As an aide to this form of Biblical interpretation, we are beginning to see a new type of biblical commentary. For many years, most biblical commentaries offered a literary historical analysis but failed to complete the task by asking the theological questions raised by the Scripture. The Bible, for Christians, is not just an ancient document that had an original meaning which we seek to rediscover.
In some ways this search for the original meaning is the modernist version of the conservative belief in the inerrancy of the original manuscripts of the Bible. In both cases, they are seeking to discover a golden treasure hidden in an historical document. In contrast to both of these positions, the Scripture is a living document by which, for Christians, God addresses them through Christ.
Understanding the original context is useful because it helps the believer see how God has spoken through these Scriptures in different ways. Scripture itself testifies to its being a more dynamic document. For example, many of the original words of Jesus have been interpreted in different ways through the different Gospels because they were written for the church in different contexts. Preachers continue this practice in seeking to interpret the scriptures in light of their context. Scholars also must risk moving off the familiar grounds of literary historical analysis and use their considerable skills in identifying the theological issues raised in dialogue with our contemporary society. If Scripture does not raise theological questions about our lives today, then it is a dead document.
In the church, Scripture is a vital link to the eternal and we cannot afford to have it hidden in the esoteric. The seminary scholar has the advantage of standing outside the local church while being intimately connected with it. The task of Biblical scholars is to help the church in its local context to avoid parochialism by confronting the local church with the larger theological questions raised by Scripture.
