Herme...what?

The hermeneutics and exegesis discussion is not something that you have to talk about when you teach on Sunday, but is mainly for your study. The following is a really really short explanation of hermenetics and exegesis (there are whole classes just on these words so we are talking really short). For further study check out these books: Gospel Centered Hermeneutics by Graeme Goldsworthy and Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible by Robert Stein.

When you study the Bible the basic components that help you do this are hermeneutics and exegesis. Hermeneutics is a scary word that describes the "practice or discipline of interpretation." Exegesis is a process that comes in under the umbrella of hermeneutics and is just a scary word that simply refers to the "process of understanding or interpreting a text or the careful, systematic study of Scipture to discover the original intended meaning." (Both defintions taken from Steins book). These two big words are centered around the basics of communication, meaning, and understanding? How can we understand what the Bible is saying? What does that verse mean? Everyone does hermeneutics and exegesis. The question is how well do you do it.

In all communication there are three parts: author, text, and reader. The main goal of interpreting the Bible is figuring out the meaning of the text we are reading.

The best way to approach finding the meaning is to find what the author intended to say when he wrote it. What did the author purposely will to get across to his readers? This is the basic foundation to all communication. Even as you are reading this very sentence you are seeking to understand what I (the author) am seeking to say to you. We use such things as context, languages, audience, and other things to help us understand the intended meaning.

In addition, often in the Bible we understand that what an author has willed to communicate in the past (2000 years ago) has implications for us in the present that the author was not aware of. These implications are a part of the meaning of the text. Stein gives us an illustration,

"When Paul wrote Ephesians 5:18, 'Do not get drunk on wine,' he was consciously thinking that the Ephesian Christians should not become intoxicated with the mixture of water and wine that they called wine. This saying however has implications that go beyond what Paul was consciously thinking. Paul gave a principle or patter of meaning that has implications about not becoming drunk with beer, whiskey, rum, vodka, or champagne. If asked, Paul would state that although he was not consciously thinking of these other alcoholic beverages, he meant for Christians not to become drunk by using them as well."

When we seek to interpret the Bible we are seeking to understand what the author is meaning to communicate as well as the principles or patterns of meaning he communicates. Often what we do when we study the Bible is try to understand what these implications are for us in the present.

In short, hermeneutics and exegesis are the processes we go through when reading scripture that help us understand what is being said. Ultmately "hermeneutics is about reading God's word with understanding so that we might be conformed more and more to the image of Christ" (Graeme Goldsworthy) The goal of hermeneutics and exegesis is knowing God through His word.

Because I have barely even skimmed the surface of these things please feel free to ask questions and read up on these terms and how we can use them to know God better through His word. Most of this blog entry was taken from the books mentioned above.