V. Intrabiblical Models for Reading Scripture
INTRABIBLICAL MODELS FOR READING SCRIPTURE
That the problem of present meaning cannot be excluded from interpretation in Christian theology is suggested partly by the attitude of the New Testament writers towards the Old Testament. (Anthony Thiselton) 1
For some, the Old Testament is now irrelevant apart from a typological and allegorical christological reading. 2 This is not, however, the way that New Testament writers normally treated the Old Testament. 3 To be sure, they found many analogies in God’s earlier workings that confirmed their view of Christ; they did not, however, dismiss everything else in Scripture.
The book thus far has been partly theoretical. First, I suggested what a reading from the vantage point of the biblical Pentecost should look like, including, for example, experiential, eschatological, and global perspectives, as well as consistency with the message that God originally inspired by his Spirit. Then I turned to underlying questions of epistemology; each epistemic approach presupposes its basis. Reading or hearing with faith is a necessary hermeneutic for those whose starting premise is Scripture.
Here, however, I turn to concrete Spirit-led models from Scripture itself. 4 How did Jesus handle Scripture? How did Paul interpret the law, and how may inductive reading of the law itself shape our reception of the law? How can we learn by analogy from biblical narratives? 5 A reading from the standpoint of Pentecost, as in Acts 2 and usually in the rest of the New Testament, is a reading that applies the biblical message to our lives today. 6