In Front | Reading Canonically

Although the 66 books of the Bible were compiled over many, many centuries, the Church recognizes this sacred library as a divinely inspired single book. Consequently, we read it not only from front to back, but from back to front. We now see how God’s story moved from generation to generation, and how the Old Testament types and predictions led to New Testament fulfillments. We are very careful in Bible Journey to read the Bible diachronically (through time, e.g. in order) first, but then move to a synchronic reading (as though it was revealed all at once). Our In the Text interpretation takes into account not only what is in the specific text before us, but also what is In the Text (the Bible) as a whole. Canonical interpretation is this kind of holistic awareness of all that Scripture says. The benefit of this approach is that it clarifies what earlier passages are anticipating as well as what later passages are completing. But we should be careful of over-reading any early passage by importing so much later meaning into it that we fail to reckon with its original meaning to its original audience.