1. Bibliology: The Bible
The term Bibliology (from Greek biblos meaning “book”) refers particularly to the study of the nature of the Bible as divine revelation. It often includes such topics as revelation, inspiration, inerrancy, canonicity, textual criticism, illumination, and interpretation.
IA. The Meaning of the Term “Revelation”6
1B. Contemporary Usage
2B. Theological Usage
IIA. General Revelation
1B. Definition
2B. In Creation
1C. Psalm 19:1-6
2C. Romans 1:18-20
3B. In Human Nature—Romans 2:14-15
4B. In Providentially Controlled History
1C. Acts 14:15-17
2C. Acts 17:22-31
5B. Summary and Conclusions
1C. The Objectivity of General Revelation
2C. The Possibility of Natural Theology?
3C. Relationship to Special Revelation and Human Responsibility
4C. Some Common Ground Between Believer and Unbeliever?
IIIA. Special Revelation
1B. General Definition
2B. The Nature of Special Revelation
1C. The Unveiling of a Person—John 5:39-40
2C. The Language of Analogy
3C. The Language of Condescension & Accommodation
3B. The Modes of Special Revelation
1C. In Dreams—Genesis 20:3
2C. In Visions—Zechariah 1:8ff.
3C. In Theophanies—Joshua 5:13-15
4C. Divine Speech—Job 38-41
5C. Special Acts—Exodus 14-15
6C. Jesus Christ—John 1:18
7C. Scripture—2 Timothy 3:16
1D. Propositional Revelation
2D. The Various Genres in Scripture
3D. Scriture and History
4B. The Goal of Special Revelation—John 5:39-40; 2 Tim 3:16-17
5B. Alternative Views of Revelation
1C. Liberalism
1D. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
2D. Friedrich Schleiermacher (1763-1834)
2C. Neo-Orthodoxy
1D. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
2D. Karl Barth (1886-1968)
3D. Emil Brunner (1889-1966)
3C. Effects of Liberalism and Neo-Orthodoxy upon Biblical Studies
1D. The Bible Only A Witness To Revelation
2D. Man Needs To Experience God
IVA. Inspiration
1B. Claims in Scripture
1C. The Self-Referential Problem
2C. A Solution
2B. Inspiration Proper
1C. Definition of ‘Inspiration’
1D. The Need/Reason for Inscripturating God’s Truth
2D. The Goal
3D. The Initiative and the Process
4D. The Product (Verbal/Plenary)
2C. Key Texts
1D. 2 Timothy 3:16
2D. 2 Peter 1:20-21
3C. Problems Defining Inspiration
1D. The Statements of Scripture
2D. The Phenomena of Scripture
3D. Solution
4C. Defective Theories
1D. Naturalistic Inspiration
2D. Partial Inspiration
3D. Conceptual Inspiration
4D. Spiritual Illumination
5D. Dictation
VA. Inerrancy7
1B. Definition
2B. Relationship to Inspiration
3B. Problems
1C. Philosophical
2C. Textual Phenomena
3C. Dismissal through Guilt by Association
4C. The Value of the Doctrine
VIA. Canonicity8
1B. Definition
2B. The Old Testament Canon
1C. The Origin of the Canon
2C. Time of Completion and Books Included
3B. The New Testament Canon
1C. The Expectation of Further Revelation in Light of OT Promise
2C. Jesus and the Apostles: Biblical Texts
3C. The Impetus for a Collection
1D. Death of the Apostles
2D. Marcionism
3D. Gnosticism
4D. Montanism
4C. Factors Involved in the Collection
1D. Apostolicity
2D. Catholicity
3D. Orthodoxy
4D. Usage
5C. The Date and Meaning of the “Close of the Canon”
VIIA. Textual Criticism9
1B. Definition
2B. Old Testament Materials
1C. Hebrew Manuscripts
1D. Important Manuscripts and Codices
2D. Qumran Scrolls
2C. Samaritan Pentateuch
3C. Important Versions
1D. Septuagint (LXX)
2D. Aramaic Targums
3D. Syriac Version
4C. Other Versions and Witnesses
1D. Old Latin
2D. The Vulgate
3D. Coptic Versions
4D. Ethiopic Version
5D. Armenian Version
6D. Arabic Versions
3B. New Testament Materials
1C. Greek Witnesses
1D. Papyri
2D. Uncials
3D. Minuscules
4D. Lectionaries
2C. Important Early Versions
1D. Latin
2D. Syriac
3D. Coptic
3C. Church Fathers
4B. The Process of Textual Criticism
1C. The Old Testament
2C. The New Testament
VIIIA. Illumination
1B. Definition
2B. Key Texts
1C. 1 Corinthians 2:9-14
2C. Ephesians 1:18
3C. 2 Timothy 1:7
3B. Problems with Illumination
IXA. Interpretation10
1B. Definition
2B. The Nature of Meaning and Communication
1C. Authorial Intent
2C. Problems and Solutions
3B. The Method of Interpretation
1C. Grammatical and Genre Oriented
2C. Historical
3C. Synthetic/Organic
4B. The Nature of Understanding
1C. By Looking On
2C. By Experiencing First-Hand
5B. The Role of the Spirit
XA. Application11
1B. Know the Interpretation
2B. Formulate Scriptural Principles
3B. Meditate and Correlate
4B. Apply in Theory/Practice
6 For a discussion of “revelation,” and closely linked ideas, see David S. Dockery, Christian Scripture: An Evangelical Perspective on Inspiration, Authority, and Interpretation (Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman, 1995). See also Avery Dulles, Models of Revelation (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1992).
7 For several articles dealing with the evangelical doctrine of inerrancy see, Norman L. Geisler, ed., Inerrancy (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980).
8 On the issue of the canon, see Roger Beckwith, The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church and Its Background in Early Judaism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985); F. F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1988); Harry Y. Gamble, The New Testament Canon: Its Making and Meaning, New Testament Series, ed. Dan O. Via (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985); Bruce M. Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance (Oxford: University Press, 1987).
9 On OT textual criticism, see Ernst Würthwein, The Text of the Old Testament, trans. Erroll F. Rhodes (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979); Bruce M. Metzger, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration, 3rd ed. (New York: Oxford, 1992).
10 Some good introductory works on biblical interpretation include: Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, How To Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible, 2d ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993); Leland Ryken, How To Read the Bible as Literature (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984); Robert H. Stein, A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible: Playing by the Rules (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994); William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard (Dallas: Word, 1993); Moiss, Silva, ed., Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation: Six Volumes in One (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996); Grant Osborne, The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Criticism (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1991); John R. W. Stott, Understanding the Bible, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984); R. C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1977); D. A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies, 2d ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996). For a more in depth and scholarly analysis of the problem of meaning as it relates to Biblical interpretation see, Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Is There a Meaning in This Text: The Bible, The Reader, and the Morality of Literary Knowledge (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998).
11 A helpful work aimed at the application of scripture is Robertson McQuilkin, Understanding and Applying the Bible, rev. ed. (Chicago: Moody, 1992).
Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Teaching the Bible