THE BIOGRAPHICAL METHOD
There is no way that one can separate events that happened in history from people. The biographical method of Bible study can help us discover the importance of individuals in the events of Biblical history.
Definition:
The study of a Biblical person to find the principles which governed his or her life, as well as finding the influence on the succeeding events ofhistory.
Procedure:
- Collect all the reference material concerning one person.
- Use a concordance.
- Some people have more than one name – i.e., Peter, Cephas or
Simon. Be sure that you look up all references to the same person. - Often is more than one person with the same name – i.e.,
Mary (7); James (5); Judas (8); and Zechariah (30). Be sure that
you do not confuse them. Note: The New Strong’s Exhaustive
Concordance of the Bible has already separated these for us.
- Study each passage in its context. Study the passage in the setting of the total argument of the book or in its historical context to get the full impact of the message of the Scripture. Sometimes it is important to study all the characters involved in the event to properly grasp the implications. Be certain to study all the passages pertaining to the event. Use a comparative approach to the different accounts for the same event to get the whole
picture of what happened. - Reconstruct the person’s life in chronological order. A good Bible dictionary or a study Bible may help you here.
- Organize the person’s life in clear-cut units.
- Chronology: Moses (note time periods of 40 years each)
- Crisis: Peter
- Position: Phillip (deacon, evangelist)
- Summarize the person’s impact on the Biblical events being studied, his associates, and subsequent events.
- Determine the lessons or principles from his life from which we may learn today.
Assignment: Study Martha and Mary of Luke 11 and see how their biographies fill the points of the procedure above.
Consider God's Word 