GRAMMAR SCRIPTURE

The historical-grammatical method is a Christian hermeneutical method that strives to discover

the Biblical authors' original intended meaning in the text.It is the primary method of
interpretation for many conservative Protestant exegetes who reject the historical-critical method
to various degrees (from the complete rejection of historical criticism of some fundamentalist
Protestants to the moderated acceptance of it in the Roman Catholic tradition since Pope Pius
XII), in contrast to the overwhelming reliance on historical-critical interpretation, often to the
exclusion of all other hermeneutics, in liberal Christianity.

The Orthodox Church primarily employs a spiritual, allegorizing hermeneutic heavily dependent
on typological connections drawn by New Testament writers and the church fathers of the first
several centuries of Christianity.The Roman Catholic Church displaces hermeneutic into an
overall celebration/acceptance of its own magisterium, and individual Catholics range from
conservative in their interpretation to full acceptance of higher criticism. The process for
determining the original meaning of the text is through examination of the grammatical and
syntactical aspects, the historical background, the literary genre as well as theological (canonical)
considerations.The historical-grammatical method distinguishes between the one original
meaning of the text and its significance. The significance of the text is essentially the application
or contextualization of the principles from text.

The aim of the historical-grammatical method is to discover the meaning of the passage as the
original author would have intended and what the original hearers would have understood. The
original passage is seen as having only a single meaning or sense. As Milton S. Terry said, "A
fundamental principle in grammatico-historical exposition is that the words and sentences can
have but one significance in one and the same connection. The moment we neglect this principle
we drift out upon a sea of uncertainty and conjecture.

Many practice the historical-grammatical method using the inductive method, a general three-
fold approach to the text: observation, interpretation, and application.Each step builds upon the
other, which follows in order. The first step of observation involves an examination of words,
structure, structural relationships and literary forms. After observations are formed, then the
second step of interpretation involves asking interpretative questions, formulating answers to
those questions, integration and summarization of the passage. After the meaning is derived
through interpretation, the third step of application involves determining both the theoretical and
practical significance of the text and appropriately applying this significance to today's modern
context. There is also a heavy emphasis on personal application that extends into all aspects of
the practitioner's life. Theologian Robert Traina, in his 1952 Methodical Bible Study, wrote that
"the applicatory step is that for which all else exists. It represents the final purpose of Bible
study.
Technically speaking, the grammatical-historical method of interpretation is distinct from the
determination of the passage's significance in light of that interpretation. Together, interpretation
of the passage and determining the meaning define the term "hermeneutics.

Biblical Hermeneutics

(vocabulary)

Christian biblical hermeneutics

Until the Enlightenment, Biblical hermeneutics was usually seen as a form of special
hermeneutics (like legal hermeneutics); the status of scripture was thought to necessitate a
particular form of understanding and interpretation.

In the nineteenth century it became increasingly common to read Scripture just like any other
writing, although the different interpretations were often disputed. Friedrich Schleiermacher
argued against a distinction between "general" and "special" hermeneutics, and for a general
theory of hermeneutics applicable to all texts, including the Bible. Various methods of higher
criticism sought to understand the Bible purely as a human, historical document.

The concept of hermeneutics has acquired at least two different but related meanings which are
in use today. Firstly, in the older sense, Biblical hermeneutics may be understood as the
theological principles of exegesis which is often virtually synonymous with 'principles of biblical
interpretation' or methodology of Biblical exegesis. Secondly, the more recent development is to
understand the term 'Biblical hermeneutics' as the broader philosophy and linguistic
underpinnings of interpretation. The question is posed: "How is understanding possible?" The
rationale of this approach is that, while Scripture is "more than just an ordinary text," it is
certainly "no less than an ordinary text." Scripture is in the first analysis "text" which human
beings try to understand; in this sense, the principles of understanding any text apply to the Bible
as well (regardless of whatever other additional, specifically theological principles are
considered).

In this second sense, all aspects of philosophical and linguistic hermeneutics are considered to be
applicable to the Biblical texts, as well. There are obvious examples of this in the links between
20th-century philosophy and Christian theology. For example, Rudolf Bultmann's hermeneutical
approach was strongly influenced by existentialism, and in particular by the philosophy of
Martin Heidegger; and since the 1970s, the philosophical hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer
have had a wide-ranging influence on Biblical hermeneutics as developed by a wide range of
Christian theologians. The French-American philosopher René Girard follows a similar trail.
Techniques of hermeneutics

In the interpretation of a text, hermeneutics considers the original medium as well as what
language says, supposes, doesn't say, and implies. The process consists of several steps for best
attaining the Scriptural author's intended meaning(s). One such process is taught by Henry A
Virkler, in Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation (1981):

Lexical-syntactical analysis: This step looks at the words used and the way the words are used.
Different order of the sentence, the punctuation, the tense of the verse are all aspects that are
looked at in the lexical syntactical method. Here, lexicons and grammar aids can help in
extracting meaning from the text.

Historical/cultural analysis: The history and culture surrounding the authors is important to
understand to aid in interpretation. For instance, understanding the Jewish sects of the Palestine
and the government that ruled Palestine in New Testament times increases understanding of
Scripture. And, understanding the connotations of positions such as the High Priest and that of
the tax collector helps us know what others thought of the people holding these positions.

Contextual analysis: A verse out of context can often be taken to mean something completely
different from the intention. This method focuses on the importance of looking at the context of a
verse in its chapter, book and even biblical context.

Theological analysis: It is often said that a single verse usually doesn't make a theology. This is
because Scripture often touches on issues in several books. For instance, gifts of the Spirit are
spoken about in Romans, Ephesians and 1 Corinthians. To take a verse from Corinthians without
taking into account other passages that deal with the same topic can cause a poor interpretation.

Special literary analysis: There are several special literary aspects to look at, but the overarching
theme is that each genre of Scripture has a different set of rules that applies to it. Of the genres
found in Scripture, there are: narratives, histories, prophecies, apocalyptic writings, poetry,
psalms and letters. In these, there are differing levels of allegory, figurative language, metaphors,
similes and literal language. For instance, the apocalyptic writings and poetry have more
figurative and allegorical language than does the narrative or historical writing. These must be
addressed, and the genre recognized to gain a full understanding of the intended meaning.

Howard Hendricks, longtime professor of hermeneutics at Dallas Theological Seminary, set out
the method of observing the text, interpreting the text, applying the text in his book, Living By
the Book. Other major Christian teachers, such as Charles R. (Chuck) Swindoll, who wrote the
foreword, Kay Arthur and David Jeremiah have based their hermeneutics on the principles
Howard teaches.
In his book God Centered Biblical Interpretation (1999), Vern S. Poythress, Professor of New
Testament Interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, presented a
hermeneutical technique based on the pattern of "speaker, discourse, and hearer".[13] According
to Poythress, the study of the Bible must acknowledge all three aspects: God as the speaker, the
Bible as His speech, and the people to whom He speaks. Thus, context plays a primary role in
Poythress's study of Biblical teachings. He lists three general concepts to understand about any
passage of Scripture:

Original time and context: This includes the personal perspective of the writer, the normative
perspective of the text itself, and the situational perspective of the original audience.

Transmission and its context: Understanding the transmission of Scripture includes

contemplating the message being sent through the text, taking into account the concerns of
individual writers/translators as well as its broader role in the unraveling narrative of history.

Modern context: Poythress calls interpreters to understand Scripture as "what God is saying
now" to the individual as well as to the modern church.David L. Barr states there are three
obstacles that stand in the way of correctly interpreting the biblical writings: We speak a
different language, we live approximately two millennia later, and we bring different
expectations to the text.[15] Additionally, Barr suggests that we approach the reading of the
Bible with significantly different literary expectations than those in reading other forms of
literature and writing.

Roman Catholic principles of hermeneutics[edit]

See also: Roman Catholic theology of Scripture

The Catholic Encyclopedia lists a number of principles guiding Roman Catholic hermeneutics in
the article on Exegesis (note: the Catholic Encyclopedia was written in 1917 and does not reflect
the changes set forth by the encyclical Divino afflante Spiritu published by Pius XII in 1943,
which opened modern Catholic Biblical scholarship) :

Historico-grammatical interpretation - The meaning of the literary expression of the Bible is best
learned by a thorough knowledge of the languages in which the original text of Scripture was
written, and by acquaintance with the Scriptural way of speaking, including the various customs,
laws, habits and national prejudices which influenced the inspired writers as they composed their
respective books. John Paul II said that: "A second conclusion is that the very nature of biblical
texts means that interpreting them will require continued use of the historical-critical method, at
least in its principal procedures. The Bible, in effect, does not present itself as a direct revelation
of timeless truths but as the written testimony to a series of interventions in which God reveals
himself in human history. In a way that differs from tenets of other religions [such as Islam, for
instance], the message of the Bible is solidly grounded in history.

Catholic interpretation - Because the Catholic Church is, according to Catholics, the official
custodian and interpreter of the Bible, Catholicism's teaching concerning the Sacred Scriptures
and their genuine sense must be the supreme guide of the commentator. The Catholic
commentator is bound to adhere to the interpretation of texts which the Church has defined either
expressly or implicitly.

Reverence - Since the Bible is God's own book, its study must be begun and prosecuted with a
spirit of reverence and prayer.

Inerrancy - Since God is the principal Author of Sacred Scripture, it can be claimed to contain no
error, no self-contradiction, nothing contrary to scientific or historical truth (when the original
authors intended historical or scientific truth to be portrayed). Minor contradictions are due to
copyist errors in the codex or the translation. Catholics believe the Scripture is God's message
put in words by men, with the imperfections this very fact necessarily implies. Catholic
hermeneutics strongly supports inerrancy when it comes to principles but not, for example, when
dealing with Evangelists' orthographic mistakes. According to Pope John Paul II, "Addressing
men and women, from the beginnings of the Old Testament onward, God made use of all the
possibilities of human language, while at the same time accepting that his word be subject to the
constraints caused by the limitations of this language. Proper respect for inspired Scripture
requires undertaking all the labors necessary to gain a thorough grasp of its meaning.

Patristics - The Holy Fathers are of supreme authority whenever they all interpret in one and the
same manner any text of the Bible, as pertaining to the doctrine of faith or morals; for their
unanimity clearly evinces that such interpretation has come down from the Apostles as a matter
of Catholic faith.

Pope Benedict XVI has indicated in Verbum Domini, the post-synodal apostolic exhortation on
the Word of God, that "Christianity...perceives in the words the Word himself, the Logos who
displays his mystery through this complexity and the reality of human history". He encourages a
“faith-filled interpretation of Sacred Scripture”. He emphasizes that this manner of interpretation,
“practiced from antiquity within the Church’s Tradition...recognizes the historical value of the
biblical tradition". It "seeks to discover the living meaning of the Sacred Scriptures for the lives
of believers today while not ignoring the human mediation of the inspired text and its literary
genres". Verbum Domini #44.