Theological Term of the Week: Biblical Hermeneutics
Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at 2:30AM 
- From scripture:
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV).
- From The Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics:
Article XXV
We affirm the necessity of interpreting the Bible according to its literal, or normal, sense. The literal sense is the grammatical-historical sense, that is, the meaning which the writer expressed. Interpretation according to the literal sense will take account of all figures of speech and literary forms found in the text.
We deny the legitimacy of any approach to Scripture that attributes to it meaning which the literal sense does not support.
Article XVII
We affirm the unity, harmony and consistency of Scripture and declare that it is its own best interpreter.
We deny that Scripture may be interpreted in such a way as to suggest that one passage corrects or militates against another. We deny that later writers of Scripture misinterpreted earlier passages of Scripture when quoting from or referring to them.
- From The Interpretation of Scripture by J. I. Packer:
Scripture yields two basic principles for its own interpretation. The first is that the proper, natural sense of each passage (i.e., the intended sense of the writer) is to be taken as fundamental; the meaning of texts in their own contexts, and for their original readers, is the necessary starting-point for enquiry into their wider significance. In other words, Scripture statements must be interpreted in the light of the rules of grammar and discourse on the one hand, and of their own place in history on the other. This is what we should expect in the nature of the case, seeing that the biblical books originated as occasional documents addressed to contemporary audiences; and it is exemplified in the New Testament exposition of the Old…
The second basic principle of interpretation is that Scripture must interpret Scripture; the scope and significance of one passage is to be brought out by relating it to others. Our Lord gave an example of this when he used Gn. ii.24 to show that Moses’ law of divorce was no more than a temporary concession to human hard-heartedness. The Reformers termed this principle the analogy of Scripture; the Westminster Confession states it thus: “The infallible rule of interpretation of scripture is the scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture, it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.” This is so in the nature of the case, since the various inspired books are dealing with complementary aspects of the same subject. The rule means that we must give ourselves in Bible study to following out the unities, cross-references and topical links which Scripture provides.
Learn more:
- Compelling Truth: Biblical hermeneutics — What is it?
- J. I. Packer: Christians Can Understand the Word of God
- Jared Jeter: What Is Hermeneutics?
- J. I Packer: The Interpretation of Scripture
- D. A. Carson: Must I Learn How to Interpret the Bible?
- J. I. Packer: Hermeneutics and Biblical Authority
- Daniel Wallace: The Holy Spirit and Hermeneutics
Related terms:
- analogy of faith
- authority of scripture
- exegesis
- inerrancy of scripture
- inspiration of scripture
- perspicuity of scripture
- sufficiency of scripture
- textual criticism
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