1. THE 6651 BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS
Photo
Class X: In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
© Dr. Esa Autero

2. Behind the Text I: History & Grammar
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Behind the Text I: History & Grammar
1.1 Introduction to the “World in Front of the Text”
What aspects does “in Front the Text” dimension touch?
The role of the reader
Social location and presuppositions – conscious and unconscious
Effective history & the role of the “history of interpretation”
How texts have been interpreted before – and how they influenced us
WITHIN (genre, structure…)
BEHIND IN FRONT OF
- Historical background Interpretative history
- Text’s prehistory Reader’s context
- Application/appropriation
*Photo:
TEXT

3. In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Presuppositions and Hermeneutical circle
Philosophical hermeneutics – the task
“clarify the conditions in which understanding takes place”*
Presuppositions precede
all understanding
Worldview or how the
world operates – what is real?
Prior knowledge of the subject/text
Mental categories
Methods and interpretative strategies
Historical contingencies
Many of the above function on subconscious level
 All understanding is “situated”, perspectival, and conditional
*Gadamer 1989: xx.
Photo:

4. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Some aspects that influence interpretation
Church tradition/denomination
Education, life experiences
Prior knowledge of the subject/text
Gender, age; socio-economic status
Culture, race, ethnicity
Framework within which interpretative
judgments are made
How do you come to understand a text?
Inductive and deductive reasoning
Back and forth movement – parts & whole

5. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
We bring our presuppositions (conscious/unconscious) to
Understanding of whole (e.g. genre, how it influences meaning)
“Once upon a time…” vs. reading a newspaper
How meaning is constructed
Understanding the parts & whole
How/where to start?
Meaning of individual words
 Our understanding of the Bible (or Paul the apostle)
Each is conditioned by the other – not independent
“preliminary” understanding & fuller understanding
Fuller understanding “speaks back” to preliminary understanding to reshape it
Historical conditionality of the interpreter (reading communities)
 It is impossible to jump out of the hermeneutical circle/spiral

6. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Some important aspects of hermeneutical spiral
Acknowledge your situatedness & hermeneutical circle
“Without preunderstanding, understanding is impossible”*
Acknowledging presupposition – potential to examine and change
Examine and evaluate your presunderstanding & presuppositions
Good and bad presuppositions
Believing vs. non-believing attitude
Particular theory of inspiration or fixed theological agenda
Presupposition is not the same as prejudice
Approach a text without presupposing the result BUT…
Everybody has prior questions and some idea what the text means
*Tate 2008: 212.

7. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Presuppositions are not fixed
Be open to change
Allow biblical text and Spirit to
change
Be open to the voice of the Spirit
as you interpret God’s Word
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in
me, And lead me in the everlasting
way. (Ps 139:23-24)
*Tate 2008: 212.
Photo:

8. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Three worlds of hermeneutics
Text
World of reader
Worldview, presuppositions, values, culture
World of author
Author’s worldview, presupposition, values, culture
*Tate 2008: 212.

9. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
2.2 Meaning, texts, and communication
Meaning as sense and reference (multiple definitions*)
Sense – mental response/image
Reference – object in the real world [extra-linguistic object]
Apple
*Another definition: Sense = semantic range as defined by dictionary; reference = the correct usage in a particular context as defined by the context
OR sense = what is being said about the referent – usage in context [or definition of the word]; reference = object or event which is being spoken about (Kaiser and Silva 2007: 35-38)

10. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
“You are the Christ” (Mk 8:29)
Sense = Christ (Messiah
with various Jewish expectations)
Referent = Christ
 the real-life historical person
of Jesus (as known
from the context)

11. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
How is meaning determined?
Meaning as significance – importance, relevance*
The meaning of X is the significance of X for Y
Importance, relevance, consequences
Meaning of an event that is not important is dismissed
Meaning as reference (referential view of meaning)
Meaning is identified with the reference
Meaning of “Christ was born in Bethlehem” – place of birth
Works well with proper names, places, declarative sentences
More difficult in abstract concepts, fictitious names, sentences
 What is the reference for “faith”?
*Adapted from J. Gracia 2005: (DThIB)

12. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Meaning as intention – intention of speakers
Meaning as “state of mind” (esp. Schleiermacher)
Difficult to know author’s “state of mind” except as informed by the words of the text/speech
Meaning as ideas
What are these ideas? Mental images/states, brain waves?
The meaning of cat is the idea of “cat” – how are the two related?
Meaning as use
Meaning is established through conditions under which sentence is asserted – declaring, ordering, outcome etc.*
But what are the criteria for establishing the conditions?
Difficult to establish for long literary works
*This view is generally related to the speech-act theory and the interrelation between the following concepts: 1) perlocutionary act (=meaning of sentence at propositional level); illocutionary (=what the sentence accomplishes [assertion, promise, command etc.]); locutionary (=intended effects of the speech-act [teaching, persuasion etc.]) (Osborne 1991: )

13. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Meaning of texts – one or many meanings?
No limits to textual meaning – postmodern approach
Texts, like words polysemous
Polysemity extends to sentences, paragraphs, and texts
Texts are open-ended – no limits to meaning in principle
Not the same as no meaning at all
Meaning depends on context, circumstances, reading strategy
Strengths and weaknesses
Conforms to wide disagreements on the interpretation of some texts
Misunderstandings in day-to-day communication
Interpretation of all texts are not contested (“No smoking”)
Difficult to account for textual meaning in society, if such polyvalency is accepted

14. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Strict limits to textual meaning – modernist approach
One (or very few) meanings of texts
“smoking is not permitted” means one thing, not its opposite
Accounts for the everyday usage when “meaning is sought”
Generally equated with “authorial intent” in biblical studies
Are all texts, especially poetic texts so determinate?
What about the misunderstandings in communication?
What about the texts with wide interpretative disagreement?
E.g. Revelation

15. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Some limits to textual meaning – mediating position
Essential and accidental meanings
Well-developed core meaning + accidental/contingent meanings dependent on context and circumstances
Meanings and their implications
Core meaning + implications of the text
Author/user uses a text that is not part of the textual meaning
Some may define meaning-implication as one and the same
James on “faith and works”? “killed by hanging on a tree” (Acts 5:30*)
Textual meaning well-defined and limited in core but also
Varied intentions and implications
Contextual meaning
Accounts for varied readings/usage of texts & communication
*Deut 21:22-23

16. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Nature of texts & determination of meaning*
In what sense is the textual meaning stable?
“Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate”
Historic fact does not change
Understanding of “how” of crucifixion may change somewhat
At least two levels of meaning
Original meaning and present-day significance
Difference b/w “scientific” and poetic/metaphoric language
Is scientific/technical language free from ambiguity?
Scientific language also depends on contingent factors
Research group, definitions, tools, theories…
*Thiselton 2009:

17. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
“Closed” text more stable than “open” texts
Compare Rev. & parables vs. statements of fact “Jesus died”
 “open texts” are more polysemous and have multiple references
Assertive and propositional language more stable
Textual indeterminacy and narrative gaps
1) Grammatical and syntactical gap
[God]…was pleased to reveal His Son in me (Gal 1:16-17)
 “to me”, “in my heart”, “to me particularly” (cf. “love of God”)
Imperative or indicative mood (1 Cor 12:31a)*
But earnestly desire the greater gifts (1 Cor 12:31)
Reference “we know you are a teacher from God” (3:2)
*“You are striving” or “strive for”

18. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
2) Relationship between textual segments
Textual segments may present varying viewpoints
Reader makes connections and bridges the gaps
Reading of one segment may be corrected by later ones
John 7:1-9 – “I am not going to festival…I am going”
“Poverty” in Luke-Acts from Lk 1:51-53 to Acts 20:33-35
3) Poetic/literary gaps – omission of verb or a word
God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone [by evil]** 
The LORD is my Shepherd, [and therefore] I shall not want (Ps 23:1)
Author’s communication strategy
Open metaphoric or more exact and technical language?
To what extent intentional? It is possible to know?
Degree of ambiguity and gaps in the narrative
E.g. Jesus’ parables; 2 Sam 11 (David and Bathseba***)
** Jam 1:13b
*** why does the account start with kings going to war while David stays at home? (11:1); Why does David send Uriah home to sleep with his wife after committing the adultery? Why does Uriah refuse to go? Does he know what has happened? Or is he so virtuous?

19. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
What/who determines textual meaning?
Author – establishes and conveys the text
Authors use “commonly established” conventions (syntax, words)
Authors may know less about meaning of words than the audience
Texts may have meaning other than intended by author
Sensus plenior, typology, prophecy
Many biblical texts anonymous & composite – what then?
Texts authored by God and humans – one or two meanings?
Audience(s) – can audience know the meaning better?
Is not the role of audience to understand, not establish meaning?
Audience is supposed be constrained by the meaning
Audiences are infinite in number
Textual meanings also infinite?

20. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Contexts
Shouting “Fire” in various contexts
Crowded movie theater or lighting a candle or army officer
What is the definition of “context”?
How is it different from author/audience?
Community
Community determines the meaning
Who/which one?
Collection of people – related to text as author/audience
Community may determine criteria or parameters for meaning but does not determine the meaning

21. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Language/text
Language – a set of rules (vocabulary, grammar etc.)
Meaning of words/sentences also depends on context
Need to decide on application of rules on each situation
Users are responsible for usage
Text – concrete arrangement of words
Limits the meaning (compared to language) but still open to more than one way of understanding the arrangement of words
Truth conditions
Truth establishes conditions under which the sentence is true
Works for declarative sentences “sky is blue”
More difficult when truth value cannot be established
 Also need to establish criteria for truth conditions – how to pick?

22. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Using combination of the criteria
Which one, how, and why?
Who determines the criteria?
Cultural functions as a determining factor
Establishes the hierarchy of criteria
 Culture is rather ambiguous concepts
Factors that give stability to meaning of texts*
Basic dictionary – technical or metaphoric language
Rules of co-reference – word meaning & the reading process
E.g. the word “lot” or “trunk”
Contextual and circumstantial selections
“aye, aye” – board meeting or navy
*Tate 2008: 202ff.
Photo:

23. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Rhetorical and stylistic factors
Figures of speech & rhetorical devices call for non-literal interpretation
Genre provides important parameters for correct interpretation
Metaphor and figures of speech less delimiting
Inferences from common frames – cultural, religious practices
Frame of reference provides a “check” of textual meaning
E.g. circumcision
Intertextual and theological frames
Textual and theological frames give clues to meaning
24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. (1 Pet 2:24-25)
 Allusions to Isa 53 points to Jesus as suffering Servant

24. Philosophical Hermeneutics
In Front of the Text: The Role of the Reader
Philosophical Hermeneutics
Primary criteria for establishing meaning
Theology as informed
by Scripture, establishes
core criteria
Organizes the other
criteria and factors