Biblical Hermeneutics

by Maier, Gerhard; Yarbrough, Robert W.

• ISBN13: 9780891077671
• ISBN10: 0891077677
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1994-02-01
• Publisher: Crossway Books

Summary

Current Biblical interpretation is in a muddle state. Can the historicity of Scripture be placed in question but its authority and significance still be upheld? Can we be truly Christian while calling the reliability of biblical revelation into doubt? Gerhard Maier provides a Christian understanding of the science of biblical hermeneutics: the inspiration and authority of Scripture, the role of the canon, the historical nature of Scripture, current discussion of revelation and criticism, etc.Citing the importance of the subject Maier says, "Against long-standing and still virulent tendencies of modernity we must speak confidently of the history of God's dealings with mankind." He adds, "A communicative hermeneutic, a hermeneutic of encounter, seems essential at the present time. Yet this encounter with God will flourish only where the Bible is permitted to be no less than what God intends: namely, the Word of God."An outstanding work of biblical scholarship that will prove invaluable for all who desire a better grasp of the Bible in the modern world and especially for those in classes on biblical interpretation.

Author Biography

Gerhard Maier is currently rector and professor at Tubingen in Germany. He has earned undergraduate degrees in both law and theology and has a doctorate in theology. He has written numerous commentaries and other books and assorted articles. He and his wife have four grown sons. Robert Yarbrough, who translated this book into English, is Associate Professor of New Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary.

Table of Contents

Translator's Preface	p. xi
Foreword to English-language Edition	p. xiii
Defining the Hermeneutical Task	p. 15
A Special Biblical Hermeneutic?	p. 21
Reasons for a Special Biblical Hermeneutic
Objections to a Special Biblical Hermeneutic
Result
The Starting Point of Hermeneutics	p. 29
The Fundamental Alternative
Man as Starting Point
Revelation as Starting Point
Theological Hermeneutics as Science	p. 39
The Independence of Theological Science
Relationship to Other Sciences
Result
The Interpreter	p. 45
Interpretation Without Presuppositions?
Congeniality?
Holy Spirit and Spiritual Rebirth?
The Answer of Revelation
Faith as Aid to Understanding
The Difference Between the Regenerate and the Unregenerate Interpreter
The Work of the Spirit on the Interpreter
Necessary Caution
Ways of Understanding Revelation	p. 65
Restriction to Historical Understanding
Opposing Tendencies
A Look at the History of Exegesis
Revelation as Starting Point
Dynamic Understanding
Ethical Understanding
Cognitive Understanding
Historical Understanding
Dogmatic Understanding
Typological Understanding
Allegorical Understanding
Prophetic Understanding
Reciprocal Relationship of the Various Ways of Understanding
The Inspiration of Scripture	p. 97
A Dead Issue?
The Answer of Revelation
The Range of Revelation
Personal Inspiration
Inspiration of Ideas
Verbal Inspiration
Criticism of Verbal Inspiration
Entire Inspiration
The Relation Between Word of God and Word of Man
The Relation Between Inspiration and History
Errors of Scripture?
The Canon	p. 149
The History of the Canon
The Founding of the Canon
Revelation as Starting Point
Delimiting the Canon
Questioning the Canon
The Canonical Connection of Interpretation
The Authority of Scripture	p. 165
The Question of the Basis for Scriptural Authority
Normative Authorities Along with Scripture
Possible Bases for the Authority of Scripture
The Basis of the Authority of Scripture in Revelation
Extent and Consequences of the Authority of Scripture
Scripture as Sole Norma Normans (Normative Standard)
Our Obedience as the Goal of Scripture
The Perspicuity of Scripture
Scripture Suffices for Salvation
The Unity of Scripture	p. 187
Survey of Church History
The Revelatory Starting Point
The Basis of the Unity of Scripture
Unity and the Progressive Nature of Revelation
The Unity of Scripture and Salvation-Historical Interpretation
Scripture's Unity and Center
Unity and Harmonization
The Historical Nature (Historicality) of Scripture	p. 209
The Problem of Scripture's Historical Nature (Historicality)
The Relation of Faith and History
The Attempt to Separate Faith and History
The Revelatory Starting Point
The Attempt to Dissolve Faith into History
Revelation and Bare Fact
Revelation and Miracle
Revelation and Prophecy
Revelation, Chronology, and Numbers
In What Sense is the Bible Historical?
Revelation and Criticism	p. 247
Defining Historical Criticism
An "Intellectual Destiny"?
The Danger of Moralistic Judgments
The History of Historical Criticism
Criticism of Criticism
The Critical Element
The Historical Element
The Sources of Historical Criticism
The Starting Point of Historical Criticism
The Loss of the Bible's Authority in Historical Criticism
The Loss of the Doctrine of Inspiration in Historical Criticism
Historical Criticism's Mistrust of the Supernatural
The Preeminence of Human Judgment in Historical Criticism
The Separation of Scripture and Revelation in Historical Criticism
Historical Criticism as Content Criticism
The Incompatibility of Historical Criticism and Revelation
Revelation and Method	p. 307
Two Irreconcilable Entities?
Key Questions of Pneumatic Exegesis
Starting Points of Pneumatic Exegesis
Pneumatic Exegesis' Unfolding in Karl Girgensohn
Continuance of Pneumatic Exegesis in Procksch and Oepke
The Pneumatic Exegesis of Hellmuth Frey
Present Criticisms of Method
Methodical Interpretation of Scripture in Jesus and the Early Church
Inner Reasons for the Necessity of a Method
Possibilities of a Methodical Interpretation of Scripture
Precritical Scripture Interpretation
J. G. Hamann
J. L. S. Lutz and J. T. Beck
Adolf Schlatter
J. C. K. von Hofmann
Pneumatic Exegesis
Scholarly Fundamentalism
So-called Moderate Criticism
Developing a Biblical-Historical Interpretation	p. 375
Terminology
Importance of the Term Historical
Procedural Openness and Constraints
The Setting of a Biblical-Historical Interpretation
The Biblical Text as Starting Point
Opening Up the Text
Synthetic Interpretation
Communicative Interpretation
Final Comment
Appendix	p. 411
Bibliography (with abbreviations used in endnotes)	p. 413
Endnotes	p. 449
Scripture Index	p. 507
Author Index	p. 517
Subject Index	p. 523
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.