Scriptural History

Our Basic Approach

The theology of the Episcopal Church is often referred to as a three-legged stool representing: Scripture, Tradition and Reason. The Scriptural History group uses these three as our guide as we carefully consider various parts of Scripture. But we also have fun with this (see “We Have a Good Time”, below).

Why Do This?

1. “The Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern the inner thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Letter to the Hebrews 4:12.

2. There is human history behind the Word of God as presented to us today. Who wrote that Letter? How do we know?

Recent History

St. Paul’s hosts several bible study groups, and Evan presents periodic short Bible study series on Sundays. In 2017, Evelyn Elledge asked Karen Hanna-Towne to take over leadership of the Bible Study group that Evelyn had led for a couple of decades.  Karen changed the format by asking volunteers to take turns leading the discussion each week.  Pursuing a scholarly approach, the group started to refer to published commentaries, many of which are available in St. Paul’s Library.  After a few months, the group split with some choosing to read the Lectionary for the following Sunday, and others staying with the research group.  Further realignments took place when Evan became our Rector and started offering his own Bible Study session on Monday mornings. Of course, some parishioners attend more than one bible study group. 

The group now called “Scriptural History” adopted the current name in the summer of 2019, to better represent our approach to studying the Bible and to differentiate ourselves from the other groups. 

How We Pick Topics

When we finish studying a section of the Bible, we compile a list suggested by the group members and then take a series of votes until we choose what we’ll study next. This is a participatory group in which we take turns doing the research and leading the discussion in rotation. It’s a small group, so everyone gets to lead the group about once a month.

Our Present Endeavor

Currently we’re working our way simultaneously through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, using Throckmorton’s Gospel Parallels: A Comparison of the Synoptic Gospels as the foundational text source (so we’re “all on the same page”), along with whatever other references the members discover for themselves and share. We started this particular endeavor in May 2019, and we’re approximately half way through this set of readings. We only cover about a dozen verses across the Synoptic Gospels each week.

The Questions We Ask

We consider the readings from several points of view. What is the main thrust of these verses in terms of their Bible message? How do these verses relate to our lives today and how can we use them to become stronger Christians? In what context did the action in these verses take place? Where did the action take place and what was that place like ethnically, economically and geographically? Was it favorable to Jesus and his disciples or not? What was the political situation at the time and what were the possible motives of some of the actors? Did certain words have different or deeper meanings when they were written? What were the traditions and living conditions at the time which would add meaning to these readings?

Books We Consult Regularly

As mentioned above, we currently use Throckmorton’s Gospel Parallels: A Comparison of the Synoptic Gospels (5th ed. 1992) to source the texts.  Bible versions:  Peterson’s The Message (2002) [perhaps the most successful paraphrase Bible translation] is a favorite; the Authorized Version (1611) [the King James Bible]; various others – bring one, bring all.

Commentaries

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990) [a concise and comprehensive effort by modern Roman Catholic scholars]; the Scofield Reference Bible (1945 and 1967 editions) [notes keyed to the Seven Dispensations (ages) of divinely-ordained human history, as articulated by C. I. Scofield from 1909]; books in the venerable International Critical Commentaries series, notably St. Mark by Rev. Ezra Gould, an Episcopalian scholar of the late nineteenth century.

Atlases and Maps

The Holman Book of Biblical Charts, Maps and Reconstructions (1993) [many charts in color, e.g. the 12 Tribes of Israel; the Oxford Bible Atlas (3d ed. 1994) [great maps].

Other Authors

A popular source of historical information is Life in Year One: What the World Was Like in First-Century Palestine, by Scott Korb (2010); near-contemporaries of Jesus, such as Josephus [author of Jewish Antiquities and The Jewish War – which chronicles Titus’s destruction of the Temple in AD 70]; modern-day authors such as British Rabbi Hyam Maccoby.

What We Do With All This Information

We try to employ our critical thinking skills to decide the likelihood of veracity in our various sources.  We often leave several options on the table for consideration without coming to a conclusion.

The Main Thing

You don’t have to use any of these books—we also search the Internet.  The main thing is to read the Bible together, and talk about it.  When you read with others, you slow down on passages you may have heard all your life—and then you see things you never did before.

We Have A Good Time

Because we are a small group, we enjoy a relaxed atmosphere and everyone has the opportunity to express their opinions.  We can be flexible when we travel, rescheduling as needed.  We choose to meet remotely, so even when we are away, we can Zoom in to join the discussion. 

Each of us has independently expressed how the meetings are a highlight of our week.  A recent survey of the group yielded the following comments. “There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t learn something I had never considered.”  “This group makes me think.”  “My participation in this group makes me feel that I know Jesus in a deeper way.”  “I never would have undertaken to read the Bible so carefully on my own had I not been part of this group.” 

Please Join Us

We welcome new members. We meet almost every Thursday at 2:00 pm via Zoom. To check out the group to see if you might like it, send an email to Karen Hanna-Towne. In December, Cliff and Sallie Langford will take over the leadership (i.e. coordining the meetings and topics), so after the 1st of December 2021, please join by writing to Sallie. We hope you’ll enjoy the conversation enough to become part of the group.