Hermeneutics

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Hermeneutics

• The History of Interpretation

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Jewish Interpretation

• Ezra and the Scribes
• Nehemiah 81-8
• Between the time of Ezra and the time of Christ
  Scribes were responsible for copying the OT
  Scriptures and became experts in their content.
  Though they had a great reverence for the text,
  it developed into an excessive abuse, where even
  the shapes of letters took on special
  significance. This kind of zealous regard for
  the Law ultimately led to the movement of
  Pharisaism.
• Hillel and Shammai (c. 70 B.C. A.D. 10) headed
  opposing schools of interpretation. Hillel was
  more liberal in his interpretation of the law,
  while Shammai was known for his strictness (e.g.
  on divorce and remarriage). After the fall of
  Jerusalem in A.D. 70 the School of Hillel became
  the more prominent.

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Jewish Allegorization

• Allegorization takes the literal reading as a
  sort of code, which needs to be deciphered to
  determine the more significant and hidden
  meaning.
• Jewish allegorization was influenced by that of
  the Greeks. Greeks desired to rescue their
  gods from what they considered to be off-color
  behavior. Alexandrian Jews did the same thing
  with anthropomorphisms, off-color behavior in the
  OT, and seeming contradictions. They also saw
  this as a way of defending the OT to the Greeks.
  Examples
• Dietary laws taught various kinds of
  discrimination necessary to obtain virtue.
• Chewing of the cud by some animals referred to
  reminiscing on life and existence.

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Early Church Fathers

• Earliest Church Fathers Little is known about
  their hermeneutics. They frequently appealed to
  the OT in their writings and saw it as pointing
  to Christ. Yet they were also not above
  allegorizing to make their case.
• Barnabas said that He is like a tree planted by
  streams of water (Psa 13) speaks of baptism and
  the cross.
• Justin said that Leah represents the Jews, Rachel
  the church, and Jacob is Christ who serves both.
• Irenaeus and Tertullian had some good principles,
  but often violated them. Typology often slipped
  into allegorizing.

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Early Church Fathers

• Alexandrian and Antiochene Fathers opposing
  hermeneutical schools that developed about 200
  years after Christ and that would have impact for
  centuries to come
• Alexandrian school characterized by multiple
  meanings
• Clement taught that any passage from the Bible
  may have up to 5 meanings historical, doctrinal,
  prophetic (especially types), philosophical
  (allegories in historical persons), and mystical
  (moral and spiritual truths).
• Origen developed the Hexapla, a 6 column work
  on the OT. Allegorized to the extreme, again to
  get God off the hook. Saw at least a 3 fold
  meaning in Scripture literal, moral, and
  spiritual/allegorical.
• Antiochene school characterized by historical,
  literal interpretation.
• Stressed the importance of the original languages
  of Scripture.
• United the Old and New Testaments with types and
  predictive prophecy rather than allegorizing.
• Understood literal interpretation to include
  figurative language.
• Members included Diodorus, Theodore of
  Mopsuestia, and John Chrysostom.

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Late Church Fathers (5th and 6th centuries)

• Jerome influenced by both schools, but more
  prone to allegorize. Translated the Bible into
  Latin (The Vulgate).
• Vincent carried on the idea initiated by
  Tertullian that interpretative authority belonged
  to the church.
• Augustine also accepted allegorizing as a
  solution to OT problems. Developed the principle
  of the analogy of faith no interpretation of a
  particular passage is acceptable if it is
  contrary to the general tenor of the rest of
  Scripture. Said the supreme test for determining
  whether a passage is allegorical is love. If an
  interpretation makes for dissension, the passage
  should be allegorized.

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Late Church Fathers (5th and 6th centuries)

• John Cassian taught that the Bible has a
  fourfold meaning historical, allegorical,
  tropological (moral), anagogical (heavenly or
  spiritual)
• The letter shows us what God and our Fathers did
• The allegory shows us where our faith is hid
• The moral meaning gives us rules of daily life
• The analogy shows us where we end our strife.
• Others included Eucherius, Adrian of Antioch, and
  Junulius.
• Two key concepts to come out of this period that
  would have impact for thousands of years into the
  Middle Ages allegorization and church authority.
• What is the difference between using an allegory
  and allegorizing?

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Middle Ages

• Dominated by church tradition and allegorization,
  with little exegetical work on the Scriptures
  themselves.
• Common were catena, which were chains of
  interpretations pieced together from the
  commentaries of the fathers.
• A bright light in this darkness was the emphasis
  of the Victorines (3 writers at the Abbey of
  Saint Victor) on the literal sense of Scripture.
• Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was the most famous
  theologian of the Roman Catholic Church of the
  Middle Ages. He taught that other senses for
  Scripture were built upon the literal sense.
• John Wycliffe (ca. 1330-1384) was another bright
  spot who has been called the morning star of the
  Reformation. He opposed the traditional
  authority of the Catholic Church, was more
  literal in his interpretation, and was the first
  English translator of the Bible.

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The Reformation

• In the Reformation the Bible became the sole
  authority for belief and practice. The reformers
  built on the literal approach of the Antiochene
  School and the Victorines. The Reformation was a
  time of social and ecclesiastical upheaval but,
  as Ramm points out, it was basically a
  hermeneutical reformation, a reformation in
  reference to the approach to the Bible (Zuck, p.
  44).

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The Reformation

• Martin Luther (1483-1546)
• Denounced the allegorical approach to Scripture (
  though sometimes slipped into it himself if he
  could make something relate to Christ).
• Stressed the literal sense of the Bible, and
  built his preaching and teaching upon it.
• Emphasized a return to the original languages for
  more accurate interpretation.
• Maintained that Scripture interprets Scripture
  and said obscure passages should be interpreted
  in light of more clear ones.
• Advocated that every Christian can understand the
  Bible.

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Other Key Figures During the Reformation

• Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560) companion of
  Martin Luther, thoroughly familiar with the
  original languages, followed the
  grammatical-historical method.
• John Calvin (1509-1564) strongly condemned
  allegorizing outstanding exegete, as evidenced
  by his commentaries that remain in print even to
  this day. Sought to understand the message of
  Scripture in its context and relied on the Spirit
  for illumination.
• Wrote that it is the first business of the
  interpreter to let his author say what he does
  say, instead of attributing to him what we think
  he ought to say.
• Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) led the Reformation
  in Zurich, preached expository sermons, rejected
  the authority of the church, emphasized
  interpreting passages in light of their context.

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Post Reformation of the 17th and 18th Centuries

• Marked by
• Spread of Calvinism emphasis upon the authority
  of Scripture, Scripture interprets Scripture,
  context, and authorial intent.
• Reactions to Calvinism
• Jacobus Arminius rejected a number of Calvins
  teachings and taught that man had free will.
• Mysticism the view that man can have direct
  knowledge of and communion with God by his
  subjective experience apart from the Scriptures.
  This idea grew under Jakob Boehme and prepared
  the way for Pietism (emphasis on inner
  spirituality).
• Textual and linguistic studies in 17th and 18th
  centuries great strides were made in determining
  the original text of the Bible through collating
  and comparing manuscripts.
• Rationalism The idea that human intellect can
  decide what is true and false, and is therefore
  capable of judging truth and error in the Bible.

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Modern Era

• Nineteenth Century Characterized by
• Subjectivism knowledge comes by ones own
  experience and feeling.
• Historical Criticism emphasized the human
  authorship of the Bible rejected its
  supernatural character and inspiration.
• Exegetical Works In contrast to historical
  criticism, some excellent evangelical and
  exegetical commentaries were written during this
  period.
• Twentieth Century Characterized by
• Liberalism a continuation of the rationalism of
  the 19th century. Says Bible is a human book and
  teaches that supernatural elements can be
  explained rationally.
• Influence of evolutionary theory on religion.
• Fundamentalism reaction to liberalism promoted
  a literal approach to the Bible and regarded it
  as a supernatural book.
• Neorthodoxy the idea that the Bible becomes the
  Word of God in certain divine-human encounters.
  Denies that the Bible is inerrant and infallible,
  and its supernatural elements must be
  demythologized.

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Conclusion

• We cannot interpret Scripture allegorically,
  rationalistically, creedally, or subjectively.
• Guided by the Holy Spirit, we must interpret
  Scripture literally as Gods inerrant and
  infallible Word, according to the facts of
  history, the rules of grammar, and the authors
  intention.

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Next Week

• The Bible is a human book, the Bible is a divine
  book.
• Have topic for paper.