Exegesis

Phrasing: My Favorite Way to Trace an Argument

February 19, 2015 by Andy Naselli

The best part about knowing the biblical languages is tracing the argument.

The main tool we use for this at Bethlehem College & Seminary is Biblearc.

Biblearc initially focused exclusively on tracing the argument by a method called arcing. It is a method that John Piper and Tom Steller developed after learning it from Dan Fuller.

Last year Biblearc added bracketing.

And this year it added phrasing. Phrasing is my favorite method for tracing the argument because it’s so intuitive and clear.

Phrasing goes by many names:

block diagramming
causal layout
grammatical diagramming
phrase diagramming
propositional displays
propositional outlines
sentence flow
text hierarchy
thought-flow diagramming

Phrasing is a flexible and easy-to-use Bible study tool that allows you to visually trace a passage’s argument: simply indent to subordinate. The Biblearc phrasing feature has all sorts of mark-up features from arrows to relationship comments to Dot Notes.

My colleagues Jason DeRouchie and Brian Tabb teamed up with Andy Hubert to show how it works in these five videos:

1. Introduction to Biblearc’s Phrasing Module

Announcing the NIV Zondervan Study Bible

February 17, 2015 by Andy Naselli

I say this in my recent essay “Three Reflections on Evangelical Academic Publishing”:

After finishing my PhD at Trinity, I had some options to teach full-time. But instead I spent four years working full-time on the NIV Zondervan Study Bible. [Read more…] about Announcing the NIV Zondervan Study Bible

Why Bible Typography Matters

February 14, 2015 by Andy Naselli

My friend Mark Ward shrewdly explains why Bible typography matters (video | audio):

CC: Publishers of the ESV, NIV, HCSB, NLT, etc.

Three Tips for Better Bible Reading
Re 3 Unusual Tips for Better Bible Reading (see especially the short video there)

Update on 9/11/2015: Mark Ward now works for Faithlife, and his first blog post is titled “Why Bible Typography Matters.”

An Excellent Documentary on Exodus

January 13, 2015 by Andy Naselli

I recently watched the two-hour forthcoming documentary Patterns of Evidence: Exodus. It’s outstanding.

(Jason DeRouchie, my Old Testament colleague, previewed it before I did and warmly recommended it to me.) [Read more…] about An Excellent Documentary on Exodus

Fred Zaspel Interviews Doug Moo on the NIV

January 7, 2015 by Andy Naselli

Good interview. Well done, Fred and Doug.

Update on 3/31/2017: In my latest attempt to explain how to interpret and apply the Bible, I include a chapter on Bible translation (pp. 50–81).

Rich Penix on Learning Hebrew with Logos Bible Software

January 6, 2015 by Andy Naselli

Rich Penix (one of my Greek students about ten years ago) explains why he loved Dr. Mark Futato’s Logos-integrated approach to learning Hebrew.

Logos 6 Propositional Outlines: An Interview with the Author

December 9, 2014 by Andy Naselli

I think that the best part about knowing New Testament Greek is that it helps you better trace the flow of the argument.

That’s why one of my favorite features in Logos 6 is the propositional outlines. Mark Keaton, the primary author, kindly agreed to answer some questions about his work:

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Mark Keaton. I graduated with an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2011. For two years, I was the Greek editor of the Bible Sense Lexicon. For the past year, I’ve been the creator and editor of the Lexham Propositional Outlines for Logos 6. And most recently by the grace of God, I’ve been called to be the pastor of Harper Creek Baptist Church in Battle Creek, Michigan. (Our website is a little dated, but we’re working on it!)

2. What are the Lexham Propositional Outlines in Logos 6?

Here’s a quick video overview showing the Lexham Propositional Outlines in action: