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43 Cards in this Set
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Allegorize |
To interpret a text as if it were an allegory or as if allegorical. CF Allegory, Alexandrian School, and Allegorical Interpretation
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Allegory |
A metaphor extended into a story (Kaiser and Silva, 94). The elements of the story take on meanings that are quite different from the ordinary literal sense of the words. With this definition parables in the OT and NT would qualify as allegory (Duvall and Hays, 179). Most Scholars make a distinction between admitting the existence of allegory in Scripture and the allegorization (See Allegorize) of the scriptures themselves (Ryken, 145-48). Those who use the allegorical approach usually identify it with eliciting Scripture's so-called deeper spiritual meaning. |
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Analogy of Faith (Lat. analogia fidel) |
To interpret Scripture in consultation with a recognized standard or expression of Christian orthodoxy. Early church fathers referred to that standard as the "rule of Faith" (Lat. regular fide), which could be identified with apostolic teaching (oral or written), The Scriptures, or creedal statements of faith. The Protestant Reformers argued that "Scripture alone" (sola Scriptura) was that authoritative standard, and that interpretation is best done by comparing Scripture with Scripture. Roman Catholicism, on the other hand, maintains that Scripture and various forms of church tradition ( Creeds, writings of church fathers, the decisions of church councils) must be consulted when determining matters of faith and doctrine. |
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Analogy of Scripture |
A corollary principle to the Analogy of Faith. The Reformers argued that the Bible was its own best interpreter. Luther held that the Scriptures possessed sufficient clarity so that the devout and competent believer could understand its meaning without consulting outside sources of tradition when confronted with an obscure passage, priority should be given to the passage that is clear. Thus, "Scripture interprets Scripture" is a statement of the priority given to the Bible in determining matters of faith and practice. |
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Application |
Refers to that part of the hermeneutical task which seeks to explain how the meaning of the text (derived through Exegesis) can become "meaningful," i.e., impact the reader-interpreter's present situation. Cf. Significance |
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Authorial intent |
Refers to what an author intended to say when he wrote a text. The expression raises the hermeneutical question of where meaning is to be found. The Three proposed locations are the author, the text, and the reader. Cf Revelation |
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Authoritative (see also Canon, Canonical) |
In biblical studies or hermeneutics this term refers to something that has authority and establishes a norm that is binding on a particular community. For example, the authoritative writings of the Christian church are the Scriptures, or Bible. |
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Canon (Gk. kanon) |
Is most often used to designate the collection of biblical books that Christians accept as uniquely authoritative for defining Christian faith and practice. From the literal meaning of "reed" the term took on the figurative sense of a measuring rod, or ruler, and alter acquired the general sense of a norm, or standard. In the Early Church, the term was used to refer to the doctrinal and ethical teachings of the apostles that defined the Christian faith. It was not applied to the OT and NT until the fourth century (Dunbar, 300). Thus "canon" designates the boundaries of God's inspired Word or written revelation (Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard, 92) which are not the same for all Christian traditions. (See Apocrypha below), which are not the same for all Christian traditions. (see Apocrypha below.)
While the term raises a host of issues about what various church traditions regard as authoritative in defining their faith, the application of hermeneutics is foundational. Biblical hermeneutics seeks to interpret only those Scriptures regarded as canon. Some scholars like Brevard Childs argue that the canon should shape our interpretation of the Scriptures and is the most appropriate context for doing biblical theology. |
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Apocrypha |
Derived from the Greek word meaning "hidden," refers to a collection of books in the Septuagint (Gk, version of the OT) and the Latin Vulgate. They are accepted as canonical Scripture by Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. However, they are rejected as non canonical and omitted from the Protestant and Jewish canons of Scripture. |
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Canonical |
Designates those biblical writings recognized by the Christian church as the inspired canon of Scripture. Scholars writing on the history of the formation of the biblical canon will apply the word in one of three ways: (1) to the character, or quality, that expresses the orthodoxy of the apostolic faith; (2) to the authoritative status a writing held in the Early Church; (3) to the inclusion of a writing in the delimited list of OT or NT Scripture. |
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Commissive Language |
Refers to Language the goal of which is motivation to action or decision, to express emotions, or to evoke an emotional response. It is usually placed over against "referential language," which is used to dispassionately describe something by conveying information (Stein 1994, 73). See Referential Meaning
Gal 6:17, NASB |
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Conceptual parallel |
Occurs when two of more passages or verses address the same subject, concept, or idea without using the same words. For example, Philippians 2:7, 8 and Hebrews 2:9-15 both describe the incarnation of Christ, but with different terminology: Phil, 2:7, NASB Heb, 2:14 NASB |
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Connotative meaning |
Refers to verbal meaning that is a departure from the ordinary literal sense of a word to a special use or application of that word in a specific context or association. See Contextual Meaning and Denotative Meaning
Isa. 53:5, KJV |
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Contextual meaning |
The meaning of a word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, passage, etc., as it stands in relationship to the larger literary context, from a sentence to the entire book of the Bible. For example, words often have a range of meaning (see SEMANTIC RANGE.) the interpreter chooses which meaning best fits the verbal or literal context in which the word is found. |
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Contextualization |
Is the task of making the message or truth claims of Scripture both intelligible and relevant to a receptor audience or culture. See ETHNOHERMENEUTICS (Ch 4) |
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Criticism |
In association with biblical interpretation, "criticism" refers to the scientific investigation of literary documents (e.g., the Bible) in regard to such matters as origin, formation of the text, composition, analysis of content, and historical background. |
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Cultural-historical context |
Refers to the placement of a text against the cultural and historical background of its author and its first readers. The goal of such placement is to more accurately determine what the biblical author intended to communicate to them by his choice of words and literary devices. |
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Cultural relativism |
Holds that the truth value of any idea is dependent on the culture that produced it. when applied to the moral or theological content of scripture it becomes problematic, because it denies the divine authorship of Scripture and therefore rejects the notion that the Bible contains any truth that is eternal and transcultural in its relevance or authority (McQuilkin, 32-34). |
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Culture |
Refers to all expressions of human life in a particular time and place. It is a comprehensive term, and so we can talk about material culture (seen in the physical artifacts and remains of culture) or culture with respect to a variety of different contexts: social, political, economic, religious, literary, artistic, technological, etc. Examination of the cultural context of a passage is an integral part of interpretation, or Exegesis, as it seeks to understand the words of Scripture in their native setting framed by time, geography, and culture (Virkler, 79-81; Ramm 1970, 133f) |
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Deductive reasoning |
The kind of logical thought that draws a conclusion about particulars from a general conclusion. E.g., a person, having concluded that God possesses a perfectly righteous and holy nature might deduce (or infer) that in all His earthly acts Jesus, the Son of God, was sinless and blameless before God. |
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Deliberative |
(See Rhetorical Criticism, Ch. 4) |
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Denotative meaning |
Refers to the actual thing(s) behind the literal sense of a word, distinct from that which might be implied, suggested by special association or metaphorical use. For example, the denotative meaning of "sword" in Jesus words, "'put your sword back in its place'" (Matt 26:52) refers to the literal weapon, However, the Connotative Meaning of Sword-e.g., "The sword will never depart from your house'" (2 Sam. 12:10)- refers to violent conflict rather than a literal sword. |
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Didactic |
Means designed or intended to teach. While in one sense all Scripture can be said to teach (2 Tim. 3:16), this term is sued to describe literary genres (e.g. Proverbs, Epistles) whose primary purpose is to give instruction. |
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Distantiation |
Refers to the interpreter's realization of how wide the gap is that separates his or her understanding of the text and the world (or Horizon) of the text (Carson 1984a, 20-22). The awareness of that gap helps to see one's own Presuppositions and the influence they have on one's understanding of the text. |
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Dogmatic (See Dogmatic approach ch. 4) |
Of or relating to dogma (Doctrine of a set of doctrines). For example dogmatic exegesis occurs when biblical interpretation is carrie out by someone committed to a particular theological system of confession of faith who consciously consults that system in measuring the accuracy of his or her interpretation. This raises debate over the role (and the extent) a theological system should play in shaping or controlling one's interpretation of Scripture. |
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Dynamic equivalence (also called "functional equivalence) |
Thought-for-thought equivalency in translation, with the goal of having the same effect on the modern readers as the original text had on its readers. This strategy of translation i s less concerned with closely following the Greek or Hebrew syntax and grammar in a literal word-for-word translation (known as "formal equivalence") as long as the thoughts are equivalent (Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard, 74) |
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Eisegesis |
Literally, "to draw or lead into" and refers to the interpretive error of reading into a text one's own presupposed or preconceived ideas as a substitute for careful Exegesis to determine what the author meant to say. Eisegesis has many motivations and expressions, but a common assumption is that a text has many meanings, not just one. See POLYSEMY |
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Epistemology |
Refers to that branch of philosophy that investigates the nature, sources, and acquisition of knowledge. its importance for hermeneutics lies with the fact that epistemological assumptions lie behind every approach to interpretation. Answers to questions such as "What is truth?" and "How can I know it?" are central to the concerns of epistemology. "what kind of truth is contained in the Scriptures? " and How does scripture convert truth? are questions that bring the two disciplines face-to-face. |
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Etymology |
Is the study of origin and historical development of words, their forms, and meanings. This is done by tracing the development of a word from its earliest recorded occurrence in the language of its origin. Especially noted are the changes that occur in the form of the word and its meaning as a result of the influence of other languages, cultures, and literary genres. Popular use of etymology often results in the error of defining a word by combining the meanings of its linguistic parts (Carson 1984a, 27-32). For example, in the same way "awful" no longer means "full of awe," the NT word homologue does not mean "to say the same" or "to agree" (Gk, Legein, "to say," and homes, "same") but rather "to profess, confess, or declare publicly." A helpful rule to remember: Usage and context, not etymology, determine the meaning of a word. |
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Exegesis |
Literally means a "drawing out" and refers to the analysis and explanation of a text to determine the meaning intended by the author and understood by the first readers. Confusion arises when the term is used interchangeably with HERMENEUTICS (Virkler, 18) and INTERPRETATION (Silva, 31) without qualification or differentiation. One more or less common distinction is that whereas "hermeneutics" investigates the principles and methods used in interpretation, "exegesis" is the actual use and application of those principles and methods to the text (Kaiser and Silva, 285), More modern approaches to hermeneutics have stressed the task of drawing out the relevance of interpretation for the contemporary reader (Tate, xv) |
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Existentialism |
A school of philosophy that defines human life in terms of "being," or existence. Existentialism is sometimes characterized by the expression "Being precedes essence." This states the conviction that people are human beings not because they possess some special nature or essence, but because they exist and choose to live in a particular way. Human existence becomes authentic through free acts of the will. Thus, the "existential approach" to biblical interpretation is subjective and tens to focus on the interpreter as the determiner of meaning (Dockery, 163). It emphasizes not the rational comprehension of Scripture (i.e. and objective textual meaning. ) but the interpreter's personal encounter with and response to the message of the text. See Christian EXISTENTIALISM |
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Exposition |
The explaining or setting forth of the meaning of a text. It is commonly distinguished from Exegesis , especially to differentiate interpreting a text to arrive at its historical sense, from the task of expounding that meaning to show its relevance for today (Soulen 1981, 70). When applied to the field of Homiletics, expository preaching builds on the labor of exegesis. An expository Sermon that expounds, or explains, a biblical text for a contemporary hearer should first determine what the text meant to the author and its readers (Virkler, 234f) |
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External evidence |
Broadly applied to the evidence that comes from literary sources other than the one being considered. the term often appears in works dealing with Textual Criticism (see Ch. 4), which attempts to determine the original form of an ancient text for which there are numerous copies. External evidence examines the manuscripts in support of or at variance with a particular textual reading or Variant (Fee and Stuart 1982, 131) See Internal Evidence |
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Figurative Language |
Refers to all uses of words that are metaphorical or symbolic in nature, conveying a meaning different from their common, literal sense. In biblical interpretation, understanding the meaning of figurative language often involves the study of its cultural, historical, and literary contexts, (McQuilken, 1645-84) Cf. Denotative Meaning
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Genre (see Genre, ch. 5) |
Refers to a group of texts that share common traits (Longman, 76). the term is applied to any literary type characterized by a particular form (style), function (purpose), and content. In biblical interpretation, genre analysis belongs to the category of Special Hermenuetics, which deals with these features and ask what perspectives, considerations, rules, or principles should be kept in mind as we interpret a particular literary genre. Understanding how a genre works or communicates can help us avoid misinterpretation (Ryken 25). When we bridge this cultural-literary gap we enter the author's world. We gain access not only to a manner of expression, but a way of thinking. Consequently, we are in a better position to understand what he was trying to communicate to his first readers (Johnson 1-4) |
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Hapaxlegomena (Gk., "spoken once") |
In textual criticism a term used most often of words that appear only once in the biblical text. When one encounters such a word it is necessary to consult lexicons that survey extra biblical contemporaneous with the Bible. It can also be applied to a word that appears only once in the writings of a Particular author. |
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Hermeneutics (Gk hermeneuo, "to interpret") |
The discipline that studies the theory, principles, and methods used to interpret texts, especially ancient ones such as the sacred Scriptures. Traditional hermeneutics focuses primarily on the discovery of the historical meaning as intended by the author and understood by the original audience. Modern approaches to hermeneutics often stress the role of the reader in creatively engaging the text in the discovery of its Significance for today. |
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Hermeneutic |
Refers to a particular system of interpretation organized around an established frame of reference having acknowledged set of presuppositions, values, or beliefs, which guides or controls interpretation of texts. The term is associated with the work of H-G. Gadamer, who viewed hermeneutics not as a method of interpretation but as a description of how one comes to understanding through a text. See Gadder, Hans- Georg (Ch. 3) |
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Genreal Hermeneutics |
Refers to those rules and principles that pertain to the interpretation of any text , irrespective of literary genre. |
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Historical-critical method, (HCM) |
An approach to biblical interpretation sometimes known as "historical criticism" (Soulen 1981, 87) However, strictly speaking, the HCM refers to a kind of philosophy of history that became preeminent in the 19th century under the influence of the social scientist Ernst Troeltsch (1865-1923). In a published work in 1922 he wrote a chapter called "Historical and Dogmatic Method in Theology. In it he outlined and expounded a method of doing historical investigation that was grounded in axioms and presuppositions not only about history but all human experience. The problem for hermeneutics stems from the fact that these presuppositions are odd with the biblical held by the anchors of Scripture . See HISTORICAL CRITICISM (ch. 4) |
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Homiletics |
The science and art of sermon preparation and preaching. Homiletics is often regarded as an integral part of the interpretative process that transforms the results of biblical exegesis into an intelligible and relevant message for today. |
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Horizon(s) (See Gadamer, Hans-Gerog) |
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Idiom |
An expression or use of words that is peculiar to a particular language, either grammatically (e.g., the double negative used for emphasis in some languages) or having a meaning that is something other than the sum of its linguistic parts (e.g., "Go ahead back up!" |
