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A Short Course on Hermeneutics (3)

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A.    A Tripartite Approach: Historical-Grammatical-Theological Hermeneutics

This chart assumes that there are three components to interpretation: language, theology, and the historical/cultural backgrounds. These components work, interact, and function on the cognitive level as they are applied to the text.

The purpose of  Hermeneutics is to help us understand why we believe something. In understanding this we open our belief system up to a healthy critique that results in our theology being purified of human tradition and misunderstanding.  Scripture is then able to speak of God and His ways to a world that is desperately in need of hearing the voice of God.

1. LANGUAGE: The most basic element is on the level of the written language.  The interpreter is confronted with discovering what the text was intended to communicate by the writer.  Words as symbols are studied in relationship to other words and phrases so that the reader may derive the ideas that the writer intended to communicate.  This is done on the following two levels:

a.    THE MICRO-EXEGETICAL LEVEL: This is the traditional approach of studying words, phrases, sentences, grammar, etc.  This is the aspect of Hermeneutics that this course will develop.

b.    THE MACRO-EXEGETICAL LEVEL: On this level a work is studied according to its literary type.  The courses at this institution on Old and New Testament Introduction touch on this matter.

(1)    Old Testament Examples
(2)    New Testament Examples

2. THEOLOGY: One usually approaches the text with a preexisting theology.  If the theology is correct, then the theology will help the interpreter read and understand the text.  If the theology is incorrect then the text will be skewed by that theology to the degree that it is wrong.

a.    One could argue that theology should be left out of the hermeneutical process and that the text should merely read and interpreted.  This is a virtual impossibility because people being people will not do this.  If one does not consciously recognize that his theology is there then it will unconsciously control him.

b.    A person should be tenaciously holding to his point of view on theology, because he does not want to be "blown about by every wind of doctrine."  In contrast to this common sense and experience should dictate that he should be willing to change when a defect is uncovered in his understanding of theology.

c.    An example of the correct use of theology in interpretation would be when one develops a theology on a certain topic from the Bible and then assumes that theology when he is reading a text that mentions that topic. This must be done whenever the text is not explicit about the topic, but is assuming a level of prior knowledge on the part of the reader. Look at the following verse in its immediate context and list the topics that assume some knowledge on the part of the reader.

Reaction Box #1

Acts 8:12   But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.

Click HERE for the way I answered this.

d.    The assumption that the reader knows something about the topic can be made in two ways.

(1)    The first is that a work's writer will assume the reader will remember what was stated earlier in the work.  In the initial presentation of the matter he may go into detail on the topic provide the reader with an adequate understanding of the topic so that the rest of the work can be read with understanding.  For example Luke in the early chapters of Acts explains in detail what it means to preach the gospel, but in the later chapters he does not maintain this same level of detail, because he intended for the person to read into the later text the theology of the earlier text.

(2)    Sometimes it is assumed that most readers have an adequate understanding of a certain topic of theology.  The writer intends for this to read into the text and if necessary will provide enough information to correct common misconceptions.  For example one should examine the concept of the kingdom of God in the book of Acts.  In Reaction Box #2 all the references to the kingdom of God in Acts have been listed.   Read each of these texts and explain what the kingdom of God is according to these texts.  Do not make any statement that cannot be found in these texts. Note that the first reference is not clear as to what the kingdom of God is or means.

Reaction Box #2

1:3
1:6
8:12
14:22
19:8
20:25
28:23
28:31

3.     Historical-Cultural Backgrounds: This is a huge topic to say the least.  We will approach it from two directions.

a.    Historical Framework:  A text should be placed within its proper framework or else we distort the text and introduce problems into it.

(1)    The dramatic date of the Exodus is in the late second millennium B.C. but specifically where does it best fit?  In the time of Rameses the Great or in the reign of Amenhotep II?  At least one of these view on the date of the event is wrong because the exodus did not take place twice.  To find the date of the Exodus one has to come up with a date in history that satisfies the following historical facts.

(a)    The pharaoh who enslaved the Israelites built the cities of Pithom and Rameses.
(b)    The leaders of the Egyptians feared the Hebrews, but one of their princesses would have cause to adopt one.
(c)    At least one pharaoh dies between the enslavement of the people and the exodus.
(d)    The pharaoh of the Exodus had the following characteristics:

[1]    he had boils covering his body.
[2]    he was not followed on the throne by his firstborn son
[3]    there was a sudden shortage of slaves in his reign
[4]    the Egyptian military took a major setback during his reign
[5]    there was a massive national trauma during his reign that resulted in a national paranoia.

(2)    The answer one provides to this question of dating determines how certain texts are interpreted.

b.    Cultural Background:  Customs sometimes are restricted to a particular time or place and sometimes the transcend the temporal bounds of a culture.

(1)    The book of Ruth deals with the subject of what is referred to as the kinsman redeemer (laeGOh;).  Simply stated this is the law that protects the name and lineage of a man dies childless from being forgotten and lost.  His nearest relative was required by law to sire a child to the man's wife so that the man had an heir that bore his name.

(2)    On a secondary level the book deals with the conflict between custom and law.  In this story the law is not being enforced in a strict manner, but is modified by a local custom.  Compare what the law commanded with what was done in Ruth.  What were the differences?  Why do you think people modified the law?

 

(3)    The modification of the law did not negate the validity of the transaction, but put a humorous twist on it.  The man in the story wishes to avoid humiliation and is quickly taking off his own shoe and handing it over to Boaz.

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