Hermeneutics
What is Hermeneutics?
As the time goes by, different ways of seeing or interpreting a text tend to emerge. The question of what is hermeneutics is not a fairly easy question to ask but at the same time is not a new question either. The word text can be very complicated in a way but for this blog lets just assume that the word text means the bible. The word 'hermeneutics' itself however does comes from a Greek word that often can be translated as "interpreter" and the analogy of Hermes often used to described the meaning of the term 'hermeneutics.' But such definition can be expand to some extend depending on yourself as a person.
I am a Tongan whose in the mid 20's studying theology at Auckland Uni. My background as a Tongan can fairly have an affect on my hermeneutics. Two people can watch the same movie but will tend to interpret the same movie both differently. The reason for this is because they are both different in a way, in their background, in their views, and even in the ways they learn. But how does ourself helps us to define the word hermeneutics? How does our history developed more understanding of the word 'hermeneutics' itself?
As the time goes by, different ways of seeing or interpreting a text tend to emerge. The question of what is hermeneutics is not a fairly easy question to ask but at the same time is not a new question either. The word text can be very complicated in a way but for this blog lets just assume that the word text means the bible. The word 'hermeneutics' itself however does comes from a Greek word that often can be translated as "interpreter" and the analogy of Hermes often used to described the meaning of the term 'hermeneutics.' But such definition can be expand to some extend depending on yourself as a person.
I am a Tongan whose in the mid 20's studying theology at Auckland Uni. My background as a Tongan can fairly have an affect on my hermeneutics. Two people can watch the same movie but will tend to interpret the same movie both differently. The reason for this is because they are both different in a way, in their background, in their views, and even in the ways they learn. But how does ourself helps us to define the word hermeneutics? How does our history developed more understanding of the word 'hermeneutics' itself?
posted by sea at 12:29 PM
10 Comments:
The word hermeneutic to me without being so complicated is just a perspective. Like you rightly point out, its definition is as varied as watching the same movie. I watch a movie and likes one character while hate the other. My friend on the other hand happens to like the character I hate while hates the one I like or like them both. It all comes down to something about our differences much influenced by backgrounds for that matter. So my definition of of the word will lead me to giving you lots about my background that shapes my perspective and it goes on............................... and believe me, It will be too long, you wont like it, so....................... I thought for a moment I should give you the history but I'm not sure you like history- not with dates (you know 'in 200AD, and so forth) at least, bearable
IJA
but thats what i meant ... our background tend shape our hermeneutics. but if I wanted to write anything on the development of hermeneutics, does that mean that I'll be writing a biography on myself??? hehehe
You see Sea, the problem is the method))))) so that we think everything could be solved through methods! And like you say, they are offered programs. My God, when will they start offering themselves or contributing to the programms before they are offered?********* I long to see among the many hermeneutics, a 'young hermeneutic'#### think we can do it?
Know what, I think sought of... in your hermeneutic, I can see your biography(((((( this helps though coz I would go to sleep if you narrated the many years of your life/ just kidding. But yah, your hermeneutic= a bit of your biography unless it is those ones used only for academic purposes... you now them yah
Whenever I hear the word hermeneutics it reminds me of my struggle last year with the theorist Martin Heidegger. I used his book "Being and Time" to try to understand exactly what you ask "what is hermeneutics? So as not to bore you one important thing that I learnt from Heidegger is that 'readers with a hermneutic of either suspicion or trust are deliberately reading with an eye on two horizons.'Readers want to know the meaning of te original text as well as possible significance of the text in their own contemporary context. The notion of the two horizons is built on the theory of interpretaion that claims we cannot truly read, interpret, ir understand text until we engage with it, until we somehow fuse its horizon.
Again not to bore you, last year I shaped my reading of the Canaanite's story Matthew 15: 21-18 around a relationship of kinship, geneaology, power and equality. I approached the text as the meeting of two treaty partners Maori and Pakeah to honour the meetings of my own ancestors. I would imagine the meeting would have many similarites with one partner demanding their rights from the other. In the year 1840 in Waitangi two peoles signed a treaty , the Pakeha and Maori, they too entered a covenant of risk like that of Jesus and the Canaanite woman.
As a Tongan reading Biblical text you will be able to view it with such richness.
If you want to know how our history developes more understanding of the word hermenetics do you mean our biblical hsitory or our cultural history (eg Tongan),
Already Aisea I can see the wrestling but you will begin to read the bible with so much more meaning and wisdom.
Bless you as you journey through hermeneutics.
Te atapo (the dawn).
Ok, I see what you mean ... but sometimes we tend to get contradictions in our hermeneutics of suspicion and our hermeneutics of faith, which can be a real headache ... but most of the times our hermeneutics of faith grows on our hermeneutics of suspicion.
I was refering to the biblical history te atapo
Sea,
I believe you are right. A hermeneutics of suspicion can have far reaching consequences for the question of biblical translation. Take the androcnetric biblical language that dominates the biblcial text. Such language not only marginalizes women it also makes us invisible in our own culture.
So what comes first a hermeneutic of faith that causes us to use a hermenetic of suspicion or a hermeneutic of suspicion that ..... Interesting! I don't really know! either way?
Te atapo (the dawn).
Sea, tiz true everyone is a victim including those in the bible. Following that, what I mean by victim is when someone or society makes you feel more helpeless, needy than everyone else. At least keep it to the level that everyone remains victims. Dont you think the bible has been used to affirm more helplessnes, neediness of others?
By the way```` I know its cruel weather today but cant stop thinking of who is to blame in Genesis 3------------
te atapo, I think the question that we should consider asking should not focus on which one comes first but how they interrelated. As I said before, most of the time our hermeneutics of faith builds on our hermeneutics of suspicion ...
I am not entirely convinced that our hermeneutic of faith builds on a hermenutic of suspicion.
I had so much faith without suspicion but now as a scholar I have learnt to " use" a hermeneutic of suspcion.
Either way I guess its ok
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