There is an inextricable bond or relationship between the literature, the history and the theology of the Bible. These three distinctive units synergistically work together to form the continuity and continuous whole called Biblical Theology. They literally act as foundations that allow us to step, in a coherent manner into the text of our Holy Bible. They literature, history (or historical record) and the theology (or revelation) contain within its covers. In a word the relationship between these elements is synergistic as they reinforce one another on a holistic level.
The literature aspect is the wording itself. Words themselves are nothing more that symbols used to convey a meaning. That meaning is determined by decoding the symbols (text) and how they are present in the Bible. In their “literary” environ so to speak. We need to understand how God has revealed Himself in the Word in conjunction with the way He has revealed Himself incarnate also. These aspects cannot be viewed in isolation or in a vacuum or we miss the whole/holistic picture or what God wanted us to understand. This means we need to also take into account the human element/historical events that occurred involving humanities redemption and God which segues us to our second aspect.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”~John 1:1,2 [Literary, History, Revelation]
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father...”~John 1:14[Revelation, History]
The historical record works with the revealed word in a manner that shows us as readers. In this manner God has chosen to reveal Himself in time/history and thereby being essentially documented as historical narrative within the Bible. We as believers take this narrative as historic record whereas the secular world views it as possibly myth. As many of these events such as creation are beyond the realm of investigation since there were no human observers of the Creation, we then rely on God’s revelation of said event. In the Bible’s case it was revealed through Moses’ narrative. This leads us then to our last aspect of our triad, the theology revealed within the Bible.
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law”~Gal 4:4 [Revelation]; “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”~Col 1:17[History]
All of these aspects are inextricably linked together. Revelation is not just concerned with past historical elements but also future as historical also. We must understand that the Bible is revelation of God or what God wanted man to know about Him. It is also what God wanted man to know about himself. Since the Bible is a revelation about an infinite Being that is One but a Trinity of three persons, we should understand that this revelation enters into the realm of infinitude and the timelessness of eternity. This is an area hard for man to grasp and comprehend because it is nearly outside of our reality and ability to comprehend. The Bible encompasses these three aspects but never totally separates them as they are not totally inseparable. All of these are revealed in Jesus Christ.
“God, after He spoke long ago [Revelation/History] to the fathers in the prophets [History] in many portions and in many ways [Literary], in these last days [History] has spoken to us in His Son [Revelation], whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world [History].”~ Heb 1:1, 2
I have added the Scripture and labels in brackets for a twofold purpose, example and evidential truth.
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