Biblical Hermeneutics

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PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL HERMENETICS ; M. M. NINAN In this process of interpreting the message the Spirit of God used language, and the units of language are words and thoughts. The thought is the thread that strings the words together. Therefore, our very exegesis must commence with a study of words and grammar, the two fundamentals of all meaningful speech. The term literal method in literature actually recognizes types, symbols, metaphors and allegories are found throughout the Bible. However, these are used to expound upon and explain the literal message of Scripture. This does not mean everything in the Bible must be interpreted lierally. examples where such an attempt will lead: Here are a few • The Mormons say God has a body because of references to God's "eye", "hand", etc. However, see Ps. 91:1-4 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall rest under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of Jehovah, my refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him I will trust. Surely He will deliver you from the fowler's trap and from the destroying plague. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall trust. His truth shall be your shield, and buckler. (Psa 91:1-4) Does this mean He also has feathers and wings? • Roman Catholic interpretation of Lk. 22:19 leads to the doctrine of transubstantiation. " And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." • Jehovah's Witnesses use Col. 1:15 to prove that Christ was a created being. "And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation." 61
PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL HERMENETICS ; M. M. NINAN PRINCIPLE #3: LEXICAL-SYNTACTICAL PRINCIPLE “No man has a right to say, as some are in the habit of saying, ‘The Spirit tells me that such or such is the meaning of a passage.’ How is he assured that it is the Holy Spirit, and not a spirit of delusion, except from the evidence that the interpretation is the legitimate meaning of the words?’ (Alexander Carson, Examination of the Principles of Biblical Interpretation. Cited in Ramm, Protestant Biblical Interpretation) This step looks at the words used and the way the words are used. Different order of the sentence, the punctuation, the tense of the verse are all aspects that are looked at in the lexical syntactical method. How is the text arranged? Try to distinguish what parts of the text are: narratives, parables, metaphors, dialogue, poetry, etc... Then we need to look at the gramatical structure of the sentences. Having primarily dealt with the gramatical structure the next important step is the study of the words that convey the concepts involved. In this a Bible dictionary to get the basic lexical meaning of the word and a concordance to study how the same word is used elsewhere in the Bible by various authors at various occasions will help. These help to get the real meaning of the words. Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation By Henry A. Virkler Steps in Lexical-Syntactical Analysis Lexical-syntactical anahsis is sometimes difficult, but it often yields exciting and meaningful results. This complex process is somewhat easier to understand if organized into a sevenstep procedure: 1. identify the genera! literary form. The literary form an author uses (prose, poetry, etc.) influences the way he intends his words to be ii ndcrstood. 2. Trace the development of the author's theme and show how the passage under consideration fits into the context. This step, already begun as part of contextual analysis, provides a necessary perspective for determining the meaning of words and syntax. 3. Identify the natural divisions of the text. The main conceptual units and transitional statements reveal the author’s thought process and therefore help clarify his meaning. 4. Identify the connecting words within the paragraphs and sentences. Connecting words (conjunctions, prepositions, relative pronouns) show the logical relationship between two or more thoughts. 5. Determine what the individual words mean. Any word that survives long in a language begins to take on a variety of meanings. Thus it is necessary to identify the various possible meanings of ancient words at the time the biblical author used them and then to determine which of the several possible meanings is the one the author intended to convey in a specific context. 6. Analyze tile syntax. The relationship of words to one another is expressed through their grammatical forms and arrangement. 62
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Prof. Madathilparampil Mammen Ninan
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Life, Legacy and the Theology of Dr
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Biblical Hermeneutics

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