A student asked me, “What does a stellar exegesis look like?” He is in the final stages of writing his first exegetical project for my Greek class and reading some very good commentaries on Ephesians. Here is my response:
“To misquote Berkley Mickelson, exegesis is both an Art and a Science. Like music or painting, I can teach you the methods and show you the tools, but you have to make the art with them. So too with biblical exegesis. I can show you how to use Bauer and TDNT, the Bible Dictionaries, etc. But you are going to use them in a way that is unique to your personality, and you will do this art in ways that I cannot imagine at this moment. Just like with music or painting, you have to get some of the basics down, then dive in and be creative.”