Hermeneutics

The Science and Art of Biblical Interpretation

By Drue Freeman, Pastor
Trinity Bible Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

terpretation, by Bernard Ramm (Baker Book

Preface House, 1970), and my personal teaching notes.
This Bible study course is designed to ac-
quaint the serious student of the Word of God
with equipment that will help in the interpreta- Table Of Contents
tion of the Scriptures.
Lesson 1-Introduction.
We are going to begin with an introduction to Lesson 2-Historical Schools-Allegorists.
the various schools of hermeneutical thought
and then proceed to the various principles that Lesson 3-Historical Schools-Literalists.
are used in the Protestant system of Biblical Lesson 4-Historical Schools-Liberals.
interpretation. Lesson 5-The Protestant Method Of Herme-
The approach that will be used is based on the neutics-Introduction.
personal belief of the author that the Scrip- Lesson 6-Theological Perspectives.
tures are totally and completely inspired by
God and that He communicates to His people Lesson 7-Grammatical Perspectives.
that which He desires them to know. Lesson 8-The Doctrinal Use Of The Bible.
We will not only explore the basic principles Lesson 9-The Devotional Use Of The Bible.
of interpretation, but will also consider some Lesson 10-Inerrancy And Secular Science.
specialized areas such as symbols, types, pa-
Lesson 11-Types, Symbols And Parables.
rables and prophecy.
Lesson 12-Interpretation Of Prophecy.
Please begin and end this course with prayer,
praying as you go. Seek to know God's Word Lesson 13-Use Of The Old Testament In The
for He has promised that you can (Matt 7:7-8; New Testament.
James 1:5), but more than just knowing God's Lesson 14-The Use Of Logic.
Word, seek to know Him (Phil. 3:10) in a
more personal and intimate way for many
have known His Word, but did not really
know the Father (John 5:39-45).
All Scripture quotations are taken from the
New American Standard Bible published by
the Lockman Foundation.
This study course was derived from class
notes gleaned from Dr. Dale Carnagey of Tul-
sa Seminary of Biblical Languages in the fall
of 1978, our textbook, Protestant Biblical In-
Hermeneutics 2

Interpreters should approach the text in humil-

Lesson 1 ity, meaning that the interpreter must be
teachable and realize that he should never stop
Introduction learning. Interpreters must also recognize that
Hermeneutics is the science and art of Biblical inspiration (which comes from God) is infalli-
interpretation. It is a science because it is ble, but personal illumination is not.
guided by rules. The art is in the application
The Qualifications of an Interpreter:
of the rules.
The primary need of hermeneutics is to deter- 1. One must be a Believer because correct
mine the meaning of the Word of God. Since interpretation requires the work of the Ho-
all doctrine rests upon interpretation, we must ly Spirit. 1 Cor 2:14-16
have correct interpretation to develop correct 2. One must be filled with the Holy Spirit.
doctrine. Eph 5:18
Hermeneutics seeks to bridge the gap between 3. One must possess a desire to know. Matt
our minds and the minds of the Biblical writ- 7:7-8
ers. The best way to accomplish this bridge is 4. One must be seeking to correctly interpret
through a thorough knowledge of the original God’s Word. 2 Tim 2:15
languages, ancient history and comparison of
5. One should have some spiritual education
Scripture with Scripture. An extensive know-
over a period of time. 1 Tim 3:6
ledge of geography and culture is also invalu-
able. For Personal Study
The step of faith that we must make is the in- 1. Why is the study of Hermeneutics both a
spiration of Scripture (2 Tim 3:16). This es- science and an art?
tablishes the boundaries for correct under- 2. What is the primary need of Hermeneu-
standing of the Word. tics?
We also must seek to determine the true text. 3. What is the best way to bridge the gap be-
This discipline is called textual criticism. tween my mind and the mind of the writ-
Lower criticism seeks to determine the author er?
and date of the writing. So called “Higher
Criticism” is a liberal approach to Scripture 4. What is the "step of faith" that I must take
that does not accept complete inspiration of to begin to interpret the Scripture?
the Bible. 5. Is my interpretation infallible? Explain.
There is a need for intellectual honesty and 6. Do I fit the qualifications for an interpre-
education. One may have the rules memo- ter? If not, why?
rized, but may not be able to apply them, or
may seek to apply them in a biased manner.
The objective of the interpreter is to read out
of the text (exegesis) not to read one’s own
viewpoints in to the text (eisegesis). One way
to become as objective as possible is prayer-
fully and thoughtfully consider any and all
alternatives in a given passage.
Hermeneutics 3

The Christian and Patristic Allegorists be-

Lesson 2 lieved that the Old Testament was a Christian
document but considered it to be full of pa-
Historical Schools-Allegorists rables, enigmas, and riddles. They also ig-
General nored the historical connections of scripture
An “Allegory” is a symbolic representation. and believed that Greek philosophy was to be
There were schools of interpretation that took found in the Old Testament.
the literal words of Scripture and assumed that One of the major writers was Clement of
they were symbolic of deeper spiritual truths. Alexandria (c.150 A.D.) who claimed that
While there are some obvious symbols in the there were five possible meanings. The His-
Word of God such as in Ezekiel 1, it would be torical meaning which concerned the actual
a human assumption to claim that all of Scrip- event; The Doctrinal meaning which included
ture is symbolic and that the literal has no sig- moral and theological teachings; The Prophet-
nificant meaning. ic meaning which was concerned with predic-
Greek Allegorical Schools: tions and types; the Philosophical meaning
which sees meaning in objects and historical
The Greek Allegorical Schools were con- persons; and the Mystical meaning which in-
cerned only with their own writings, but their volved deeper moral, spiritual or religious
method of interpretation was adopted by both truth found via symbols.
Jews and Christians. Their philosophical and
historical traditions which were stated by Origen was a student of Clement who sought
Thucydides and Herodatus were always at to escape the crudities of lay people by taking
odds with their religious traditions which were everything symbolically. He tried to make
stated by Homer and Hesiod. They relieved scripture acceptable to philosophers. Origen’s
the tension by allegorizing the religious. approach was threefold in that the Literal
meaning was the Body of Scripture, the Moral
Jewish Allegorical Schools: sense was the Soul of Scripture, and the Alle-
The major writers for the Jewish Allegorical gorical sense was the Spirit of Scripture. He
School were Aristobulus (160 BC) and Philo believed that true exegesis was Spiritual (alle-
(20 BC - 54 AD). Philo tried to reconcile the gorical) exegesis.
Hebrew faith with Greek philosophy. These Jerome (347-420) translated the Bible into
allegorists claimed that the literal was for the Latin and that translation is called the Vulgate.
immature. It has been the only official Bible of the Ro-
The Jewish Allegorists developed Canons (a man Catholic Church since the Council of
regulation or standard) for allegorical interpre- Trent in 1545. Jerome suggested that the
tation that told them when they were to interp- Apocrypha be put in Bible.
ret in this manner. If they found a statement Augustine sought to develop a theory of
that was “unworthy” of God, or statements signs. A sign is a thing apart from the impres-
that either seemed to contradict or in any way sion that it presents to the senses and which
presented a difficulty, they felt free to interp- causes of itself some other thing to enter our
ret allegorically. Also, if the record itself was thoughts. He based his position on 2 Cor 3:6
allegorical in nature or they ran into grammat- which says “who also made us adequate as
ical peculiarities or symbols they turned to servants of a new covenant, not of the letter,
allegory. but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the
Christian and Patristic Allegorists: Spirit gives life.” Augustine’s requirements
Hermeneutics 4

for proper interpretation were: 1) an interpre- Catholic Church. Therefore, no passage of

ter must be a believer; 2) the literal meaning Scripture can be validly interpreted in a man-
and historical setting must be held in high re- ner that conflicts with the Roman Catholic
gard; 3) Scripture has a double meaning, Doctrinal system. Their view of the “analogy
therefore the Allegorical method is proper; 4) of faith” is to compare a particular interpreta-
recognize that there is significance in num- tion with Church Dogma.
bers; and 5) the Old Testament was a Chris- The Roman Catholic “Guide to Interpretation”
tian document and Christ should be sought is that interpretation:
there. Augustine believed that true exegesis
had to consult the meaning of the writer, then  must be solely about faith and morals.
the “analogy of faith” which is found in the  is not bound by national or scientific mat-
true orthodox creed and add love, which is ters.
spiritual intuition.  must bear witness to Catholic tradition.
Some of Augustine’s other teachings were: 1)  must have a unanimous witness by the
that one had to pay attention to the context; 2) Church Fathers.
if the interpreter is insecure in his basic be-
liefs, he can’t be part of the orthodox faith; 3)  is to be explained by unwritten tradition
that one must not try and make the Holy Spirit when the passage is obscure.
a substitute for the tools; 4) that the obscure  follows the “Principle of Development”
passage must yield to clear; and 5) that one meaning the doctrines of the New Testa-
must also note progressive revelation within ment were ‘seeds’ and not complete units
its historical context (some say that he failed in themselves.
to apply this point himself).
 also follows the “Principle of Implication”
Roman Catholic School: which is called “Epigenesis” meaning that
The Allegorism of Roman Catholicism em- doctrines grow, develop and change.
ployed a “spiritual” or “mystical” interpreta-
For Personal Study
tion of the Word. In general, the Roman
Catholics combined Typology and Allegory 1. What is an allegory?
and sought the Moral Interpretation. They be- 2. What is the major assumption of the Alle-
lieved that the literal and historical interpreta- gorical School of thought?
tion is the foundation of the study of the Bible, 3. From which Allegorical School did both
but that the “spiritual” or “mystical” meaning, the Jews and Christians get their founda-
which is beyond the literal, is what we should tion?
really seek.
4. How did the Jewish Allegorical School
The Roman Catholics use the Latin Vulgate (a originate?
Latin translation by Jerome from the Hebrew
and Greek) as though it were the original text. 5. How do Allegorists view Literalists?
The Catholic interpreter accepts what The 6. What were the five possible meanings of
Church has said about various matters as une- Scripture according to Clement of Alexan-
quivocal truth. They believe that The Church dria?
is the official interpreter since The Bible is not 7. What were the body, soul and spirit of
given to the world but deposited with the Scripture according to Origen?
Church. Also at the heart of their beliefs is
that the Christian Deposit of Faith is in the 8. Evaluate the basic teachings of Augustine.
Hermeneutics 5

9. Discuss the basic hermeneutical system of numbers and a system called termura which
Roman Catholicism. changed the letters of words to form new
words.
Lesson 3 Syrian School of Antioch
Historical Schools-Literalists The Syrian School of Antioch avoided letter-
ism and allegories. Lucian and Dorotheus
General: were founders, around 325 A.D. Arius and
The literal method of interpreting the Bible is Eusebius studied at this school. Diodorus who
to accept as basic the literal rendering of the was the first presbyter of Antioch until 378
sentences unless by virtue of the nature of the AD, then the Bishop of Tarsus, also was part
sentence or phrase this is not possible. This of the school at Antioch. There exist many
allows for figures of speech, fables and allego- extant writings from the students of this an-
ries. When reasons exist for something cient school.
beyond the literal meaning, there must be Theodore of Mopsuestia was a student of Dio-
some type of control. dorus who was intellectual and dogmatic. He
Jewish Literal School denied the inspiration of some books of the
Ezra founded this school when he translated Bible, but he also denied Allegory.
the Hebrew to Aramaic for the Jews who were John Chrysostom who was also called “the
coming out of captivity (Neh 8:1-8). The Jew- golden-mouthed” was a talented exegete and
ish Canons of interpretation were that: communicator who recognized inspiration and
 the Word is to be understood in terms of totality of the Canon.
sentence and the sentence by its context. This School debated Origen’s Allegorical
 one should compare similar topics of school.
scripture and give the clear passages prefe- The Syrian School:
rence over the obscure.  recognized a plain-literal and a figurative-
 one must pay close attention to spelling, literal sense of Scripture.
grammar, and figures of speech.  were not “letterists.”
 Logic is be used to apply scripture to life  avoided the authoritarian exegesis of the
in circumstances where the Bible is silent. Roman Catholics.
The Literal school recognizes the Divine ac-  insisted on historicity of Old Testament
commodation of Revelation to men. events.
Some Problems in the Literal School:
 related the Old Testament and New Tes-
The “hyperliteralists” who are also called tament Typologically, not Allegorically.
“letterists” took things to the extreme and
 recognized Progressive Revelation.
were constantly looking for hidden meanings
lying “under” the surface of the text.  held that the bond between the Old Testa-
The Cabbalists (Kabbalists) often allegorized ment and New Testament is prophecy.
the letters. They used notarikon where each This is the line of descent passed through by
letter stood for another word. They also used the writer of this course.
a method called gemetria which assigned nu-
merical values to words, and then compared
Hermeneutics 6

The Victorines:  The Christological Principle states that the

The major representatives of The Victorines function of all interpreters is to find Christ.
were Hugo of St. Victor, Richard of St. Vic- (The Roman Catholics seek to do this with
tor, and Andrew of St. Victor. They noted the Allegory)
importance of history and geography, which is  The Law-Gospel Principle which recog-
the natural background for literal exegesis. nizes that the Law is not necessary for sal-
They emphasized syntax, grammar and exege- vation.
sis and did not get involved in letterism.
In the Post-Reformation Era Ernesti published
The Reformers: Institutio Interpretis in 1761 which stated that
The Reformers based their approach on the grammatical exegesis had authority over dog-
philosophical system of Occam. This system matic exegesis which was the Roman Catholic
first separated Grace and Nature and said eve- method.
rything we know about God is via Divine Re- Devotional Schools:
velation. The second factor involved a re-
newed study of Hebrew and Greek. Erasmus This group emphasizes the edifying aspects of
published the first Greek New Testament in Scripture as per 2 Tim 3:16. The Medieval
1516. Mystics who used the Scriptures to promote
the mystical experience led this school. The
The Reformer Martin Luther held the follow- Victorines fell into this category.
ing hermeneutical principles:
Pietists
 The Psychological Principle which recog-
nized faith and illumination. This was started by Philip Spener (1635-1705
and August Francke (1663-1727) who at-
 The Authority Principle which held that tempted to recover the Bible as spiritual with
the Bible is the supreme authority and is the intended use of edification. It was a reac-
above church authority. tion against those who read the Bible only to
 The Literal Principle, which rejected alle- tear down others. Bengel was the chief expo-
gory as, used by the Catholics. (They nent. The Pietists emphasized grammatical
were not adverse though if the context and historical interpretation seeking to apply it
were Christ and not something about the to life.
papacy). They accepted the primacy of The Pietists influenced the Moravians. This
the original languages and paid attention evangelical movement can be traced to Mora-
to grammar, time frame, circumstances, via and Bohemia (Czechoslovakia). Count
conditions, and context. von Zinzendorf (1700 - 1760), the leader of
 The Sufficiency Principle, which indicates the Bohemian Brethren was a part of the De-
that the Bible is a clear book and a devout votional School. The Pietists also influenced
student, can understand it. This includes the Puritans including John Wesley, Jonathan
the fact that Scripture interprets scripture, Edwards, Mathew Henry, and the Quakers.
so one must let the clear interpret the ob- The problem they faced was one of having
scure. They also employed the "Analogy only pious reflections of Scripture without
of Faith" which was believed to be the clear explanations. The Modern Devotional
theological unity of the Bible and not the School claims devotions are absolutely neces-
recognized dogma of an institution. sary as Christians need applications to live by.
The weaknesses of this school are that it can
Hermeneutics 7

easily fall prey to Allegory, and often, pious  Doctrinal and theological content are not
reflections are substituted for valid exegesis. binding.
For Personal Study  They believe that religious experience is
fundamental and that theology is an after-
1. Describe the Literal approach to God's
thought.
Word.
The Liberal School applied Evolution to the
2. What were some of the problems in the
religion of Israel. Thus they held that Jesus
Literal School and why would they be
was a good man of the highest prophetic order
problems?
and was transmuted by theological speculation
3. Which Literal School debated Origen's and Greek metaphysics into the God-man of
Allegorical School and who were some of the creeds.
its famous students?
They believe that the writers of the Bible ac-
4. Discuss the principles held by the Syrian commodated their recipients and hence the
School. Bible is not binding on us. Liberalism also
5. Discuss Luther's principles of hermeneu- rejects typology and prophecy. They place a
tics. high value on philosophy and use a synthetic
6. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of system that comes from beginning with a the-
the Pietists. sis and adding to it an antithesis thus forming
a synthesis.
Lesson 4 Some of the different names Liberalism ap-
pears under are:
Historical Schools-Liberals  Neo-Orthodoxy which seeks to recover the
The Liberal School of interpretation grew insights of the Reformers. Karl Barth was
primarily out of the debate between rational- the chief representative of this movement.
ism and authoritarianism. Whatever was not  Neo-Supernaturalism which reinstates cat-
in harmony with ‘educated’ morality was re- egory of transcendental.
jected.
 Logotheism which seeks a new theology
The Liberal system of hermeneutics is that:
of the Word of God.
 The Modern Mentality was to govern
 Neo-Evangelicalism which seeks to recov-
one’s approach to scripture.
er the Christian gospel in contrast to social
 The Bible is just another book. gospel.
 Miracles are not to be accepted because  Neo-Liberalism which has not really bro-
they are not scientific. ken with liberalism.
 Hell, sin, and depravity are rejected be-  Biblical Realism which is a new effort to
cause they offend moral sensitivities. discover theological interpretation of the
 The text may be rearranged. Bible.
 They reject all forms of Inspiration. Neo-Orthodoxy:
 Revelation is redefined to mean human The approach of Neo-Orthodoxy to the inter-
insight into religious truth. pretation of the Bible:
 denies the infallibility, inerrancy, and Di-
vine revelation of Scripture.
Hermeneutics 8

 says that only God can speak for God and of the book, to determine to whom it was
thus revelation only comes when God written and find the flow of ideas
speaks.  comprehending the Bible’s message in
 claims that His speech is His personal context of the author’s view of life and re-
presence, not mere words. ality as seen by the rational mind.
 views the Bible as a witness and record to  determining the relationship, which exists
revelation, but is not revelation. between the ideas of the documents and
 believes only that which witnesses to Chr- the ideas of our own mind, namely reading
ist is binding. into The Word our viewpoints which is,
called eisegesis.
 believes we cannot interpret the particulars
or specifics of Scripture.  critically studying the Bible since criticism
establishes authenticity.
 interprets mythologically the Creation ac-
The New Hermeneutics:
counts, the fall of man, and the Second
Advent. Rudolf Bultmann (1884-1976) introduced the
German Hermeneutical Principle also called
 believes you can read the Bible without
the “New Hermeneutics.” Its principles are
any attempt to understand it (Existential).
that:
 recognizes paradoxes.
 all matters of fact are settled by science
“Holy History” School: and thus rejects miracles. (Scientific)
Another part of the Liberal School believed in  the historical setting of a concept becomes
a Heilsgeschichtliche, which is German mean- more important than the strict interpreta-
ing “Holy History” or “Salvation History.” tion of that concept. (Critical)
Von Hoffman who tried a new system based
on the experience of regeneration, history, the  the 1st Century church expressed faith my-
fact of the Church and Scripture started it. thologically. (Mythological)
They accepted “Higher Criticism” which be-  the modern person must strip away the
lieved the books in the Bible to be written by myths. (Demythological)
several authors over the period of several hun-  faith lives only by decision and does not
dred years. need to be objective or have historical
The approach of the “Holy History” was that support. (Dialectical)
an historical event had roots in the past, mean-  scriptures are a witness that revelation
ing in the present, and was a preview of the does occur, but it is not directly the Word
future. It was also called the “Organic” view of God. (Revelational)
and when applied meant that interpretation
was to be dynamic (ever-changing). This  there is no Old Testament predictions of
school turned applications into interpretations the New Testament events. (The Law)
and believed that the Bible is the Bible if you They are on a quest for the “historical Jesus”
make it your Bible. speaking of the person apart from what they
Their Hermeneutics involve: view as myth. The Liberal Hermeneutic is
based on how each person may see or under-
 The “Quest for Life” movement of docu- stand his own world and experience. They
ment which is an attempt to discover unity view language as a “speech-event” and thus it
Hermeneutics 9

does not carry responsibility even if coming man. For who has known the mind of the
from God. Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we
have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:14-16).” The
For Personal Study: second requirement for correct interpretation
1. Where did the Liberal School of interpre- of God’s Word is directly related to one’s re-
tation come from? lationship with the Holy Spirit, because it is
2. What philosophical theory did the Liberals His function to “guide us into all truth (John
apply to Scripture? 16:13).” The third requirement is an intellec-
tual honesty that consistently and eagerly uses
3. Discuss their basic positions.
the tools that God has given us to learn His
4. What is my overall evaluation of the liber- Word. We are instructed to, “Be diligent to
al hermeneutical system? present yourself approved to God as a work-
man who does not need to be ashamed, han-
Lesson 5 dling accurately the word of truth (2 Tim
2:15).”
The Protestant System Of Hermeneutics
The goal of interpretation is always to be love.
Introduction All goals in life are supposed to revolve
The Divine Inspiration of Scripture is the around what the Lord Jesus Christ Himself
foundation from which we begin, for “All called the “Two Greatest Commandments.”
Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for In Mark 12:28-31, the text reports, “And one
teaching, for reproof, for correction, for train- of the scribes came and heard them arguing,
ing in righteousness; that the man of God may and recognizing that He had answered them
be adequate, equipped for every good work. well, asked Him, “What commandment is the
(2Tim 3:16-17). The Protestant Approach to foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The fore-
Hermeneutics recognizes that the Bible must most is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is
be understood as absolute truth including all one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your
the miracles. This adds new depth to common God with all your heart, and with all your
words such faith, love, redemption and salva- soul, and with all your mind, and with all your
tion because not only are concepts presented strength.’ “The second is this, ‘You shall love
but facts are given to validate the concepts. your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other
Also at the core of “How to Study the Bible” commandment greater than these.” The Apos-
is acceptance of the fact that the Bible has tle Paul gave his teaching objective in 1 Tim
been inspired by God in its entirety. This is 1:5 which says, “the goal of our instruction is
called verbal-plenary inspiration indicating love from a pure heart and a good conscience
that every part of the Bible has been inspired and a sincere faith.”
by God. The intent of this love-guided teaching should
To correctly interpret God’s Word first re- be to promote the Spiritual growth of the Be-
quires that the individual is a Believer in the liever in the Lord Jesus. This principle is
Lord Jesus Christ because, “a natural man clearly taught in Ephesians 4:11-16, that says,
does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; “And He gave some as apostles, and some as
for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot prophets, and some as evangelists, and some
understand them, because they are spiritually as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of
appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises the saints for the work of service, to the build-
all things, yet he himself is appraised by no ing up of the body of Christ; until we all attain
Hermeneutics 10

to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge Lesson 6

of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the
measure of the stature which belongs to the The Protestant System Of Hermeneutics:
fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no Theological Perspectives
longer to be children, tossed here and there by
waves, and carried about by every wind of There are certain theological perspectives that
doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness our method of Bible study must include in or-
in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth der for us to approach the text and interpret
in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Scripture properly.
Him, who is the head, even Christ, from The first principle involves the Clarity of
whom the whole body, being fitted and held Scripture, which is clearly taught in 2 Pet
together by that which every joint supplies, 1:20-21 and 1Cor 14:33. The passage in 2
according to the proper working of each indi- Peter says, "But know this first of all, that no
vidual part, causes the growth of the body for prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own
the building up of itself in love.” interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made
Interpretation must be tested with the words of by an act of human will, but men moved by
the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1 Timothy 6:3-5, the Holy Spirit spoke from God." Scripture is
Paul says, “If anyone advocates a different clear because it is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
doctrine, and does not agree with sound We must remember that although Scripture is
words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and "clear" there still may be parts that are diffi-
with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he cult to understand.
is conceited and understands nothing; but he One of our basic guiding principles though is
has a morbid interest in controversial ques- that "God said what He meant and meant what
tions and disputes about words, out of which He said." We must seek to know His Word as
arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil sus- He intended. We also know that, "God is not
picions, and constant friction between men of a God of confusion but of peace (1 Cor
depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who 14:33)," so where there is confusion it is on
suppose that godliness is a means of gain.” our part and not God's. Therefore, "problem
passages" come from our lack of knowledge,
For Personal Study our perspective or desire to "do His will (John
1. What is the foundation of the Protes- 7:17). The use of the original languages under
tant system of Hermeneutics? Why? the ministry of the Holy Spirit will clarify
2. What are three personal requirements many of these problems.
for the interpretation of Scripture? The second principle is that Revelation is Ac-
3. What should be the objective of all in- commodated, which means that it was origi-
terpretation and why? nally communicated in language to be unders-
tood by the initial recipients. The Scripture
4. What should our teaching promote and
often uses analogies to inescapable realities
why?
that fit the time frame in which it was written.
5. What is the standard we are to use to The application of this principle requires some
test interpretation? knowledge and understanding of the history
and culture of the people to which the portion
of the Word was addressed.
Hermeneutics 11

The third theological principle is that Revela- passages of Scripture must not contradict the
tion is Progressive. This refers to the fact that total teaching of Scripture on a given subject.
various precepts are initially presented in a For example, eternal salvation is either by
summary form and then enlarged. A wonder- grace through faith, or by works, but not both.
ful example is found in the "promised seed of God's Word does not have two different sys-
the woman" found in Genesis 3:15. More in- tems or means to eternal salvation, but rather
formation about the Messiah is found it has one (Eph 2:8-9). Therefore, passages
throughout the Old Testament, especially in that relate our "works" done in this body to
the types and symbols that are used to give a eternity must be understood in view the pas-
vivid picture of the Messiah who was to come. sages that clearly specify that our eternal sal-
The New Testament is documentation of the vation is by grace.
reality that Messiah has come. While this is The sixth theological principle is the Unity of
the clearest example of Progressive Revela- Meaning of the Scripture. This is why believ-
tion, there are many concepts that are initially ers develop a systematic theology that seeks to
presented and then developed. understand and explain how various passages
The fourth principle is that Scripture interprets and concepts fit together. This principle seeks
Scripture meaning that the obscure passage to understand and communicate how God has
should give way to the clear. This principle put His Word together. Man's tendency
realizes that essential truths are not hidden. though is to "read into" God's Word what he
We should look for detailed passages on a wants to find (eisegesis). When man desires
given subject and let them be the guide in the (either intentionally or not) to impose his sys-
interpretation of the passages with less detail. tem upon God's Word he is prone to presump-
An illustration of this principle is found in the tive allegories and distortions of the Scrip-
comparison of Matthew 24:40 with Matthew tures. Knowing what God says and desires
13:49. should always be the first priority of the stu-
In Matthew 24, the phrase "one will be taken, dent of His Word.
and one will be left" could refer either to the For Personal Study
righteous being taken at the Rapture of the
church or the wicked being taken at the 1. Explain in your own words the principle of
Second Advent of Jesus Christ. The passage the Clarity of Scripture.
in Matthew 13 which is also found in a con- 2. Explain in your own words the principle
text dealing with the "last days" says that it that Revelation is Accommodated.
will be the "wicked who will be taken out 3. Explain in your own words the principle
from the righteous." Thus, we are able to in- that Revelation is Progressive.
terpret the Matthew 24 passage as referring to
4. What is the significance and importance of
the Second Advent and not the Rapture be-
the principle that Scripture interprets
cause Scripture has interpreted Scripture.
Scripture?
The fifth principle is the Analogy of Faith.
5. What is the Analogy of Faith?
This principle means that there is only one
system of truth in Scripture. There are not 6. What is the value of the principle regard-
two or more theological systems. The practic- ing the Unity of Meaning?
al application of this is that all doctrines and
conceptual studies must be in harmony with
one another. The interpretation of particular
Hermeneutics 12

Lesson 7 The practice of the literal is done by the Study

of Words which is our second principle.
The Protestant System Of Hermeneutics Words establish the context of a body of lite-
Grammatical Perspectives rature. In the study of words, you will find
that some are technical or very specific in
Philology is a technical term meaning a their meaning while others are non-technical
"friend of words." It refers to a love of learn- or general in their meanings. It makes sense
ing and desire to study the disciplines of lan- that the non-technical words should be inter-
guage. Since the Bible is made up of words, preted in view of the technical words that sur-
there is need for the technical and comparative round them. This is actually a specific appli-
study of the words that are used in the Bible. cation of letting Scripture interpret Scripture
The student of the Word of God must pay and the clear passage interpret the obscure.
careful attention to the specific words and the
context in which the Holy Spirit placed them As we study the words we look at the way
into the Scripture. While it is possible to gain they were formed which is called "etymolo-
some tremendous insights into God's Word gy." This type of study can give tremendous
from a study of the words used in various insight into the meaning of the word. For ex-
translations, one must be very careful of trying ample, the Greek word PARAKALEO is
to develop a theology from anything other formed from the word PARA meaning "along-
than the original languages. The disciple with side" and KALEO meaning "to call." The
no training in the original languages will need word itself then means to "call alongside." It
to rely on the work of others in many of these is a word variously translated as "comfort,"
areas. "encourage," or "exhort." It implies though a
call to another person into a relationship that
The first principle we will consider is that we is "arm-in-arm" with you. There are many
should approach the Scriptures believing that good lexicons available that explain the way
God's Word is Basically Literal. The Literal the words were formed.
Approach to Scripture recognizes the natural
or usual speech constructions and implications We also must study words comparatively re-
of a particular writing or expression. It fol- ferring to how they relate to other words. This
lows the ordinary and apparent sense of the will involve Concordance studies. An exhaus-
words that are used in their historical context. tive Concordance will show every place a giv-
This is not letterist approach that reads mean- en word is used. Many also have number
ing into letters but instead is the usual method codes that tell which Greek or Hebrew words
of interpretation of any literature. We ap- have been translated by that particular word.
proach God's Word literally because we find Strong's Concordance is probably the best for
that the statements and descriptions He gives the beginning student. It is also valuable for
of the Messiah had literal fulfillment in Jesus the advanced student. The Comparative Study
Christ. If there are spiritual meanings that of words also considers synonyms (words
come from signs, symbols, parables and the with similar or identical meanings) and anto-
like they still depend on the literal strata of a nyms which are words with opposite mean-
language. Only in a literal approach is there ings. There are very few pure synonyms, so
any control against abuse of the interpretation the careful student will find beautiful subtle-
of the Scriptures. The Literal Approach does ties of meaning that can greatly enhance his
not overlook figures of speech, symbols, understanding of the Word.
types, and the like.
Hermeneutics 13

It is also important to study words culturally One should also look at similar concepts. An
meaning their significance to the culture that example of this would be to study the "Resur-
used them in the era in which they were used. rection of the Dead" as found in 1Corinthians
There is a trap of not applying a correct Bibli- 15 and Revelation 20.
cal chronology to the study of the words. We The Literal Approach also considers the Lite-
must realize that words change meanings over rary Genre of the passage under consideration.
the course of time. The meanings also tend to A genre is a standardized pattern of writing,
go from specific to general. This principle such as poetry and prose. The Literary Genre
was espoused by Martin Luther and John Cal- makes us consider various figures of speech,
vin and sought to determine the original de- such as in Revelation 5:5 where the Lord is
signation of a particular word. In Latin it is called the "lion" of Judah. Jesus Christ is not
known as the usus loquendi. a literal "lion," so the figure of speech
When possible, the serious student may also represents a trait that He literally possesses.
consider cognate languages, which are lan- Scripture also uses Parables and even an Alle-
guages of the same linguistic family. Howev- gory (Gal 4:24). Recognizing the Literary
er, one must beware of placing too much em- Genre does not touch the literal hermeneutical
phasis on this study. principles, but instead clearly identifies figura-
The Literal Approach to Scripture is also prac- tive language and literally interprets. Song of
ticed by considering the grammatical structure Solomon is clearly loaded with figurative lan-
of sentences because words form sentences. guage, but its interpretation must be first con-
Sentences are units of thought. The research sidered literally.
is the same as for the study of words. One It is extremely important that the interpreter of
must consider the Context in which the sen- Scripture have some knowledge of Biblical
tence is found. The immediate context con- history and chronology in particular. This is
siders the sentences and paragraphs in closest important in understanding the Biblical culture
proximity to the one under consideration. The customs and rituals. Revelation comes in and
intermediate context considers the book in through a cultural form and in some cases the
which the sentence is placed and the remote principles taught are transcultural. It is an art
context considers the rest of the Bible. determining when.
In our study of sentences we must also know The student of God's word must come to the
what type of language is under consideration. Scriptures with some basic questions. As we
It may be "Analytic" which depends on the approach any passage we must seek to answer
word order to communicate the meaning. He- the "Who, what, when, where, why and how."
brew and English are examples of "Analytic" After those questions are answered, there are
languages. It may also be"Agglutinative" some secondary questions we would ask such
which is considered a "synthetic" language as, "How does this apply to me or the ones I
where case endings are primarily used to con- am to teach?" and "Are there any conditions
vey the intended meaning. to these principles such as special circums-
The study of parallel passages is also impor- tances?"
tant to the Literal Approach to the Scripture. The student of God's Word must approach His
Just because one finds wording similar to that Word with Intellectual Honesty, seeking to
found in another passage, the passages still know what God has said. There are many
may not be parallel. The issue should not be hindrances to correct interpretation including
forced. the desire for the applause of men, vanity, flat-
Hermeneutics 14

tery, fear, and inconsistent or unbalanced 4. What is the value of comparing words?
study (like only studying topics and not study- 5. Why would we want to study the gram-
ing through a book). Every time we go into matical structure of sentences?
the Word we should submit our biases to the
absolute standard of truth, the Word of God, 6. Why would the context be important in the
because only His Word is Truth (John 17:17). interpretation of the word?
We also must seek to learn from Him in order 7. Why would we want to study parallel pas-
to do His will (John 7:17) and not simply as sages and similar concepts?
an academic exercise. The Pharisees demon- 8. Why would history and culture also im-
strate what happens when we leave the desire pact our study?
for a relationship with the Living God out of
9. What are some hindrances to the correct
our study of His Word (also read John 5:39-
interpretation of Scripture?
47). Let us pray, pray and pray.
The Sequence Of Interpretation Lesson 8:
The first step is to analyze the words realizing
that the technical or specific words set the The Doctrinal Use Of The Bible
context and that the non-technical or general The Theological or Doctrinal Interpretation
words are interpreted by the context. extends the study of the grammar to its full
The next step is to analyze the grammar re- significance. It is a Synoptic or Comparative
cognizing the word functions that are forced view of all the Biblical data on a given sub-
by the words themselves or the grammatical ject. Theology must be built upon general
construction. These set the context and serve hermeneutical principles.
as the basis to interpret the words that can Principles Of Doctrinal Studies
have optional grammatical functions. In other The Theologian is a redeemed man standing in
words we are letting the clear interpret the the midst of Divine Revelation. Thus he must
questionable. be committed to understanding the Word of
We must also interpret based on the contexts, God. This should not be a dry, abstract, or
looking first at the immediate context in which impersonal investigation, but one must seek to
we find the word, namely within the sentence set personal biases aside.
or paragraph, then at the intermediate context The main themes of the Bible are God, man,
which refers to its location within the book in Jesus Christ and the Christian life. At the
which it is found and then at the remote con- heart of the Bible is Jesus Christ and Salva-
text which considers the rest of the Scripture. tion. The Bible is often mistreated when
Correct interpretation will not violate any of people try and make it a handbook for politics.
these contexts.
Theology must rest on the Literal Interpreta-
For Personal Study tion, which does not overlook figurative lan-
1. Why would we accept a principle that says guage. The Main Burden of Theology must
we would first consider words to be basi- totally include the theology of the New Tes-
cally literal in their meaning? tament. Determining what God's Word has to
say through exegesis (reading out) must be
2. How do we establish the literal meaning? prior to any system of theology. The System
3. What value can there be in the study of has to be built up exegetically, brick by brick.
how words are formed? Of necessity, one will have to use the rules of
Hermeneutics 15

logic within this system, but the theologian The Theologian must also recognize his re-
must be careful to not extend his doctrines sponsibility to the Universal Church. There
beyond the Scriptural evidence because his has clearly been enough division within Chr-
evidence is Scripture itself. ist's Body through the centuries over so-called
The Theologian is striving for a system, which "doctrinal" issues to last us for eternity. For
is a group of interrelated assertions. There- the Theologian to present information to the
fore, there must be a systematic gathering of Church that is not based upon sound principles
data from the entire Bible before it is interre- of hermeneutics is irresponsible and denotes a
lated into a coherent system. It is helpful to lack of love.
know the history of philosophy and the history For Personal Study
of theological development. Liberal theolo-
gians claim there any many systems of theolo- 1. What is the doctrinal study of the Bible
gy found within the Bible, yet such would be designed to do?
confusing which is not a characteristic of God 2. What is the Theologian?
(1 Cor 14:33). Conservative scholars believe 3. What are the main themes of the Bible?
that there is one interpretation of a given pas-
4. What must theology rest on?
sage while there may be many applications.
5. What is the Theologian striving for? How
Proper Theological development of necessity
is it built?
must have proof texts given that are the result
of the correct understanding of the Scriptures. 6. What is a requirement for a proper theo-
This means that the exegesis "reading out" logical system?
must be done according to basic principles of 7. Consider how legalism occurs when one
interpretation that properly recognize the con- goes beyond the Word.
text. Liberal theologians do not believe one 8. What should not be made a matter of creed
needs a proof text to establish theology, but or faith? Why?
they even use a proof text to try and prove that
we shouldn't use them (2Cor 3:6 Letter kills, 9. Why should we keep in mind the question,
but the Spirit gives life). "How then should we live?"
What is not a matter of clearcut revelation 10. Why should the Theologian not present
should not be made a matter of creed or faith. principles to the Church that are not firmly
This leads to making moral judgments without grounded in Scripture?
the benefit of Scripture, in effect defining sin.
In Romans 5:13, it says, "sin is not imputed Lesson 9
where there is no law." Thus, when man starts
The Devotional And Practical Use Of The
defining law apart from God's Word, he is
Bible
playing God. What is specifically spelled out
as sin, we can and should learn and apply. All practical lessons, applications, and devo-
The Theologian must also keep the practical tional uses of the Bible should be governed by
nature of the Word in mind. There is plenty of general hermeneutical principles. This means
information on living the Christian Life. The that sound interpretation must precede any
Scriptures do not deal specifically with every applications that are made. The Bible does
little thing or circumstance we will deal with not justify using any means to derive a per-
in life, but they will touch upon every aspect sonal application. Some people have been
of our lives by means of principles. known to use the Bible in ways that approach
Hermeneutics 16

divination and sorcery rather than as the re- hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw
vealed Word of God. If one closes his eyes, it from you; for it is better for you that one of
opens the Bible and then blindly points to a the parts of your body perish, than for your
passage looking for direction for the day, that whole body to go into hell." The "spirit" of
disgraces God's Word. In an emergency, our the statement involves causes for stumbling
loving God may choose to help out in an un- over the gospel of Jesus Christ. These "stum-
usual way, but for the day-to-day living of bling blocks" should be removed at all costs.
life, that approach simply is not satisfactory. Hopefully, without loss of an eye or a hand.
At times people take passages and then distort We must also translate commands given in the
them for "devotional" purposes. That is really context of one culture into our culture. In Ex-
not devotion to God but self. If it is done for odus 23:19; 34:26 and Deuteronomy 14:21,
those one is attempting to teach, it is manipu- there is a command to "not boil a baby goat in
lation and a lack of reliance on the truth of its mother's milk." This command is difficult
God's Word to change lives. to even understand in most of today's cultures.
The Bible is more a book of principles than a This action refers to one of the Canaanite fer-
catalog of specific directions. Principles are tility rituals. The principle taught is to not
necessary to cover all contingencies. A set of embrace the pagan practices of other cultures,
specifics would indirectly foster hypocrisy and which has meaning for today in any culture.
artificial spirituality. True principles that are We may also receive guidance from examples
misapplied can also lead to hypocrisy and that the Bible records. We must however,
pseudo-spirituality. The Bible emphasizes the make a distinction between what the Bible
"Inner Spirit" much more than the outward records and what it approves. The Inspiration
religious cloak as is spelled out clearly in 1 of Scripture extends only to truthfulness of the
Samuel 15:22 which says, "And Samuel said, recording. We may make direct application
"Has the LORD as much delight in burnt of- from incidents that the Bible directly censures
ferings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice or approves.
of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than
sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. Specific commands to individuals are not the
Will of God for us. For example, Abraham
The Old Testament taught right and wrong on was commanded to offer up Isaac as a picture
a material level so that hopefully it would be or type of the sacrifice and resurrection of the
discerned on the more subtle, spiritual level. Lord Jesus Christ (Gen 22 cf. Heb 11:17-19).
Morality and Spirituality were lifted to a high- There are principles to be learned from that
er level by being inward and spiritual. Neither incident and applied to our lives, but the spe-
morality nor spirituality was to be based solely cific requirement for us is not there. It is best
on the overt (Heb 10:5). The importance of to seek to determine the outstanding Spiritual
the Mental Attitude, even in the Old Testa- Principle in the lives of people in Scripture
ment is clear. that cross all time frames and cultures and
In some instances the Spirit of the statement is then apply that principle to our life.
clearly to be our guide. In Matthew 5:29-30, The application in our lives does not need a
the Word says, "And if your right eye makes literal reproduction of the Biblical situation.
you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from For example, water Baptism does not need to
you; for it is better for you that one of the be done in the Jordan River and the Lord's
parts of your body perish, than for your whole Table does not need to be done in an "upper
body to be thrown into hell. "And if your right
Hermeneutics 17

room" to honor and glorify our Lord by fulfil- cate God's Word to those "allotted to his
ling His commands. charge (1 Pet 5:2)" accurately and in an un-
The Practical and Devotional use of the Bible derstandable manner. The use of vocabulary
probably concerns itself with the Promises of that the hearers cannot understand is tanta-
God more than any other thing. There have mount to "speaking in tongues with no inter-
been many disappointed and angry people preter (1 Cor 14:27-28). The test of the com-
throughout the centuries who have taken a munication is whether or not the hearers grow
"promise" out of context and then "claimed" it in love (1 Tim 1:5) and grace (2 Pet 3:18).
as being from God. We must remember that Some common problems involve pulling
practical application must be drawn from cor- verses out of context and then "sermonizing"
rect interpretation. At times we may think that or "allegorizing" them, seeking to impart a
God has reneged on His Word, when the real meaning that does not come from that verse.
problem is in our understanding. Just because What is wonderful is that in spite of our in-
God made a promise to Abraham does not adequacies and mistakes, we serve a God who
mean that He has made the same promise to is gracious and will use us to further His plan.
you. We must seek to determine if the prom-
ise was to a specific individual or nation. For Personal Study
When we study God's Promises we must first 1. What must govern all practical uses of the
determine whether or not they are universal or Bible? Why?
personal in nature. For example, John 3:16 2. Discuss the statement, "the Bible is more a
says "whosoever believes in Him shall have book of principles than a catalog of specif-
eternal life." That is an example of a universal ic directions."
promise that is open to anyone who believes
3. How did the Old Testament teach moral
in the Lord Jesus Christ. A personal promise
truth?
would be found in the Abrahamic Covenant.
The promise was given to Abraham. If we 4. Why should we look for the "spirit" of
"go forth from the land of our relatives," it statements without allegorizing them?
does not mean that God will make a new co- 5. Why is it important to look for the cultural
venant with us. significance before making practical ap-
We must also determine if a promise is condi- plications?
tional or unconditional. Are there require- 6. What are important things we should look
ments that we are to meet before a promise is for in determining God's promises.
fulfilled? 7. What is the test of a communicator?
We must also determine if the promise is for
our time frame or it involves a specific time
frame. We know that the wolf and lamb will
dwell together and that the leopard will lie
down with the goat (Isa 11:6; 65:25), but those
passages refer to the Millennial Kingdom of
Jesus Christ.
The communicator of God's Word must re-
member that he is bound to it in his preaching
and teaching. His primary job is to communi-
Hermeneutics 18

"crawling things," along with any number of

Lesson 10 other creatures that crawl along the ground.
Inerrancy And Secular Sciencethe Issue Of The Bible is a culturally conditioned revela-
Infallibility And Inerrancy tion meaning that it was written to communi-
cate to people with terms that they understood.
Infallibility concerns faith and morals while Therefore, we don’t need to seek modern
inerrancy is concerned with historical and fac- scientific theories. Science though can at-
tual matters. The Bible claims inerrancy in all tempt to fill in what is found in outline form.
matters of history pertaining to faith and mor-
God will often use natural phenomena to bring
als. This recognizes the common usage of the
about super-scientific events, such as the Ge-
words and figures of speech.
nesis Flood. In Genesis 7:11, the verb in the
Inerrancy does not demand lucidity as a clear phrase "all the fountains of the great deep
interpretation of every passage may not be burst open" is in a passive voice and is more
possible due to our lack of knowledge. We accurately translated "were burst open" indi-
should expect some passages to be difficult to cating that it was done by an outside force. In
understand. The Bible does not reveal every- the 1990's, the theory has been advanced by
thing on a given subject in one place, so it is science that a meteor or comet hit the earth
possible to miss something that may clarify and caused the extinction of the dinosaurs,
the passage under consideration. "millions and millions" of years ago. Donald
Belief in inerrancy leads us to affirm that there Wesley Patten wrote a book in 1966 called
are no contradictions. Logic involves the prin- The Biblical Flood and the Ice Epoch that de-
ciples of non-contradiction. Thus, many parts scribes in detail a model for just such an
of the Word will be clearly logical. There event. Patten's scientific model fits the Bibli-
may be parts of the Word that appear to not be cal description. Where the Bible touches on
logical, but we must remember that man's log- science, we are assured accuracy.
ic may not be God's. When things appear il- Since God is eternal and Creation is temporal,
logical, it is because we are missing the God- it should be clear that space, time energy, mat-
factor in our understanding. ter, the material and the immaterial are all
As we pursue our belief in inerrancy we must subordinate to God (Col 1:17). God is not
be sure that we have the correct text. We must bound by any law higher than Himself (Heb
also realize that inerrancy does not mean 6:13).
completeness of detail. That which is re- Science can only generalize how God works
vealed though is literal. in some places at some times (2Pet3:4).
Inerrancy does not demand that we possess the Any scientific law only talks about how God
original manuscripts nor have a perfect text. did act at certain times and places, not how He
What we do have has so few textual variants must act at all times and places. Any scientif-
that there is no cause for alarm. ic law doesn’t find God and is not a law for
The "Problem" of Science God but only a normal expression of man for
The Bible makes no assertion of being done in that condition. If God reveals that He acted in
a scientific language. The language of the Bi- some way at some time at some point contrary
ble is phenomenal which means it is descrip- to how He usually acts, this supersedes any
tive. For example, snails would be called, scientific law
Hermeneutics 19

Although science can be trusted in most cases The early church fathers sought to strengthen
(and should be), whenever we have outside New Testament truth and they used types from
authoritative revelation from God we are the Old Testament. Many claim they were
bound to trust the Word of God instead of guilty of too much typology. Still others be-
man's beliefs. lieved that all typology is forced interpretation
and hence they believed there was no typolo-
For Personal Study gy.
1. Describe the difference between infallibili- Some, such as Bishop Marsh, believed that
ty and inerrancy. one could only consider something as a type if
2. What does belief in inerrancy lead us to it was designated as a type in the New Testa-
affirm? ment.
3. Seek to explain how the Theologian The Moderate School of interpretation though
should view science. believed that both innate and inferred types
existed. Solomon Glassius led this school. He
Lesson 11 defined the "innate" types as though that were
specifically declared as such in the New Tes-
Types, Symbols And Parables tament and the inferred types as those that
Introduction were justified by the nature of the New Tes-
There is a clear cut justification for typology tament.
even though the critics claim it is forced ex- An Evaluation Of The Methods
egesis or interpretation. Typology shows the Bishop Marsh’s view becomes too limited, as
relationship of the Old Testament with the it is mechanical and artificial. This is the "saf-
New Testament. The prophetic elements of est" route to pursue but as one studies the
Scripture may be verbally predictive or the richness of Scripture it becomes apparent that
future may be displayed in types. not everything must be specifically declared to
Typological interpretation is based on unity of be a type for it to exist.
the two Testaments. The Lord’s use of Old The school that believed there were no types
Testament invites us to find Him in the pages came from a reaction to the allegorists and to
of the ancient Scriptures. liberals, who wanted to give everything a
There is a distinct vocabulary found in the "deeper" meaning.
New Testament that references the Old Tes- The Book of Hebrews, while explaining many
tament. The Greek word HUPODEIGMA types only points out a small part of the signi-
means that which is shown privately as an ex- ficance. If the whole is a type then so are its
ample or pattern. TUPOS is an impression parts. When the writer of Hebrews points to
that is left from the blow of a hammer. SKIA the earthly Tabernacle being a type in chapter
is a shadow or the outline cast by a real object. 9:23-25, or the Law being a "shadow" in 10:1,
PARABOL8 means to place side-by-side as a he is clearly inferring that the parts have signi-
comparison. An EIKWN refers to an image ficance as well. Too much typology can be
like found on a coin. An ANTITUPON is a avoided by diligent and careful study of the
counterpart like an echo. An ALL8GOREW Scriptures under the ministry of the Holy Spi-
is the speaking of another thing (only in Gal rit.
4:24).
Typological interpretation differs greatly from
Schools Of Typological Interpretation allegorical interpretation in that Allegorical
Hermeneutics 20

interpretation introduces something foreign The Interpretation Of Symbols

into the meaning, whereas Typological inter- A symbol may represent a thing either past,
pretation has limits that are set by the nature present or future whereas a type inherently
of the type. represents the future. A symbol has no inhe-
The Nature And Interpretation Of Types rent reference to time, but it often can be de-
The interpretation of a type depends on the termined by the context. The names of sym-
nature of the type. A type is a preordained bols have to be understood literally first.
representative relationship that certain per- Symbols always denote something essentially
sons, events and institutions of the Old Testa- different from themselves and yet some re-
ment bear to corresponding persons, events semblance must be traceable.
and institutions in the New Testament. There There are two elements in a symbol, the men-
must be a genuine resemblance in form or idea tal image it represents and the image that
between the Old Testament and the New Tes- represents it. Numerals, metals and colors
tament. The resemblance must either be des- may all be symbols, depending on the context
ignated innately or have a clear inference. in which they are found. While all of these
Dissimilarity is to be expected, but the truth is may have significance within the scope of a
found at the point of similarity. One must de- study of the Tabernacle or Temple, they prob-
termine how the New Testament treats the ably have no significance if they are found in
subject. an undesignated type. For example, the gold
Types are inherently prophetic by their very used in the Tabernacle represents Deity, but
nature as they point to the reality. Some of the the gold that used as a medium of exchange in
mistakes of the Christian Allegorists could a simple historical transaction would probably
have been avoided had they not gone beyond have no such significance.
simple common sense. An important principle Symbols are usually explained somewhere in
is to not attempt to prove any doctrine or posi- Scripture, so uninterpreted symbols need to be
tion from types unless there is clear New Tes- approached with caution. The approach is the
tament authority. Types are illustrations of same as for the interpretation of types. Spe-
what would come. cial consideration must also be given to the
There are several different kinds of types. context. Cross-references need to be diligent-
Types of Persons would include such people ly checked. The nature of the symbol must be
as Adam because Jesus Christ is called the considered, such as the "Lion" of the Tribe of
"last Adam (1 Cor 15:45)." Institutional Judah. There will be similarities and dissimi-
Types would include the Sacrifices, Feasts, larities. Truth is found in the similarities.
and Promised Land. Types concerning Offic- We must be especially careful of reading
es would include Moses as the Lawgiver and meanings from our culture into the symbols.
Prophet, Aaron as a type of the High Priest If the symbol is in a prophetic context, then
and Melchizedek as a picture of the new the symbol may indeed be referring to some-
priesthood of Jesus Christ. Events such as the thing from that prophetic culture, but again,
Crossing of the Red Sea and the Wilderness caution must be exercised and doctrine must
Wanderings are pictures for us to learn from not be built on the interpretation of symbols.
(1 Cor 10:6). Actions can also be types such Doctrines should be built on hard evidence
as the lifting up of brazen serpent (Nu 21:9 cf. from the Word of God and not from the opi-
John 3:14) and Things such as the Tabernacle nions of man.
(Heb 9:23-25).
Hermeneutics 21

In the study of symbols we should be aware of For Personal Study

"Double Imagery," where a symbol has more 1. Why do we recognize Typological inter-
than one meaning. Jesus Christ is a "Lion" pretation?
(Rev 5:5) and Satan is "like a lion (1 Pet 5:8)."
We must guide ourselves by the General Prin- 2. Consider the different schools of interpre-
ciples of Interpretation. One entity may be tation of types and tell why you would
represented by more than one symbol as is hold the position you do.
evident in the many symbols that are used to 3. What is at the core of the interpretation of
describe the Lord Jesus Christ, such as the types?
"Lion" of the Tribe of Judah of Revelation 5:5 4. Even though types are inherently prophetic
and the "Bright Morning Star" of Revelation by their very nature, what must we be
22:16. careful of?
We should also recognize that there is some 5. List and consider the different kinds of
symbolism in numbers, but this is easily types.
abused. Let General Hermeneutics again be
6. Explain the difference between types and
the guide.
symbols.
Realize that each symbol has only one signifi-
7. What are the two main elements of a sym-
cant meaning and always has the same funda-
bol?
mental meaning.
8. Explain the importance of culture on the
The symbols represented in Scripture are a
interpretation of symbols.
basis for further studies.
9. Explain what is meant by "double im-
The Interpretation Of Parables
agery."
A Parable is a narrative that is constructed for
10. What is a parable designed to do?
the sake of conveying important truth. It is
inherently figurative language that draws an 11. What is the main thing we are to look for
illustration from life to teach spiritual truth. in parables?
When studying parables we should seek to 12. What cautions would you give to those
determine the central truth of the parable. Part interpreting parables?
of doing this is to look for contextual clues to
help in the interpretation, namely, look to see Lesson 12
if the Lord states the central principle that He
wanted to communicate and then uses a para- The Interpretation Of Prophecy
ble to illustrate the principle. We should also Prophecy predicts by the Word while Typolo-
look carefully to determine how much of the gy predicts by the institution, act or person.
parable Christ interpreted Himself, separating Prophecy foretells an event while typology
the essential from what is only attendant to the prefigures it.
theme. The interpretation of prophecy is one of the
We also note the time period for which the most difficult areas of Scripture. Prophecy is
Lord designed the parable. Parables should often clothed in highly symbolic and typologi-
not be made the primary or sole source for a cal vocabulary. There are principles to follow,
doctrine. There should be a solid backing but no formulas. Interpreting prophecy is like
from elsewhere in Scripture. putting together a puzzle. Each piece is im-
portant and the lack of some pieces can give a
Hermeneutics 22

distorted picture. The vocabulary is not easy. ly prophetic in nature. We do not want to read
The historical setting is often difficult to find. our thoughts and viewpoints into the passage,
Sometimes, key words in Hebrew, Aramaic or but instead determine what God wants us to
Greek are used only once in all of Scripture know.
and their meanings are open to question. An We should seek to determine the exact mean-
incorrectly interpreted type or symbol, or one ings of the words that are used from the origi-
distorted for the personal fame of the student nal languages. Many problems are cleared up
can distort the entire picture. We in effect when we take the simplest meaning of the
must look for the chronological control verses words and avoid trying to read things into
and then seek to fill in the blanks. The bulk them. We must recognize the use of figurative
of information is overwhelming. Just add up language in the revelation of prophecy. Even
the number of chapters in the prophetic books though there is figurative language, once
and compare that to the 1,189 chapters in again, it will still have a literal fulfillment,
Scripture. Even if we do not include other since the figurative is a "shadow" of the reali-
prophetic references, we can easily see that ty it represents (Heb 10:1-14).
almost 25% of the Scriptures are prophetic in
nature. It is also amazing to realize that often In seeking to interpret literally we must pay
we must look at prophecy that has been ful- careful attention to the historical setting in
filled in order to see how the original prophe- which the prophecy was given. It is therefore
cy was intended. The study of prophecy is not extremely important to know chronology and
easy, but it is rewarding (Rev 1:3). the specified time frames of history. Literal
interpretation means that the prophecy will
The principles of the interpretation of Biblical have a literal fulfillment. Thus, when the
prophecy must recognize the literal fulfillment Lord says that He will "come again," it refers
of the Word of God, paying careful attention to a literal return-not just "in the hearts of
to the grammar and the historical setting. All men."
other prophecies in the Bible, especially those
concerning the cross of Jesus Christ had a lit- We must realize that there is a harmony in
eral fulfillment, so why should we expect any- prophecy as God is not a God of confusion (1
thing different for the balance of prophecy yet Cor 14:33). Where harmony does not exist
to be fulfilled? The Lord Jesus Christ Himself between various passages, we must have the
said that "Heaven and earth will pass away, humility to shift our understanding and see the
but My words will not pass away (Mark "picture" from a different perspective, by al-
13:31)." This carries a clearcut implication lowing our picture to include those pieces.
that the Lord's words will be literally fulfilled, Prophecy does not shift with our ideas, pers-
even though it may be cloaked in highly figur- pectives or desires. It is from God. We must
ative language. Often times there is confusion be the ones willing to make the changes. Sad-
in the terminology that is used. The "Literal" ly, history is full of examples of people who
School of Interpretation recognizes types and developed a system and then held on to it at
symbols and means that the predicted events all costs-in spite of overwhelming evidence to
will be literally fulfilled. Some would argue the contrary. Just consider the Pharisees.
that this is not being truly literal. A simple The harmony of prophecy inherently involves
reading of the Song of Solomon though should the comparison of Scripture with Scripture. A
let one realize that symbolic language is clear- specific event may be described in many dif-
ly employed in the Scriptures. We must be ferent places in the Bible. For example, the
careful of allegorizing passages that are clear- end-time entity of Babylon (Rev 17-18) is also
Hermeneutics 23

discussed in detail in Isaiah 13 and 47 and Je- Another very important factor in the interpre-
remiah 50-51. Many people try to go to a tation of prophecy is that we must determine if
prophetic book and interpret it as a finished, a given prophecy is fulfilled in the part, the
complete unit. While major points may be whole or not at all. If it is totally fulfilled, it
given in that book, there are frequently many need not be repeated. If it is partially fulfilled,
other passages that fill in the details. We then it makes sense that the Lord will bring
therefore must be very careful of what we de- about similar circumstances so that the bal-
velop and hold up as "doctrine." Jesus Christ ance of the prophecy might be completed.
said that He will return (John 14:1-3). That is After all, God is truth (Isa 65:16) and His
doctrine. Whether it is Pre-Tribulational, Words are truth (2 Sam 7:28), so what He has
Mid-Tribulational, Post-Tribulational, Pre- had written must be literally true. If the
wrath or whatever other position may be pre- prophecy is not yet fulfilled, then it will be.
sented, these are conclusions that are drawn Also widely recognized by those who diligent-
by men based on how they see the evidence. ly study prophecy is the principle of Double
The author, for example, holds very strong Reference. This involves two events that are
convictions that the Rapture of the Church widely separated in time and may be brought
will occur before the Tribulation, and firmly together in a single reference. The Lord Him-
believes that that is what the evidence teaches, self pointed this out when He read from Isaiah
but because I or you hold a certain position and said that today "this Scripture has been
does not mean that it is provable beyond any fulfilled in your hearing (Luke 4:21)." He is
doubt. quoting from Isaiah 61:1-2, but if you will no-
Since the entirety of God's Word revolves tice that He did not say the next phrase in
around His Son, Jesus Christ, it is essential to Isaiah had been fulfilled. It says, "and the day
interpret Christologically (1 Pet 1:10-1). This of vengeance of our God," which is a refer-
means that we should realize that Jesus Christ ence to His Second Coming. God is not
is at the center of all theology and all history. bound by time and sees the "end from the be-
We are told that, "His testimony is the spirit of ginning (Rev 21:6; 22:13)," so it is not a prob-
prophecy (Rev 19:10." History is indeed "His lem for Him to include two events in one
Story" and is the unveiling of the Lord Jesus prophecy.
Christ. Prophecy is focused on that fact. If we A final point to recognize in the interpretation
cannot explain His relationship to the position of the prophetic word is that we must not only
we have taken, then the position needs to be look for similarities in events, but for differ-
reconsidered. ences. The differences may often lead us to
Prophecy must also recognize the fact that conclude that there are two events in view and
God has ordained different time frames called not one. The return of the Lord is a good ex-
Dispensations, in which certain methods are ample. We are told in one passage that the
different. For example, in the second and saints will "meet Him in the air (1 Thes 4:13-
third chapters of Revelation, there are letters 18)." In another passage, we are told that,
written to seven different churches. Begin- "His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,"
ning with Chapter 4 all the way through Chap- and it will split in two and He will go forth
ter 18, the church is not mentioned. Facts then to fight (Zech 14:1-5). In putting togeth-
such as these must be considered when inter- er the puzzle of the prophetic word, we must
preting those chapters. consider the differences.
Hermeneutics 24

For Personal Study The Law was designed to show our need for
1. What are some of the factors that make the the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and to proc-
interpretation of prophecy one of the most laim Him (John 5:39-47). The Law was also
difficult areas in the Scriptures? designed to teach us so that we may be led to
Christ and be justified by faith (Gal 3:24-25).
2. What reasons lead us to expect a literal
fulfillment of prophecy? The entirety of the Law and the Prophets were
designed to get mankind to fulfill the Two
3. What is essential in finding the harmony Greatest Commandments, to love God with
of prophecy? every part of their being and to love their
4. Who should we find at the center of the neighbor as themselves (Matt 22:36-40). The
prophetic word? principles gleaned can teach us about fulfilling
5. What role does "Dispensations" play in the these commandments. In Galatians 5:14 we
study of prophecy? are told that, "the whole Law is fulfilled in one
word, in the {statement}, "You shall love your
6. Why is it important to determine the de-
neighbor as yourself," and in Matthew 7:12
gree of fulfillment if a given prophecy?
we are instructed that, "however you want
7. Why is it important to look for differences people to treat you, so treat them, for this is
in prophetic events? the Law and the Prophets." It is quite clear
that the Law has value, but it is also quite
Lesson 13 clear that we are no longer under the specifics
of it.
The Use Of The Old Testament In The New
Testament There are several categories of the Law that
are found in the word including the Sacrifices,
The Use Of The Law In The New Testament the Feasts, the Dietary Code, the Hygiene
There exists a correct use of the Mosaic Law Code, the Social Code, the National Code, the
in the Church Age even though we are not un- Tabernacle Code and the Ten Command-
der the Law. In First Timothy we are told that ments.
"we know the Law is good, if one uses it law- Several of these categories have been directly
fully, realizing the fact that law is not made and specifically removed. For example, the
for a righteous man, but for those who are Sacrificial system is no longer to be observed
lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and because Jesus Christ offered the "one sacrifice
sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those for all time (Heb 10:8-13)." The obser-
who kill their fathers or mothers, for murder- vance of Feasts was also removed as law be-
ers and immoral men and homosexuals and cause they were "but a mere shadow of Jesus
kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and what- Christ (Col 2:16-17)." Jesus Himself declared
ever else is contrary to sound teaching (1Tim that all foods were now clean in Mark 7:19,
1:8-10)." We are also told in Romans 6:14-15 thus removing the Dietary Code (see also Acts
that, "sin shall not be master over you, for you 11:1-9 and Col 2:20-23). The Hygiene Code
are not under law, but under grace. What with all of its specific instructions is also gone
then? Shall we sin because we are not under (Col 2:16-23) as well as the Tabernacle Code.
law but under grace? May it never be!" We When Jesus Christ entered into the true hea-
must seek how to lawfully use The Mosaic venly tabernacle, there was no longer a need
Law. for the earthly one which was but a type of the
reality (Heb 9:24).
Hermeneutics 25

Categories of the Law that are not specifically The first thing that we must determine in an
deleted are still gone under the fact that they examination of an Old Testament quotation
were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. There are prin- found in the New Testament is whether or not
ciples to be learned from the Social Code it is an exact quotation from the Old Testa-
which includes "loving your neighbor as your- ment or if it is quoted from the Septuagint
self (Gal 5:14)," but they are part of the "new (The Greek translation of the Hebrew Old
commandment (John 13:34-35)" that should Testament, also seen as the "LXX"). We must
be done out of love for our master, not be- also realize that the quotation could be a pa-
cause they are law. raphrase. In short, this means we must deter-
The National Code teaches principles of righ- mine if there are any differences in the New
teous government and thus much can be Testament quotation from the original Old
learned. The principles of the Ten Com- Testament Scripture.
mandments with the exception of the Sabbath The next step we must take is to note the con-
day (Col 2:16) are all retained in the New Tes- text of the cited passage. From this we can
tament. This is an excellent exercise for the determine whether the New Testament quota-
student of the Word of God to go through. tion interprets the Old Testament passage, is
The "lawful use of the Law" means that it an application of the passage or simply an il-
must be used in accordance with its design. It lustration.
was never designed to eternally save the soul If the Septuagint is quoted, Inspiration guaran-
from death, but was in fact designed to teach tees that the Septuagint translation is correct
us that we need a Savior (Gal 3:24). The Law for the quoted portion of Scripture, but it does
also taught us about sin and actually defined not mean the Septuagint was inspired at that
sin, because "where there is no law, sin is not point.
imputed (Rom 5:13)." The Law was never Paraphrases refer to legitimate applications of
designed to be the foundation or that which the Old Testament passage and may or may
motivates the righteous man. Love is to be the not be the interpretation of it.
foundation of our life (John 14:15,21,23).
No ritual or punishment has been retained in For Personal Study
the Church Age. This does not give us a "li- 1. What New Testament Passage Tells Us
cense to sin," but instead a "license to serve That There Is A "Lawful" Use Of The
(Gal 5:13)." When we walk according to the Law?
Holy Spirit we are fulfilling the Law. This is 2. Why Was The Law Designed And What
made clear in Romans 8:2-4, which declares, Are The Proof Texts?
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
3. Find The Ten Commandments In The
has set you free from the law of sin and of
New Testament.
death. For what the Law could not do, weak
as it was through the flesh, God did: sending 4. What Is The "Lawful Use Of The Law."
His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and 5. What May We Find In A New Testament
as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in Quotation Of An Old Testament Passage?
the flesh, in order that the requirement of the
Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk
according to the flesh, but according to the
Spirit."
Hermeneutics Of Old Testament Quotations
Hermeneutics 26

Lesson 14 relationship between concepts. They can be

wrong either by designation or they can as-
The Hermeneutics Of Logic cribe to the subject what does not belong to
Logic is by definition the rules of non- the subject. For example, to say that, "World
contradiction and correct reasoning. Even War II killed 300 million people," and then try
though attempts to use logic throughout the and to make a deduction from a comparison
history of the church have gotten people into with the statement that, "Noah took two of
trouble and caused divisions, nevertheless, it each animal into the ark," will not be fruitful.
is a valuable tool for our understanding. Both statements may be correct but have no
connection to each other. We can compare
Deductive Reasoning occurs when a necessary propositions only when they contain the same
conclusion is drawn from one or more state- words.
ments. For the conclusion to be correct, both
of the statements have to be correct. For ex- Any inferences that we draw from a proposi-
ample, from the statements, "All life requires tion can be valid only if the proposition is
water," and "There is no water on the moon," true. If we consider the proposition, "All
one can deduct that, "there is no life on the snakes are poisonous," there are other infe-
moon." The truth of the deductive conclusion rences we can consider such as, "No snakes
depends on the truth of the statements from are poisonous," "Some snakes are poisonous,"
which it is drawn. A deduction can prove on- and, "Some snakes are not poisonous." When
ly that if certain things are true, then certain the proposition is false though, the truth of the
things will follow. comparable propositions or inferences is not
determinable. When we know the truth and
Inductive Reasoning involves the observance falsity of a given proposition, we can deter-
of all possible cases and then assumes it is true mine the truth and falsity of the inferences
in the other cases that have not been tested.
Needless to say, this type of reasoning is much Contradictions are those comparisons that
less certain than deductive reasoning. For ex- communicate when one thing is true then
ample, the observation that heat expands iron, another is false. For example, if it is true that
gold and platinum might lead one to believe we are saved by grace through faith, not
that heat expands all metals. Each metal must works, then for one to say that we are saved
be tested though in order to be certain. by works is a contradiction to truth. If one
statement is indeed true then then other is
The expression of a logical argument in a false. Both cannot be true.
formal way is called a "Syllogism." Logic is
divided into Concepts, Propositions and Ar- A Superimplication exists when one statement
guments. is true and another statement implied from it is
also true. From the universal you can validly
Defined words are used to define a concept. infer the specific but from the specific you
Concepts are derived by words that are used to cannot validly infer the universal. For exam-
form further definitions. Propositions declare ple if "whoever believes in Jesus Christ shall
what we intend to prove or disprove. They are be saved (John 3:16), is true (and thank God it
statements that our concepts exist in a certain is), then since I have believed in Jesus Christ
way. Propositions must be stated in terms of it is validly inferred that I am saved.
true or false. Commands, exclamations and
questions do not and cannot express proposi- A Complementary Statement occurs when we
tions. Propositions are concerned with the say the same thing in a different way. If we
say that, "very well-educated student of histo-
Hermeneutics 27

ry studies Greek," we can also validly say that, For Personal Study
"no well-educated student of history fails to 1. What is Logic?
study Greek." The statements do not contra-
dict but are simply restated. 2. Why is it important?
The reasons that are given for one's deduc- 3. What is the difference between deductive
tions and the validity of those deductions are and inductive reasoning?
called, "Arguments." Conclusions are reached 4. Which one is inherently the most accu-
using reasoning. They are found throughout rate?
God's word and they are introduced by many 5. When drawing a conclusion from two
different words such as therefore, so, as a re- propositions what is imperative for the
sult and the like. conclusion to indeed be truth?
The "most important term" of an argument is
called the "Predicate." The "minor term" of
the argument is called the "Subject" and what Grace Notes is a ministry of Village Missions
appears in both arguments is called the "mid- International, Fredericksburg, Texas
dle term." For example, take the statements. For an index of topics, or information about
 Whatever is constitutional is just. regular Bible studies, write to:
Warren Doud
 Whatever is decided by the Supreme Court
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is constitutional.
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The Conclusion is a mediate inference, which
is drawn around the major and minor terms
based on their relationship to the middle term.