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authorial intent
They say that familiarity breeds contempt, but with the Bible, familiarity often breeds laziness. The first problem with the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife is that everyone assumes that they know what it means. The Sunday School story and our own casual reading seem to present a classic story of seduction, so we don’t feel that we need to put much effort into actually studying the passage.
Some people love to dig into the original setting of the Bible passage they’re teaching. When done poorly, these messages can sound like history lectures. Other people are determined to be more relevant. It feels easier to apply, but it’s not always clear whether the message came from the Bible or whether something was lost in translation. Let’s consider how to cross the bridge into the setting of the Bible and then back across the bridge into the present context.
