Hermeneutics Course — Ronald W. Leigh, Ph.D.

Copyright © 2000, 2017 Ronald W. Leigh
May 13, 2017


Biblical Hermeneutics — Academic Cognates and Source


A.  The relationship between biblical hermeneutics and other disciplines


The Bible's overall teaching SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY The integration of biblical theology from the whole Bible. The book's teaching BIBLICAL THEOLOGY The theology that comes directly from biblical passages and books. Actual interpretation of a passage / book EXEGESIS* Interpretation – that is, hermeneutics "in practice" or "applied."  It is the applied science of interpretation and results in biblical theology. How to interpret BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS The study of the principles and rules of Bible interpretation. What to interpret CANON Why certain books have been recognized as inspired, and history of that recognition. TEXTUAL CRITICISM (Lower criticism) Study of variations between manuscripts to determine the original wording. HISTORICAL CRITICISM (Higher criticism) Study of each book's authorship, date, historical circumstances, authenticity, and literary unity.

*F. F. Bruce comments on the place of exegesis: "There can be no true biblical theology unless it is based on sound biblical exegesis, and there can be no sound biblical exegesis unless a firm textual and grammatical foundation has been laid for it."  (from the "Foreword to New One-volume Edition" of W. E. Vine's An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, The Old-time Gospel Hour, 1952)

Our English word exegesis is a transliteration of the Greek word εχηγησις (exēgēsis) which means narration, explanation, or interpretation.  It is found as a verb in John 1:18 which says that Jesus has made the Father known (explained or revealed).

The opposite of exegesis is eisegesis – note the different prefixes – ex means out of, eis means into.  So exegesis refers to getting the meaning out of the text, while eisegesis refers to reading one's own meaning into the text.

B.  The source of biblical hermeneutics

Biblical hermeneutics involves principles and rules of interpretation.  Where do these principles and rules come from?

When we use a chart, such as the one above, to show elements built upon other elements, we usually intend to show that each supporting element makes a significant contribution to the element "sitting" upon it and may even be absolutely essential and controlling for that element.  In other words, systematic theology is (or should be) totally dependent on biblical theology, which is (or should be) derived from exegesis, which follows (or should) the rules of biblical hermeneutics.

However, the rules and principles of biblical hermeneutics are different (thus the gap in the chart).  Of course, hermenertics is, in a sense, dependent on the bottom line of elements (for you must have something to interpret).  Yet hermeneutics is not at all governed by the canon, textual criticism, or historical criticism.  Rather, biblical hermeneutics has two principal sources:

  1. The general rules and principles governing the interpretation of all serious literature
  2. Incidental references found in the Bible to the subject of interpretation, along with lessons learned by observing how Jesus and the inspired apostles interpreted the Old testament.

For additional elements related to hermeneutics, see Direct Bible Discovery, chapter 6.

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