Theological Hermeneutics

The “Christian” Assumptions of Secular Hermeneutics

by Karl Hand

Crucible 4:1 (April 2012)

The relationship between Christian theology and secular hermeneutics is complex, and it is questionable whether many... more The relationship between Christian theology and secular hermeneutics is complex, and it is questionable whether many of the discourses that draw on hermeneutic theory are consistent with the presuppositions hidden beneath the surface. This article demystifies the highly theologised debate between monism and pluralism within the discipline of hermeneutics, and criticises the way that this theology has been done. From a Christian perspective that is free from cumbersome theological categories, a simple, authentic interpersonal ethic is the most appropriate way to approach texts. The implications for scholarly praxis are explored with specific reference to John C. Mellon’s ‘recovery hermeneutic’ reading of Mark’s gospel.

Practice What You Preach by Corinna Guerrero

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion project

The underlying principle that links a feminist critique to every other critical lens since the rise of feminist... more The underlying principle that links a feminist critique to every other critical lens since the rise of feminist discourse is the “hermeneutic of suspicion.” Essentially,  a hermeneutic of suspicion identifies the disconnect between rhetoric and a lived reality. The lived lives of women are different than the pontifications espoused directly and indirectly by the traditionally patriarchal social, political, cultural, religious, and educational structures in which individuals participate.

I like to think that I live my life bucking these structures whenever possible because the roles a woman plays in her own life should: 1) be determined by her; and 2) if she negotiates more “traditional practices” (e.g. marriage, motherhood, etc.) then these practices do not limit her to traditionalist practices (e.g. staying at home, spousal servitude, etc.). Granted, I used the two most generic examples of traditional and traditionalist practices, but the point is still valid. When I go to holidays with my extended family there are very few questions or comments about my PhD program, but many comments about the fact that I do not make a plate of food  for my husband. 

My hermeneutic of suspicion was triggered at a Bible Study last week. I will refrain from listing the denominational affiliation of the Christian church, the ethno-racial configuration of the participants, and the economic background of the community. In this way, the Bible Study does not represent our denominational, ethno-racial, or classist prejudices (and we all have them). It represents a common scenario faced by women and men every day who are hopeful and eager for better religious education

Ritual Water, Ritual Geist: An Application of Narratological Analysis to Luke's Development of Christian Initiation from John the Baptist to Pentecost

by David McCollough

This paper employs narratological analysis, especially focalization, the sequential development of entity... more This paper employs narratological analysis, especially focalization, the sequential development of entity representations and intertextuality, to demonstrate that through Luke 3, 11 and Acts 2, Luke prescribes a liminal ritual complex of initiation composed of four elements: repentance, water baptism, prayer and xenolalic experience understood as Spirit reception. The paper briefly explains focalization (the lens through which a narrator looks at something) and entity representations (ERs, the mental construct of a character, motif, procedure, network of relationships, etc., built up lineally through a narrative). It addresses the intertextual role of Isaiah and Malachi in the formation of the initiation ER, and implications of lukan Sinai imagery.
The paper traces the cumulative development of the initiation ER from John the Baptist’s prophecy of Spirit and fire baptism, to Jesus’ baptism, to Jesus’ teaching on prayer for the Spirit, to Pentecost. Luke’s use of priestly imagery is found to color his portrayal of believers. The Pentecost narrative is shown to redundantly focalize the xenolalia experience, and to identify it for the reader as the Spirit experience prophesied by Joel and promised by Jesus, and to prescribe that same xenolalic experience as a boundary marker obtainable through repentance, water baptism and prayer.
The paper will demonstrate that notwithstanding a strong, undeniable vocational role, narratological analysis indicates Luke subordinates Spirit experience under a broader soteriological heading which can be further refined as initiatory with a liminal aspect, thus ecclesiological.

Referential Revelation: Why Modern Understandings of Knowledge and Language Produce Inadequate Doctrine

by Joel Harrison

Distinguishing What is True and true: Toward a Postmodern Understanding of Revelation and Authority in Scripture

by Joel Harrison

Ermeneutica e metafisica. I due Prologhi della Postilla litteralis di Nicola di Lyra O.F.M.

by Gianmaria Zamagni

in: «Dianoia. Annali di storia della filosofia», 12 (2007), pp. 57-85.

Le ermeneutiche agostiniane rispetto alla teologia trinitaria – Comunicazione

by Pierluigi Sguazzardo

Published in Lateranum 75 (2009), 277 – 290

Intertextuality in Old Testament Research

by Geoff Miller

published in Currents in Biblical Research 9 (2011): 283-309

All biblical scholars are familiar with the term ‘intertextuality,’ but few can agree on the nature of the concept or... more All biblical scholars are familiar with the term ‘intertextuality,’ but few can agree on the nature of the concept or how readers should identify intertextual relationships among texts. Some scholars employ a purely synchronic approach when reading texts together, emphasizing the autonomy of the reader in attributing meaning to textual connections. Other scholars pursue a more diachronic approach that attempts to uncover the specific links to precursor texts that the author wants readers to perceive. Within and between these two groups, disagreements also persist over how to differentiate legitimate intertextual connections from coincidental similarities as well as how to exegete interrelated texts in light of their connections. This article surveys literature from the past twenty years that aim to answer these questions. None of these answers have brought about consensus, and perhaps the best solution is to label some of these studies by a name other than ‘intertextuality.’

Saint Jerome: Theology of Language

by Thomas Hunt

in volume on Language of Theology in the Early Church, edd. Staale Johannes Kristiansen and Peder Solberg (Oslo, forthcoming, summer 2012)

This paper outlines Jerome's theology of language. This paper outlines Jerome's theology of language.

Dostoevsky's New Testament - The Significance of Random Reading

by Kristian Mejrup

The Bible was a lifelong companion for Dostoevsky, who often read it and sometimes annotated it. But what meaning lies... more The Bible was a lifelong companion for Dostoevsky, who often read it and sometimes annotated it. But what meaning lies in the marking of a text? The first critic to examine the markings in Dostoevsky’s Bible was the Norwegian professor in Russian literary history, Geir Kjetsaa. He did so in the early 1980s and wrote a book on the subject. This essay will discuss Kjetsaa’s method of reading Dostoevsky on the basis of the annotations. Kjetsaa’s analyses are intriguing but not immune to criticism, as too much focus on the markings tends to neglect the significance of the randomly read passages. After a short introduction (1) I will closely examine Kjetsaa’s analysis of Dostoevsky’s novels (2), and then add my own critical remarks (3). Finally I will compare Kjetsaa’s reading of Dostoevsky with theological readings of him (Romano Guardini and Karl Barth/Eduard Thurneysen). Unlike Kjetsaa, the theologians were unaware of the markings in Dostoevsky’s Bible. The overall question of the essay is, then: how do we approach Dostoevsky's use of the Bible in the light of his annotations to the New Testament, and when numerous voices clamour to inform us how they should be read?

شبستري ... في تأويل الكتب المقدسة / Shabestarī... L‟herméneutique des Textes Sacrés (en arabe)

by emad alhelali

ISLAMOCHRISTIANA 36, 2010 / دراسات إسلامية مسيحية 36، 2010

‘ĀSHŪRĀ’ AND CHRIST’S PASSION

SUMMARY

Moḥammad Mojtahid Shabestarī (born in Tabriz in 1936) is an Iranian theologian, philosopher,... more SUMMARY

Moḥammad Mojtahid Shabestarī (born in Tabriz in 1936) is an Iranian theologian, philosopher, academician and intellectual reformist.
In the first part of this article “Shabestarī… Hermeneutics of the Sacred Texts”, the Iraqi author, ‘Imād al–Hilālī, introduce the reader to “the historical context of the intellectual birth of Shabestarī” tracing the steps of his intellectual formation starting from Qom until Hamburg (1970–1979) where he came to know Christian Theology, in particular the protestant one, and he studied the theologians like Paul Tillich, Karl Barth and Karl Rahner, as also the philosophers like Emmanuel Kant, Wilhelm Dilthey and Hans–Georg Gadamer.
In the other three parts of his article, the author starts by treating some issues and matters which Shabestarī tried to approach since his return to Iran and during the years in which he taught at the University of Tehran, where he imposed himself as one of the most important protagonists of Islam–Christian dialogue in Iran: 1. “A historical and contemporary reading of Islam”, through a historical and contextual reading of Quranic texts, based on the principle of justice and not on the sacredness of the text; 2. “Hermeneutics of Quran”, through “the interrogation of History” and “the definition of textual core”, which lead Shabestarī to ask this question: “Have the commandments enunciated in the Quran an eternal validity or could they be modified following the requirements of the reason?”; 3. “From hermeneutics to humanization”, approaching the issues: “Liberty as a condition of faith”, “the human rights in Islam” and “the new kalām”. At last, the author concludes his study with a “discussion about the hermeneutics of Quran and of Sunna” and “its role over the skills of the commentator”.






Moḥammad Mojtahid Shabestarī (né à Tabriz en 1936) est un théologien, philosophe, académicien et intellectuel réformiste iranien.
Dans la première partie de cet article intitulé « Shabestarī… L’herméneutique des Textes Sacrés », l’auteur irakien, ‘Imād al–Hilālī, introduit le lecteur dans « le contexte historique de la naissance intellectuelle de Shabestarī » traçant les étapes de sa formation intellectuelle depuis Qom jusqu’à Hambourg (1970–1979) où il a fait la connaissance de la théologie chrétienne, en particulier la protestante, et a étudié les théologiens comme Paul Tillich, Karl Barth et Karl Rahner, ainsi que les philosophes comme Emmanuel Kant, Wilhelm Dilthey et Hans–Georg Gadamer.
Dans les trois autres parties de son article, l’A. commence par traiter des problématiques et des questions auxquelles Shabestarī a essayé de répondre depuis son retour en Iran et durant ses années d’enseignement à l’Université de Téhéran où il s’est imposé comme un des plus importants protagonistes du dialogue islamo–chrétien en Iran: 1. « Une lecture historique et contemporaine de l’islam », à travers une lecture historique et contextuelle du texte coranique, basée sur le principe de la justice et non sur la sacralité du texte ; 2. « Herméneutique du Coran », à travers « l’interrogation de l’Histoire » et « la définition du noyau textuel », ce qui a conduit Shabestarī à se poser cette question : « les commandements énoncés dans le Coran ont–ils une validité éternelle ou peuvent–ils être modifiés selon les exigences de la raison ? » ; 3. « De l’herméneutique à l’humanisation », abordant les questions de : « la liberté comme condition de foi », « les droits de l’homme en islam » et « le nouveau kalām ». Pour finir, l’A. conclut son étude par une « discussion autour de l’herméneutique du Coran et de la Sunna » et « de son rôle sur les aptitudes du commentateur ».

The Allegorical Exegesis of Bede: 'Figures in History and the Shape of the Self'

by Zachary (Zack) Guiliano

Masters thesis.

The exegesis of the Venerable Bede (672-735 CE) is "cut" from the same cloth as his theology of history and... more The exegesis of the Venerable Bede (672-735 CE) is "cut" from the same cloth as his theology of history and his understanding of human transformation. Bede's exegetical theory displays a concern with the verbal "garments" of Christian Scripture, expressed as Scriptures "shapes" (*figurae*) and "adornments" (*ornati*), and his exegetical practice demonstrates a similar preoccupation. his understanding of human transformation, expressed in his exegetical, homiletic, and historical practice, is similarly related to the concepts of *figura* and *ornatus*. Bede's readers are meant to pattern their ethical selves upon the historical figures of Scripture in order to become clothed with the virtues displayed therein. The thesis advances its argument primarily by engaging with Bede's rhetorical treatise "On Schemes and Tropes" and his biblical commentaries.

The thesis then explores the implications of Bede's thought on history, morality, and language for the ongoing study of his historiographical works and for the contemporary study of Scripture.

“An Interpretation of the Death of Isaiah’s Servant”

by Stephen Cook

in _The Bible as a Human Witness to Divine Revelation: Hearing the Word of God through Historically Dissimilar Traditions_ (ed. R. Heskett and B. Irwin; Gerald Sheppard Festschrift; Library of Hebrew Bible / Old Testament Studies 469; London and New York: T&T Clark, 2010) pp. 108-24

The Crisis of the Symbolic Universe

by Robert Lazu

Published in "Second Spring. International Journal of Faith & Culture," Oxford, Seven, 2006. Quoted by professor Glenn Warren Olsen (University of Utah) in his book "The turn to transcendence: the role of religion in the twenty-first century," Whashington D.C., The Catholic University of America Press, 2010, p. 160.

Nowhere can the elements of the symbolic universe (or Cosmos) be better perceived than in liturgy – that is to say, in... more Nowhere can the elements of the symbolic universe (or Cosmos) be better perceived than in liturgy – that is to say, in the context of formal worship, played out between the two terms of the cosmological equation, God and Man. But here a crucial question arises: what is it that links these two points together, incommensurable as they are, separated by the infinite distance which separates the Creator from the created? The key concept that may provide the answer might seem trifling, since it is so commonly employed in the theological and liturgical vocabulary of the Church. It is what in the English language is called “glory” (from the Latin gloria).

The Evangelical Theologian and William Webb's Redemptive-Movement Hermeneutic: A Theological Analysis

by Jeff Fisher

L’Herméneutique théologique de Hans-Georg Gadamer : une dérogation à son herméneutique philosophique ? (2011)

by Dany Rodier

En voie de publication dans la revue Laval théologique et philosophique.

Cette dissertation propose une analyse détaillée des considérations de Hans-Georg Gadamer sur l’herméneutique... more Cette dissertation propose une analyse détaillée des considérations de Hans-Georg Gadamer sur l’herméneutique théologique proprement dite. Pensée dans et pour la foi chrétienne, la conception de l’herméneutique théologique qu’il met en avant se veut essentiellement une herméneutique du texte biblique. Les réflexions de Gadamer sur ce thème nous conduisent cependant tout droit dans sa théorie de la littérature. La question directrice devient celle de la nature du texte religieux (entendons : du texte biblique, reçu en son unité canonique) en tant que texte éminent, dont la structure singulière est mise en relief au moyen d’une éclairante comparaison avec les textes poétique, philosophie et juridique. L’Écriture, en tant qu’elle répond à la structure textuelle de la promesse, exige du lecteur une forme particulière d’appropriation qui trouve sa réalisation exemplaire dans la prédication. Toutefois, contre une lecture (Ommen, Eberhard, etc.) qui insiste sur la discontinuité de l’herméneutique théologique de Gadamer avec sa propre œuvre philosophique, je soutiens la thèse de leur foncière cohérence.

God in Translation

by Terry Veling

Translation, like the art of interpretation, necessarily involves an original. This suggests that orginality lay at... more Translation, like the art of interpretation, necessarily involves an original. This suggests that orginality lay at the heart of every translation; there must be some spark of originality that inspires or ignites our efforts toward deeper or better understandings. The relationship between originality and translation is not only concerned with a "text" and a "reader," but also between "I and thou" and all that addresses and reveals itself to me in its "thou-like" originality.  This essay considers the relationship between translation and the "original," and their intimate and yet unfathomable bond.

Negative Eschatology: Considerations on Politics and Ethics in Ratzinger’s Teachings on the Last Things

by Markus Rutsche

(g) Negative Eschatologie: Überlegungen zu Politik und Ethik in Ratzingers Lehre von den letzten Dingen (Term Paper, Univ. of Tübingen 2010)

Whenever a Christian in our time, an academically trained theologian all the more, finds himself faced with enquiries... more Whenever a Christian in our time, an academically trained theologian all the more, finds himself faced with enquiries about the Christian teachings on the Last Things, it seems like he might feel quite embarrassed: The pretentiousness of the Christian faith instructing our largely secularized society about life after death, the end of the world and the like would probably appear rather strange to most of us. This paper aims to address this diagnosis and to determine the relationship between Christian eschatology and the interaction of politics and ethics from a systematic-theological standpoint. To this end, the views of Joseph Ratzinger (b. 1927) are reconstructed in detail and subjected to a critical evaluation. Few works have inspired and formed the eschatological debate in recent decades as much as the comprehensive draft of the current Pope. Even though this study takes up only a secondary aspect of the academic debate on Ratzinger’s much-quoted eschatology, the chosen approach may offer a deeper understanding of his theological thought altogether. Ratzinger’s views on politics and ethics are established as the epitome of a ‘negative eschatology’, thus clearing the way to a slightly different perspective on one of the most influential theologians of our time.

The Awakening Role of Despair and Anxiety for the Existential Self in Søren Kierkegaard’s Writings.

by Wojciech Kaftanski

In press

This essay discusses becoming and awakening as fundamental categories for Kierkegaard’s self. I argue in the paper... more This essay discusses becoming and awakening as fundamental categories for Kierkegaard’s self. I argue in the paper that the existential categories of despair and anxiety play an important part in the awakening and challenging for the existing self, and in that very sense make the self existential. I focus on the ethical-religious stages.

Edmond Jabes: Rabbi-Poet of the Book

by Terry Veling

Published in PACIFICA 7 (1994)

This article serves as an introduction to the writings of Jewish Poet, Edmond Jabes. This article serves as an introduction to the writings of Jewish Poet, Edmond Jabes.