HERMENEUTICS

Without hesitation, I can truthfully say that the most important course you or anyone else will take in your theological studies is hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation concerning the books of the Bible.

Biblical Hermeneutics is part of the broader field of hermeneutics which involves the study of principles for the text and includes both verbal and nonverbal communication.

Christian Biblical Hermeneutics

Although, Jewish and Christian Biblical hermeneutics do have some overlaps, they understandably do have distinctly separate interpretative traditions. Likewise, Christian Biblical hermeneutics can be subdivided into categories of interpretative methodologies. Broadly speaking, these are easily identifiable as Catholic (including Orthodox traditions) and Protestant approaches.

Concerning the latter, prior to the Enlightenment, Biblical hermeneutics was considered in general a form of special hermeneutics; however, this concept changed under the weight of the Protestant Reformation with the great emphasis placed on sola scriptura as the doctrinal dividing line between Catholicism and Protestantism. Since then, this paradigm for doctrinal purity and practice has acquired at least two different but related schools of thought which are in use today.

Change was slow, however, in the beginning in the older sense, the principles of Biblical interpretation were more exact exegetically and orthodox theologically than ensuing approaches that developed under the onslaught of differing worldviews. In the nineteenth century, for example, it was common to read Scripture just like any other book. That is not to say, however, that there were not different interpretations which were often disputed. There were. Such as Friedrich Schleiermacher for instance who argued against a distinction between “general” and “special” hermeneutics. As far as Schleiermacher was concerned, a general theory of hermeneutics was applicable to all texts, including Scripture. Advocates of higher criticism sought to understand the Bible in human terms. Scripture was simply another historical document that required no special approach other than it was religious in nature. This new liberty of interpretation opened the door for Biblical interpretation to a multiplicity of 20th century philosophies and worldviews that directly impacted Christian theology. Another prime example of course is that of Rudolf Bultmann whose hermeneutical approach was strongly influenced by philosophical existentialism as espoused by philosopher Martin Heidegger.

Theological Hermeneutics As Traditional Christian Biblical Exegesis

In general the canon of Scripture in traditional Christian Biblical exegesis is considered as an organic whole, rather than an accumulation of distinct individual texts written and edited in the course of history. Therefore, any Biblical interpretation that contradicts any other part of scripture is considered incongruent and theologically unsound.

Biblical hermeneutics vary within traditional Protestant theology and as well there are a variety of method of interpretation. However, these methods are not as a rule mutually exclusive, and as a matter of fact in many cases interpreters find them complementary.

For example, some of the more often use principles are:

1. The Numerical Principle—e.g., the number 7 suggest completion; 3 the Godhead or Trinity, etc.
2. The Symbolic Principle—a dragon is Satan; an ox represents power; sheep often represent people, etc.
3. The Typical Principle: “Certain people, events, objects and rituals found in the Old Testament may serve as object lessons and pictures by which God teaches us of his grace and saving power.”
4. The Parabolic Principle
5. The Allegorical Principle

One must be mindful, however, that not all of these principles lead to a correct interpretation, and have a long history of abuse.

Techniques Of Hermeneutics

In the interpretation of a passage of Scripture, the interpreter must consider the original text as primary as well as what language says, supposes, doesn’t say, and implies.

Understandably, the objective in the process of interpreting any passage is to attain the author’s original intention; however, that may require considerable attention to detail and is not a task that one engages in haphazardly—like reading novel, for instance.

With that rubric in mind, consider the following process used by Henry A Virkler (Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation (1981):

1. Lexical-syntactical analysis: This step looks at the words used and the way the words are used. Different order of the sentence, the punctuation, the tense of the verse are all aspects that are looked at in the lexical syntactical method. Here, lexicons and grammar aids can help in extracting meaning from the text.
2. Historical/cultural analysis: The history and culture surrounding the authors is important to understand to aid in interpretation. For instance, understanding the Jewish sects of the Palestine and the government that ruled Palestine in New Testament times increases understanding of Scripture. And, understanding the connotations of positions such as the High Priest and that of the tax collector helps us know what others thought of the people holding these positions.
3. Contextual analysis: A verse out of context can often be taken to mean something completely different from the intention. This method focuses on the importance of looking at the context of a verse in its chapter, book and even biblical context.
4. Theological analysis: It is often said that a single verse usually doesn’t make a theology. This is because Scripture often touches on issues in several books. For instance, gifts of the Spirit are spoken about in Romans, Ephesians and 1 Corinthians. To take a verse from Corinthians without taking into account other passages that deal with the same topic can cause a poor interpretation.
5. Special literary analysis: There are several special literary aspects to look at, but the overarching theme is that each genre (type) of Scripture has a different set of rules that applies to it. Of the genres found in Scripture, there are: narratives, histories, prophecies, apocalyptic writings, poetry, psalms and letters. In these, there are differing levels of allegory, figurative language, metaphors, similes and literal language. For instance, the apocalyptic writings and poetry have more figurative and allegorical language than does the narrative or historical writing. These must be addressed, and the genre recognized to gain a full understanding of the intended meaning.

Of course there are other routes that the interpreter may take, as for example, Professor of hermeneutics at Dallas Theological Seminary, Howard Hendricks stipulates that one must observe the text, interpret the text, and apply the text as the methodology for practical Biblical interpretation and application. Chuck Swindoll, Kay Arthur and David Jeremiah have based their hermeneutics on the principles Howard teaches.

David L. Barr sees three hindrances that thwart correct Biblical interpretation:

1. We speak a different language.
2. We bring different expectations to the text, since we live approximately two millennia later, and.
3. Additionally, Barr suggests that we approach the reading of the Bible with significantly different literary expectations than those in reading other forms of literature and writing.

Roman Catholic Principles Of Hermeneutics

The Catholic Encyclopedia lists a number of principles guiding Roman Catholic hermeneutics in the article on Exegesis :

1. Historico-grammatical interpretation - The meaning of the literary expression of the Bible is best learned by a thorough knowledge of the languages in which the original text of Scripture was written, and by acquaintance with the Scriptural way of speaking, including the various customs, laws, habits and national prejudices which influenced the inspired writers as they composed their respective books. 
2. John Paul II said that: “A second conclusion is that the very nature of biblical texts means that interpreting them will require continued use of the historical-critical method, at least in its principal procedures. The Bible, in effect, does not present itself as a direct revelation of timeless truths but as the written testimony to a series of interventions in which God reveals himself in human history. In a way that differs from tenets of other religions [such as Islam, for instance], the message of the Bible is solidly grounded in history.
3. Catholic interpretation - Because the Catholic Church is, according to Catholics, the official custodian and interpreter of the Bible, Catholicism’s teaching concerning the Sacred Scriptures and their genuine sense must be the supreme guide of the commentator. The Catholic commentator is bound to adhere to the interpretation of texts which the Church has defined either expressly or implicitly.
4. Reverence - Since the Bible is God’s own book, its study must be begun and prosecuted with a spirit of reverence and prayer.
5. Inerrancy - Since God is the principal Author of Sacred Scripture, it can be claimed to contain no error, no self-contradiction, nothing contrary to scientific or historical truth (when the original authors intended historical or scientific truth to be portrayed). Minor contradictions are due to copyist errors in the codex or the translation. Catholics believe the Scripture is God’s message put in words by men, with the imperfections this very fact necessarily implies. That’s why it becomes self-contradictory to hold biblical interpretation to be ‘historico-grammatical’ and treat the Bible’s own words — which aren’t but human — as error-free. Catholic hermeneutics strongly supports inerrancy when it comes to principles but not, for example, when dealing with Evangelists’ orthographic mistakes. According to Pope John Paul II, “Addressing men and women, from the beginnings of the Old Testament onward, God made use of all the possibilities of human language, while at the same time accepting that his word be subject to the constraints caused by the limitations of this language. Proper respect for inspired Scripture requires undertaking all the labors necessary to gain a thorough grasp of its meaning.
6. Patristics - The Holy Fathers are of supreme authority whenever they all interpret in one and the same manner any text of the Bible, as pertaining to the doctrine of faith or morals; for their unanimity clearly evinces that such interpretation has come down from the Apostles as a matter of Catholic faith.

Further. Pope Benedict XVI has indicated in Verbum Domini, the post-synodal apostolic exhortation on the Word of God, that “Christianity...perceives in the words the Word himself, the Logos who displays his mystery through this complexity and the reality of human history”. He encourages a “faith-filled interpretation of Sacred Scripture”. He emphasizes that this manner of interpretation, “practiced from antiquity within the Church’s Tradition...recognizes the historical value of the biblical tradition”. It “seeks to discover the living meaning of the Sacred Scriptures for the lives of believers today while not ignoring the human mediation of the inspired text and its literary genres”.

Liberal Trajectory Hermeneutics

Trajectory hermeneutics or redemptive-movement hermeneutics is a hermeneutical approach that seeks to locate varying ‘voices’ in the text and to view this voice as a progressive trajectory (path) through history (or at least through the Biblical witness); often a trajectory that progresses through to the present day. The contemporary reader of Scripture is in some way envisaged by the Biblical text as standing in continuity with a developing theme therein. The reader, then, is left to discern this trajectory and appropriate it accordingly.

For example, William J. Webb employed such a hermeneutic, in his Slaves, Women & Homosexuals. Webb shows how the moral commands of the Old and New Testament were a significant improvement over the surrounding cultural values and practices. Webb identified 18 different ways in how God dealt with his people moving against the current of popular cultural values. While for Webb the use of this hermeneutic moves to highlight the progressive liberation of women and slaves from oppressive male/bourgeois dominance, the prohibition of homosexual acts consistently moves in a more conservative manner than that of the surrounding Ancient Near East or Graeco-Roman societies. While Paul does not explicitly state that slavery should be abolished, the trajectory seen in Scripture is a progressive liberation of slaves. When this is extended to modern times, it implies that the Biblical witness supports the abolition of slavery. The progressive liberation of women from oppressive patriarchalism, traced from Genesis and Exodus through to Paul’s own acknowledgement of women as ‘co-workers’ (Rom. 16:3), sets a precedent that when applied to modern times suggests that women ought to have the same rights and roles afforded as men. Historically, the Biblical witness has become progressively more stringent in its views of homosexual practice and the implications of this are not commented upon by Webb.