Some Guiding Principles for the Correct Interpretation of the Bible (Hermeneutics)

Some Guiding Principles for the 

Correct Interpretation of the Bible 

(Hermeneutics)

1) Accounting for inspiration.

Since the Bible was written under the inspiration of God by men filled with the Holy Spirit, it should be trusted. If any biblical fragment seems incomprehensible or inconsistent with natural scientific knowledge, this does not mean that it is false. The Bible contains science and history, but it is not a scientific or a historical text, since in these areas it is bound by the knowledge of its time and uses them to convey a deeper purpose. It would be a scientific and historical text only if that was its primary message and aim. However, the primary message and aim of the Bible is the salvation of the human race and how this salvation is achieved, with the ultimate goal of human beings uniting with God. 

 

Comprehending sacred texts should be based on the interpretations of the holy fathers, who are the successors of the holy apostles and who combined the height of their theological thoughts with the holiness of their life. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the fathers could focus on different facets of understanding this or that passage.

2) Accounting for the entire text.

Taking quotes out of context is considered bad form in any area of human knowledge. An example of incorrect quoting from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles: "Great Artemis of Ephesus" (Acts 19:28), or from the Psalter: "There is no God" (Ps. 13:1; Ps. 52:2). Obviously, Holy Scripture does not glorify a pagan deity and does not preach atheism. Or the episode of the trial of the Savior (Mt. 26:63-66), where the high priest bases the verdict on a fragment of the Mosaic law on blasphemy, not wanting to see any other quotes, or the fact that Christ is obviously the Messiah (fulfilled prophecies, miracles, etc.). Those who take quotes out of context and distort the meaning of Scripture are to some extent likened to this high priest.

Text always suggests context. It is impossible to consider this or that expression of the Bible (especially this or that thought, quotation) as an intrinsically valuable unit. It must be considered in conjunction with the context and with all of Scripture. Then any quotation gets its "place" and meaning as an element of the grandiose and beautiful mosaic of the word of God.

3) The criterion for considering any quote: who, when and where (historical setting), to whom, for what reason and for what purpose he said it.

Over the hundreds of years since the Bible was written, the historical and cultural background has changed significantly. The psychology of people is changing, and their way of knowing and describing the world. Ancient texts are often difficult to understand without knowledge of historical realities. A common mistake is to judge the actions of people and historical events only from the vantage point of our time.

For example, the episode of the healing by the Savior of the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician (Mark 7:25-30) may confuse the modern reader. It helps to resolve this confusion by knowing that the Jews called the Gentiles "dogs" because of their idolatry (which included sacrificing children to an idol) and depraved life. The purpose of Christ's refusal was both to test the love of this woman for her daughter, and to confess the true faith.

4) Knowledge of literary genres.

The Bible contains many genres: epistles, parables, hymns, riddles, prayers, apocalyptic literature, love lyrics. Accounting for the genre is the basis for the interpretation of a particular fragment.

Let us recall the words of the Apostle Paul: "Everything is permissible to me, but not everything is useful; everything is permissible to me, but nothing should possess me" (1 Cor. 6:12 and 10:23). Did the Apostle really hold such liberal views as "everything is lawful to me"? Most likely, this is a method of ancient writing - a diatribe - a conversation with an imaginary opponent.

5) Linguistic aspect.

Often in discussions of amateurs concerning biblical verses, only the English text is considered. English is not the original language. Translation cannot always fully and accurately convey the content of the original.

Examples.

a) All the evangelists speak of the brothers and sisters of the Savior (Mark 6:2-4). In Hebrew, the meanings of the words "brothers and sisters" are much broader than in English and include all relatives of a person, more or less equal in age, those whom we call distant relatives, for example, cousins. These could be the children of Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage and Jacob, the son of Mary, who was a relative of the Virgin Mary.

b) The Virgin Mary "gave birth to her firstborn Son" (Mt. 1:25) and (Lk. 2:7). As for the word "firstborn", this is how the Greek word (prototokos) is translated, literally meaning "firstborn". This concept is not genealogical, but legal (the first-born had priority rights among children). All this is confirmed by the fact that on the 40th day the parents brought the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem (we celebrate this event on the feast of the Reception on February 2nd), because only the first-born male infant was brought to the temple.

c) “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and, moreover, his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:25-27). There are no degrees of comparison in Semitic languages. Here, as often in the Bible, the verb "hate" has the comparative meaning of "love less".

6) Accounting for literary devices.

The Bible uses types, prophecies, comparisons, metaphors, sayings, parables, allegories, so not all of its text should be taken literally.

An example of a prophecy (from Matthew 1:21-23): “... and you will call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. And all this happened, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would come true, who said: Behold, the Virgin will give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Emmanuel, which means: God is with us” (Is. 7:14). The evangelist uses this prophecy, in particular, because the inner meaning of these names coincides (Jesus - "The Lord saves", Emmanuel - "God is with us"). In the Bible, sometimes a name not only defines, but also characterizes a person. This is confirmed by another quote from the same Prophet Isaiah through one verse: “For a child is born to us ... and His name will be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace" (Is. 9:6).

An example of hyperbole (poetic exaggeration): “If your right eye offends you, tear it out and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members perish, and not your whole body be cast into hell. And if your right hand offends you, cut it off and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members perish, and not your whole body be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:27-30).

Interpreting the Bible

One Saint wrote about the Bible: “There is found depth, there is found inexhaustible meaning. Just as you can remove one scale from an onion, then another, then a third, etc. - it is the same in Holy Scripture: a person understands one meaning, behind this meaning there is another deeper one, then a second one, a third one, etc."

Holy Scripture speaks a human language, but we must not forget that we have before us a sacred text: along with historical and everyday information, it contains doctrinal information that is "not of this world." The latter are only gradually revealed to man based on following guided principles and listening to experienced exegetes, as well as allowing for divine grace to inform us when we have attained the purification of our hearts and subsequent illumination.

The depth of the Bible makes possible (at least) five levels of its reading: literal, allegorical, moral, representative and spiritual.

The need for interpretation is related to:

- changes in the linguistic, cultural and historical environment. The language of the Bible is highly figurative. Figurative language sometimes has the purpose of conveying theological thought more clearly and more precisely, and in other places, on the contrary, it is used to make the truth hidden.

- the fact that events sometimes do not only have a literal meaning. For example, in the episode of the healing of the blind man by the Savior, who “received his sight and followed Jesus” (Mark 10:51-52), blindness is understood not only as physical, but also as spiritual.

These are the following branches of scientific study of Holy Scripture:

- hermeneutics - a science that develops rules, principles and methods of interpretation;

- textual criticism - an attempt to clarify the edition of the original text;

- isagogy - a branch of theology that is preliminary to actual exegesis and deals with the literary and external history of the Bible;

- exegesis - extracting the exact meaning, the interpreter tries to extract understanding from the text, and does not bring his own meaning to the text.

Are there errors and contradictions in the Bible?

Opponents of Christianity speak of so-called "biblical contradictions". Clearly, educated Christians know the Bible as well as educated skeptics. And they recognize that the understanding of the same passage from the Bible can be different. One and the same passage can have several quite legitimate interpretations: literal meaning and allegorical meaning. For example, there are many poetic pages in the Bible that no one would ever think of taking literally. It is easier to accuse the Bible of contradictions than to accuse oneself of not knowing the principles of its understanding or ignoring the Holy Tradition of the Church.

For example, in the Gospel according to John, Christ says things that seem to be opposite: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30) and “My Father is greater than Me” (John 14:28). One of these expressions can be understood through the prism of the other: since Jesus Christ is both God and Man, the first speaks of the consubstantiality of God the Son and God the Father, and the second speaks of the economy of the Son in the incarnation .

“If we are confused by an apparent contradiction in Scripture, then this does not allow us to say that the Author of this book was mistaken. But either the manuscript is corrupted, or the translation is wrong, or you just didn’t understand,” said Saint Augustine.

Some rules for reading the Bible.

- For a Christian it is equally important to know the Gospels and to live according to them; reading by itself, apart from the Church, is not beneficial.

- The Bible is not just read, but studied. Christ says: "Search the Scriptures" (John 5:39). It cannot be read from beginning to end and put on the shelf like a historical novel.

- It should be read after praying, with reverence, thoughtfully, using, first of all, the interpretations of the holy fathers. Only with discretion should one treat the interpretations of authors who are outside the Church. They can be interesting, informative, but a different spirit reigns in them. In addition, one must have a certain amount of experience in order to discern the lies contained in the interpretations of heretics.

- In Orthodoxy, a student's correct understanding of the Bible comes through a teacher and a preacher - "faith comes by hearing" (Rom. 10:17), and not from one's own opinion.

- The Bible mainly talks about key characters and principle episodes. An example (from Gen. 4), when Cain says to God: "the first comer will kill me", although earlier in the same chapter only two children of Adam and Eve were mentioned, Cain and Abel. Only the essentials have been said about Christ's childhood. Or the killing of a thousand Philistines by Samson's donkey jaw (Judges 15:15) should be understood in the same vein as the phrase "Marshal Zhukov occupied Berlin."

- The truths of the Gospels are extremely concentrated, indicating that Christ gives us a perfect model, an ideal of Christian life ("Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" - Matt. 5:48). For example, He calls us not to worry about the future, or only adultery is established as a valid reason for divorce. This is why personal guidance with an experienced and trusted guide in the spiritual life is essential.

Source: Translation by John Sanidopoulos. 

 

 

The Patristic Interpretation of the Seduction of Lot By His Two Daughters

By John Sanidopoulos

Genesis 19:30-38 describes how Lot's two daughters, shortly after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, got their father drunk on wine, engaged in sexual intercourse with him on two successive nights, though he was unaware due to intoxication, and became pregnant, and eventually gave birth to two sons Moab and Benammi. Their sons, born of incest, are described as founding the Moabite and Ammonite nations, which became continuous enemies of Israel.

This scandalous event in the Book of Genesis has long troubled interpreters, especially when one considers the fact that Ruth was a descendant of Moab, and her offspring became a descendant of Jesus Christ. This means that one of the descendants of Christ was born through incest, between Lot and his oldest daughter. It also troubles readers because they don't know what to make of it, since incest seems so obviously wrong on many levels.

What Saint Paisios the Athonite Said About the Prophet Elijah

- Elder, I am jealous of a fellow sister nun.

- I know which sister you are jealous of, but I learned that she also is jealous of you! I pray both of you become jealous of the zealous Elijah, and that he will cast jealousy away from both of you, and give you his own divine zeal. Amen.

Violence in the Old Testament: A Patristic Perspective

By John Sanidopoulos

When we encounter troublesome violence in the Old Testament that unsettles us, we may take some solace in the possibility that these texts reflect theological and ideological concerns as encountered by the communities that first read these books. Similarly, the Church Fathers tended to not read these stories and interpret them literally, but they transcended the literal reading. They knew that God is not a genocidal maniac who seeks the destruction of human beings, therefore they understood that these passages only truly make sense spiritually and theologically, as they are intended.

St. John Cassian on the Scriptural References to Those Who Are Figuratively Ambidextrous

CONFERENCES

By St. John Cassian

Conference 6,

Chapter 10

Of the Excellence of the Perfect Man who is Figuratively Spoken of as Ambidextrous

Those are they then who are figuratively spoken of in Holy Scripture as ἀμφοτεροδέξιον, i.e., ambidextrous, as Ehud is described in the book of Judges who used either hand as the right hand. And this power we also can spiritually acquire, if by making a right and proper use of those things which are fortunate, and which seem to be on the right hand, as well as of those which are unfortunate and as we call it on the left hand, we make them both belong to the right side, so that whatever turns up proves in our case, to use the words of the Apostle, the armor of righteousness.

Was the Prophet Jonah Really Swallowed By a Whale?

By John Sanidopoulos

Many Christians are inclined to interpret the story of Jonah in the Old Testament as an allegory that was never meant to be understood as actual history. However, allegories or parables in the Bible are always either said to be so, or made evident in the context. The Book of Jonah, however, is written as a historical tale with a historical prophet mentioned in II Kings 14:25 and confirmed to have existed by Jesus Christ in Matthew 12:40-41. Christ here compares the experience of Jonah to His own approaching death and resurrection.

How Did St. John Chrysostom Understand the "Wrath of God" and "Divine Punishment"?

By John Sanidopoulos

St. John Chrysostom probably more than any other Father of the Church speaks about the "wrath of God" and "divine punishment". Most who read these passages often do so through the lenses of western medieval or reformation theology, even many Orthodox Christians, who are unable to read the depths of the spirit behind the letter. The reason for this is because, as St. Symeon the New Theologian explains, when speaking about matters of divine judgement, "the interpretation is difficult because it is not about things which are present and visible, but about future and invisible matters. There is therefore great need of prayer, of much ascetic effort, of much purity of the nous, both in us who speak and in those who listen, in order for the first to be able to know and speak well and for the others to listen with understanding to what is said." Therefore, those of a carnal, simplistic and overly literal understanding of these passages fail to understand the depth of divine judgement, inflicting upon the nature of God human-like passions, which is exactly what the ancient pagans did with their gods in order to make the impassioned state not only a natural state, but to deify it as well.

Did Only One Thief Insult Christ on the Cross?

By John Sanidopoulos

The Synoptic Gospels contain an interesting detail often overlooked in regard to the two thieves, or bandits, crucified with Christ. We read the following:

A) Matthew 27:44

"...καὶ οἱ λῃσταὶ οἱ συσταυρωθέντες αὐτῷ ὠνείδιζον αὐτόν"

"...and the bandits who were crucified with him insulted him."

How To Interpret Holy Scripture as an Orthodox Theologian

By Protopresbyter Fr. John Romanides

I remember someone I met in America - we gave lectures together. We were in Denmark and we used to eat together, and we were going to eat with some other people. I joked with him - I would have been twenty-four years old then - and said: "The Protestants will only understand Holy Scripture when they understand sacred relics," by which I meant glorification.

Christians Should Study and Be Cultivated

By Archimandrite Hierotheos Argyris

Many enemies of the Church wish to leave it because it is without educated Clergy and Fathers, making it easy to oppose and denigrate it. It is very characteristic of what Julian the Apostate did. One of his first measures against the Christians was to deny them an education. He knew what results such a scheme would bring. But of course the Lord did not allow that provision and other such harsh prosecutorial manipulations of that man.

The opinion of the ancient Fathers was that Christians should study and be cultivated. This position dominated within the life of Fr. Epiphanios (Theodoropoulos). He strongly promoted education, both for himself and for his spiritual children who had the opportunity to educate and cultivate themselves.

According to his opinion, study and education offer the ability to be recipients of the depth of the Holy Bible and the Patristic writings. The lack of a proper knowledge leads the Christian to interpret the Holy Texts incorrectly or improperly and sometimes they end up with completely ridiculous interpretations.

Many times our Elder presented hilarious examples of people with true zeal, but did not have the necessary educational infrastructure. They expressed fanatical views and presented, due to a lack of education, their own nonsense as Patristic or Scriptural interpretations.

Someone who was an uneducated yet zealous type, the Elder recalled, called the Sacred Pedalion (The Rudder) as Vedalion: "The Vedalion says...", he would say, and he expressed irrelevant opinions supposedly contained within this book of which he didn't even know the name.

The same man would interpret some relatively obscure words according to how he felt he heard them. For example, a "mystagogue" (μυσταγωγός) is someone who keeps secrets (μύστακα)!

These things he would often recall, not because he wanted to offend our brothers that for some objective reasons were not educated. No, for God's sake! But he tried to push those who were less educated to study; those who simply had some degree, but they abandoned their studies at the lifelong university of continuous study.

Finally, the Elder urged our acquisition of prudent humilty, so we could seek answers to the thorny issues from the educated brethren and Fathers.

Source: From the book ΜΑΘΗΤΕΙΑ ΣΤΙΣ ΠΗΓΕΣ του π. Επιφάνιου. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Why Is Lot Called "Righteous" If He Offered His Daughters To Be Raped?

By John Sanidopoulos

In Genesis 19:6-8 we read about Lot offering his daughters to be raped by the Sodomite mob, rather than his angelic guests. Yet, the New Testament describes him as "righteous Lot" (2 Peter 2:7). Does Scripture then justify rape?

A non-biased reading of this passage would never come to the conclusion that Scripture justifies rape based on this passage. 2 Peter 2:7 doesn't say that he was righteous because he offered his daughters to be raped, but because he "was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men". Righteousness depends on acknowledging evil, separating from it, and repenting of it when one falls into it rather than justifying it. Lot offered his daughters to the Sodomites in order to protect his guests, whom he recognized as angels of the Lord. In doing so, he was choosing to commit one evil in order to avoid another, out of his great love and reverence for God. He feared the Sodomites would break down his door to get to the angels, and foolishly believed that those men could actually overcome and rape the angels. Yet he also feared God's wrath and judgment over that more than over the sin of offering his daughters in place of the angels. Lot interceded also on behalf of his guests in accordance with his duties as host, since hospitality is a most sacred virtue, but made the mistake of placing them above his duties as a father by offering his two daughters to the wicked designs of the Sodomites. Clearly he was wrong, and the angels demonstrate this by not allowing such a thing. The angels responded by blinding everyone to protect Lot's family, so that the rape did not take place.

Just as Abraham was a man of righteousness and hospitality, so also was his nephew Lot in many similar ways, though they often did wrong. Yet his reverence for God was so great that he was willing to offer up his daughters, just as Abraham was willing to offer up his son Isaac in sacrifice. God however prevented both, since they proved their devotion to God. They are models of perfect love and devotion to God, as Christ pointed out when He said: "Whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me" (Matt. 10:37). Perhaps both had enough faith in God that they knew no harm would ever come to their children.

Also, if Lot was so righteous that he would do no wrong, God would have spared the city for his sake. In Genesis 18:17 God tells Abraham that he will spare the city for the sake of the righteous in it, but the angels warn Lot that if he does not flee he will be destroyed along with the city (Gen. 19:15-16). That he and his family were less than ideally noble is also indicated by the fact that his wife disobeys the angels and is turned into a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:26), and by the fact that his daughters get their father drunk and sleep with him to have children (Gen. 19:30-38). Lot however maintains his righteousness, because throughout his life he continued to be "distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men," including the sinful action of his wife's disobedience and of his daughters when he became sober.

Further, the Bible itself offers a bit of commentary on this episode in the literary parallel between Genesis 19 and Judges 19 (the rape of the Levites concubine). In that story, the events are quite similar and the literary parallels are many and explicit. The clear intent of the author was to recall the story of Genesis 19. But the events of Judges 19 are all the more terrible because they take place in Israel (v. 30) rather than in Gentile territory. There the rape is clearly perceived as grossly wicked - so wicked that the refusal of the town to submit to discipline provokes a war (chs. 20-21). The point for our discussion is simply that the obvious literary parallel portraying the rape of the Levite's concubine as sinful depends upon Lot's act in Genesis 19 being sinful.