Pneuma and Logos

The Role of the Spirit in Biblical Hermeneutics

Wyckoff

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2010
• eBook ISBN: 9781498272537
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

The role of the Holy Spirit in the writing of Scripture and the role of the Holy Spirit in the understanding of Scripture are corollary ideas. The first one of these--usually referred to as the Inspiration of Scripture--has been extensively discussed by the Early Church Fathers, theologians, and other Bible scholars from the earliest centuries of the Church until the present. Likewise, the second of these corollary ideas--the role of the Holy Spirit in the understanding of Scripture--has been widely considered from the time of the Early Church Fathers. However, this idea, usually referred to as the Illumination of Scripture, has not been as extensively discussed as the corollary doctrine of Inspiration. Consequently, many aspects of the Holy Spirit's relationship to Biblical Hermeneutics remain open for fruitful discussion.The notion that the Holy Spirit plays some role in the interpretative process of understanding Scripture raises many issues and questions. Does the Holy Spirit even play any role at all in the interpretative process? If so, what, then, is the role of the human interpreter in relationship to that of the Holy Spirit? Can the Holy Spirit's role be conceptualized in some meaningful way? If and when the Holy Spirit plays a role in interpretation, what difference does it make in the outcome of understanding?This book intends to further the discussion of these and other issues related to the idea of the role of the Holy Spirit in Biblical Hermeneutics. It briefly surveys both past and contemporary thought on this theme. It then suggests how the Holy Spirit's role might be conceptualized. Since this conceptualization is necessarily metaphorical, various models are presented as vehicles for furthering discourse on the subject. Finally, it attempts to describe the results of the Holy Spirit's activity of illumination and suggests areas for further study on the topic.

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Introduction

The Problem

Introduction to the Problem

The task of understanding and interpreting Scripture ever presses itself upon those who work in the various areas related to biblical studies. The current increase in the number of books and articles on hermeneutics indicates the recent surge of interest in this discipline. These books and articles not only cover the general field of hermeneutics, but they also address various special topics and issues. One issue often mentioned but seldom discussed extensively is the question of the Holy Spirit’s relationship to the interpretative process.

The term “hermeneutics” is generally understood to mean the art and science of interpreting and elucidating written materials. The term’s origin is from the Greek hermeneuein, which means “to interpret.”1 Lewis S. Mudge, like others, believes that it is derived from the name of the Greek god Hermes, “the messenger of the gods who makes intelligible to human beings that which otherwise cannot be grasped.”2

The need for hermeneutics grows particularly out of the problems encountered when attempting to understand difficult texts. When the materials being considered are from one’s own time and culture, written in the reader’s common language and dealing with a familiar subject, understanding may occur without special effort. The need for rules, methods, and theory arises when one is confronted with materials that are unfamiliar or strange for any reason. Ancient texts are difficult since “gaps” such as the historical gap, the cultural gap, and the linguistic gap separate the reader from the material. Hermeneutics is the discipline that seeks to give guidance in understanding these writings.3

Hermeneutics as a discipline especially relates to the study of the Bible. Richard E. Palmer notes that “the word [hermeneutics] came into modern use precisely as the need arose for books setting forth the rules for proper exegesis of Scripture.”4 The Bible obviously consists of materials that are considered to be unfamiliar and strange to modern readers. The books of the Bible contain ancient writings produced centuries ago by authors living in varied cultures that were drastically different from present times. To understand the Scripture and find its meaning today, one must bridge several gaps such as those mentioned above.

If the issue had to do only with the basic hermeneutical question of how one properly understands an ancient text, the problem would be difficult enough. The fact that the text in question is an ancient text called “Scripture” makes the problem considerably more difficult. The religious subject matter of the Bible and the longstanding claims about it being special revelation automatically make the matter of understanding Scripture not only a hermeneutical question, but also a theological one. For some believe that, among ancient literature, the Bible has a certain distinctiveness. It is held to be a “religious” book—the “word of God” written for today. It is not just a literary product of past human genius, but also a “divine revelation” from God to modern humanity. Geoffrey W. Bromiley poses a pertinent question: “Is then a divine message to be abstracted from what is concretely said?” Answering in the affirmative, he says: “The divine Word is given through human words.”5

Also, even those who deny that the Bible is special revelation and seek to understand its contents in the same manner as any other ancient text ultimately cannot completely avoid the theological nature of their activity. This is because basic hermeneutics acknowledges that any text “cannot be understood apart from a full recognition of the text’s relationship to and focus on the matter which is discussed in it.”6 The “matter” that the Bible discusses is obviously theological. That is, this text claims to discuss God and his relationship to humanity. Thus, biblical hermeneutics is from the beginning inherently a theological enterprise.

This distinctiveness pertaining to the nature of the Bible suggests at least the possibility of some correspondingly distinctive challenges in biblical hermeneutics. Bromiley writes: “With the difficulties it shares with other written statements, Scripture has some special hermeneutical difficulties of its own.”7 He and others believe that a unique “gap” exists for the reader who seeks to understand the biblical material and comprehend its ultimate message. Humanity, the fallen human creature, is attempting to understand not just an ordinary message from another human, but also a divine message from an unfamiliar, transcendent realm. Millard J. Erickson believes that the “ontological difference between God and man” complicates the interpretative process.8 Some, then, contend that grammatically understanding the biblical material according to its ancient historical and cultural setting is only a part of the task. Beyond this is the task of understanding the divine “spiritual” or “religious” significance of Scripture.

The claim that the Bible is a “religious” book, the “word of God” written for today, thus indicates for some a unique intricacy in biblical hermeneutics. Ramm suggests that when it deals with Scripture, hermeneutics is a “theological discipline” that has as its goal not only exegesis but also exposition. The ultimate goal is not just to ascertain what the author said in the original historical context, but also to discover the meaning or significance of the Scripture text for the contemporary generation.9 F. F. Bruce succinctly states the position that in biblical hermeneutics the endeavor is necessarily broadened to include an additional aspect or level. He says:

For those who accept the Bible as sacred text, the church’s book, the record of God’s unique self-revelation, its interpretation cannot be conducted on the grammatico-historical level alone. That level is fundamental, but there is a theological level.10

Concerning interpretation of Scripture, John Breck notes: “Although based upon scientific procedure, it transcends the limits of pure science to delve into the realm of divine mystery—a realm that by its very nature exists beyond the field of empirical research.”11

Various questions are raised by the view that there are some unique challenges or difficulties pertaining to biblical hermeneutics. For example: If indeed the ontological difference between God and humanity presents a unique gap to the Bible reader, what is involved in bridging this gap? How is it accomplished? If there is a divine intent for Scripture that includes “spiritual” or “religious” aspects, what might be the role of the Holy Spirit in bringing this understanding to the reader? Must divine assistance be involved? If the Holy Spirit is involved, does he work in this special way with all readers or only with certain individuals? The focus of this study pertains to these and other questions.

Statement of the Problem

Succinctly stated, the problem to be examined is: In contemporary understanding, what, if any, is the relationship of the Holy Spirit to biblical hermeneutics? First, the aim of this study is to analyze the literature on hermeneutics to see what is said about the Holy Spirit’s work in relation to it. The purpose is to present the views of past and present scholars on the relationship of the Holy Spirit to the interpretative process. Second, the aim is to synthesize these views and to explore the possibility of moving toward a clearer, more complete conceptualization of how the Holy Spirit may be involved. The main focus is hermeneutics with a special interest in discussing the relationship that the Holy Spirit may have to the process.

The proposed study seeks to answer these fundamental questions. What is the nature of historical precedence with regard to positing a role of the Holy Spirit in the interpretative process? Why do some scholars omit or deny a role of the Holy Spirit in hermeneutics? Why do some scholars conceive of the Spirit ha...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Abbreviations
• Foreword
• Preface
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Historical Background
• Chapter 3: Present Positions
• Chapter 4: Methodology: A Proposed Model
• Chapter 5: Conclusions and Areas for Further Study
• Bibliography