A pericope is a discrete unit of biblical text — a story, teaching, poem, or argument — that forms a complete thought within the larger canonical context. Examples include the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32), the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), or the Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53–8:11). Understanding pericopes is essential for faithful interpretation: you must know where a unit begins and ends to understand what it means. The chapter and verse divisions added centuries later do not always correspond to natural pericopes. A preacher who begins or ends his text at the wrong point will misread the passage. The pericope is the basic building block of biblical exposition. The early Church organized lectionaries around pericopes — assigned readings for each Lord's Day — ensuring the congregation heard the whole counsel of God systematically over time rather than only the pastor's favorite passages.
PERICOPE — (Not listed in Webster 1828).
PERICOPE — (Not listed in Webster 1828). Related: SECTION — A part separated from the rest; a division. A distinct part of a book or writing. The term "pericope" belongs to the technical vocabulary of biblical scholarship and Church lectionary practice.
• Luke 15:11–32 — The Parable of the Prodigal Son — a complete pericope within Luke's "Lost" trilogy.
• John 7:53–8:11 — The Pericope Adulterae — the woman caught in adultery; textually disputed but doctrinally consistent.
• Isaiah 52:13–53:12 — The Suffering Servant pericope — the center of Old Testament Christology.
• Genesis 22:1–19 — The Akedah (Binding of Isaac) — a complete narrative pericope.
The greatest danger related to pericopes is isolating them from their canonical context.
The greatest danger related to pericopes is isolating them from their canonical context. "Verse-mining" — pulling individual verses or small pericopes out of their surrounding literary and theological context — is the most common hermeneutical error in modern Christianity. Jeremiah 29:11 ("I know the plans I have for you") is a promise to exiled Israel, not a personal fortune cookie. Philippians 4:13 ("I can do all things through Christ") is about contentment in hardship, not athletic achievement. The pericope must be read within its book, its Testament, and the whole canon. Equally, critical scholars have sometimes used pericope analysis to fragment the text — arguing that because a passage is a self-contained unit, it was therefore composed independently and inserted by a later editor. But a pericope can be both self-contained and integral to its larger narrative. Scripture is both composed of pericopes and unified as a single story.