historical or literary aspects of a text is born out of certain presuppositions. Some may even find neither of these presuppositions appealing and prefer to approach the biblical text as a book of oracles, or as a philosophical or theological handbook. The methodological procedure that has been proposed here, is devised to help you focus on historical and literary questions that arise from the encounter with the text, and to restrain yourself from engaging too quickly in questions of application. This does not mean that questions of application should be neglected. Rather, you are asked to focus on historical and literary issues in order to be better prepared for application. You may find that starting with historical and literary question will generate new and even unexpected interests and concerns for application. Having completed the historical and literary analysis, you may now take the interpretation process a step further and look for analogies between ancient and texts, ideologies, societal, religious or ethical patterns and your own life circumstances, contexts and experiences. Think about the relevance or irrelevance of your historical and literary text analysis for your own life, community and society. Maybe this can be the starting point for a sermon outline. Maybe … But remember that analogy and application comes after the completion of the historical and literary analysis! 9 Dieter Mitternacht, “How to do” a historical-literary interpretation (work in progress!) 10