Lectures - Exegesis: How to Read the Bible Like a Scholar

The Bible contains historical inaccuracies, supernatural events, contradictions, violence, misogyny, homophobia, and xenophobia. Can we trust these texts to teach us anything about God, spirituality, or ourselves? Exegesis — the way scholars and theologians read scripture — provides tools to make sense of these passages and uncover meaning for our lives today. Since antiquity, Christian thinkers recognized that many texts call for allegorical or symbolic interpretation. In the 19th century, the rise of archaeology, literary criticism, and related fields opened the way for academic, critical readings of these ancient writings. By considering the context of composition, the nuances of the original languages, parallels in Greco-Roman, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian sources, and differences among manuscripts, exegesis helps uncover meaning even in the most puzzling and disturbing passages. In this presentation, we introduce the basic steps of exegesis so that the next time you read the Bible, you are familiar with how scholars and theologians approach these texts. Join the livestream to participate in the discussion and to ask questions of our lecturer during the Q&A. This lecture is part of our series exploring Christianity and the Bible from an academic perspective through history, mythology, archaeology, theology, and biblical studies. 📚 Browse our catalogue of free lectures at https://www.centreplace.ca/lectures Your generous support allows us to offer these lectures at no cost. Please consider making a donation (tax deductible in the US and Canada): ❤️ https://www.centreplace.ca/donate ️ #bible #biblestudy #bibleverse