Sacred Hermeneutics

Summary
Sacred Hermeneutics consists of eight lessons, which move the reader from a basic introduction to what hermeneutics is (the practice of interpreting the Bible) to a sense of how to use Scripture for devotional and doctrinal purposes. The main points that the text makes include: 1) Scripture contains the Word of God and should be studied carefully for that reason—for what God has said contains information of great significance for mankind; 2) Approaches to interpretation of the Bible have changed over the years: there is the allegorical approach, the literal approach, the devotional approach, the liberal approach and the neo-orthodoxy approach; 3) the need to understand the Protestant approach to Hermeneutics, which includes adopting 4) a literal, cultural and critical perspective; and which suggests that special focus be paid to the original languages used for the writing of the Bible, historical context, the context of Revelation, and a sense of unity of Scripture overall; 5) textual principles are important to keep in mind when analyzing text, such as etymology, grammar, and context; 6) Figurative language does not take away from the meaningful truths contained in Scripture but rather helps to convey them; 7) Parables in Scripture teach important lessons and, as with prophecies in Scripture, there is a spiritual and literal component that must be discerned; 8) When it comes to doctrine, Scripture should serve as the source of all evidence; when it comes to devotion, Scripture should guide the development of the interior life rather than the artifice of an exterior presentation.
These are the main eight points that the text makes, and each point is given its own lesson within the text. Each point is broken down and explained in simple, coherent, and precise terms. No single point is given more emphasis than another. All are recognized as being meaningful in the overall application of hermeneutics. Each point plays a pivotal role in developing the reader’s understanding of how to study the Bible. Each point communicates some aspect of that approach and is thus essential for the formulation of the science of hermeneutics.
The most important points of the text aside from the eight distinct lessons that are provided, would have to be that the Bible contains the Word of God and that interpretation of the Word of God must be rooted in a faithful adherence to the overall message that God is giving. To interpret the Bible in any other way would be to demonstrate unfaithfulness to the teachings of God. Innovation is therefore not the aim of hermeneutics but rather a deeper understanding of what is at stake in the Scriptures and what the Word of God is revealing, how it is being revealed, why it is being revealed, and what the combination of those factors should mean for the student of the Bible. These are the most important points of the text and the various parts serve to underline them as they are explored bit by bit. There is substantial support given to each one so that the points can be understood and appreciated. Each of the main points has sub-points within it that help to expand on the main ideas that are being considered. There is no lack of depth or exploration in the text, though it does adopt a modern approach (the Protestant system) as the focus of its hermeneutical exploration. Still, this exploration is adequately defined over the course of the eight lessons, which give an appropriate introductory understanding of what hermeneutics is.
Interpretation
The definition of hermeneutics makes sense and it is clear that the Protestant system is used to study the Bible in this text. However, as Protestantism only arrived roughly 500 years ago and the science of hermeneutics goes back practically a thousand years prior to the rise of the Protestant system, it would be helpful to get a fuller historical perspective on hermeneutics rather than jumping right in to the Protestant system.
There is also not a clear explanation of how doctrine and devotion are intertwined or how they intersect. It appears to be the case in the text that doctrine should come solely from Scripture, but Scripture itself alludes to teachings of Christ that were not included in Scripture (John 21:25), so the text is a bit confusing on that point when it suggests that one of the main principles of the theologian engaged in hermeneutics is to limit his doctrine to Scriptural evidence. This appears to forego the 1500 years of church history prior to the rise of the Protestant system, and it is as though those 1500 years are simply to be set aside as something other than what the aim of the theologian should be to achieve.
Yet those were 1500 years of devotion that allowed the Church to expand all across Europe and even to new parts of the world; those were years in which pagans and heathens were converted and Christendom brought into existence. Those were years in which piety flourished and devotion led to the creation of some of the most magnificent cathedrals and artistic works known to man. These years do not seem like they should be discarded because they do not align with the Protestant system. Instead, a discussion of the differences, a discussion of how the Bible was studied throughout that time period, and a discussion of why that time period gave rise to so much devotion over so much of the world could stand to be included. The fact that it is not alluded to in almost any way in this introductory text suggests that the authors of the text are simply not interested in negotiating that discourse.
As it stands, the text aims to emphasize the unity of purpose in the approach of hermeneutics, but it lacks a unity of purpose in terms of time and history. Can hermeneutics really be separated or distinct from so much history? As Goldsworthy notes, the Bible is not just a “mass of unconnected stories,”[footnoteRef:2] and neither is the history of the Christian religion. If context is going to play a part in the interpretation of Scripture, context should not stop and start at certain dates but should rather be provided in terms of all history. A “big picture” approach to hermeneutics[footnoteRef:3] could possibly be more effective in answering some of these questions that remain following the reading of this introduction. After all, hermeneutics has been described as an exercise in “leading” people to the Word of God.[footnoteRef:4] To lead one should be willing to engage with the past in a full and coherent way so that a follower is not left with perplexing questions. [2: Graeme Goldsworthy, Christ-Centered Biblical Theology: Hermeneutical Foundations and Principles (IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012), 19.] [3: Stephen Wellum, “Book Review: Christ-Centered Biblical Theology: Hermeneutical Foundations and Principles, by Graeme Goldsworthy,” 9 Marks. https://www.9marks.org/review/christ-centered-biblical-theology-hermeneutical-foundations-and-principles/] [4: John Hays, Carl Holladay, Biblical Exegesis: a beginner’s handbook (London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007), 1.]
Even with some focus on context, the text does indicate that context can be provided in a way that makes points clear—yet others, like Robert Thomas, have suggested that even context can leave points that are “at best vague.”[footnoteRef:5] Hermeneutics is described as both a “science and an art” in the text[footnoteRef:6]—but these terms have very different meanings: the former is exact and precise while the latter tends to convey more looseness and feeling. How to reconcile these points is an issue the text could stand to explore a bit more. [5: Robert L. Thomas, “Literary Genre and Hermeneutics of the Apocalypse.” Tthe Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary (IL: Moody Press, 1992), 81.] [6: Sacred Hermeneutics, 1. http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/Sacred%20Hermeneutics.pdf]
Conclusion
While the text does accomplish its main points and provide suitable support for them, this introductory text should be taken as just that—an introductory text. It leaves the door open for more queries to be pursued if the reader has them, but if the reader is simply looking to obtain a basic understanding of the hermeneutics and how the principles are applied in the modern, Protestant era, this text should suffice. The difficulty that one might have who is looking for a more advanced understanding of hermeneutics is the lack of meaningful examples of hermeneutic scholarship from over the centuries. The Christian religion has been in existence for 2000 years and there should be plenty of examples of the art and science of Biblical study that extend throughout that period. This text is not a suitable one for a reader who is interested in seeing those examples, as it does not offer any.
Instead, this text can serve as a blueprint for the Protestant system of hermeneutics, as it basically outlines that ideas and principles of the science (much less so the art). It is often said that building is more an art than a science—and that expression will have meaning for anyone who has ever worked in construction or attempted to engage in remodeling. It stands to reason that the same could possibly be said of hermeneutics. The approach of this text is unclear on that point, however. It makes that assertion in the beginning that hermeneutics is a science and art—a “science because it is guided by rules within a system” and an art “because of the application of the rules”[footnoteRef:7]—but one may easily find the latter reason inadequate. How the rules are applied should still pertain to the realm of the scientific approach to hermeneutics. An artful or artistic approach to hermeneutics would, one could be excused for thinking, be more intuitive, more expressive, more interpretive with the overall teachings of the Christian Church. If context is going to matter in one sense, it should matter in all senses, and so the art of hermeneutical scholarship should take into consideration the teachings that have been passed down from generation to generation. To analyze the Bible as a separate source of faith apart from the Church is to suggest that it dropped down from Heaven as is—but this was not the case at all. [7: Ibid, 1. http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/Sacred%20Hermeneutics.pdf]
Thus, this text is a helpful one for laying a groundwork and basis for understanding of hermeneutics. It provides in a quick, succinct, and bullet-point like way the basic facts about hermeneutics in the modern era. For this reason, however, it does have its weaknesses and drawbacks: it is not a comprehensive explanation of hermeneutics—but to be fair it is not intended to be. It is clearly intended to be an introduction to hermeneutics and in so far as that intention is accomplished the text is sufficient and adequate. In so far as the reader would gain from a more in-depth examination of hermeneutic traditions the text comes up short. Nonetheless it does prepare the way forward for future study. Students who aim to deepen their knowledge of the subject could use this introductory text as a springboard. They could create questions for future exploration and investigation based on this reading, or they could read it and feel that they have a sufficient introductory understanding of the study and be open to experiencing whatever other knowledge comes through the remaining texts that will follow.

Bibliography
Hayes, J., Holladay, C. Biblical Exegesis: a beginner’s handbook. London:
Westminster John Knox Press, 2007.
Goldsworthy, Graeme. Christ-Centered Biblical Theology: Hermeneutical Foundations
and Principles. IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012.
Thomas, Robert L. “Literary Genre and Hermeneutics of the Apocalypse.” Revelation in
the Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary. IL: Moody Press, 1992.
Sacred Hermeneutics, www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/Sacred%20Hermeneutics.pdf
Wellum, Stephen. “Book Review: Christ-Centered Biblical Theology: Hermeneutical
Foundations and Principles, by Graeme Goldsworthy,” 9 Marks, 2012.