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Hermeneutics
Mary Hinkle Shore and Sandra Hack Polaski both offer unique hermeneutical methods for New Testament interpretation. For Shore, the hermeneutical method is "imaginative engagement," (77). Imaginative engagement is the application of creative license to the original text for the purposes of gaining richer personal understanding. It seeks to place the reader squarely within the text, interacting intimately with its characters, stories, and themes. Imaginative engagement also offers readers a way of interpreting the text for themselves, without influence from preacher or scholar. Polaski uses a different type of hermeneutics: called "reader-response criticism." Reader-response criticism is not as loose as imaginative engagement. However, reader-response criticism serves similar goals of liberating the text from the tyranny of cold scholarship and dogmatic evangelism. Reader-response criticism aims to "recover" meaning from original Biblical texts for contemporary readers (Polaski 193). The process is undertaken "without ignoring the insights of historical-critical inquiry and theological reflection" (Polaski 193).
The actual methods of performing each of these hermeneutical methods, imaginative engagement and reader-response criticism, will vary depending on the goals of the exegesis, the goals of the reader, and the particular type, length, and theme of the passage. In general, reader-response criticism involves the actual reading or re-reading of the text, followed by an "unfolding of meaning" that is...
As with imaginative engagement, reader-response criticism makes the reader an active player in the process of producing meaning. According to Polaski, reader-response criticism is a "disciplined careful approach" to creating "interpretive communities of dialogue and debate, consensus and dissention" (193).
Although both reader-response criticism and imaginative engagement are helpful from a reader's point-of-view, the latter does not offer as much opportunity for transformative hermeneutics. Of these two methods, reader-response criticism has the unique ability to reframe Biblical texts in a deep way that can reverberate throughout both scholastic and evangelical circles. For example, Polaski applies reader-response criticism to Luke 24:13-35. The reader-response criticism begins as a typical exegesis, with historical and textual analysis. Then, Polanski reveals some of the biases that many -- if not most -- readers project onto the text. Gender norms can seriously influence a seemingly tight interpretation of a passage, as readers automatically assumed that Cleopas was with another man as opposed to a woman. The reader-response criticism exercise has the potential to bring people "face-to-face with the reality of presuppositions," (Polaski 200).
Imaginative engagement might have the power to shift a reader's perspective too, but it would require a more determined effort to unearth…
Works Cited
Polaski, S.H. Identifying the unnamed disciple: An exercise in reader-response criticism.
Shore, M.E.H. People like us: Minor characters in Matthew's passion.
Hermeneutics The way in which we interpret things can depend on many factors. Our cultural background, our environment, and our upbringing among many other things shape the way we view the world and its surroundings. One of what many consider the greatest book ever written, the Bible, has many different stories with just as many interpretations. Some individuals believe that in order to understand the Bible, one must pray to God
46). The postmodern world then focused on hermeneutics. A post-critical evangelical theological methodology seeks to grab hold of the best insights of all three approaches and uses them as a basis of conversation with contemporary theology (p. 30). In Moltmann's concept of the Trinitarian Concept of God, he maintains that the trinitarian persons are not "modes of being" but are individual, non-interchangeable and subjects of the one common, divine substance,
To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law…" (1 Cor 9:19-20). St. Paul himself reveals how both historical and literary context should shape our understanding: the history behind St. Paul's letters illustrates the grandeur of the Church's
Hermeneutics is the art of interpretation, closely taking apart a text, a discourse, or some other narrative in order to assess the underlying aspects to see what the author is 'really' telling us, or what we can discover about his life. In general, hermeneutics is the study of theory and practice of interpretation. And then there are, at least, four sub-fields: (a) traditional hermeneutics (including Biblical hermeneutics) that refers to interpretation
Once this happens, is when people will have a better understanding of the challenges they are dealing with. However, the intended audience is future generations that may not know or understand the teachings of Christ. In this aspect, there is an emphasis on taking the basic idea and demonstrating how it can be applied to everyone's lives. (Brown, 2007, pp. 20-54) (Holly Bible, 2004, pp. 1049 Myths and folklore Myths and
Trible provides evidence that God is female -- if not literally, then certainly metaphorically. She primarily does so by referencing passages in which the reproductive power of women is akin to God's power of creation. As enlightening as this point is, it is perhaps even more so to realize that there was a considerable amount of effort undertaken to hide this fact. The author discusses how a certain passage