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A few years ago, I wrote a post about a cat named Oscar who lived at a nursing home and showed a remarkable ability to predict patients deaths. Oscar gained noterity due to a 2007 essay written by Dr. David Dosa for the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Dosa has now written a book about his experiences with Oscar the cat at this nursing home called “Making Rounds With Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat.” (Hyperion, $23.99). Ray Henry of AP has written a review of this book.
It is of great importance to interpret the Bible in its original historical setting so that it may be interpreted in the proper manner. Ignoring this principle leads to skewing of the text and its meaning. The desire to properly interpret the Scriptures transcends Judaism and Christianity (Klein 23). The dominate means of interpretation during the patristic era was that of allegory (Klein 37).
This method was popular with the early church fathers. This was especially true whenever they turned to the interpretation of Old Testament passages and events. It was their desire to demonstrate the continuity between the Old and New Testaments thus giving their doctrine more gravitas (Klein 37).
Christians today encounter a more secular worldview that is at times hostile to a biblical worldview. It is vital for Christians to know what they believe and why they believe. It is imperative for Christians to know what Scriptures. For this to occur Christians must set aside presuppositions and approach the Bible as it is written (Klein xxv).
Hermeneutics is defined as “the task of explaining the meaning of Scriptures” (Klein 4). From the Greek, this work was used to describe the process of explaining or interpretation. Even everyday communications is not a simple process. Much of this process occurs automatically for humans without conscious knowledge of this process occurring (Klein 4). While hermeneutics has principles and rules like a science, these rules have exemptions. For instance, the phrase “hot dog” has different meanings based on the context in which it is used. If used at a stadium, it could be a yell to a vendor for food or it may be an exclamation at a play in the field. In this case, it becomes an art in understanding the true meaning of the phrase (Klein 5). Therefore, hermeneutics is a strategy to help the reader to fully understand the meaning which the author seeks to convey. It is only logical to assume that writers communicate in order to be understood by their readers. These are true for the writers of the Scriptures (Klein 6).
The ultimate author of Scriptures is the Holy Spirit. Under His direction, the writers were inspired to write the Bible and kept from error by His guidance thus providing a reliable record and revelation of the Creator to His creation. Therefore, it is a presupposition for interpretation that God desired to produce a clear message of His divine will. However, the historical situations under which these writings can create a challenge for applications for daily living. The interpreter has the freedom to interpret the Scriptures but with this freedom comes the great responsibility of ensuring that there are no biases or distortion of the message (Klein 3).
For these reasons, the role of the interpreter must be weighed carefully. Interpretation is a personal matter. Interpreters bring their personal experiences and processes to the work. A phrase may have a different impact upon the interpreter based on their experiences and environments (Klein 7). An Eskimo would understand an illustration using snow more easily than an aborigine in the Outback of Australia. Another consideration with this illustration is that residents of the Lowcountry of South Carolina would have a different understanding due to their limited exposure to snow (Klein 7).
Another factor for the interpreter to consider is that while the biblical text is profitable for all believers, in its original form it was not addressed to the interpreter. For this reason alone, the interpreter must be diligent not to end the hermeneutic process to early and create a faulty interpretation of the text in question (Klein 7). Preunderstanding and presuppositions impact the interpretation of the biblical text and the interpreter must be aware of these to be faithful to the process. An interpreter must know that the concept of value-free and history-free interpretation is a fallacy. For this reason, it is not possible to achieve perfect surgical precision in working with the text (Klein 7). It is not possible to approach hermeneutics in a totally objective fashion (Klein 7). The background of the interpreter as well as the intended audience affects the process. While totally objective interpretation is beyond human grasp, it is possible to use the strategies and tactics provided by hermeneutics to navigate the minefield (Klein 8).
Reference
Klein, W.W.; Blomberg, C.L. & Hubbard, R.L. (2004). Introduction to Biblical
Interpretation. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Our latest issue is online today at BaptistCourier.com.
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The Disaster Relief office of the South Carolina Baptist Convention has set up a relief fund for victims of the Haiti earthquake. Read more BaptistCourier.com or or sign up for our mobile text alerts at baptistcourier.com/textsubsform.page.
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HT: Butch Blume
From the Baptist Courier:
Pastors and suicide
Those who counsel pastors say Christian culture, especially Southern evangelicalism, creates the perfect environment for depression. Pastors suffer in silence, unwilling or unable to seek help or even talk about it. Sometimes they leave the ministry. Occasionally the result is the unthinkable. Read more.
HT: Baptist Courier
Our latest issue is online today at BaptistCourier.com. A Rock Hill pastor receives a nationwide award for his work with people in need. Also, a sobering look at depression and suicide among pastors.
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After reading the articles concerning the attacks at McDonald’s, I find this quote from the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius to be appropriate.
“How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.”
The police in Kansas City, MO. are searching for a woman who vandalized a local McDonald’s because she was unhappy with her hamburger. She demanded a full refund despite the offers to make her another burger. Read more.
In another case, a Ohio woman has been charged with vandalism for punching out a drive-thru window when she was told the restaurant had sold out of McNuggets. Read more.
HT: Chris Forbes (for the link to the video)
It seems these women need a Happy Meal!
