Interpretation Assignment

INTERPRETATION ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
In this assignment, you will be going back to your work in Chapter 6 to apply the principles of interpretation to some of the observations and questions you had about 1 Corinthians 15:1–11. Your assignment is to think of 1 or more questions for each category: who, what, when, where. Next, study through the steps of content, context, comparison, and consultation to come to conclusions regarding 1 Corinthians 15:1–11. Lastly, you will seek to answer the final question: why? You must approach the question of “why” somewhat differently than the questions of “who,” “what,” “when,” and “where.” When you ask “why,” you must make conclusions about the meaning of the passage based on your study up to that point. Using the template provided for you in the Assignment Instructions folder, answer the following questions about 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 based on your findings and additional research.

Who? (The Characters)
Description: Find out all you can about the author and the recipients, including their identities and situations. If specific people or groups are mentioned, now is the time to learn more about them. There are 3 main characters in this passage that you will need to identify. You are not composing a detailed biography of their lives. You simply want to note what 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 says about each of them and how that aligns with other Scripture passages.

What? (The Key Truths or Events)
Description: This is the time to investigate important words and ideas in the passage. What is the tone of the passage—joy, sorrow, disappointment, delight? If it is an action passage, what do the main actions represent? What are the key truths, events, or relationships mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11? Explore these first as they appear in this passage and then throughout Scripture. Identify at least 3 “what” questions.

Where? (The Geography and Location)
Description: Where are the author and readers at the time of the writing? Are there places in the passage that need to be identified in geographic placement? Can anything be learned from the location of the events? Explore these places as they appear in this passage before considering their significance outside of 1 Corinthians 15:1–11. Identify at least 1 “where” question.

When? (The Time Factors)
Description: Determine if there is anything critical related to the element of time in this passage. Does the message depend at all on certain aspects of the era in the church’s history in which it was written? Are there lesson to be learned based on the timing of the events? How is this presented first in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 and then throughout Scripture? Identify at least 1 “when” question.

Why? (The Purpose of the Passage)
Description: The purpose question is two-sided there is the need that caused the revelation to be given, and there is the author’s message that addressed that need. Here you are making conclusions based on all that you have studied. Examine your work in observation and this interpretation exercise; what do you believe is the need of the Corinthian believers and then what is Paul’s message and how does it address that need?

SAMPLE SOLUTION

1 Corinthians 15:1–11- Interpretation Assignment

1. Who? (The Characters)
   Question: Who is the author and who is he addressing?
   Initial proposal based on content:
   Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthian church with reference to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The author also highlights the people that Jesus met after resurrection. These include Cephas, twelve disciples, more than 500 christians, James, all the apostles, and finally him (Paul)…