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Methods in interpretation

Methods in Biblical interpretation

Introduction

Biblical literature: The critical study of biblical literature: exegesis and hermeneutics

Exegesis, or critical interpretation, and hermeneutics, or the science of interpretive... The sacred

status of the Bible in Judaism and Christianity rests upon the conviction that it is a receptacle of

divine revelation. This understanding of the Bible as the word of God, however, has not

generated one uniform hermeneutical principle for its interpretation. Some persons have argued

that the interpretation of the Bible must always be literal because the word of God is explicit and

complete; others have insisted that the biblical words must always have a deeper “spiritual”

meaning because God’s message and truth is self-evidently profound. Still others have

maintained that some parts of the Bible must be treated literally and some figuratively. In the

history of biblical interpretation, four major types of hermeneutics have emerged: the literal,

moral, allegorical, and anagogical.

Literal Biblical Method

Literal interpretation asserts that a biblical text is to be interpreted according to the “plain

meaning” conveyed by its grammatical construction and historical context. The literal meaning is

held to correspond to the intention of the authors. For Aquinas, “the literal meaning of the Bible

is what God, its ultimate author, intends the words to mean. The literal sense of the text includes

metaphors, similes, and other figures of speech useful to accommodate the truth of the Bible to

the understanding of its readers”. This type of hermeneutics is often, but not necessarily,
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associated with belief in the verbal inspiration of the Bible, according to which the individual

words of the divine message were divinely chosen. Extreme forms of this view are criticized on

the ground that they do not account adequately for the evident individuality of style and

vocabulary found in the various biblical authors. St. Jerome, an influential 4th-century biblical

scholar, championed the literal interpretation of the Bible in opposition to what he regarded as

the excesses of allegorical interpretation. The primacy of the literal sense was later advocated by

such diverse figures as St. Thomas Aquinas, Nicholas of Lyra, John Colet, Martin Luther, and

John Calvin.

Summary

Literal interpretation therefore, asserts that a biblical text is to be interpreted according to

the “plain meaning” conveyed by its grammatical construction and historical context. The literal

meaning is held to correspond to the intention of the authors.

Conclusion

In reading the bible literally, the goal is to get at the plain sense of the text. Scripture is

divinely inspired and contains the content we need to know for salvation. When God revealed

himself, he made use of well-known genres and languages to give us his word.

Reference
T. Aquinas, www.catholiceducation.org/en/science/faith-and-science/creation-evolution-and
 Gorman, M. J. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. 3rd
edition. Hendrickson, 2020.

 Hayes, John H. and Carl R. Holladay. Biblical Exegesis: A Beginner's Handbook. 4th edition.
Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2022.

Varughese, A. (Ed.). (2003). Discovering the Old Testament. Story and Faith. Beacon Hill Press
of Kansas City.
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Varughese, A. (Ed.). (2005). Discovering the New Testament. Community and Faith. Beacon
Hill Press of Kansas City.