Restitutio Sean P Finnegan

This is part 18 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
What tools can help you understand the bible better? Today we'll cover some recommended resources for you to deepen your study of the scriptures, including bible dictionaries, commentaries, bible software, AI, and more. Of course, it's impossible to cover everything in a reasonable time frame, so I'll just recommend two or three of each resource type, focusing primarily on tools that I personally have and use regularly.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJOFFIkNdUg&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2TrdUEDtAipF3jy4qYspM_&index=18
—— Links ——

See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself
Other classes are available here, including How We Got the Bible, which explores the manuscript transmission and translation of the Bible
Get the transcript of this episode
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——
18 Helpful Tools to Understand the Bible
Why do we need extra-biblical tools to help us understand the Bible?

Different geography
Different history
Different cultures (ancient Near Eastern, first-century Jewish, Greco-Roman)
Different economics
Different literacy rates
Different scientific and philosophical knowledge

Bible Dictionaries

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2015)
The IVP Bible Dictionary Series

Dictionary of OT: Pentateuch (2002)
Dictionary of OT: Historical Books (2005)
Dictionary of OT: Wisdom, Poetry, & Writings (2008)
Dictionary of OT: Prophets (2012)
Dictionary of NT Background (2000)
Dictionary of Jesus & Gospels (2013)
Dictionary of Paul & Letters (2023)
Dictionary of the Later NT (1997)



Commentaries

Fee & Stuart: “Jesus says, ‘…It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ You will sometimes hear it said that there was a gate in Jerusalem known as the “Needle’s Eye,” which camels could go through only by kneeling, and with great difficulty. The point of this “interpretation” is that a camel could in fact go through the “Needle’s Eye.” The trouble with this “exegesis,” however, is that it is simply not true. There never was such a gate in Jerusalem at any time in its history. The earliest known “evidence” for this idea is found in the eleventh century(!) in a commentary by a Greek churchman named Theophylact, who had the same difficulty with the text that many later readers do. After all, it is impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, and that was precisely Jesus’ point. It is impossible for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom. It takes a miracle for a rich person to get saved…”[1]
Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary (ZIBBC - 10 vols.)
New International Commentary (NICOT - 30 vols.; NICNT - 20 vols.)
New International Greek Testament Commentary (NIGTC - 12 vols.)
The New Testament for Everyone by N. T. Wright (18 vols.)

Bible Project Videos

Book Overviews (OT - 39 videos; NT - 26 videos)
How to Read the Bible (19 videos)
Themes (41 videos)
Word Studies (21 videos)
Many more at com/explore/

Software

Lots of translations
Original language resources
Cross-references
Outlines
Search tools
Accordance & Logos

Search Tools

Artificial intelligence chat bots (openai.com)
Crowd sourced websites (info/topics)

Review

Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias provide short articles on places, individuals, and topics in the Bible.
Older and free research tools somet

This is part 17 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
After reviewing the resources you can use to learn Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, we delve into the sources that translators use for their work. Next, we'll look at translation philosophies, including formal and dynamic equivalence. Lastly we'll cover the controversial issues of gender accuracy and translation bias. Over all, this episode should give you a nice introduction to a deep answer for what translations you should use and why.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsxuNfkTt-U&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2TrdUEDtAipF3jy4qYspM_&index=18
—— Links ——

See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself
Other classes are available here, including How We Got the Bible, which explores the manuscript transmission and translation of the Bible
Get the transcript of this episode
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——
17 How to Choose a Bible Translation
Translation basics

Fee & Stuart: “Your Bible, whatever translation you use, which is your beginning point, is in fact the end result of much scholarly work. Translators are regularly called upon to make choices regarding meanings, and their choices are going to affect how you”[1]
“Every translation is a commentary” -Lee Brice

The Bible is in three languages.

Hebrew: Old Testament except the Aramaic part

Nearly 99% of the OT (22,945 of 23,213 verses)


Aramaic: half of Daniel and two passages in Ezra

Daniel 2.4b-7.28; Ezra 4.8-6.18; 7.12-26
About 1% of the OT (268 of 23,213 verses)


Greek: New Testament (all 7,968 verses)

How to begin learning Hebrew or Greek

Immersion program in Israel or Greece

Whole Word Institute offers a 9-month program.


In-person college class (usually 2 semesters)

Local colleges, RTS offers an 8-week summer program.


In-person classes at a Jewish synagogue or Greek church or community center
Online program with live instructor

Biblical Language Center, Liberty University, etc.


Digital program with pre-recordings

Aleph with Beth (YouTube), Bill Mounce’s DVD course, etc.



How to improve your existing knowledge of Hebrew or Greek

Reading group in-person or online

Read a portion each week together.


Daily dose of Hebrew/Greek/Aramaic

Daily YouTube videos of one verse each (email list)


Read every day.

Read the Bible; read devotionals; read comic books (Glossa House produces great resources)


Watch modern Hebrew and Greek shows.

Izzy is like Netflix for Israel/Hebrew
Greece has lots of channels streaming online.



Translation process (1 Timothy 2:5 example)

Greek New Testament (NA28)Εἷς γὰρ θεός, εἷς καὶ μεσίτης θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἄνθρωπος Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς
Literal translationOne for god, one and mediator of god and men,man Christ Jesus
Finished translationFor (there is) one God, and (there is) one mediator between God and mankind, (the) man Christ Jesus.

New Testament critical editions

Nestle Aland 28th Edition (NA28) based on the Editio Critica Maior (ECM), which employs the coherence based genealogical method (CBGM)
Tyndale House Greek New Testament (THGNT) prioritizes trusted physical manuscripts over the CBGM.

Old Testament critical editions

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) and the partially completed Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ) print the Leningrad Codex in the main text, but include alternative readings in the footnotes.
Hebrew Bible Critical Edition (HBCE) by Ronald Mendel is a project of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) to develop a critical edition.

R

This is part 16 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
Revelation is a complicated book of the Bible. It contains some of the most incredible and awe-inspiring descriptions of God's throne room and the final paradise on earth. It also describes sinister mayhem, wanton destruction, and toe-curling persecution. How can we make sense of it? In today's episode we'll go over the basics of authorship, audience, occasion, and purpose. Then we'll explore how Revelation uses visionary symbols to convey truth. Lastly, we'll go over five interpretive lenses through which you can understand the timing of the events in Revelation. We may not settle every issue, but my hope is that this overview will at least prepare you to read Revelation for yourself.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://youtu.be/98OFG5OSjNE?si=jcN6wZnbeqavNFRi
—— Links ——

See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself
Other classes are available here, including How We Got the Bible, which explores the manuscript transmission and translation of the Bible
Get the transcript of this episode
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——
How to Read Revelation
Authorship

John is the author. (Rev 1:1-2)
It is hard to say if this was the same John who wrote the Gospel of John and the Epistles.
Later Christians generally believed Revelation was by the same John.
The style, vocabulary, and themes are completely different.
John was exiled to the island of Patmos because of his faith. (Rev 1:9)
“The Roman government, beginning with the emperor Nero, no longer considered Christianity as a sect of Judaism, which was a legal religion in the empire. Instead, Rome began to view it as an undesirable foreign cult that was a menace to society. John’s testimony about Jesus Christ was viewed as a political crime and hence punishable under Roman law. His suffering was the price paid for obeying a different King and testifying to a different Lord.”[1]

Audience

Rev 1:10 says John wrote to seven churches in the province of Asia Minor (western Turkey).
These churches were in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.

Occasion

Ephesus: enduring well, not growing weary, having discerned false apostles well, not loving
Smyrna: afflicted, in poverty, slandered by Jews, facing imprisonment, and martyrdom
Pergamum: holding fast, though Antipas martyred, tempted with sexual immorality and idolatry
Thyatira: loving, faithful, serving, enduring, tempted with sexual immorality and idolatry
Sardis: spiritually lethargic, lack vigilance
Philadelphia: keeping faithful despite opposition
Laodicea: arrogant, wealthy, complacent
Did John learn what was going on in these churches? Was that why he wrote?
Revelation is so visionary, it’s more likely that God prompted John by giving him these visions than that he wrote to detail with specific situations like many of Paul’s epistles.

Purpose

Encourage churches to endure through persecution as well as to correct them
Revelation both threatens and encourages.

Mode

Symbols dominate the visions in Revelation (Rev 1:12-20)
The seven golden lampstands = the seven churches (Rev 1:12, 20)
The great red dragon = the devil = Satan = the ancient serpent (Rev 12:3, 9)
Lake of fire that torments day and night = the second death (Rev 20:10; 21:8)
The symbols in John’s visions are like political cartoons.

“Someone has drawn an analogy between the symbolism of Revelation and political cartoons in our culture, in which pictures represent a reality. They are not to be taken literally, but they are to be ta

This is part 15 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
In previous episodes, we've looked at Paul's church epistles and pastoral epistles. Today we move into the third section of epistles in the New Testament--the general epistles. Instead of surveying each of the eight general epistles, we'll just focus on two: Hebrews and 1 John. We'll ask about author, audience, occasion, purpose, and mode for each. Going through these two will hopefully provide you with helpful examples to enable you to read these epistles more fruitfully on your own.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://youtu.be/alXkHkkhn_w
—— Links ——

See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself
Other classes are available here, including How We Got the Bible, which explores the manuscript transmission and translation of the Bible
Get the transcript of this episode
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——
The General Epistles

Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
Some consider Hebrews to be Pauline, but even if Paul wrote it, it’s not to a church or a pastor, so it still fits as a general epistle
2 John and 3 John are technical to specific individuals and thus not general epistles

Hebrews

Authorship

Evidence for Paul

Associated with Timothy and Rome (Heb 13:23-24)
Pauline themes


Evidence against Paul

Non-Pauline themes
Ancient uncertainty (Origen, Eusebius, etc.)
Non-standard opening
Not an eyewitness (Heb 2:3)


Daniel Wallace suggested Barnabas with help from Apollos.


Audience

As title indicates, the audience was Jewish.
Persecuted (Heb 10:32-36)


Occasion

Became aware of some falling away from faith (Heb 3:6; 4:14; 6:4-6; 10:23, 26-27)
Concern that they will return to Judaism


Purpose

Convince Jewish Christians to endure in the faith instead of falling away (presumably back into Judaism)


Mode

Show that Jesus is better
Ch 1: Jesus as God’s promised Messiah is better than the angels who gave the Law.
Ch 2:  Jesus’ salvation is better b/c he is human.
Ch 3:  Jesus is better than Moses.
Ch 7: Jesus’ priesthood is better than Aaron’s.
Ch 8:  Jesus’ covenant is better than the old covenant b/c it has better promises.
Ch 9:  Jesus’ heavenly priestly service is better than the priests serving at the temple on earth.
Ch 10:  Jesus’ sacrifice is better than animal sacrifices.
Ch 11: The unshakable Mt. Zion covenant is better than the covenant at Mt. Sinai.
Overall rhetorical effect to ask, “Why in the world would Christ-followers want to downgrade to Judaism after they’ve tasted something so much better?”



1 John

Authorship

No author in the document itself (1 John 1:1)
Early Christians refer to this letter as written by John

Irenaeus (a.d. 180) attributed the Gospel of John and 1 John to “John, the disciple of the Lord”[1]
Later Christians agreed, including Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and the Muratorian Canon
Eusebius says, “But of John’s writings, in addition to the Gospel, the first of the letters is unambiguously accepted [as genuine] both by people today and by the ancients” (H.E. 3.24.17)[2]


Definitely the same John who wrote the Gospel of John (John the Apostle)

Same vocabulary and writing style


Audience

Christians that John is worried about


Occasion: concern over rogue Christians

“They went out from us, but they did not belong to us” (1 John 2:19).
They are trying to deceive the regular Christians (2:26; 3:7).
Many false prophets have gone out (4:1).
They are denying that Jesus is the Christ (2:22).
They may

This is part 14 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
The Pastoral Epistles are letters to church leaders, instructing them how churches should function. Though they are not well read by most Christians today, they remain authoritative for pastors, elders, and deacons. Today we'll cover 1-2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. We'll explore the major theme of how the church should be a well-run household where godliness prevails. Additionally, we'll consider qualifications for leadership, warnings against false teachers, and the incredible importance of sound teaching.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-zdww6-Udk&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2TrdUEDtAipF3jy4qYspM_&index=14&t=1004s&pp=iAQB
—— Links ——

See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself
Other classes are available here, including How We Got the Bible, which explores the manuscript transmission and translation of the Bible
Get the transcript of this episode
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——
The Pastoral Epistles

1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
Philemon is not always included as a pastoral Epistle since it only deals with a specific issue regarding a single person.

Household

Paul employs the metaphor of a household in the pastorals to illustrate the order he’d like to see in the churches (1 Tim 3:14-15).
ZIBBC: “In Xenophon’s essay, the husband instructs his fourteen-year-old bride (the average age for marriage among Greek and Roman girls was fourteen to sixteen) on her vital role in managing the household resources, including the care and supervision of household slaves, while he supervised the gathering of produce from the farms. Because of the presence of slaves and freedmen in an average ancient household, management of sometimes large households could be demanding.”[1]
Lynn Cohick: “The family in the Greco-Roman world valued the community over the individual and promoted corporate honor and fortune. Those living in the domus (“home”) included parents and children, and perhaps extended family, such as adult siblings, cousins, and grandparents, as well as slaves, freedmen, and freedwomen. Each individual had a specific status within the home, and each family member deemed the social status of the family, including its wealth and social prestige, as of equal or greater value than their personal happiness.”[2]
Paul is concerned for how outsiders will perceive the churches (1 Tim 3:7).
Everyone has a place and a role.

Men's role (1 Tim 2:8), older men (Tit 2:2), younger men (Tit 2:6-8).
Women's role (1 Tim 2:9-15), older women (Tit 2:3), younger (Tit 2:4-5)
Respect elders (1 Tim 5:1-2, 17-19).
Young widows should marry (1 Tim 5:11-15).
Take care of your own family (1 Tim 5:7-8, 16).
Support real widows (1 Tim 5:3-6, 9-10).
Slaves obey & submit (1 Tim 6:2; T 2:9-10)
Rich be humble/generous (1 Tim 6:18-19)



Godliness (Eusebia)

1 Tim 4:7-8; Tit 2:11-12 (See also 1 Tim 2:1-2; 5:4.)
Translated “godliness” but has nothing to do with being like God or imitating God.
Showing expected reverence
Piety (Latin = pietas)
Pious, reverent, dutiful
Shown not just to God (or gods) but also to the city and to one’s household

Church Leadership
Overseer’s qualifications (1 Tim 3:2-7; T 1:7-9)

Elders’ qualifications (Tit 1:6)
Deacon's qualifications (1 Tim 3:8-13)
Standards are high for service in the church.
Overseers must manage their own households well (1 Tim 3:4-5).

Warnings Against False Teachers

Some strange Jewish teachings (1 Tim 1:4, 6-7; Tit 1:10-11, 14)
Asceticism (1 Tim 4:1,

This is part 13 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
Before getting to the Church Epistles, we'll begin with an overview of how letters were written, read, and performed. Then we'll see how they are arranged in our Bibles. We'll spend a good deal of time talking about occasion. Why did Paul write each letter? What was going on that prompted him to initiate the expensive and elaborate process of writing to them? Lastly, we'll briefly consider how to apply what we read to our lives.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg3tInZU9JY&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2TrdUEDtAipF3jy4qYspM_&index=13&pp=iAQB
—— Links ——

See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself
Other classes are available here, including How We Got the Bible, which explores the manuscript transmission and translation of the Bible
Get the transcript of this episode
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——
Letters in the First Century

Letters written on papyrus with ink by a professional scribe (amanuensis)
Though most letters that have survived from the ancient world were short and to the point, Paul’s Epistles are extremely long.
Because there was no postal system, someone had to carry the letter to its destination.
Upon arrival, most people couldn’t read, so a professional would need to read it aloud.
This was difficult because there were no chapters, verses, paragraphs, punctuation, or spaces between words (scriptio continua).





Name


Greek Words


English Words


Verses


Chapters




Romans


7113


9506


432


16




1 Corinthians


6832


9532


437


16




2 Corinthians


4480


6160


257


13




Galatians


2232


3227


149


6




Ephesians


2424


3047


155


6




Philippians


1631


2261


104


4




Colossians


1583


1993


95


4




1 Thessalonians


1484


1908


89


5




2 Thessalonians


826


1065


47


3




Church Epistles in Chronological Order

Galatians 48
1 Thessalonians 49-51
2 Thessalonians 49-51
1 Corinthians 53-55
2 Corinthians 53-55
Romans 57
Philippians 62
Colossians 62
Ephesians 62

Developing Your Knowledge of the Greco-Roman World

Get background books like The World of the New Testament by Green and McDonald and Zondervan’s Illustrated Bible Background Commentary by Clinton Arnold.
Read the literature that has survived. Hundreds of volumes are available in the Loeb Classical Library.
Learn about archeology in the Mediterranean world around the time of Christ (Biblical Archeological Review).
Take a tour to visit the sites in Greece and Turkey (Spirit and Truth International).
Study the geography of the region on maps that show the correct place names for the first century.

Deciphering the Occasion

Each letter arose out of a specific circumstance. What was going on among the Christians in that city that caused Paul to write?
Galatians: Judaizers had visited churches Paul founded, telling people they needed to follow the law of Moses.
1 Corinthians: Chloe sent word of divisions in Corinth; Paul also received a letter asking specific questions.
2 Corinthians: false teachers had ensconced themselves in Corinth who criticized and undermined Paul.
Philippians: Epaphroditus brought Paul financial assistance from Philippi.

Reading the Church Epistles

The first time through, just get your bearings. Read for scope.
What’s going on in that church? What’s going on in that city? What