Evangelical exegesis

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The evangelical exegesis of the Bible is a non-self-contained method of Bible interpretation . Most theologians and lay preachers who use this evangelical form of interpretation base themselves on Scripture as the revelation of God.

Hermeneutic basics

The clarification of the understanding of the Bible stands before any exegetical work. The Chicago Declaration is an important document on the principles and methods . However, this confessional document is only adopted by some evangelical theologians. A few key points and a rough overview of the hermeneutical basics are given here.

  • The Bible is first of all the word of God and only secondarily the word of man. Evangelicals, however, generally do not see this as a literal dictation of the Holy Spirit . In their eyes, human writers with their personality and style, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote the biblical texts.
  • The Bible is reliable in all statements concerning man's faith and salvation . All evangelicals agree on this point. Most also see the biblical accounts as essentially historical accounts. The Chicago Declaration also refuses to measure the Bible by standards of truth and error that are alien to its use or purpose. According to the Chicago Declaration, factors such as the lack of modern technical precision, description of nature according to observation, the use of exaggerations or rounded numbers or the use of free quotations do not call into question the inerrancy of the Bible.
  • Non-canonical texts can be of historical interest, but it is strictly refused to place them on the same level as the canonical texts. The canon is seen as part of biblical inspiration and divine foresight: the Church did not determine the canon, she discovered it.
  • The books of the New Testament in a 1567 Bible
    The Old Testament and New Testament are seen as a whole and together, the biblical books complement each other to form an overall statement. Biblical texts are placed in the context of the Bible passage , the biblical book, and the entire Bible and are not interpreted in isolation. In addition to the New Testament, only the Hebrew scriptures, without the deutero-canonical scripts of the Old Testament, are considered canons and binding biblical texts.
  • The evangelical exegesis works in a certain way in a historical-critical way, but rejects procedures that were shaped in particular by the classical historical-critical exegesis , which lead to the text being relativized, considered unhistorical or rejected. On the other hand, there are evangelical theologians, like Craig Blomberg , who use the methods of historical-critical exegesis moderately and, for example, affirm the two-source theory .
  • The biblical texts are not interpreted literally but historically and grammatically. The primary meaning of the text is assumed to be that originally intended by the author, which he wanted to convey to his listeners. This includes a thorough elaboration of the words and grammar used in the original text as well as consideration of the literary form and the cultural context . This primary meaning is the basis for interpretation for the contemporary listener - an interpretation that contradicts the primary meaning of the text will be rejected.
  • The Bible is God's word and thus the ultimate authority on questions of Christian doctrine and ethics . Church creeds and dogmas are seen as summaries of essential biblical statements, but have no authority to interpret the Bible.
  • When dealing with alleged errors and contradictions in the Bible, evangelicals generally assume that they are errors in textual transmission or human interpretation. The inexplicable is traced back to the limits of human knowledge and not to errors in the text. There is no claim to be able to explain all so-called errors or contradictions of the Bible satisfactorily. In terms of inerrancy, evangelicals start from the grammatical-historical statement of the text.
  • The original text is seen as the authoritative Bible text. Therefore, methods and findings of textual criticism are generally accepted and even valued.

“One of the main mistakes in interpretation is provincialism, the belief that the system in which one was trained is the only system. Another mistake is to assume that traditional or familiar interpretations are the only appropriate ones. "

- Bernard Ramm : Biblical Hermeneutics

Basic features of the exegetical procedure

The exegetical procedure is fundamentally similar for the Old and New Testaments, with minor differences resulting from the differences in the texts and the language. The following overview of the procedure is based on the method books The Study of the Old Testament and The Study of the New Testament .

method

1. The text
This includes the translation from the original text, as well as the consideration of text-critical difficulties and variants.
2. Literary analysis
A detailed analysis and examination of grammar, syntax, form, genre, vocabulary and stylistic features.
3. Historical questions
Attempt to classify it in the environment of that time, as well as study the terms taking into account archaeological sciences.
4. Theological interpretation
Recording of the theological statements of the text and classification in the overall biblical context (reference AT-NT or NT-AT), the history of tradition and systematic theology.
5. Hermeneutic relevance
The link to practical theology: what does the text have to say today and how can it be used homiletically ?

literature

See also

swell

  1. ↑ a b c Chicago Declaration on the Inerrancy of the Bible
  2. ↑ Norman Geisler: Bible, Canonicity of in Baker, Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics :
  3. ↑ Christopher Seitz: Canon in Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible
  4. ↑ Klyne Snodgrass: Exegesis in Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible
  5. ^ Baker, Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics: Bible, Alleged Errors in
  6. ^ Peter M. Rodgers: Textual Criticism: Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible
  7. ↑ Bernhard Ramm : Biblical Hermeneutics . 1st edition. International Correspondence Institute - Deutsches Büro, Asslar 1991, ISBN 3-923924-29-1 , p. 37 (English: Protestant Biblical Interpretation .).