WHAT THE TEXT SAYS: Perspectives on Hermeneutics and the Interpretation of Texts

All human experience is not merely subject to interpretation, but is itself interpretation. Moment by moment we evaluate the stimuli and information that our senses provide to our consciousness and make value judgments upon it that direct our subsequent thoughts, words, and actions. From this we see that hermeneutics does not simply relate to the interpretation of texts and literature, but to existence itself. Language, however, both spoken and written, is the chief medium by which man articulates his existence, and thus is the primary focus of hermeneutics.
Taking this thought further, language is also the medium, both spoken and written, through which God chose to reveal and communicate Himself to man. Hermeneutics then, are an essential tool as we interpret the language of God’s communication with man across the ages as recorded in the Scriptures. The miles and millennia between the creation of the biblical record and our present existence today underscore our reliance on good hermeneutical method to discern from these ancient texts meaning for man today. With this in mind, this book seeks to examine several elements that are essential for a full and right understanding and approach to hermeneutics.