How to read the gospels

I really love discussing and teaching on biblical interpretation. Michael Spencer wrote 10 guidelines for interpreting the Gospels which I find to be outstanding. I've listed them below without comment, but check out Michael's post to see the whole thing.

1. Don't harmonize the gospels
2. Don't read them as if their words and events happened in the modern world
3. Jesus did and said a lot of things that he never explained
4. Our modern computer concordances don't help nearly as much as some say
5. Beware of anyone who is "out on their own" with an interpretation. Consensus is important.
6. Big ideas dominate the gospels. Look for them.
7. Textual criticism is important.
8. The Gospels were (by and large) written after the Pauline epistles
9. The study of the historical Jesus is important
10. Make this a lifelong passion

Again, these won't make much sense unless you go and read the whole post.

Comments

[Justin]

These are outstanding. The only one that I'm a little hesitant about is #5 because I am slightly worried about the consensus drowning out original thought, emergent imagination, and the voice of the oppressed. But I do think consensus should be favored when making interpretive judgments.