Hermeneutics comes from the Greek word for interpretation. It’s a field that strives to achieve accuracy in interpretation, and it does this through a careful study of language and communication.
To this end, modern hermeneutics looks at things like writing, spoken language, verbal cues like inflection, non-verbal cues like pauses or body language, and much more, to understand the full message that’s being conveyed by a writer, speaker, performer, or other communicator.
Hermeneutics compiles clues from many areas to ensure the interpretation of a work is accurate. As a field it has a wide-ranging application to subjects like law, philosophy, archeology, international relations, and more. Exegesis is a critical interpretation or explanation of a text, and hermeneutics is sometimes defined as exegesis.
Explore a Christian Ministry Degree – Request More Info Today!
Historically hermeneutics has been used for understanding and interpreting religious texts, and it importantly continues in this function up through the present day. It looks for meaning in a religious text by examining elements like who the author was, the written words and language of the text, and who the intended audience of the text was. When applied to the Bible, this is known as Biblical hermeneutics.
Translations between different languages is an important factor in this process, and working with texts written in archaic or extinct languages adds layers of complexity to the endeavor of hermeneutics. This is why the field often overlaps with the study of foreign languages and history to reveal the layers of meaning that comprise religious texts.
What is Hermeneutics in the Bible?
Questions surrounding Biblical hermeneutics are common for any biblical scholar. Biblical hermeneutics tries to discern the true meaning of a written work by looking at factors like the author’s intent, the written language used in the work, and the audience for whom the work was intended.
Biblical hermeneutics is the application of hermeneutics to the Bible; an attempt to understand the true meaning of a particular selection in the Bible by studying the author, the written text, and the intended audience.
Understanding the author involves knowing the historical context and personal circumstances in which the author was writing. Understanding the written text requires an understanding of the text’s original language, its grammar, syntax, and possible poetic and figurative meanings. Understanding the intended audience can give insights into the author’s framing intent, presentation, and purpose.
There are around 2.5 billion Christians and thousands of different Christian church communities throughout the world. Christians agree on the basic fundamentals, but beyond this there are stark differences in how each person and community understands the layers of meaning in the Bible. Understanding the true meaning of what’s written in the Bible is the ultimate goal of Biblical hermeneutics.
What is Hermeneutics of Suspicion?
Ancient Greece in the time of Socrates was a place where oracles would huff noxious fumes and reveal the divine will of the gods. Socrates challenged this method, arguing that if people wanted to understand the world around them, they simply needed to ask, why? and settle on the most logical explanation. This was the birth of the Socratic method that would eventually lead to the scientific method.
In the development of hermeneutics, the hermeneutics of suspicion are similar to the Socratic method. The hermeneutics of suspicion hold that applying a skeptical interpretation of a work will result in the best literary interpretation.
A seemingly self-evident philosophical concept like the meaning of love might be overlooked in a literary work. But by reading between the lines and applying the hermeneutics of suspicion, the author’s true intention for what love means may be best illuminated with a skeptical inquiry that looks for clues about what the author says love is not.
