Origin/Etymology of Hermeneutics (Greek word hermeneuia meaning ‘to translate’ ‘to

interpret’)
The term “hermeneutics” has an interesting etymology. It has its basis in Greek mythology.
According to the Greek mythology, the term “hermeneutics” comes from the Greek messenger
of gods called ‘Hermes’ who functioned as the messenger between gods and humans under the
earth. His task was to explain the decisions of the gods to the humans. He was therefore the
communicator or the link between the one sending the message and the receiver of the message.
Hermaneia, in the English vocabulary thus means interpretation or commentary.

Defining Hermeneutics
While the contemporary use of the term Hermeneutics varies, in Biblical and Theological
context, it refers usually to the theory of text interpretation. Thus, Hermeneutics can be defined
as:
1. “The art of the process of interpretation.” (D.R. Dungan, Hermeneutics, p.1)
Interpretation is an art because of the flexibility of interpretation by the individual
person involved. It is an art because the application of the rules is by skill.” (Bernard
Ramm, Protestant Biblical Interpretation, p.1)
2. “The science of Biblical interpretation. Hermeneutics is a science because it is guided
by rules within a system.” (Bernard Ramm, Protestant Biblical Interpretation, p.1)
Interpretation is a science because it has to follow some rules to prevent “arbitrary”
interpretation of individual.
The traditional meaning of the term “hermeneutics” is relatively simple: the discipline that
deals with principles of interpretation. Some writers like to call it the science of interpretation;
others prefer to speak of the art of interpretation. We could use it to say it is the hermeneutical
explanation, exposition, expression, rendition, or translation of Scriptures or a word in the
Bible.
Biblical Hermeneutics and Exegesis
The terms hermeneutics and exegesis are used interchangeably. Hermeneutics and exegesis are
tools employed by scholars to discover the truths and values of the biblical documents which
are hidden to plain reading. Hermeneutics is a wider discipline which includes written, verbal,
and non-verbal communication. Exegesis focuses primarily upon the word and grammar of
texts. Exegesis implies that the explanation of the text has involved careful, detailed analysis.
We can define exegesis as “the process of getting out of a text what it actually says in its
original setting.” Biblical exegesis is thus a scientific effort to ascertain the meaning of the text;
it is the Word of God understood historically. In exegesis the interpreter or preacher
concentrates on the meaning of the texts as meant for the original readers.
In short, “hermeneutics” is the science of interpretation while “exegesis” is the critical
explanation or interpretation of a text.
Why Biblical Exegesis and Hermeneutics?
It is to be noted that when writers use the word hermeneutics, most frequently what they have
in mind is biblical interpretation. Even when some text is being discussed, the Bible likely lurks
in the background. This observation raises an interesting question. Why should such a
discipline be needed at all? According to Benard L. Rahmm (1967, 100) there is a need for

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Hermeneutics because of the gap that usually “exists between the interpreter and the materials
to be interpreted and rules must be set up to bridge the gap.” The gap may be historical, cultural,
linguistic, geographical/biological and philosophical.
1. There is linguistic gap when the text is originally written in a different language. Since the
Bible is a divine book, and so we require special training to understand it. The Bible itself tells
us that the essential prerequisite for understanding the things of God is having the Spirit of God
(1 Cor. 2:11) and that the Christian, having received the anointing of the Spirit, does not even
need a teacher (1 John 2:27). However, it turns out in fact that we need hermeneutics, not
precisely because the Bible is a divine book, but because in addition to being divine, it is a
human book. Strange though that may sound, but that is what it is. Human language, by its very
nature, is largely equivocal, that is, capable of being understood in more than one way.
Therefore, proper hermeneutics is required in reading and understanding Biblical text. If we
are going to arrive at the correct message of the Bible, we must use a systematic plan or
procedure in our study of it. We must have a method in our approach to Scripture. Lack of
proper hermeneutics can only result in a confused application of the word.
2. Cultural gap is the difference between the cultures of the writer and the recipient. We live
in a special time period with the unique culture and over time people change and so does the
world and the way we interpret things. Different time periods have a different culture and will
interpret texts differently. If interpretation is based on present culture rather than culture of the
author of the text the interpretation will be different from the author’s original intent. We can
read recently published books without hermeneutics because it is in our time here in our culture.
If we were to read a book published thousands of years ago like the Bible, we need
hermeneutics to understand the context and have proper interpretation. In short, good
hermeneutics leads to good interpretation while bad hermeneutics leads to bad interpretation.
Proper hermeneutics and interpretation come from taking into the context of the culture and
time period the text was written in to properly interpret ancient texts we need to take into
consideration the cultural and historical context. Only then can we figure out the author’s
original intent.
3. Historical gap is the separation in time between the author and the reader.
4. The gap is geological/biological if the document originates in a different geographical
region.
5. There is a philosophical gap when there is a difference of attitude toward life and the
universe between the writer and the interpreter of the text. A key point to note is that the Bible
is written for believers but not all Scripture is written to believers. For example, we could look
at the Sabbath laws in the Old Testament (Leviticus, Exodus 35:2) and realize that they were
written for us as an example but not written to us to follow strictly. It would be a little hard
today for Christians to observe the Sabbath because when we drive to church, we are breaking
the commandment to not go more than a mile (approximately) or prepare any food.
Proper hermeneutics is important for interpreting Scripture in relation to contemporary social
and spiritual issues. The primary need of Hermeneutics is to determine and understand the
meaning of Biblical text. The purpose of Hermeneutics is to bridge the gap between our minds
and the minds of the Biblical writers through a thorough knowledge of the original languages,
ancient history and the comparison of Scripture with Scripture. Hermeneutics can help us
understand the original intent of the Scripture, give us a proper interpretation, allow us to
understand it more deeply and thus, apply it to our everyday lives.

[For Classnotes Reference only]