History of Interpretation

Le sens des lois

by Benoit Frydman

Histoire de l'interprétation et de la raison juridique, Paris-Bruxelles, LGDJ-Bruylant, 2005; 2ème éd. 2007; 3ème éd. 2011

This book provides a history of legal thinking and reasoning. It focuses on the tools, methods and procedures to... more This book provides a history of legal thinking and reasoning. It focuses on the tools, methods and procedures to interpret legal texts. The book analyses 10 consecutive models : rhetorical; biblical-talmudic; patristic; scholastic; geometrical; philological-historical; sociological; economical; normativist-positivist and pragmatic (700 pages).

Crítica acrítica, crítica crítica

by José Angel García Landa

Acritical Criticism, Critical Criticism
   
This paper theorizes critical readings from an... more Acritical Criticism, Critical Criticism
   
This paper theorizes critical readings from an interactional / argumentative point of view, situating them on a scale going from consonant, "friendly" criticism, to dissonant, confrontational or "unfriendly" criticism. Some key critical notions (by Oscar Wilde, Stanley Fish, Paul Ricoeur, Judith Fetterley and H. Porter Abbott) are examined in the light of this conception of criticism, and situated within the framework of interactional pragmatics.

Keywords: Criticism, Pragmatics, Dialogism, Wilde, Fish, Ricoeur, Interaction, Emergence, Ideology

The paper is in Spanish.

The History of the Adventist Interpretation of the "Daily" in the Book of Daniel from 1831 to 2008

by Denis Kaiser

M.A. thesis, approved on July 9, 2009

During the more than 160 years since Adventism’s inception, the interpretation of the tāmîd or “daily” in the book of... more During the more than 160 years since Adventism’s inception, the interpretation of the tāmîd or “daily” in the book of Daniel underwent several changes with respect to the identification of the term itself, the employed methodology, and the style of argumentation, as well as the way differing views are handled.

This study analyzes various Millerite and Adventist interpretations of the tāmîd in Dan 8 between 1831 and 2008, focusing especially on the approach to the biblical text, the argumentation, and the atmosphere during the time of conflict (1900 – 1930), as well as on Ellen White’s counsels during that period, her puzzling statement, and possible explanations.

This documentary study was based primarily on published primary sources produced by Millerites and Seventh-day Adventists from 1831 to 2008. Both primary and secondary sources were used to provide background, historical context, and perspective for the present study.

While Seventh-day Adventists first adhered to the Millerite interpretation of the “daily” as Roman paganism, beginning around the turn of the nineteenth century they identified it as Christ’s heavenly ministration. The proponents of the Millerite interpretation eventually relied more on tradition and their understanding of a statement on the “daily” written by Ellen White in 1850. The proponents of the new interpretation drew their reasons rather from exegetical studies. This change did not happen without controversy, and both groups were responsible for the intensity of the conflict. Ellen White’s statement referred to the prophetic dates and the supplying of the word “sacrifice” in the text of Dan 8 rather than to a specific identification of the “daily.”

The Meaning of Infinity In Sufi and Deconstructive Hermeneutics: When Is An Empty Text An Infinite One?

by Ian Almond

Published in JAAR

Heritage and Hermeneutics: Towards a Broader Interpretation of Interpretation

by Phillip Ablett

Co-authored with Prof. Pam Dyer and Published in Current Issues in Tourism. Vol. 12, No. 3, May 2009, 209–233

This article re-examines the theoretical basis for environmental and heritage interpretation in tourist settings in... more This article re-examines the theoretical basis for environmental and heritage interpretation in tourist settings in the light of hermeneutic philosophy. It notes that the pioneering vision of heritage interpretation formulated by Freeman Tilden envisaged a broadly educational, ethically informed and transformative art. By contrast, current cognitive psychological attempts to reduce interpretation to the monological transmission of information, targeting universal but individuated cognitive structures, are found to be wanting. Despite growing signs of diversity, this information processing approach to interpretation remains dominant. The article then presents the alternative paradigm of hermeneutics through the works of Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Heidegger and Gadamer, to provide a broader interpretation of interpretation. This not only captures the essence of Tilden's definition but construes heritage interpretation as a more inclusive, culturally situated, critically reflexive and dialogical practice.

Keywords: environmental interpretation; heritage tourism; hermeneutics; Gadamer;
Heidegger; Tilden