In the last post we discussed a bit about what it means to study the Bible, and what our assumptions and attitudes should be towards God’s Word before we even begin. This time, I would like to get into – very briefly – the topic of Biblical Interpretation, called hermeneutics. Before we begin studying God’s word, we need to understand that it is a book that is in some ways foreign to us in 21st century America. It was written in Hebrew (OT) and Greek (NT) for the most part, was written over a period of 1,400 years by over 40 authors, and was predominantly written in contexts in some respects vastly different than ours today. However, it is the Word of God, and as such is truth, not just for certain time periods, but for all time and all people. Therefore, the question is… How do we bridge the gap between, for instance, Palestine in AD30 and St Louis, Missouri in 2008? That is the job of hermeneutics.
Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation, usually of written documents. This science aims to remove the differences between the writer and his readers in order for the readers to truly and accurately understand the meaning the author intended to convey. There are two types of hermeneutics, general and special. General hermeneutics applies to the interpretation of all languages and writings, while special hermeneutics applies to special classes of writings and to particular books, such as poetry, narrative, and prophetical writings. Biblical hermeneutics is the science of the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments. Even though the two testaments were written in different time periods and in different languages, incorporating different types of styles, both of them should be interpreted together using the principles of both general and special hermeneutics. The Bible is a compilation of many different writings, but it is one unified book of divine revelation, and thus should be treated as one book in interpretation.
Hermeneutics is a necessary part of the interpretation of the Biblical texts. The world and language of the Bible in all of its time periods were far different than the world and language of today. Cultures, common language, vernacular slang and phrases, lifestyles, political structures, and even ways of thinking were all different and need to be examined and interpreted in light of what the author wrote so that we can accurately understand the intended meaning of the text in the context of the writing. Sound and accurate doctrine can only be determined from the Bible if the Biblical texts are properly understood. Salvation comes through the preaching of the Word of God, and the accurate interpretation of the Word is necessary for the proper and powerful preaching of the Word. Read the rest of this entry »
