Hermeneutics
The Science and Art of Interpreting the
Scriptures
Prof.M.M.Ninan
* Bible is objectively true - absolutely true irrespective of people, place and time.
* Bible is relatively true - true relative to the circumstances, people, place and time
* Bible is subjectively true - true in essence but needs to be translated.
If the Bible does not mean what it appears to mean
and
does not teach what it seems to teach,
the door opens wide for an infinite number of new interpretations, teachings, and styles of church life.
This is what produced the spectrum of churches.
Bible is a series of documents. They need interoperation.
Before we enter into this let us make some basic assumptions:
| 1. The
scriptural text can be objectively known, that it has a clear, perspicuous meaning, and that 2. that meaning can be discovered if the text is allowed to interpret itself, without external inputs. 3. 'Sensus Literalis Unus est'. It is a fundamental principle to assume that there is one intended, literal, proper sense to any given passage in Scripture; 4. 'Scriptura Scripturam interpretat' The Scripture is its own best interpreter |
The literal meaning is always the first meaning.
Scripture contains the law, the history, the prophets and the literature. Luke 24:44
God reveals himself through history through the lives of the nations - Israel, Egypt, Syrian and all others. God revealed himself in history in His relation with nations.
Why is this revelation progressive?
I am that I am. I am unknown, I cannot be known. I will be known through my actions
in history.
In the absolute sense, the state of a particle or person can only be known through its
interaction with others. Hence we can know God (for that matter anything else) only
through God's interaction through history, humans and cosmos.
God can only be known personally in our own experiential situation. This is because God is a person. A person can be known only by a person. There is no knowledge beyond this.
All revelations have to be interpreted in its context.
All human understanding of the external world and of other worlds comes through the five senses (eye, ear, nose, skin, tongue) and the internal senses (mind and soul). All information are obtained through these channels which are the elements of communication. If God wants to communicate he uses these means.
The Process can be charted as follows:
God ====è Means of Communications (God has to use some form of communication which consists of symbols which are given meanings such as words, symbols, parables etc.) =====è These are received by individuals and they reinterpret within the context and is understood contextually====è Hermeneutics: From the way God acts we can deduce the plan, purposes and nature of God. ======è core values are thus deduced from these infinite number of individual and collective cases.
Constraints of communications
Means of communication necessarily involves noises in the background and problems with the medium of transmission, its state, temper, temperature, slants, prejudices etc.
Reception and understanding problems:
The receiver also has inherent problems. What is received are to be preserved. Recording problems and preservation problems still remain..
As far as we know God did not use any futuristic modes of communications at any time. He used what was available at the time. He used ordinary people in both communication, reception and transmission through ordinary means.
In the law:
We have to ask:
Who gave the law? To whom was it given? When was it given? What was the purpose of this law? Has it the same meaning today? We may even misread the law.
The law is still valid if the conditions remain the same. Man's socio-economic conditions and relational aspects have changed considerably from the old tribal culture, to feudal families to extended families to nuclear families to individuals. What was considered dharma (duty) yesterday is no more binding.
Several Bible scholars like Scofield and Dakes proposes what is known as Dispensation Theory. History is divisible as various dispensations and the laws are given for that dispensation. Law which was binding on Adam was not binding on Noah. Laws changed when conditions changes to accommodate the change. In a sense dispensation is not digital variation in blocks. Laws changes with individuals. Laws of the Old Covenant are not carried over into the New Covenant.
Prophecy:
Prophecy is not foretelling. Prophecies were given for a purpose. They are not eternally binding. God changes his mind depending on how man respond. There is no predestination because there is no future in existence. Future is being created - man as co-creator with God.
God has shared his sovereignty to the creation with personalities - Angels and aliens and men - to all those who have been given the freedom of will.
God has a master plan.
He has no details because it involves the coworkers.
When was this prophecy given? To whom was it given? What was the purpose of the prophecy? Is the prophecy valid today? Can we apply it today? Is the condition same? If so it will come to pass.
In the Literature.
We use similes, parables, allegories and paraboles. These need to be interpreted using those symbolism.
We cannot interpret poetry literally.
No revelation is complete.
God is a person.
Person is not a principle and so cannot be known in terms of laws, descriptions, documents, or rituals. They give an incomplete picture.
Person can only be known in a personal experience.
Hence the incarnation. In the last days God has spoken by (not through) a Son - Jesus. Incarnation is God breaking into history.
So do we know the entire truth about God. Certainly not because, we are incapable of understanding them. We now know in part, through a mirror.
Disciples of Jesus who walked and talked and lived with him day and night for three and a half years could not understand the basic things Jesus told them. After the resurrection they began to make some sense. Jesus himself told Nicodemus that he cannot tell him of the things of the heaven, because he could not understand. Jesus told his disciples that he had many things to tell them, but they could not hold it. He just told them that this revelation has to be progressive and will go on until finally realized.
So how do we interpret the Bible?
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