圣经研究3——他赐给我们圣经: 解释圣经的基础 HGB——第一课   圣经释经学介绍

目录

一、介绍

二、术语

圣经释经学

释经过程

预备

查考

应用

三、科学导向释经法

圣经根据

释经过程

预备

查考

应用

四、尊崇导向释经法

圣经根据

释经过程

预备

查考

应用

五、结论

一、介绍

我们大家都知道，小孩子经常以为自己比实际知道的要多得多很多，他们看着妈妈煮饭，帮一点点忙，然后就以为已经可以自己煮饭。他们看父亲干活，他们学着玩 一次或两次，然后以为自己知道爸爸知道的一切。但真到他们做时，孩子们通常会发现，他们还有许多比他们想象的多得多的事情要学。

不幸的是，成年人通常也犯同样错误，甚至在像解释《圣经》这样重要的事情上，情况也是如此。我们大部分人都经常读《圣经》，我们一些人读经已经很多年，所以我们经 常认定，我们对解释《圣经》已经认识得够多，只管拿起《圣经》解释就行了。但是，解释《圣经》是属于那一种貌似简单，实际上却是十分复杂的事情。当我们花时间认真思想 解释《圣经》所涉及的方方面面，我们常常会发现，我们还有许多比自己想象的多得多的事情要学。

这是《他赐给我们圣经：释经的基础》这系列的第一课。我们在这个系列里要探索在解释《圣经》方面几种至关重要的观点，寻找提高我们理解《圣经》能力的方法。我们把这一课的题目定为「圣经释经学介绍」。这一课要介绍一种基本框架，帮助我们纯正和专业地解释《圣经》。

「圣经释经学介绍」这一课要分成三大部分。首先，我们要介绍一些重要的术语，了解我们这个主题的大致方向。第二，我们要探索科学导向释经法，也就是学术性解释 《圣经》的方法。第三，我们要看与传统专业学术方法结合使用的尊崇导向释经法的价值。让我们首先来看一些重要的术语。

二、术语

在任何讨论中，误解关键术语都会带来极大混乱。所以，我们要为我们的学习引入一些术语。首先，我们要谈一谈《圣经》释经学是什么意思。第二，我们要看三个释经过程。让我们首先来看《圣经》释经学这个概念。

圣经释经学

「诠释学」这个词是神学和《圣经》研究中一个常用说法，但在日常生活里使用得并不普遍。讲英文的人，很多人会留意到「诠释学」这个英文单词出自于一族希腊文说法，这些说法包含有「赫耳墨斯」这个词，这是一个神话人物，他是诸神的信使。这词本身出于一族希腊文单词，与ἑρμηνεύω （/ hermēneúō /） 这个动词有关，意思是「诠释」或「解释」 。所以广泛来说，当我们讲到诠释的时候，我们想到的是对某种信息或沟通所作的解释或诠释。

生活于1768年到1834年之间的施莱尔马赫，常被人称为是现代诠释学之父。他在1819年讲到，人需要一种「普遍的诠释学」，一种用来认识所有文学一 种统一的理论。他承认我们应该按照不同题目各自特别的解释方法来研究这些问题，但他论证说，所有的解释都应有一种共同的解释方法。

到了二十世纪结束的时候，主要的学者看到人需要有一种普遍的诠释学，因为解释的过程，已经成为许多研究领域的一个重要方面，今天对解释的讨论，出现在哲 学、文学和艺术领域。诠释学也在心理学、社会学，甚至像物理学和生物学这样的领域发挥作用。这种扩展发生，是因为这些领域许多主要的研究人员，已经越来越 清楚知道，他们的学科与他们研究对象的含义的解释，这两者有非常重要的关系。

正如这一课标题表明的那样，我们主要感兴趣的是《圣经》释经学，解释《圣经》意思和含义的学问。如果你读过《圣经》，那你就已经参与到《圣经》释经学的当中，至少是非正式 参与到这当中。非正式的研究《圣经》方法具有极大价值。我们这些课程要建立在我们大多数人已经认识到的事情基础之上。但我们也要超越非正式释经学的范畴，去探 索那些朝学术专业解释《圣经》这前沿发展的问题。

区分和比较一般诠释学和《圣经》释经学，这对我们会很 有帮助。《圣经》与一般诠释学有共通之处，比如一个动词的含义是什么？修辞手法是什么？什么是文法、句法等等，一位作者写下一番话的时候，我们怎么确定这位作 者的意思？但是有一些具体的原则，是与《圣经》释经学主要相关，因为《圣经》宣告是   上帝的话语，这样它就是有权威的，它向我们启示   上帝。因为   上帝为一，   上帝就是真 理，《圣经》从来不会自相矛盾，所以《圣经》释经学的一个独特的具体方面，就是我们尝试要把《圣经》所有的资料联系起来，这样做的时候，我们有一个认定，就是这些资料 不会彼此矛盾，而是它们都在说，既有   上帝启示的多样性，但也说《圣经》本身所讲的是一致的。

——麦克尔•葛罗道牧师

记住我们所说的《圣经》释经学的意思，我们就来看第二个重要术语，释经过程，就是我们解释《圣经》时应当遵循的主要过程。

释经过程

贯穿这整个系列，我们要讲到三个主要释经过程：预备，查考和应用。这些过程对于解释《圣经》来说如此至关重要，以致本系列的每一课，都是属于这三个范畴的其中一种。让我们首先来看预备。

预备

在我们开始解释一部分《圣经》之前，预备这个解释过程已经发生。当然这意味着，我们反复预备，因为我们是一次又一次研读《圣经》。在一种非常重要的意义上，预备是 不能省略的，因为没有一个人会像一张白纸一样来读《圣经》。我们来读《圣经》的时候，都会受到各种观念、行为和情感组合的影响。无论我们是否意识到这一点，每次我 们开始读《圣经》的时候，很多影响已经预备了我们去正确看待《圣经》，但也有其他影响，会成为障碍，拦阻我们去正确解释《圣经》。出于这个原因，这几课会特别关注我们 如何尽可能预备好自己，使我们能解释《圣经》。

要学习《圣经》，我们要做，或者应该去做很多事情来预备自己。研究《圣经》是一项 艰巨的任务。有一些细节是我们需要查考的，有许多许多细节，是我们既是在查经过程中，也是在聆听   上帝的圣灵对我们说话时需要记住的。我们也需要有好的工具 来做预备。我们需要有其他人写的好的资料来进行预备，我们需要通过祷告，让圣灵在我们生命中自由动工来做预备。你要聆听   上帝的声音，听   上帝对你自己生命所 说的话，然后也把这话传递给其他人。

——司提反•布莱默博士

除了预备这个释经过程，我们也要探索查考这个过程。我们讲到查考的时候，是指关注一段《圣经》经文的原本含义。

查考

基本来说，我们查考《圣经》的时候，就是要尽我们所能，把我们这个现代世界抛在身后，把握住所读《圣经》那部分一开始写成时的含义。在查考过程中，我们关注   上帝和 《圣经》的人类作者要表达的原本含义，关注《圣经》文本本身，关注《圣经》第一批受众。在很多方面，每次我们读《圣经》，都不可避免要在某种程度上面对原本含义这个问题。

例如，如果我们按照原文来探索《圣经》，就要考虑古代希伯来文、亚兰文和希腊文文本的语言模式。即使我们依靠《圣经》的现代译本，这译本也是建立在对《圣经》用词古代 的含义和文法表达的评价之上。在这些和很多其他方面，一段《圣经》经文的原本含义，对于解释来说就总是至关重要。所以我们也必须非常关注查考这个过程。

释经过程不仅包括预备和查考，也包括应用这个过程。

应用

简单来说，应用就是合宜地把的原本含义与当代听众联系起来。一旦我们明白了原本含义，我们就好像进行时间旅行一样，通过几千年的时间，进入我们现代的处境，应用时我们是在思考，《圣经》可以用什么方法应用在我们这些   上帝的子民身上。

和其他释经过程一样，要完全回避应用，这是不可能的。就算我们只对一段《圣经》经文获取肤浅的认识，我们仍然是在某种程度上把它应用到我们的思维里面。当然《圣经》警告我们不要假冒为善，理解《圣经》却不遵行。所以我们在这系列里要大量关注刻意和彻底应用《圣经》这个问题。

我们学习这些课程的时候，就会发现预备、查考和应用，是高度互相依存的过程。只有在其他两个过程方面做得好，我们才能在一个过程里做得好，当然，每一个人 都有不同的倾向和能力，结果就是，我们会倾向只强调这些过程的其中一两种。但是预备、查考和应用的互相依存关系，提醒我们需要在所有这三方面培养我们的技 能。

我们在《圣经》释经学介绍部分已经解释了一些重要术语，现在就应当来看第二个主要话题：科学导向释经法——《圣经》学者，如何在过去几个世纪的时间里，越来越像进行科学研究一样来解释《圣经》。

三、科学导向释经法

无论程度如何，当代的《圣经》释经学总是会带有一些现代科学的味道，这种倾向在过去一千年间，就像在许多其他学科方面一样不断加强。出现这些发展的原因相 当清楚。《圣经》是由生活在几千年前的人写成，所以在很多方面，我们可以像对待古代世界其他作品一样来看待《圣经》，这样做是有道理的。正如学者已经按照《圣经》的历 史背景来查考《圣经》，他们也经常从科学领域，比如考古学、历史学、人类学、社会学和语言学方面吸取帮助。在这些和其他科学工作方面，对《圣经》进行学术解释的 人，已经应用了事实或理性、科学的方法来看待《圣经》。

要明白我们所说的是什么意思，我们就要触及三个与科学导向释经法相关的问题，首先，我们要指出这种方法的合理性，留意它的《圣经》根据。第二，我们要提一些历 史上的例子，说明这种释经的发展。第三，我们要来看这种研究《圣经》的方法，是如何为解释的过程建立了某些优先次序。让我们首先来看看科学释经法的《圣经》根据。

圣经根据

生活在《圣经》时代的人并不是当代的科学家，但这并不意味着他们是没有理智，或不讲情理的人。相反，他们精致的建筑成就，广泛的航海旅行，创新的农业项目和数 不尽的其他文化成就，都证明了生活在《圣经》时代的人，和现代科学家的做法非常相似，都是讲事实，用理性来思考世界的问题。

出于这个原因，《圣经》作者本人，经常按照事实和逻辑分析的方向来解释其他经文，这就不应当让我们感到惊奇了。为着时间的缘故，让我们只选一处经文来举例说明我们的意思。

经上说什么呢？说：「亚伯拉罕信   上帝，这就算为他的义。」做工的得工价，不算恩典，乃是该得的；惟有不做工的，只信称罪人为义的   上帝，他的信就算为义。（罗马书4章3-5节）

保罗在这段经文引用了创世记15章6节，在当中   上帝因亚伯拉罕相信他的应许而就「算」他为义。但请注意保罗是怎样使用方法来论述这段旧约《圣经》经文的。保罗在4和5节仔细分析了「算」这个词（希腊文λογίζομαι / logízomai /） 的含义。他论证说，「做工的得工价，不算恩典，乃是该得的。」然后他指出，任何信靠   上帝的人，他们的「信」——而不是行为——就被「算为义」。所以他根据这论证得出结论，创世记15章第6节表明，亚伯拉罕因着信，就得着义这白白的恩赐。我们在此不难看出，使徒保罗使用非常细致的事实和逻辑分析来处理创世记第15章。

正如这例子说明的那样，《圣经》作者一次又一次呈现出这种对《圣经》的仔细解释，他们看待《圣经》的方法表明，科学释经的方法是牢牢扎根在《圣经》本身之上的。

明白了科学释经的《圣经》根据，让我们就来简单看一看这种《圣经》解释在历史上的例子。

例子

在教父时期，其中一位在《圣经》解释方面最有影响力的人物，就是生活在主后185年到254年之间亚历山大的俄利根。我们在这一课后半部分会看到，俄利根远远偏离了科学释经的范围，虽然如此，仍然让自己全人投入到对《圣经》的严谨事实和理性分析之中。例如，俄利根其中一样最伟大的成就，就是写成了《圣经六版本合参》，据记载这是一本六千页的著作，全书超过五十卷，俄利根逐个单词比较了旧约《圣经》不同的希伯来文和希腊文版本。虽然这部作品在几个世纪之后失传，但它仍是初期教会历史上科学解释《圣经》的一个非常突出例子。

俄利根之后还出现了发展科学解释《圣经》方法的其他出名例子。比如希坡的奥古斯丁，他生活在主后354年到430年间，继续关注严谨、常常是花费极大功夫的对 《圣经》事实和理性的分析。到了生活在大约1225年到1274年之间的托马斯•阿奎那亚里士多德理性科学理念的影响。阿奎那和跟从他的人，把周密的实证和逻辑分析应用在对《圣经》的解释上。

不幸的是，到了教会历史这个阶段，人识字的比例非常低，《圣经》和其他书籍不是人人都可以得到。所以只有有特权的少数人才能实际研究《圣经》。结果就是，教会当局 控制了一般人明白《圣经》的方法。但是即使在这样的背景之下，许多学者仍然摆脱教会的控制，开始通过更周密的科学分析方法来解释《圣经》。

朝这方向发展的其中一个最初步骤，是发生文艺复兴时期。在1204年第四次十字军东征攻占君士坦丁堡之后，储存在那里的许多经典著作和《圣经》文稿被带到西方。但文艺复兴时期的学者，不是通过教会信条的角度来解释这些古代文本的意义，而是让他们全身投入，仔细分析它们的文法和古代历史背景，以此理解这些文本。随着欧洲活字版印刷机在古登堡大约1450年左右的发明，很快文艺复兴时期的研究成果就变得广为流传，结果就是，富有影响力的人物，比如生活在1466年到1536年间的伊拉斯谟，带领许多同时代的人，朝着越来越科学解释《圣经》的方向前进。

十六世纪的更正教改革，把科学释经法更向前推进。跟随文艺复兴的道路，早期更正教领袖，比如马丁•路德、慈运理和约翰•加尔文，强烈反对教会使用信条来控制对《圣经》的解释。他们而是强调，《圣经》的意思应当通过分析《圣经》的文法和历史背景来加以决定。

很重要的就是要记住，早期的更正教人士，把对此的强调与现在广为人知的Sola Scriptura ，「唯独《圣经》」这教义结合在一起。更正教人士认识到《圣经》是唯一不可置疑的权威，是用来判断所有其他权威的最高权威。这种坚持《圣经》具有至高权威的做法，意味 着唯一能无误解释《圣经》的，就是《圣经》本身。所以，对于初期更正教人士来说，没有什么是比通过按照《圣经》古代的历史背景，细致、理性分析它的文法来得更重要的。

十七、十八世纪发生在西欧的启蒙运动，推动科学释经法更进一步，强调使用现代的、事实和理性的科学标准，判断所有宣称是真理的事情，包括《圣经》的宣告。《圣经》学者和地理学家、考古学家和其他现代科学家相似，仔细把科学标准应用在对《圣经》的研究上。

这种研究《圣经》的方法，在过去几个世纪里已经有几种不同的发展，但现代《圣经》学者或多或少都是遵循两种主要路径。一方面，在主要的学术机构里，大多数解释《圣经》 的人，遵循的是一种常被称为批判性 《圣经》研究的方向。广义来说，批判性的《圣经》学者，就是那些拒绝更正教唯独《圣经》教义，认为只有理性和科学分析才是分辨真理的最高标准的人。一般来说，批判性的 解经家得出结论，认为《圣经》代表的是古代、原始和不可靠的对人、对   上帝和世界的看法。根据这种观点，现代人可以在某些方面从《圣经》得到益处，但所有关于《圣经》的 判断，都必须依靠科学调查，而不是《圣经》的教导。

另一方面，其他专家遵循一种我们可以称为当代福音派 《圣经》学术研究的道路。福音派的学者断言，《圣经》是在信仰和生活方面唯一无可置疑的标准。他们并不拒绝用事实和理性的科学反思来查考《圣经》—— 他们能完全接受严格使用科学分析来查考《圣经》——但是当这样的分析清楚地与《圣经》本身的教导相互矛盾时，福音派的学者就愿全心地顺服《圣经》，以《圣经》作为他们的权威。贯穿这些课程，我们会看到本系列是遵循福音派的道路。

顺服《圣经》的权威，这对一个基督徒，特别是对一个更正教基督徒来说非常重要。真正的权威，是促成人产生认同 的权柄与能力，而《圣经》是独特地有资格作基督徒人生的权威。其中一个原因，就是《圣经》包含着智慧和洞见，是我们在《圣经》以外无法得到的。这就是为什么《圣经》被称为 启示的原因。另一个原因，就是虽然在很多地方都有真理，但体现在《圣经》中的真理，在写作和最终形式上，都是得到   上帝超自然的监督，以致拥有一种可靠和无谬的 程度，是我们在这世界可以得到的所有真理来源都无法与之比拟的。我们都知道，《圣经》拥有这种独特的可靠性、无缪性（无缪性就是不可能有谬误），是因为《圣经》是   上帝所呼出默示的，是   上帝的话语，所以我们讲《圣经》的权威时，我们实际上是在讲   上帝的权威。所以顺服《圣经》，就是承认我们是受造的人，我们是从   上帝而出，依赖   上帝而存在的人。这是一个悖论所在：这种顺服并不是贬低我们，或者使我们能力更少，反而实际上是我们可能得到的最大能力的事，因为它使我们走在真理的方向 上，使我们稳步走在通往生命和兴盛的道路上。

——戈兰•斯高靳博士

在讲了科学释经法的《圣经》根据，看了一些历史上的例子之后，我们现在要来看第三个问题：这种解释《圣经》方法的优先次序。

优先次序

总体来说，全世界的当代福音派《圣经》学者，都强烈坚持科学释经法。这种坚持带来在预备，查考和应用过程中的某种优先次序。让我们看看情况为什么是这样。让我们先来看他们在预备方面典型的优先次序。

预备

正如我们之前说过，每次我们开始解释《圣经》的时候，预备都是不可少的。但学术性解释《圣经》的人，发展出预备方面的一些优先次序，或多或少与其他学术研究中理智方面的优先顺序是一样的。

设想你准备上大学研究生物学，你要尽可能预备好自己，所以你询问几位生物学教授，「我该怎样为我的学习做好准备？」他们很有可能会对你说这样的话：「尽可能背下更多关于生物学方面的事实，」还有，「尽可能学习我们在生物学研究中使用的科学步骤。」

非常类似的是，今天如果你问大部分福音派神学院里大部分教授，该怎样预备好他们的学生在神学院里研究《圣经》，他们中的大部分人也会给出类似意见。他们会说： 「学习希伯来文和希腊文。」「尽可能学习更多关于《圣经》的事实。」「学习正确的解经方法。」毕竟，今天大部分的《圣经》学者都强调，在他们自己的职业生涯中，他 们采用理性和科学看待《圣经》的方法。他们相信，他们学生的成功，取决于他们也同样行。

当然，预备自己，使我们对事实方面和方法方面有所理解，这很重要。没有什么可以取代学习《圣经》的事实。我们应当尽力学习解释《圣经》所需的原则。但正如我们很快会看到的一样，完全关注于智力方面的预备，这就会让我们忽略一些我们应当预备自己来解释《圣经》的最重要方法。

在看完关于预备的一些优先次序之后，让我们来看看科学释经法中查考环节的优先次序。

查考

一般来说，解释《圣经》的人会区分两种查考《圣经》的方法：读出和读入。读出来源于一个希腊文单词，意思就是「带出」，「导出」，意思就是从一处经文拉出或导出意 思。与之形成对比的是，读入有「带入」或「放入」的意思，是指把意思读进 一段经文里面。以科学为导向解释《圣经》的人，非常努力要避免读入。他们而是运用他们相信能确保自己是在读出，而不是读入对《圣经》理解的解释原则。

那么根据这种观点，查考在很大程度上就等于让我们在理智方面的预备行动起来，去发现《圣经》的事实。我们细致施行那些为了分辨实际原本含义而认真考虑的方法或解经原则，以此查考《圣经》经文的原本含义 ——而不仅仅是去查考某人的观点或打算。

正如我们要在本系列通篇看到的一样，以这种方式应用科学的方法，这是解释《圣经》一个非常重要的层面。但我们也要看到，它几乎没有涵盖要正确查考《圣经》原本含义所需做的一切。

我们已经看了在预备和查考这些过程中，学术性科学释经法的某些优先次序。现在我们准备来看应用这个过程。今天大多数福音派学者是怎样应用《圣经》的？

应用

我还是神学生的时候，有一位同学经常会在教授讲课的时候打断他们。他的问题总是一样的，「教授，你今天为我们做的解经有什么应用？」「我应当怎样把你正在说的这段经文的意思，应用在我的生命中？」几乎很少例外，他得到的回应总是一样。教授会笑着说，「这是一个很好的问题。但不是由我来回答，而是由实践神学的教授来回答。」

这个经历说明，太过经常的是，科学性、学术导向的解经，几乎没有为实际应用《圣经》留下任何空间。充其量它引申出以事实为导向的现代应用。换一句话说，这种应 用主要等同于确立《圣经》教导，今天跟从基督的人要相信的各种各样的事实。我们呼吁基督徒，要他们相信《圣经》在神学和道德事实方面的宣告是真实的。肯定的是，这 种应用有很大价值，但它忽略了几种至关重要的方面，让我们看不到如何把《圣经》应用到我们今天的生活当中。

查经方法至关 重要，但有时我们会过分强调这些方法，因为我们可能会把它变得太机械化，仿佛它是一个自动的过程，以致变成只是这样的事情，「我已经用了这些方法，这就是 我的逻辑结论，」这就成为了一种纯理智的操练，而不是我们全人都投入进入其中。我在过往几年发现，在我自己的研究当中，其中一处我很强调的地方，就是文化 背景，世界，古代的世界。因为这样做是有需要的。很多人没有办法了解这种情况，作为学者，我可以很好运用这方面的资料。我发现这样做的时候，这就会回到圣 经经文当中，就向我打开全新的世界，让我能明白这些经文。与此同时，背景本身并没有属灵生命，我在当中有理智方面的享受，但真正的属灵生命是在《圣经》经文 里。回到《圣经》经文，听   上帝实际在对我们说什么，把我们的生命顺服在《圣经》之下，这是简单的机械过程不能做到的。这是只有把我们的心全然交给爱我们、为我们舍 己的那一位，我们才能得到的。

——柯瑞格•凯纳博士

我们已经看了在释经学中使用的一些重要术语，以及科学导向释经法的悠久传统。我们现在要来看本课的第三个主要话题。科学释经法应当怎样和尊崇导向释经法，这种强调我们在解释《圣经》时要来亲近   上帝的基督教传统结合在一起。

四、尊崇导向释经法

跟从基督的人采用科学释经法，科学释经法在许多方面与一般解释方法相似，因为是人写了《圣经》。但尊崇导向释经法首要关注《圣经》是   上帝所写的。

基督徒总是承认，《圣经》是人的话语、也是   上帝的话语，正如提摩太后书3章16节告诉我们的，《圣经》都是   上帝所默示的，或者更按照字义，是「   上帝呼出的」。这事 实让《圣经》释经学有别于一般解释方法的很多其他方面，因为我们必须以尊崇的方式来解释《圣经》，把《圣经》看作是   上帝亲自说的生命话语。

我们解释《圣经》的时候，非常重要的就是要记住，我们不仅是在看人类作者的话语，而且圣灵   上帝，三位一体的第三位，通过这些人类作者独特的个性、风格和经历，呼 出了这些话语。我们看《圣经》的时候，这就意味着，因为呼出这些话语的圣灵，也住在我们这些信徒里面，在我们里面动工，在一种意义上，我们能够来到《圣经》的作者 面前。我们非常需要这一点，我们来读《圣经》的时候，需要带着祷告的心，既依靠《圣经》打开我们的思想，也依靠圣灵打开我们的思想。

——丹尼斯•约翰逊博士

要明白我们讲的意思，我们就要按照和我们之前讨论对应的方法,来看尊崇导向释经法。首先，我们要看这种解释《圣经》的方法包含的《圣经》根据。第二，我们要稍微看 看一些历史上采用尊崇释经法的《圣经》学者的例子。第三，我们要看采用这种释经法，怎样塑造我们解释过程的优先次序。让我们首先来看尊崇导向释经法的《圣经》根据。

圣经根据

虽然《圣经》作者经常或多或少用科学方法查考《圣经》，但同样重要的是要看到，他们也用尊崇的方式来看待《圣经》。他们一次又一次表明，跟从基督的人，要把《圣经》当作   上帝的话语，在   上帝面前，用带来非同寻常、甚至是超自然的经历   上帝的方式来读《圣经》。

《圣经》作者多次指出解释的这个层面，但我们现在只提一处经文作为例子。我们在希伯来书4章12节看到：

  上帝的道是活泼的，是有功效的，比一切两刃的剑更快，甚至魂与灵，骨节与骨髓，都能刺入、剖开，连心中的思念和主意都能辨明。（希伯来书4章12节）

在这一段经文中，希伯来书的作者提到他在前面经文中引用的诗篇95篇的一部分，把它称为「   上帝的道」。之前他在希伯来书4章7节引用同一篇诗篇说，   上帝亲自「借着大卫所说的」。在这之前，在希伯来书3章7节，他用「圣灵有话说」来引入诗篇第95篇。

现在请留意，希伯来书的作者怎样在承认诗篇是   上帝所写之后，描述了读《圣经》的经历。他说《圣经》本身「是活泼的，是有功效的」。它刺入我们里面生命的深处，辨明 「心中的思念和主意」，是「比一切两刃的剑更快」。我们使用科学释经法，看《圣经》是我们分解分析的对象，但希伯来书作者在这一段经文中表明，《圣经》实际上是分 解我们，分析我们的。

这一段经文对于我们的讨论来说特别重要，因为希伯来书的作者是一位非常谨慎的《圣经》学者，他一次又一次对旧约《圣经》经文深入的洞察力，是超过很多其他新约 《圣经》作者的。但他对《圣经》高度理智的分析，并没有使他调转不再采用尊崇释经法。相反，他理智的解经增强了他来到   上帝面前的能力，把他带进高度富有情感、使他 深深折服、深深改变他的与   上帝相遇之中。这样他就让我们看到，科学释经法和尊崇释经法必须一同做工。

在看完尊崇导向释经法的《圣经》根据之后，我们要提一些历史上的例子，举例说明跟从基督的人是怎样把科学和尊崇的解释方法联系在一起。

例子

对《圣经》的尊崇式解经，在教会历史教父时期尤其重要。我们之前提到亚历山大的俄利根是一位细致讲求科学的《圣经》学者。然而请听俄利根在他写的《至贵格利的信》中是怎样鼓励拿先斯的贵格利的：

当你委身自己，带着正直的心，牢牢定睛在   上帝身上的信心来读圣言，就要寻求那向大多数人隐藏起来的   上帝话语的含义。不要止步于敲门和寻求，因为最必需的元素，就是祈求明白   上帝的话语。

俄利根在此要求贵格利「委身自己……来读圣言」，「来读圣言」这个说法后来用拉丁文Lectio Divina这词表达出来，这就是尊崇释经法的传统，它以不同的形式甚至一直延续到今天。

俄利根对《圣经》的研究方法，是深受新柏拉图主义的影响，特别就像之前在犹太人旧约《圣经》释经家，亚历山大的斐罗的著作中表达出来的一样。按照这种观点来看，在 《圣经》表面之下，有属天属灵的真理，是「向大多数人隐藏起来的」。信徒如果要发现《圣经》隐藏的真理，就需要一种「牢牢定睛在   上帝身上的信心」。这就是说，他们 必须「寻求《圣经》作为   上帝话语的含义」。所以，解释《圣经》的人要得到从   上帝而来对个人的光照，就绝不可「止步于敲门和寻求」。事实上，按照俄利根的看法，理解 《圣经》的「最必需的元素」，就是「祈求明白   上帝的话语」。虽然我们应当拒绝俄利根在这些事情上的新柏拉图主义倾向，他却看到一些关于《圣经》肯定是正确的方面。 当相信的人通过祷告默想，在读《圣经》时寻求   上帝，   上帝就赐他们洞见，是不用这种方法就经常对人隐藏起来的。

像俄利根这样的人强调一个事实，就是你读《圣经》的时候，真正重要的就是要得到经文属灵的含义。这里我要说，这其实是健康的事，因为《圣经》不仅是一本历史书，它不仅是一本 学术教科书，吸引我们的神学想象力，《圣经》还有属灵的意义。事实上，当我们提高自身能力明白《圣经》字词的意思，经文的上下文，历史细节等等等等，这也有助我们 获得对经文意思的属灵洞见。这些属灵洞见既是给第一批读《圣经也是给我们后来这些人的。

——西门•沃伯特博士

贯穿中世纪时期，几乎每一位主要解释《圣经》的人，都施行某种形式的读圣言的方法，，要的科学解经家，比如奥古斯丁和阿奎那。

总体来说，读圣言是按四个出名的步骤或运动来进行，lectio 读经，来读圣言；meditatio 默想，安静沉思所读的内容；oratio 祷告，向   上帝切切地祈祷祈求光照，contemplatio 默观，平静等候   上帝的灵赐下高度直觉性的注目，对经文意义产生深深感情性和改变性的确信。

到了宗教改革的时候，罗马教会使用读圣言的做法，为各种虚假的教训寻找借口。教会当局宣称，他们的教导是出于从   上帝而来超自然的洞见，但这些「洞见」，实际上在某些非常重要的方面与《圣经》教导相矛盾。作为回应，大多数的更正教学者都正确地强调科学释经法，但他们并没有放弃尊崇式读经。相反他们坚持说，尊崇释经法应当与对《圣经》纯正的解经分析联系起来。

人并没有充分认识到更正教《圣经》学术研究的这特点，所以我们只提两个出名的例子，这就对我们会有所帮助，他们是约翰•加尔文和约拿单•爱德华兹。

约翰•加尔文被人当之无愧称为是早期宗教改革期间最理性，最讲求逻辑的解经家。他接受过律师和文艺复兴人文主义者所受的训练，大大装备了他去担任这角色。但贯穿他写的《圣经》注释，我们发现他严格追求的，不仅是科学性，也是尊崇式的释经。

我们只举一个例子，加尔文在他写的《哈该书注释》第二部分中写道：

  上帝的荣耀如此在他的话语里闪耀发光，以致我们应当如此被它大大感动，仿佛他就是与我们亲近、面对面。

加尔文远非把解释《圣经》当作一种置身度外、非位格的科学活动，而是强调「   上帝的荣耀如此在他的话语里闪耀发光」，结果就是我们读《圣经》的时候，「应当如此被它大大感动」，仿佛   上帝他自己就是与我们「面对面」。正如这段话表明的那样，加尔文呼吁跟从他的人要把读《圣经》看作是一种全然把人吸引，情感强烈，令人谦卑的 对   上帝同在的经历。

几乎同样的是，生活在1703年到1758年间的早期美国神学家约拿单•爱德华兹，经常展示出他对《圣经》细致的理性和逻辑分析，但请听他在《个人叙述》这篇散文中说的这番话。

当我读提摩太前书这段话的时候……一种对   上帝荣耀的感受临到我心，这是一种新的感受，与我之前曾经历过的完全不同。《圣经》任何的话语之前从未像这些话一样临到我。我自己想，这位   上帝何等卓越，如果我能以这位   上帝为乐……直到永远，我将会何等幸福。

在此我们看到，爱德华兹读《圣经》的时候，因「一种对   上帝荣耀的感受」大大欢喜。这种对   上帝的灵的经历是如此大有能力，以致爱德华兹渴慕「以这位   上帝为乐，直到永远」。很多人都知道爱德华兹深受启蒙运动理性主义影响，他正确地相信，解释《圣经》要有很强的科学性。但就连爱德华兹对仅仅用理性思考《圣经》也不感到满足。 他知道人读《圣经》，一定要出于直觉深深感受到   上帝奇妙的同在。

在我们今天，尊崇释经法几乎已经从学术性《圣经》解释中消失了。早期的更正教人士回应罗马天主教解经家的策划，朝着科学释经法前进，但今天许多《圣经》学者认为， 尊崇释经法是配不上他们理智的能力。他们几乎把他们所有学术上的关注都用在仔细的理性解经上，仿佛这种方法能提供我们从《圣经》所需的一切。通过专注的祷告、 禁食和默想，寻求从   上帝而来的光照，这已经从福音派学术研究中完全消失了。但至关重要的是，我们开展正式的学术解释时，科学导向释经法和尊崇导向释经法都 是我们应当追求的。我们需要小心，不要走向极端。然而很多更正教解经家过去在这方面把握得很好，我们如果效法他们的榜样，这就是有智慧了。

我们记住尊崇导向释经法的《圣经》根据，以及历史上一些把科学释经法和尊崇释经法结合起来的神学家的例子之后，现在让我们简单来看一看这种释经法的优先次序。

优先次序

大部分跟从基督的人一开始读《圣经》时，都是带着一种尊崇的精神。但是随着他们对学术性释经变得越来越擅长，常常就看不到了尊崇释经法的重要意义。但是科学释经法常常如此高度理性和看重分析，以致我们实际上会忘记一些曾经对我们与基督同行来说至关重要的事情，就是通过   上帝的话语，我们自己经历   上帝，被他大大改 变。出于这原因，我们应当来看一看，尊崇释经法应当如何在我们开展全部三个释经过程时调整我们的优先次序

我们和看科学释经法的优先次序一样，来察看尊崇释经法的优先次序。首先，我们要确定预备的优先次序。接着，我们要关注尊崇释经法查考过程的优先次序。最后，我们要稍微思想这种解释的现代应用。让我们首先来看预备的优先次序。

预备

不幸的是，很多真诚跟从基督的人相信这种看法，就是我们读《圣经》时，绝对无法控制对   上帝特别同在的经历。要么我们有这种经历，要么没有。我们没有办法为此预备自己。但是，请听雅各在雅各书4章8节是怎样更正这种错误观念的。

你们亲近   上帝，   上帝就必亲近你们。（雅各书4章8节）

「亲近   上帝」这说法来自于旧约《圣经》。向   上帝忠心、尊崇他的人，要 「亲近」   上帝在会幕和圣殿中的特别同在。当然   上帝无所不在，他能想什么时候就在什么时候以强烈的方式显明自己。但雅各的话反映出《圣经》强调人的责任，如果我们要经历   上帝特别的同在，我们就必须亲近他。   上帝就要亲近我们，作为对我们亲近他的回应。

一般来说，尊崇释经法的预备涉及分别为圣归向   上帝。正如《圣经》教导的，我们要让自己摆脱任何拦阻我们与   上帝相交的事，追求一切促进这种相交的事。不用说，这 种预备涉及太多的事情，是我们不能一一列举的。但我们讲一讲三种普遍的范畴，观念上、行为上、和情感上的预备，这可以帮助我们对预备的广度有一定了解。

首先我们通过观念上的预备，为在读《圣经》时经历   上帝的同在做好准备。这句话是指我们尽最大可能，使我们的信念与   上帝真实的话语相一致。对   上帝、人类和世界的 错误观念，会树立拦住，妨碍我们与   上帝相交。正如我们已经看到的，研究《圣经》的学者，倾向关注相对较窄的观念范围，这范围是他们学术所强调的。但是靠着   上帝 的灵成圣，这就使我们产生一种愿望，要让我们一切的 思想都与   上帝的心意相一致，这种愿望预备我们在解释《圣经》时进入他的同在。

第二，我们读《圣经》时，通过行为上的预备，也能亲近   上帝。《圣经》说，做违背   上帝旨意的事，这是其中一样最大的拦阻，使我们不能经历   上帝眷顾我们的同在。为尊崇释经做的预备，必须包含有为着我们的失败悔改，真诚渴望我们的行为能讨   上帝喜悦。

第三，我们必须通过情感上的预备，准备好来追求与   上帝亲近。情感的预备涉及我们一切的态度——从转眼即逝的强烈情感，到我们对   上帝、人和其余受造界持久的感受。《圣经》经常警告我们要小心，不可骄傲、仇恨和心硬，这些和类似的情感，拦阻我们进入   上帝特 别的同在。但谦卑、爱、内心温柔和类似的情感，为与   上帝相交开辟道路。出于这原因，为尊崇释经做的预备，必须不仅针对我们的观念和行为，也要针对我们全范围的情感。

有智慧和忠心地解释《圣经》，这不仅仅是关乎头脑的问题，这其实是关乎内心、关乎整个人的问题。我想这意味着，这就是对每一个有责任解释《圣经》、然后，去教导   上帝话语的人发出的挑战。这意味着我们内心的光景，我们与基督的关系，确实对我们认识《圣经》的成效产生影 响。所以就是为什么我们每天要忠实认罪，持守福音，这一切很重要的原因。当我们开始在灵命方面走偏路，特别是如果我们在生活的不同领域走偏路，进入罪中， 这可能会有非常负面的影响。我认为，这确实对我们真正明白   上帝话语的能力产生负面影响。其中一点就是特别会导致我们避开《圣经》中的强烈诫命，我们不想按它们 完备要求行事，因为我们的天性就是想要钻这些诫命的空子。最重要的就是心，内心的光景对忠信的《圣经》解释至关紧要。

——菲利普•莱肯博士

明白了预备的这些优先次序，我们就要来看尊崇释经法的第二个释经过程，对原本含义的查考。

查考

尊崇释经法要求用带领我们来亲近   上帝的方式，规范我们对《圣经》原本含义的查考。在尊崇式的查考中，我们是从《圣经》作者与   上帝亲近的经历，他们打算如何也让他们的 原本受众亲近   上帝的角度，来查考经文的原本含义。我们可以有不同的考察方式，但为了简单说明问题，我们要再次从查考的观念、行为和情感的层面来讲这个问 题。

首先，尊崇释经法要求在观念方面进行查考，留心   上帝和受   上帝默示的《圣经》作者，要向他们原本受众传递的观念。正如我们已经看过，尊崇释经法必须与《圣经》的事实 紧密联系在一起，好使它不至于闯入猜测或错误。我们已经指出，科学释经法也是为了达到这个目的。但是在尊崇释经法中，我们会问一些观念方面的问题，是科学释经法通常不会处理的。这一段经文如何显明作者对   上帝的经历？它如何表明《圣经》作者打算如何让他的受众经历与   上帝的亲近？

第二，尊崇式的查考也应当关注《圣经》原本含义行为的层面，我们之前说过，人的行为表现不是促进，就是拦阻我们进入与   上帝特别同在的能力，出于这原因，《圣经》作者写《圣经》的时候，他们也表明了自己的行为，他们受众的行为，是如何影响了他们经历   上帝的亲近。

第 三，尊崇式的查考也应当带出与   上帝亲近相关的，原本含义中情感的层面。虽然科学释经法常常忽略这一点，但《圣经》作者却表达出他们自己的情感，并且努力冲击他 们原本受众的情感。《圣经》作者和他们受众的喜乐、疑惑、忧伤和惧怕，在《圣经》中每每出现。正如我们已经讲过的，对   上帝亲近的强烈经历，涉及到更敏锐的情感。所以我们总需要关注《圣经》经文对《圣经》作者和他们受众的情感有怎样的启示，这些情感如何与他们经历   上帝的同在相关。

在讲了预备和查考的优先次序之后，我们也要提一提在尊崇释经法应用方面的优先次序。

应用

我们在   上帝面前读《圣经》的时候，是特别坚持按   上帝的心意来应用他的话语。我们不是把《圣经》看成是一个没有生命的对象，由仅仅是人在几千年以前写成的作品。相反，我们读《圣经》，把它看作是今天对我们来说是永活   上帝的话语。为了帮助我们更好了解该怎样做到这一点，我们要再讲一讲应用的观念、行为和情感层面。

在观念层面上，尊崇式应用关注   上帝怎样通过《圣经》，冲击我们对他自己、对人和其余受造界的观念。当我们通过用心祷告默想他的话语，寻求   上帝圣灵光照的时候，我 们将会发现   上帝圣灵在证实、促进和纠正我们对他自己、对人和其余受造界的观念。当我们全心接受这些纠正，我们就要发现自己被带领更进一步进入   上帝同在的祝福。在行为层面上，尊崇式的应用关注我们默想《圣经》时，我们的行为如何受到   上帝同在的影响。

我们来看《圣经》时，一定要谦卑把我们做过的一切事情 在   上帝面前敞开。当我们带着祷告的心亲近   上帝，他的圣灵要坚固和促进我们的行动，让我们将来服侍   上帝。除此以外，当我们清楚意识要靠圣灵思想《圣经》时，我们 就要发现他要纠正我们，加力量给我们，让我们转向采取那讨   上帝喜悦的行动。

最后，在情感层面上，尊崇式应用《圣经》，这涉及到我们的态度和感 情，如何在   上帝特别同在的面前，因着读《圣经》而受影响。   上帝的圣灵按照他的智慧，在合适的时候给我们带来悔恨、忧伤和难过。   上帝的圣灵也用喜乐、平安和爱充 满我们的心。当我们来看《圣经》，把它看作是   上帝永活的话语，我们对他自己、对其他人和其余受造界的情感会安静临到我们身上。或者按照圣灵的意思，这些情感也 能充满我们的心，使我们能够因着   上帝的同在被折服。不管情况如何，当我们学习如何在   上帝亲近的光照下解释《圣经》时，我们就要发现《圣经》变得活过来，不仅在我们 的观念和行为方面，也在我们感情的深度方面改变我们。

我们学《圣经》时要认识到，《圣经》不仅要求我们改变思维，它也要求我 们改变生命。所以当我鼓励人查考《圣经》时，我爱用的其中一种方法，就是从思想，感受，和行动，这三部分来构思《圣经》应用。唯理主义只是把《圣经》应用在这其中一 处，我们如何思想。   上帝确实要我们尽意、即用思想来爱他，所以   上帝看重我们的思想。但   上帝也看重我们如何感受，我们的感情生活，我们整天的态度，   上帝看中 我们的感觉，感觉可以忠于   上帝，也可以不忠。不存在中立感情。另外，还有一种行动层面。当我们应用《圣经》，   上帝不仅要我们思想《圣经》怎样改变情感，改变思想， 也要知道它怎样改变行动。所以如果我们使用思想、感受和行动这坐标，这就确实提供了一种认识《圣经》的平衡。

——麦克尔•柯鲁格博士

五、结论

在《圣经》释经学介绍这门课里，我们关注三个主要概念。第一，我们探索了一些需要调整我们看这问题的基本术语。第二，我们看到科学导向释经法在严谨和逻辑一贯性方面很重要。第三，我们看了尊崇导向释经法，就是在   上帝面前读《圣经》，这对科学导向释经法是一种至关重要的平衡。

更多认识解释《圣经》，这要为我们开路，使我们得到各种各样新的看见，以及从   上帝而来的祝福。旧约和新约《圣经》为我们这些信靠他的人所相信、行为和感受的一切设立 了标准。我们在下面几课中，将会看到更多的细节，就要看到让自己同时投入科学导向的释经和尊崇导向的释经，本是何等重要。我们这样做的时候，就要发现在我 们生活的每一层面忠心事奉   上帝的崭新途径。

1

He Gave Us Scripture: Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics

INTRODUCTION

We all know that young children often think they know a lot more than they really do. They watch their mothers cook, help a little bit, and assume that they know enough to do it on their own. They watch their fathers do their work, they play at it once or twice, and they think they know everything their fathers know. But at some point, children usually find out that they have much more to learn than they ever imagined.

Unfortunately, adults often make the same mistake, even when it comes to something as important as interpreting the Bible. Most of us read our Bibles regularly; some of us have done so for many years. So, we often assume that we know enough about interpreting the Scriptures to just go ahead and do it. But biblical interpretation is one of those things that can seem much simpler than it really is. And when we take time to reflect carefully on what interpreting the Bible entails, we often find that we have much more to learn than we ever imagined.

This is the first lesson in our series He Gave Us Scripture: Foundations of Interpretation. In this series, we'll explore several crucial outlooks on biblical interpretation and investigate ways to improve our ability to understand the Bible. We've entitled this lesson "Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics." This lesson will introduce a basic framework for sound and scholarly biblical interpretation.

Our introduction to biblical hermeneutics will divide into three main parts. First, we'll gain an orientation to our subject by introducing some important terminology. Second, we'll explore "scientific" approaches to hermeneutics that characterize scholarly interpretation of the Bible. And third, we'll look at the value of employing devotional hermeneutics in conjunction with traditional academic approaches. Let's begin with some important terminology.

TERMINOLOGY

Misunderstanding key terminology can be a big source of confusion in any discussion. So we'll introduce several terms for our study. First, we'll touch on what we mean by biblical hermeneutics. And second, we'll look at three hermeneutical processes. Let's look first at the concept of biblical hermeneutics.

Biblical Hermeneutics

"Hermeneutics" is a common word in theological and biblical studies, but we don't use it often in our daily lives. Many of us will notice that the word "hermeneutics" derives from the family of Greek terms that includes the name "Hermes," the mythological messenger of the gods. The word itself derives from a family of Greek words related to the verb hermeneuo, which means "interpret" or "explain." So, broadly speaking when we refer to hermeneutics, we have in mind the interpretation or explanation of some kind of message or communication.

Friedrich Schleiermacher, who lived from 1768 to 1834, is often called the father of modern hermeneutics. In 1819 he spoke of the need for "general hermeneutics," a unified theory for understanding all literature. He acknowledged that we should approach different subjects with their own special hermeneutics, but he argued that all hermeneutics should share a common method of interpretation.

By the end of the twentieth century, leading scholars saw the need for general hermeneutics because the processes of interpretation had become an important facet of many fields of study. Today, hermeneutical discussions appear in philosophy, literature and the arts. Hermeneutics is also useful in psychology, sociology, and even fields like physics and biology. This expansion has occurred because many leading figures in these fields have become more aware of how much their disciplines involve interpreting the meaning of the objects that they study.

As the title of this lesson suggests, we're primarily interested in biblical hermeneutics, the study of interpreting the meaning and significance of Scripture. If you've ever read the Scriptures, then you've involved yourself in biblical hermeneutics, at least informally. Informal approaches to the Bible are of great value, and these lessons will build on what most of us already understand. But we'll also move beyond informal hermeneutics and explore the kinds of issues that move to the foreground in academic, scholarly interpretation of the Bible.

It's helpful to make a distinction and a comparison between general hermeneutics and biblical hermeneutics. The Bible has in common with general hermeneutics the ideas of what does a verb do? What are parts of speech? What is grammar, syntax, and so forth? How do we determine what an author meant when he or she wrote those words? But there are particular rules that pertain to biblical hermeneutics principally because the Bible claims to be the Word of God, and as such, it is authoritative, and it reveals God to us. And since God is one and God is truth, the Bible never contradicts itself. And so, one particular aspect of biblical hermeneutics that's unique is that we try to seek to relate all the data of Scripture together under the assumption that they don't contradict one another, but rather they speak — while of the variety of God's revelation — they also speak one in agreement with itself. [Rev. Mike Glodo]

Keeping in mind what we mean by biblical hermeneutics, we should turn to a second important term, hermeneutical processes — the main procedures we follow as we interpret the Bible.

Hermeneutical Processes

Throughout this series, we'll speak of three main hermeneutical processes: preparation, investigation, and application. These processes are so essential to biblical interpretation that each lesson in this series will fall into one of these three categories. Let's look first at preparation.

Preparation

The hermeneutical process of preparation takes place before we begin to interpret a portion of Scripture. And of course, this means that we prepare repeatedly because we read and study the Bible over and over. In a very important sense, preparation is inescapable because no one ever comes to the Bible as a tabula rasa — a blank slate. We all approach the Scriptures influenced by an assortment of concepts, behaviors and emotions. Whether we realize it or not, every time we begin to read the Bible, many influences have already prepared us for handling the Scriptures well, but other influences have created obstacles to sound biblical interpretation. For this reason, these lessons will give deliberate attention to preparing ourselves as well as we can for interpreting the Bible.

I think there's a lot of things we do to prepare ourselves, or should do to prepare ourselves, to study Scripture … Studying Scripture can be hard work. There are details that we need to examine, and there are many, many details that we need to remember as we're going through the study of Scripture, as well as listening to the Spirit of God. And so we need to prepare by having good tools. We need to prepare by having good material written by others. We need to prepare by praying and allowing the Holy Spirit, giving him freedom to work in our lives … You're going to be listening for God's voice, and listening for God's voice for your own life, and then to pass that voice on to others as well. [Dr. Stephen J. Bramer]

In addition to the hermeneutical process of preparation, we'll also explore the process of investigation. When we speak of investigation we have in mind concentrating on the original meaning of a biblical passage.

Investigation

Essentially, when we investigate the Scriptures, we do our best to leave our modern world behind and grasp the meaning of portions of the Bible when they were first written. In the process of investigation, we focus on the original meaning intended by God and the Bible's human authors, on the biblical documents themselves, and on Scriptures' first audiences. In many respects, whenever we read Scripture, we can't avoid dealing, to some extent, with original meaning.

For instance, if we explore the Bible in its original languages, we have to take into account the linguistic conventions of ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts. Even if we rely on a modern translation of the Bible, that translation is based on assessments of the ancient meanings of terms and grammatical expressions. In these and many other ways, the original meaning of a biblical passage is always crucial to its interpretation. So, we must also give a great deal of attention to the process of investigation.

Hermeneutical processes not only include preparation and investigation, but they also entail the process of application.

Application

In simple terms, application amounts to appropriately connecting original meaning to contemporary audiences. Once we've understood the original meaning, we travel, as it were, through the millennia to our modern situation. In application, we reflect on the ways the Scriptures should apply to us as the people of God.

As with the other hermeneutical processes, it's impossible to avoid application completely. Even when we merely gain superficial understanding of a biblical passage, we still apply it, to some degree, to our thinking. Of course, the Scriptures warn against the hypocrisy of understanding the Bible and not obeying it. So, in this series we'll give a lot of attention to applying the Scriptures deliberately and thoroughly.

As we go through these lessons, we'll see that preparation, investigation and application are highly interdependent processes. We can only do well in one process when we're also doing well in the others. Of course, everyone has different inclinations and abilities, and as a result we tend to stress only one or two of these processes. But the interdependence of preparation, investigation and application reminds us to develop our skills in all three areas.

Now that we've explained some important terminology in our Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics, we should turn to our second main topic: scientific hermeneutics — how biblical scholars over the centuries have approached the interpretation of Scripture more and more like a scientific exercise.

SCIENTIFIC HERMENEUTICS

To one degree or another, biblical hermeneutics has always had something of a scientific flavor, and this tendency has grown over the millennia, much like it has in many other disciplines. The reason for these developments is plain enough. The Bible was written by people living thousands of years ago. So, in many ways, we rightly treat the Scriptures like other writings of the ancient world. As scholars have handled the Bible with its historical context in view, they've often drawn from scientific disciplines like archeology, history, anthropology, sociology and linguistics. As in these and other scientific endeavors, academic interpreters of Scriptures have applied factual, or rational, scientific methods to the Bible.

To see what we mean, we'll touch on three issues related to scientific hermeneutics. First, we'll point out the legitimacy of this approach by noting its biblical roots. Second, we'll mention some historical examples that illustrate developments in this type of hermeneutics. And third, we'll see how this approach to Scripture establishes certain priorities for the processes of interpretation. Let's turn first to the biblical roots of scientific hermeneutics.

Biblical Roots

People living in biblical times weren't modern scientists. But this doesn't mean that they were unintelligent or irrational. On the contrary, their sophisticated architectural accomplishments, extensive maritime travel, innovative agricultural programs, and countless other cultural achievements demonstrate that people in biblical days dealt with facts and thought rationally about the world, much like modern scientists do.

For this reason, it shouldn't surprise us that biblical authors themselves often interpreted other Scriptures with an orientation toward factual and logical analysis. For the sake of time, let's illustrate what we mean with just one passage. In Romans 4:3-5 the apostle Paul wrote:

What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness (Romans 4:3-5).

In these verses, Paul quoted from Genesis 15:6 where God "credited" righteousness to Abraham when he believed God's promise. But notice how methodically Paul treated this Old Testament passage. In verses 4 and 5, Paul carefully analyzed the meaning of the word "credited," or "reckoned" as the Greek term logizomai may be translated. From his knowledge of Greek, he argued that "wages are not credited … as a gift, but as an obligation." But then he noted that for anyone who trusts God their "faith," — not works — "is credited as righteousness." So, he concluded on the basis of this reasoning that Genesis 15:6 indicates that Abraham was granted righteousness as a free gift through faith. It isn't difficult to see here that the apostle Paul handled Genesis 15 with meticulously factual and logical analysis.

As this one example illustrates, time and again biblical authors presented this kind of careful interpretation of Scripture. And their approach to Scripture indicates that scientific biblical hermeneutics is firmly rooted in the Scriptures themselves.

With the biblical roots of scientific hermeneutics in mind, let's look briefly at some historical examples of this kind of biblical interpretation.

Examples

During the Patristic period, one of the most influential figures in biblical interpretation was Origen of Alexandria who lived from A.D. 185 to 254. As we'll see later in this lesson, Origen went far beyond scientific interpretation, but he nonetheless devoted himself to careful factual and rational analyses of the Bible. For instance, one of Origen's greatest accomplishments was the creation of the Hexapla, reportedly a 6,000 page work of more than 50 volumes in which Origen made a word-by-word comparison of various Hebrew and Greek versions of the Old Testament. Although this work was lost centuries later, it still represents a remarkable example of scientific biblical interpretation in early church history.

Other prominent examples of developing scientific approaches to Scripture appear after the days of Origen. For instance, Augustine of Hippo, who lived from A.D. 354 to 430, continued to focus on careful, often painstaking, factual and rational analysis of the Bible. And by the time of Thomas Aquinas, who lived from around 1225 to 1274, the mainstream of biblical interpretation in Western Christianity reflected the influence of the rational, scientific philosophy of Aristotle. Aquinas and his followers applied rigorous empirical and logical analysis to the Bible.

Unfortunately, up to this time in church history literacy rates were low, and the Bible and other books weren't widely available. So, only a privileged few could actually study the Scriptures. As a result, church authorities controlled how the general population understood the Bible. But in this context, many scholars began to interpret Scripture through even more sophisticated scientific analysis, apart from the dominance of the church.

One of the earliest steps in this direction took place during the Renaissance. After the capture of Constantinople in the fourth Crusade in 1204, many of the classical and biblical manuscripts stored there were brought to the West. But instead of interpreting the significance of these ancient texts through the lenses of church dogma, Renaissance scholars devoted themselves to understanding these texts by meticulously analyzing their grammar and ancient historical contexts. With the aid of Gutenberg's the movable type printing press, which came into use around 1450, it wasn't long before Renaissance research became widely available. And as a result, influential figures like Erasmus, who lived from 1466 to 1536, led many in their day toward increasingly scientific approaches to biblical interpretation.

The Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century took scientific biblical hermeneutics even further. Following the path of the Renaissance, early protestant leaders like Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin strongly rejected the dominance of church dogma over biblical interpretation. Instead, they emphasized that the meaning of Scripture should be determined through analysis of the Bible's grammar and historical contexts.

It's important to keep in mind that early Protestants coupled this emphasis with the well-known doctrine of Sola Scriptura, "Scripture alone." Protestants understood that the Bible was the only unquestionable authority, the highest authority by which all others were to be judged. This commitment to the supremacy of biblical authority meant that the only infallible interpreter of Scripture is Scripture itself. So, nothing was more important to early Protestants than understanding the Bible through meticulous, rational analysis of its grammar within its ancient historical context.

The Enlightenment in Western Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries took scientific biblical hermeneutics even further by emphasizing modern, factual and rational scientific standards for judging all truth claims, including those of Scripture. Similar to geologists, archeologists, and other modern scientists, biblical scholars carefully applied scientific standards to the study of Scripture.

This approach to the Bible has developed in a number of ways over the centuries. But to one degree or another, modern biblical scholars have followed two main paths. On the one side, the majority of interpreters in leading academic institutions have followed a direction that is often called critical biblical studies. Broadly speaking, critical biblical scholars are those who have rejected the traditional Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura and consider only reason and scientific analysis as the supreme standard for discerning truth. By and large, critical interpreters have concluded that the Scriptures represent ancient, primitive, and unreliable views of God, humanity, and the world. In this view, modern people may benefit from the Scriptures in some ways, but any judgments about the Scriptures must rely on scientific investigation rather than on the teachings of the Bible.

On the other side, other experts have followed a path that we may call modern evangelical biblical studies. Evangelical scholars affirm that the Bible is the only unquestionable rule of faith and life. They don't reject factual and rational scientific reflection on Scripture; they fully endorse the rigorous application of scientific analysis to the Bible. Yet, when such analysis clearly contradicts the teachings of the Bible itself, evangelical scholars wholeheartedly submit to the Scriptures as their authority. As we'll see throughout these lessons, this series follows the evangelical path.

It is a very important matter for a Christian, especially Protestant Christian, to submit to the authority of Scripture … True authority is the right and power to compel assent, and Scripture is uniquely qualified to function as authority in the Christian's life. One of the reasons for this is that the Scriptures contain wisdom and insight that would be otherwise unobtainable for us. That's why it's called revelation … The other reason is that while there's truth in many places, the truth that is embedded in Scripture has been supernaturally superintended in its composition and final form so that it has a degree of trustworthiness and infallibility that is unique among all the sources of truth that we have access to in this world. Now we know that the reason why it obtained that unique reliability, that infallibility, that inability to fail, is because it was God-breathed. It is the Word of God, so that when we speak of the authority of Scripture we're really speaking of the authority of God. And so to submit to it is an acknowledgment that we are creatures, we are derivative and dependent beings. And here's the paradox: rather than having this act of submission demean us or make us less powerful, so to speak, it's actually the most empowering thing we could possibly do, for it sets us in the direction of truth, puts us firmly on the path to life and to flourishing. [Dr. Glen Scorgie]

Having mentioned the biblical roots of scientific hermeneutics and looked at some historical examples, we should now turn to a third issue: the priorities of this approach to the Scriptures.

Priorities

By and large, modern evangelical biblical scholars around the world have been strongly committed to scientific hermeneutics. This commitment has led to certain priorities for the processes of preparation, investigation and application. Let's see how this is true, starting with their typical priorities for preparation.

Preparation

As we said earlier, preparation is inescapable whenever we begin to interpret Scripture. But academic biblical interpreters have developed priorities for preparation that are more or less in line with the intellectual priorities found in many other academic disciplines.

Imagine you're about to study biology at a university and you want to prepare yourself as well as you can. So you ask several biology professors, "How should I get ready for my studies?" They'd probably tell you things like these: "Memorize as many biological facts as you can." And, "Learn all you can about the scientific procedures we use in biology."

Well, in much the same way, if you were to ask most professors in most evangelical theological institutions today how you should prepare to study the Bible at their schools, most of them would give similar advice. They might say, "Learn Hebrew and Greek." "Learn as many facts as possible about the Bible." "Learn sound methods of interpretation." After all, most biblical scholars today emphasize rational and scientific approaches to the Bible in their own careers. And they believe that the success of their students depends on them doing the same.

Of course, preparing ourselves with factual and methodological understanding is important. There's no substitute for learning facts about the Bible. And we should do our best to learn the principles needed for biblical interpretation. But as we'll see in a moment, focusing exclusively on intellectual preparation overlooks some of the most important ways we should get ourselves ready for interpreting the Bible.

Having seen a few priorities for preparation, let's look at the priorities for investigation in scientific hermeneutics.

Investigation

In general, biblical interpreters distinguish two ways of investigating Scripture: exegesis and eisegesis. Exegesis comes from a Greek term meaning "led out of" or "derived from" and means to pull out or derive meaning from a text. By contrast, eisegesis has the connotations of "led into" or "put into." It means to read meaning into a passage. Scientifically-oriented biblical interpreters work very hard to avoid eisegesis. Instead, they employ principles of interpretation that they believe will ensure them of exegetical, not eisegetical, understandings of Scripture.

In this view then, investigation largely amounts to putting our intellectual preparations into action to discover the facts of Scripture. We investigate the original meaning of biblical texts by meticulously implementing carefully conceived methods or principles of interpretation to discern the actual original meaning — not just someone's opinion or agenda.

As we'll see throughout this series, implementing scientific methods in this way is a very important dimension of biblical interpretation. But we'll also see that it hardly covers everything necessary for sound investigation of the original meaning of Scripture.

We've looked at certain priorities for scholarly, scientific hermeneutics in the processes of preparation and investigation. Now we're ready to ask about the process of application. How do the majority of evangelical scholars apply the Bible today?

Application

When I was a theological student, a particular classmate would frequently interrupt professors while they were lecturing. His questions were always the same. "Professor, what are the implications of your exegesis for us today?" "How should I apply what you're saying about this biblical passage to my life?" With rare exception, the response was always the same. The professor would smile and say, "That's a great question. Not for me, but for the practical theology professors."

As this experience illustrates, all too often, scientific, scholarly interpretation of the Bible has little room for the practical application of Scripture. At best, it leads to factually-oriented modern application. In other words, application primarily amounts to establishing the kinds of facts that the Bible teaches modern followers of Christ to believe. We call for the faithful to believe that the theological and moral factual claims of the Bible are true. To be sure, this type of application is of great value. But it neglects a number of crucial ways that Scripture should be applied to our lives today.

Bible study methods are crucial, but we can overemphasize them at times because we can make it too mechanical, as if it's automatic, so that it's just a matter of, "Well, I've used these methods; here is my logical conclusion," and it becomes a purely intellectual exercise rather than something that our whole person embraces and gets into. I found over the years as I… For example, one of the places where I've emphasized a lot of my own research has been in cultural background, the world, the ancient world, because that was a need. A lot of people don't have access to that, so as a scholar I could bring that to bear. And I found that, as I did that, as it would come back to the biblical texts, it would open whole new worlds to me of understanding those texts. At the same time, there was no spiritual life in the background by itself. I took intellectual pleasure in it, but the real spiritual life was in the biblical text, and coming back to it and hearing what God is actually saying to us, submitting our lives to it, that's something that can't be just a mechanical procedure. That's something that comes only by devoting our hearts to the one who loved us and gave himself for us. [Dr. Craig S. Keener]

Now that we've looked at some important terminology used in biblical hermeneutics, and the longstanding tradition of scientific hermeneutics, we should turn to our third main topic in this lesson, how scientific interpretation should be coupled with devotional hermeneutics, the Christian tradition of emphasizing our need to draw near to God as we interpret the Scriptures.

DEVOTIONAL HERMENEUTICS

Followers of Christ adopted scientific hermeneutics that resemble many facets of general hermeneutics because human beings wrote the Scriptures. But devotional hermeneutics focuses primarily on the divine authorship of Scripture.

Christians have always acknowledged that the human words of Scripture are also the Word of God. As 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, the Scriptures were inspired by God, or more literally were "God-breathed." This fact makes biblical hermeneutics distinct from other facets of general hermeneutics because we must interpret the Scriptures devotionally, as the living word of God himself.

As we interpret Scripture it's so important that we remember that we're not just handling the words of human authors, that the Holy Spirit of God, the third person of the Trinity has breathed out these words through the distinctive personalities, styles, experiences of those human authors. As we go to Scripture, that means because the Spirit who breathed these words out is also resident and at work within us as believers, in a sense we have access to the author of Scripture. And we need that desperately; we need as we approach Scripture to come prayerfully, dependent upon the Spirit to open our minds as well as to open the Scriptures to our minds. [Dr. Dennis E. Johnson]

To see what we mean, we'll look at devotional hermeneutics in ways that parallel our earlier discussion. First, we'll see that this kind of scriptural interpretation has biblical roots. Second, we'll sketch some historical examples of biblical scholars who practiced devotional hermeneutics. And third, we'll see how following this approach to Scripture shapes our priorities for the processes of interpretation. Let's turn first to the biblical roots of devotional hermeneutics.

Biblical Roots

Even though biblical authors often examined the Scriptures in more or less scientific ways, it's just as important to see that they also approached the Scriptures devotionally. Time and again, they indicated that followers of Christ are to read the Scriptures as the word of God, in the presence of God, in ways that bring about extraordinary, even supernatural experiences of God.

Biblical authors pointed to this dimension of interpretation many times, but for now we'll mention just one passage as an example. In Hebrews 4:12 we read:

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

In this passage, the author of Hebrews referred to a portion of Psalm 95 that he had quoted in the preceding verses, calling it "the word of God." Earlier in Hebrews 4:7 he quoted the same Psalm saying that God himself "spoke through David." And prior to this, in Hebrews 3:7, he introduced Psalm 95 with the words, "as the Holy Spirit says."

Now, notice how after acknowledging the divine authorship of the Psalm, the writer of Hebrews described the experience of reading Scripture. He said that Scripture itself is "living and active." It "penetrates" the depths of our inmost being and "judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" with a blade that is "sharper than any double-edged sword." In scientific hermeneutics we view the Bible as an object that we dissect and analyze. But in this passage, the writer of Hebrews indicated that Scripture actually dissects and analyzes us.

This passage is particularly important for our discussion because the author of Hebrews was a very sophisticated biblical scholar. Time and again, he treated Old Testament Scriptures with a depth of insight that exceeds many other New Testament authors. Still, his highly intellectual analyses of Scripture didn't turn him away from devotional hermeneutics. On the contrary, his intellectual interpretations enhanced his ability to approach the Scriptures in ways that brought him into highly emotive, compelling, and deeply transformative encounters with God. And as such, he shows us that scientific and devotional hermeneutics must work together.

Having seen the biblical roots of devotional hermeneutics, we should mention a few historical examples to illustrate the way followers of Christ have combined scientific and devotional approaches to interpretation.

Examples

Devotional interpretation of the Bible was particularly important in the Patristic period of church history. We mentioned earlier that Origen of Alexandria was a meticulous, scientific biblical scholar. Yet, listen to the way Origen encouraged Gregory of Neocaesarea in the Letter of Origen to Gregory:

When you devote yourself to the divine reading, uprightly and with a faith fixed firmly on God, seek the meaning of the divine words which is hidden from most people. Do not stop at knocking and seeking, for the most necessary element is praying to understand the divine words.

Here, Origen told Gregory to "devote [himself] to the divine reading." The terminology "divine reading" was later expressed in the Latin phrase Lectio Divina, a tradition of devotional hermeneutics that continues in various forms even today.

Now, Origen's approach to Scripture was deeply influenced by Neo-Platonism, especially as it had been expressed earlier in the works of the Jewish Old Testament interpreter Philo of Alexandria. From this point of view, beneath the surface of the Bible were heavenly, spiritual truths that were "hidden from most people." Believers needed a "faith fixed firmly on God" if they wanted to discover the Bible's hidden truths. That is to say, they must "seek the meaning of the [Bible as] divine words." So, biblical interpreters must "not stop at knocking and seeking" for personal enlightenment from God. In fact, according to Origen, "the most necessary element" for comprehending Scripture is "praying to understand the divine words." Although we should reject Origen's Neo-Platonic orientation toward these matters, he recognized something that is certainly true about Scripture. When the faithful seek God through prayerful contemplation as they read Scripture, God grants them insights that otherwise often remain hidden.

People like Origen emphasized the fact that when you read the Bible, it's really important that you gain the spiritual meaning of the text. Now I would want to say that is a really healthy thing, because the Bible is not just a history book, it's not just an academic textbook to titillate our theological imagination. There is spiritual significance … In fact, we believe that the two belong together, that as we improve our ability to understand the meaning of the biblical words, the context in which they're set in the passage, the historical details, etc., etc., that also helps us gain spiritual insight into what the text meant, both for the first readers of the text, but also for us subsequently. [Dr. Simon Vibert]

Throughout the medieval period, nearly every leading interpreter of Scripture practiced some form of divine reading, or Lectio Divina, including important scientific interpreters like Augustine and Aquinas.

By and large, Lectio Divina came to be practiced in four well-known steps or movements: lectio, reading of Scripture; meditation, silent pondering of the content of what is read; oratio, earnest prayer for God to grant enlightenment; and contemplation, quietly waiting for the Spirit of God to grant highly intuitive, deeply emotional and transforming convictions of a passage's significance.

By the time of the Reformation, the Church of Rome used the practice of Lectio Divina to justify all kinds of false teachings. Church authorities claimed that their teachings derived from supernatural insights from God, but these "insights" actually contradicted the teachings of Scripture in some very important ways. In response, most Protestant scholars rightly placed a high premium on scientific hermeneutics. But they didn't forsake reading the Bible devotionally. On the contrary, they insisted that devotional hermeneutics be tied to sound exegetical analysis of Scripture.

This feature of Protestant biblical scholarship isn't widely acknowledged, so it will help to mention just two well-known examples: John Calvin and Jonathan Edwards.

John Calvin has rightly been called the most rational and logical biblical interpreter of the early Reformation. His training as a lawyer and Renaissance humanist equipped him well for this role. But throughout his commentaries, we find that he vigorously pursued not only scientific but also devotional hermeneutics.

As just one example, in his Commentary on Haggai, part 2, he wrote:

The glory of God so shines in his word, that we ought to be so affected by it … as though he were near to us, face to face.

Far from treating the interpretation of Scripture as a detached, impersonal scientific activity, Calvin insisted that "the glory of God so shines in his word" that when we read the Scriptures "we ought to be so affected," as though God himself were "face to face" with us. As this passage indicates, Calvin called his followers to read Scripture as an all-consuming, intensely emotional and humbling experience of God's presence.

In much the same way, the early American theologian Jonathan Edwards, who lived from 1703 to 1758, frequently displayed his meticulously rational and logical analyses of Scripture. But listen to these words from his essay, Personal Narrative:

As I read the words [of 1 Timothy], there came into my soul … a sense of the glory of the Divine Being; a new sense, quite different from any thing I ever experienced before. Never any words of Scripture seemed to me as these words did. I thought with myself, how excellent a Being that was, and how happy I should be, if I might enjoy that God … for ever!

Here we see that Edwards delighted in a "sense of the glory of the Divine Being" as he read Scripture. And this experience of the Spirit of God was so powerful that Edwards desired to "enjoy that God … for ever!" Edwards is well-known for being strongly influenced by Enlightenment rationalism, and he rightly believed that biblical interpretation had to be deeply scientific. But even Edwards wasn't satisfied with mere rational reflection on the Bible. He knew that Scripture must also be read with a deeply intuitive sense of the wondrous presence of God.

In our day, devotional approaches to hermeneutics have nearly disappeared from scholarly biblical interpretation. While early Protestants moved toward scientific hermeneutics in response to the machinations of Roman Catholic interpreters, today many biblical scholars consider devotional hermeneutics beneath their intellectual prowess. They give nearly all of their scholarly attention to careful, rational exegesis, as if this approach will provide all that we need from the Bible. Seeking illumination from God through intense prayer, fasting, and contemplation has all but vanished from evangelical scholarship. But it's crucial that we pursue both scientific and devotional hermeneutics when we approach formal, academic interpretation. We need to be careful not to go to extremes, but many Protestant interpreters have done this well in the past, and we would be wise to follow their example.

Keeping in mind the biblical roots of devotional hermeneutics and some historical examples of theologians who combined scientific and devotional approaches to biblical interpretation, let's look briefly at the priorities of this kind of hermeneutics.

Priorities

Most followers of Christ begin to read the Scriptures with a devotional spirit. But when they become more adept at scholarly biblical interpretation, they often lose sight of the importance of devotional hermeneutics. But scientific interpretation of the Bible is often so highly intellectual and analytical that we actually forget something that was once crucial to our walk with Christ — the personal and powerfully transformative experience of God through his Word. For this reason, we should see how a devotional approach to the Scriptures should adjust the priorities that we have as we pursue all three hermeneutical processes.

We'll examine the priorities of devotional hermeneutics in the same way that we looked at scientific hermeneutical priorities. First, we'll determine the priorities for preparation. Next, we'll focus on the process of investigation in devotional hermeneutics. And finally, we'll give some thought to the modern application of this type of interpretation. Let's start with the priorities for preparation.

Preparation

Unfortunately, many sincere followers of Christ believe that when we read Scripture we have absolutely no control over the experience of God's special presence. It either does or does not happen. And there's no way we can prepare ourselves for it. But listen to the way James addressed this misconception in James 4:8:

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you (James 4:8, ESV)

The expression "draw near to God" comes from the Old Testament. Faithful worshippers would "draw near" to God's special presence in the tabernacle and temple. Of course, God is everywhere and he can make himself known in dramatic ways anytime he wishes. But James' words reflect the biblical emphasis on human responsibility. If we want to experience the special presence of God, then we must draw near to him. And God will reciprocate by drawing near to us.

In general terms, preparation for devotional hermeneutics involves sanctification or holy consecration to God. As the Scriptures teach, we have to rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way of communion with God and pursue everything that enhances it. Needless to say, this kind of preparation entails far too many things for us to mention them all, but it helps to gain a sense of their breadth by speaking of three general categories: conceptual, behavioral and emotional preparations.

First, we get ready for God's presence in Scripture through conceptual preparation. By this we mean that we do our best to conform our beliefs to God's true word. Believing false concepts about God, the human race, and the world erects obstacles to communion with God. As we've seen, biblical scholars have tended to focus on a relatively narrow set of concepts that fit with their academic emphases. But sanctification by God's Spirit brings a longing to have all of our thoughts conform to the mind of God, and this desire prepares us for entering his presence as we interpret the Scriptures.

Second, we also draw near to God as we read the Scriptures through behavioral preparation. In the Scriptures, doing things that are contrary to God's will is one of the greatest barriers to experiencing the favorable presence of God. Preparation for devotional hermeneutics must entail repentance over our failures and a sincere desire to behave in ways that please God.

Third, we must get ready for seeking God's nearness through emotional preparation. Emotional preparation involves all of our attitudes — from passing passions to our enduring feelings about God, human beings and the rest of creation. The Scriptures frequently warn against pride, hatred and hardness of heart. These and similar emotions are obstacles to entering God's special presence. But humility, love, tenderness of heart and the like open the way for communion with God. For this reason, preparation for devotional hermeneutics must address not only our concepts and behaviors, but also the full range of our emotions.

Interpreting the Bible wisely and faithfully isn't just a matter of the mind. It's really a matter of the heart, of the whole person. And that means — and this is, I think, a challenge for anyone who has a responsibility to interpret and then teach God's Word — that means that the condition of our heart, our relationship with Christ, really has an influence on the effectiveness of our understanding of the Bible. And so that's why it's very important to be faithful in confessing our sins, holding onto the gospel every day. And when we start to wander spiritually, and particularly if we wander into sin in various areas of life, that can have a very negative effect. I think it does have a negative effect on our ability truly to understand God's Word. And one thing it particularly does is it causes us to back away from the really strong commands that we have in Scripture and we don't hold them in their full integrity because we're trying to wiggle out of those commands. It's very important — the condition of the heart is essential to faithful biblical interpretation. [Dr. Philip Ryken]

With these priorities for preparation in mind, we should turn to the second hermeneutical process, the investigation of original meaning in devotional hermeneutics.

Investigation

Devotional hermeneutics entails shaping our investigation of Scripture's original meaning in ways that bring us near to God. In devotional investigation we look at original meaning in terms of biblical authors' experience of God's nearness and how they intended to bring their original audiences near to God as well. There are many ways to do this, but for the sake of simplicity, we'll speak, once again, in terms of the conceptual, behavioral and emotional dimensions of investigation.

In the first place, devotional hermeneutics requires conceptual investigation — paying attention to the concepts that God and his inspired authors intended to communicate to their original audiences. As we've seen, devotional hermeneutics must be closely tied to the facts of Scripture so that it doesn't venture into speculation or error. We've already noted that scientific hermeneutics is well designed for this task. But in devotional hermeneutics we ask certain conceptual questions that aren't commonly addressed in scientific hermeneutics. How does this text reveal the author's experience of God? How does it indicate how the author intended for his audience to experience the nearness of God?

In the second place, devotional investigation should also focus on the behavioral dimensions of Scripture's original meaning. We said earlier that human behavior either furthers or hinders our ability to come into the special presence of God. For this reason, as biblical authors wrote they also revealed how their own actions and the actions of their audiences affected their experience of God's nearness.

In the third place, devotional investigation should also draw out the emotional dimensions of original meaning as they relate to the nearness of God. Although scientific interpretation often overlooks this, biblical authors expressed their own emotions and sought to impact the emotions of their original audiences. The joys, doubts, sorrows, and fears of biblical authors and their audiences appear at every turn. And as we've already suggested, intense experiences of God's nearness involve heightened emotions. So, we always need to pay attention to what biblical texts reveal about the emotions of the authors and their audiences and how they related to their experiences of the presence of God.

Having touched on the priorities of preparation and investigation, we should also mention the priorities of application in devotional hermeneutics.

Application

When we read the Scriptures in the presence of God, we're particularly devoted to applying the Word of God as God intended. We don't treat the Bible as a lifeless object that mere mortals wrote thousands of years ago. On the contrary, we handle the Scriptures as God's Word living for us today. To help us gain a better sense of how we accomplish this, we'll speak once more of the conceptual, behavioral, and emotional dimensions of application.

On a conceptual level, devotional application focuses on how God is impacting our concepts of himself, humanity and the rest of creation through the Scriptures. As we seek the illumination of God's Spirit through intense prayer and contemplation of his Word, we'll find that the Spirit of God confirms, enhances and corrects our concepts of him, humanity and the rest of creation. And when we embrace these corrections with our whole hearts we'll find ourselves drawn ever further into the blessing of God's presence.

On a behavioral level, devotional application focuses on how our behaviors are affected by the presence of God as we contemplate the Scriptures.

When we come to Scripture, we must humbly lay bare everything we've done. And as we prayerfully draw near to God, his Spirit confirms and enhances our actions for future service to God. And beyond this, as we reflect on Scripture in conscious dependence on the Spirit, we find that he corrects and empowers us to turn to actions that are pleasing to God.

Finally, on an emotional level, devotional application of Scripture entails how our attitudes and feelings are affected by reading the Scriptures in the special presence of God. In his wisdom, God's Spirit brings regret, grief and sorrow when they are appropriate. God's Spirit also fills our hearts with joy, peace, and love. When we approach the Scriptures as the living Word of God, our emotions toward him, other people and the rest of creation can come upon us quietly. Or, as the Spirit wills, they can also fill our hearts so that we're overwhelmed by God's presence. Whatever the case, as we learn how to interpret the Scriptures in the light of God's nearness, we'll find that the Scriptures come alive and transform us, not only in our concepts and behaviors, but also in the depths of our emotions.

We have to recognize that when we study the Bible that the Bible is not asking us just simply to change our thinking. It's asking us to change our lives. And so one of the things I like to use when I encourage people to study the Bible is to think of the application of Scripture in three parts: think, feel, do. Intellectualism is when we only apply the Bible to one of those places — how we think. But God does want us to love him with all our minds, so thinking matters to God. But also how we feel matters to God — our emotional life, our disposition throughout the day. It matters to God what our feelings are. And feelings can be faithful to God, and feelings can not be faithful to God. There's no such thing as neutral feelings. But there's also the "do" aspect. When we apply the Scripture, God doesn't only want us to think about how it affects our emotions or affects our mind, but also how it affects our actions. And so if we use that grid — think, feel, do — it really provides a balance for how we think about the Bible. [Dr. Michael J. Kruger]

CONCLUSION

In this introduction to biblical hermeneutics, we've focused on three main concepts. First, we explored some of the basic terminology we need to orient ourselves to this subject. Second, we saw that scientific hermeneutics are important for their rigor and their logical consistency. And third, we saw that devotional hermeneutics — reading Scripture in God's presence — is a critical counterbalance to scientific hermeneutics.

Learning more about interpreting the Scriptures opens the way for all kinds of new insights and blessings from God. The Old and New Testaments set the standards for everything we believe, everything we do and everything we feel as God's faithful people. And as we look into many more details in lessons to come, we'll come to see how essential it is to give ourselves both to scientific and devotional hermeneutics. As we do, we'll discover new paths of faithful service to God in every dimension of our lives.