Questions tagged [hermeneutical-approaches]
For questions concerning the implementation or comparison of approaches to hermeneutics
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Were verses 15-18 a later addition to Genesis 22?
I recently learned that many scholars think that verses 15-18 of Genesis 22 were a later addition to the text. These verses comprise the second angelic monologue after his initial instruction to spare ...
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What is a "hermeneutics of the letter"?
In 2009, Peter Leithart published Deep Exegesis: The Mystery of Reading Scripture (Baylor University Press) - a book that in part aims to advocate a "hermeneutics of the letter."
First, this book ...
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Can the term "eisegesis" apply to the interpretation of Old Testament passages as prophecies specifically of Jesus?
Since the last Old Testament book was written hundreds of years before the first New Testament book, it actually makes little sense to claim that any of the OT writers had specifically Jesus in mind ...
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What are possible historical interpretations of John 1:1?
This question is inspired by a question about the proper translation of John 1:1.1 There are lengthy debates on how to translate the Johanine prologue properly.2 This is not about that debate. Based ...
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Are the judgement's in Joel 3:2, Matthew 25:31-32, and Revelation 20:12 referring to the same event?
Joel 3:2 (ASV)
2 I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will execute judgment upon them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom ...
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What is the significance of locations in hermeneutics? Amos 5:4-6 as case passage
How far and how literally do named locations inform us of the recipients of a proclamation or prophecy?
There are many passages where the recipient is known already, both contextually in the book and ...
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What is the literal meaning of "royal priesthood" in 1 Peter 2:9?
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation..." - 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
I've understood the phrase "royal priesthood" to mean something along the lines of "priesthood that serves ...
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Does Genesis 1:14 Talk About Astrology?
I'm intrigued about the fourth day of Creation where the heavenly lights were made "for signs and seasons". Astrology comes to my mind, but as far as I know the Bible condemns Astrology.
Genesis 1:...
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What is the meaning of the "inverted nuns" (׆ ... ׆) around Numbers 10:35-36?
Numbers 10:35-36 (ESV)
And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” And when it rested, he said, “Return,...
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What is the difference between a "literal" and "literalistic" interpretation of Scripture?
I've seen a number of people try to distinguish their "literal" interpretation from a "literalistic" interpretation of Scripture (e.g. Vanhoozer in "Is There a Meaning in this Text?"). What is the ...
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What is hermeneutics?
Seeing as this is a site about hermeneutics, it would seem a good place to have an answer to the above question. What exactly is hermeneutics?
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What is the difference between St Thomas Aquinas and Abbot Suger's interpretation of the term "anagogic"?
I know in de Administratione Suger writes that a lavish church inspires its worshippers to recognize god and perhaps sees anagogic meaning as the more lavish the church=the more uplifting the services?...
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"Spiritual Enlightenment" in John 7:17
In some books of hermeneutics, I have found a principle or rule or law, similar to the following:
The Principle of Spiritual Enlightenment declares that God promises to enlighten the understanding of ...
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How does a Bible translator know if it is a poem?
Let's take 1 Tim 3:16 as an example among many others, where Paul wrote or quoted (ESV):
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the ...
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What is Luke's purpose for recording this narrative and ultimately Jesus' reason to express this account of the rich man and Lazarus to those present?
There are people who understand this text to express Jesus warning the hearers of the potential torment of the lost directly following their death.
1. Explain why that is, or isn't the intended ...
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Is there an English translation of Graetz's "Kohelet"?
Heinrich Graetz wrote a commentary to Ecclesiastes in German in 1871 (viewable here) which is quoted relatively widely among modern scholars. I would like to read it (especially the Introduction) in ...
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What is an "early catholicism"? [closed]
My basic understanding of "early catholicism" is that it is a paradigm for understanding the development of parts of the New Testament, with some parts coming later as early expectations were unmet ...
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How can one determine that a passage is "programmatic"?
I've seen it commonly said that Psalm 1 and 2 are to be considered "programmatic" for the Psalms. I've seen mention of the same for Luke 4 and Luke(-Acts). For example, Gordon Wenham writes:
...
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How is genre determined?
If you take a hermeneutics course at your local Bible College or Seminary, or pick up a (modern) book on Biblical hermeneutics, it is likely that the topic of genre would take center stage in the ...
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What are the major variations of the "double-fulfillment" hermeneutic?
"Double-fulfillment"
Some hermeneutics hold that Biblical prophecy should be understood in terms of a "double-fulfillment". For example, many understand the following prophecy in terms of a double-...
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Is it possible to be unbiased when interpreting Scripture?
Hermeneutics is not only concerned with the science of interpretation, but also with the philosophy of interpretation. One of the major questions under examination in modern discussions about ...
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A Clearer Explanation [duplicate]
So I heard someone remark one time "Who is Herman and why is he "newting" around?" in regards to the word "hermeneutics". Comical, yes, but relevant all the same. So what is the clearest, simplest, ...
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Is Hank Hanegraaff's "exegetical eschatology" hermeneutic original?
I was recently watching a debate on the dating of Revelation in which Hank Hanegraaff made some very interesting arguments in support of his hermeneutic, which he referred to as "exegetical ...
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To what extent, if at all, should we look for one-to-one correlations between parables and real life?
The main theological debate concerning parables is whether or not to interpret them allegorically. To give an example of allegorization, here is Augustine's interpretation of the parable of the good ...
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Is there a difference between the "meaning" and "application" of a text?
Discussing the difference between "meaning" and "application" in the context of Biblical interpretation, Jonathan Pennington asks:
[W]hat if two scholars or readers agreed that “...
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Are the speeches in the gospels and Acts meant to be taken as literal renditions of the original speech, or general gists of the speaker's message?
Acts 13:16-19 Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they ...
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What is the meaning of "his own vessel" and "defraud his brother" in 1 Thess 4:3-8?
1 Thes 4:3-8 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ...
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What does it mean to see progressive recapitulatory parallelism in Revelation?
In reading the viewpoints of Reformed Theologians I have moved away from seeing Revelation as a strict chronological timeline like that of Dispensationalists. What is recapitulatory parallelism in ...
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Was the Song of Solomon originally a series of unconnected love poems?
Some commentators have argued that the Song of Solomon is a series of unconnected love poems put together by a redactor. However, the same themes/names/metaphors/phrases recur again and again ...
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Is King Solomon the bridegroom in the Song of Solomon?
A few objections against Solomon being the bridegroom are that Solomon was a king, not a shepherd (1:7), that he had hundreds of wives (versus 6:9, remembering that Solomon's first wife was an ...
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Does the allegorical approach to the Song of Solomon do the text justice?
Through two millennia the Song of Solomon was interpreted by most Jewish and Christian scholars as an allegory of God's relationship with Israel, or Jesus' relationship with the church. Only lately ...
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Is it plausible to read the references to Solomon in the Song of Solomon as comparisons of the bridegroom to the "masculine ideal"?
The Song of Solomon mentions the name "Solomon" several times. Is it plausible to understand Solomon to have become a symbol of masculinity (a wise, mighty, powerful womanizer), and read references ...
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How do we understand "prayer of Jabez" in 1 Chr 4:9-10?
1 Chr 4:9-10 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You ...
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Did Jesus primarily use an exegetical or hermeneutical approach in explaining the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures? [closed]
Just wondering if those who have tried to analyze the way Jesus explained the Hebrew Scriptures, do they consider Jesus’ approach primarily exegetical (what the passage said) or hermeneutical (what it ...
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Is the study of Typology and inter-textual scriptural analysis taught in seminary? [closed]
"To produce the Gospels required a deep understanding of Judaic
literature. The Gospels would not simply replace the literature of the
old religion, but would be written in such a way as to ...
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How to separate exegesis from eisegesis in this example?
There is a paper put on a table in a room with five doors, each taller than the one next to it. On the paper the text reads in an ancient Egyptian language:
"Behind the tallest door you will find ...
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The number 40's "real meaning" [closed]
The number 40 appears in several biblical stories. Such as, 40 days and 40 nights of Noah's flood story, Jesus walked on the earth for 40 days, etc. I read on Wikipedia that 40 is use as an ...
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How can we ensure a given "chiasm" was intentional by the author, and is not merely fanciful eisegesis?
What is 'chiasm'?
Chiasm is a literary technique by which the contents of a portion of text are structured in such a way that they could be laid out in a ">" shape...
A) This is an example of a ...
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Do modern interpreters use the methods of Talmudical hermeneutics?
Do Christian or Muslim theologians use the same rules as Rabbinate teachers do, when they interpret their respective holy scriptures?
I'm particularly interested in the '13-methods to infer from holy ...
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Accuracy of Alfred Edersheim's "Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah"
Edersheim's book The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah has been called "one of the best known and most important references on the life of Christ ever written." However, a lot has changed in the ...
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Is the water jar in John 4:28 a symbol?
At the end of Jesus' conversation with the woman by the well, John records
28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to
the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all ...
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How can we determine when an image is a symbol?
Put simply, a symbol is a tangible representation of an intangible idea. Authors, both ancient and modern, use symbolic images to convey abstract concepts. The problem with symbols, however, is that ...
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To what degree is understanding the feelings of a biblical author necessary in exegesis?
I find that miscommunication is often about feelings and not words. Ancient writings requires linguistics, history and cultural knowledge to provide accurate English versions that convey the original ...
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What is the "systematic typology" hermeneutic method and how does it work?
There's a hermeneutic method that's been used on this site called "systematic typology". What is it? How does one apply it? Are there contexts where it is considered to be a particularly good or ...
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Does "days" in prophecy equal "years" (Daniel 9 - Seventy Weeks)
A lot of theologians take Daniel's seventy weeks and interpret the seventy weeks to be 490 years, a year for each day. From a hermeneutic standpoint, I seek to know if this type of calculation is good ...
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What are the seven middoth (Hillel's rules for interpretation)?
The "middoth" were Rabbi Hillel's rules for interpretation. There are seven of them. What are they? Please list them and include one or two clear examples for each.
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A word for the fallacy of assuming whatever brings God the most glory is the correct interpretation a text?
I ran across the word somewhere in my reading, but I can't find it. It is a word that has the idea that it is not right to assume that an answer to any given question is right because it is assumed to ...
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Is there a name for a hermeneutic study that includes experiential esthetics as a criteria of truthful exegesis?
This question is about the experience of a text. It is therefore a little lengthy because I have to provide some sample experience that I mean.
Background:
As a young man I was introduced to a cult'...
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Is synoptic parallelism a valid hermeneutic?
I'll give an example:
Matt. 4:17 (KJV)
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mark 1:15 (KJV)
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the ...
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How is literary dependence or relationship established?
I see many claims that texts are related to or dependent upon each other in many publications. For example:
Although Paul did not write Hebrews, the text possesses a crucially important ...
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