
/Pharisees-And-Adulteress-Woman1324x969-58b5c85b5f9b586046cae461.jpg)
Victor (1097–1141) accentuated the literal hermeneutic but also stressed that interpretation should agree with the view held by the church. In line with the allegorical method, Thomas Aquinas (1225–74), a prominent voice for the Roman Catholic Church, recognized meaning both in the words of Scripture but also in the objects of Scripture. 10ĭuring the Middle Ages both schools of thought had representatives. 360–435) put this fourfold approach into poetry, which can be translated as follows:



8 Augustine (354–430) contributed to the hermeneutical debate with his fourfold method of interpretation. Interpreters from the school of Antioch of Syria championed the literal method but also employed typology, in which one component in the Old Testament foreshadowed its greater reality in the New Testament. The literal method also had its adherents during this period. 6 Although he recognized the literal, moral, and allegorical meanings of Scripture, Origen believed that the allegorical was the most prominent. Each of these layers demonstrated the increased maturity of the believer. 5 He thought Scripture had three layers, similar to an individual’s three-part existence of body, soul, and spirit. He recognized that the Bible often contained difficult or obscure passages and, therefore, sought for meaning on a secondary or lower level. 185–254) is a key figure in the history of the allegorical method. In the debate between these two interpretative systems, Origen (ca. The “spiritual reference” to these birds of prey was that the Israelites should not unite with human thieves. An allegorical interpretation recognized this prohibition, but held that there was a “spiritual reference” as well. Examples of animals that were not to be eaten were the swine (v. 7), the eagle (v. 13), and the raven (v. 15). A literal interpretation is that Moses prescribed positive and negative food laws. 3 In Leviticus 11:7–15, Moses prescribed the food laws for Israel, in which he listed a number of animals that Israel could and could not eat. A literal interpretation is that Moses described a physical garden and rivers, but an allegorical interpretation is that the river of Eden signified goodness, Eden signified wisdom, and the four rivers signified four character qualities. In Genesis 2:10–14, Moses recorded that a river left the Garden of Eden and formed four rivers, which he named and then gave additional details concerning them. The following two passages demonstrate the difference between these two hermeneutical systems. According to Roy Zuck, “Allegorizing is searching for a hidden or a secret meaning underlying but remote from and unrelated in reality to the more obvious meaning of a text.” 2 In this normal or plain interpretation, the Bible is best allowed to speak for itself.” 1 An allegorical method seeks to understand the words of the passage in a deeper, more obscure way it searches for the spiritual meaning that is beyond the intent of the author. According to Rolland McCune, “In this method, interpretation consists in finding the meaning of words according to grammar, syntax, and cultural setting and in correlation with the rest of Scripture. This method searches for the intended meaning of the Biblical author. A literal method seeks to understand the words of the passage in their normal, natural, and customary meaning within the context. One is the grammatical-historical or literal method, and the other is the allegorical method. Throughout the history of the church, there have been primarily two competing schools of thought on the proper method of interpretation. The purpose of this article is to discuss the grammatical-historical hermeneutic (1) by distinguishing it from the allegorical hermeneutic, (2) by tracing the history of those two methods up to the Reformation, and (3) by explaining the basic principles of the grammatical-historical method. Biblical fundamentalists should be committed to an accurate understanding of God’s Word, and this understanding begins with accurate hermeneutics. If individuals follow these rules for communication, how much more significant is the practice of attempting to understand correctly what God has recorded for them in His Word? This attempt at accurate comprehension is the study of interpretation, also known as hermeneutics. Both individuals must follow some basic principles for communication to occur: the communicator must express the message clearly, and the recipient must understand the communicator’s meaning in its context. Cole, ThDĬommunication involves at least two parties in its process: the communicator who delivers the message and the recipient.
Strife definition bible pdf#
Faith Pulpit PDF The Grammatical-Historical Hermeneutic Alan D.
