Hermeneutics the Way in Which We Interpret Essay

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Hermeneutics

The way in which we interpret things can depend on many factors. Our cultural background, our environment, and our upbringing among many other things shape the way we view the world and its surroundings. One of what many consider the greatest book ever written, the Bible, has many different stories with just as many interpretations. Some individuals believe that in order to understand the Bible, one must pray to God for understanding when interpreting it. Others take the Bible literally at face value. The purpose of hermeneutics is to aid us in the interpretation of such things as the Bible. There are different methods of hermeneutics: in front of the text, in the text, and behind the text. In reading the two stories by Samuel Cheon and Daniel Patte, we get a clear understanding of which hermeneutical method is used.

In Reconsidering Jephthah's Story in Asian Perspective, Samuel Cheon gives westerners a new perspective on the story of Jephthah from an Asian point-of-view. He also tells the story of Simcheongjeon. In both stories, the daughters sacrificed their lives for the safety and preservation of their fathers. Jephthah actually killed his daughter to fulfill a vow he made to God and Simcheong willingly sacrificed her life so that her father could regain his sight. Both stories can be viewed as harsh and barbaric from a western standpoint. But, from a hermeneutical standpoint, the method used appears to be behind the text.

In both Jephthah's and Simcheong's stories, the reader must look at each in terms of socio-cultural and historical terms.

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It is unfair to judge and interpret each story based only on western culture. We must view each story keeping in mind the period in which they were written as well as the cultural setting of the time period. Western culture can be vastly different from Asian or eastern culture. In Western culture, it is unthinkable for a father to 'sacrifice' his daughter, or for a daughter to allow herself to be sacrificed for the well-being of her father. Westerners would consider these things criminal or attach some sort of psychological dysfunction to each. Many westerners view the New Testament of the Bible as being written for them because they cannot or will not try to understand or relate the Old Testament. To them, the Old Testament was written from an eastern cultural standpoint, whereas the New Testament is written with more of a western mindset. Because of this common belief, westerners must make the effort to fully understand the hermeneutical method of reading behind the text in order to gain a full understanding to be able to interpret the Bible from a socio-cultural and historical standpoint.

Patte, in his writing titled, Contextual Reading of Mark and North Atlantic Scholarship….....

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