I should know how to answer this question. It is after all the topic of my dissertation. But, the question is not easy to answer. Much has been written on interpretation in general and even on interpretation of the Bible. And, I suppose if I am going to get a firmer grip on theological interpretation then I will want to explore some of those conversations. When we put “theological” in front of interpretation, however, it seems to me that we are implying an extra set of assumptions and therefore an extra level of complexity. Add to this complexity a sacred text and we are now dealing with a growing hermeneutical web. This is not a general interpretation of just any text; it is the theological interpretation of scripture, our scripture. So the question asked in the title is more complex than it first appears. We have, in asking the question, added two crucial topics to the conversation. We must explore what it is that makes theological interpretation theological. Before that, however, we must explore the very nature of the bible as scripture. What implications for interpretation are there when we understand the texts to be sacred? I think the question of scripture needs to be at the center of my reflections at first.
What is theological interpretation of scripture?: A complex question
March 24th, 2006 · No Comments
theological interpretation
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