Significant Hermeneutical and Theological Issues

Question: Discuss about theSignificant Hermeneutical and Theological Issues. Answer: Introduction Today, many people disagree with the interpretation of certain passages of the Bible. Here, the problem is not on the difficulties of reading the scripture, but rather the way the reader come to the interpretation table with distinct backgrounds, education, theologies among others that influences the way one comprehend the text about the biblical truths and one's experience. Hermeneutics is the principle by which the Bible is interpreted, or it is the theory of textual interpretation. This hermeneutical approach has a major effect on the one interpreting it. Basing on Galatians1:1-18 and Luke24:13-32, my essay discusses on some of the theological and hermeneutical issues when interpreting scriptures. Culture Issue Culture is a significant problem that arises when interpreting and reading the scriptures. For instance, people that live in the Western world might experience difficulties with accurate interpretation of a context and how others view everything in the world. Culture hinders understanding of the way things are and how they are intended to be[1]. Culture can hinder one from interpreting the content the way the author intended it to be or how God want it to be. In Galatians Chapter 1, Paul explains the doctrine of justification through faith, but some of the Judaizers were much held to the Moses' law whereby they were trying to include it as part of Christian doctrine. Some miss-interpret it by claiming that it is the justification of faith that does give Christians privilege of signing without being held accountable for the sin[2]. This is not true, what Paul explains is that Christianity is a fellowship with the Father given through Jesus Christ who was His son. In Galatians 1:1, he writes a letter to Galatia and starts by saying that people never made him an apostle, but it is Christ who had appointed him. In that region, there were many people with other doctrines and high culture that did try to change what Paul had established, but this was to warn them.[3] Lots of Jews had received Christ and were trying to incorporate Christianity and Judaism. Paul emphasizes that one cannot remain active in Christianity if he mixes other beliefs with Christianity. According to Paul, the resurrection of Jesus meant an inauguration of the entire era of cosmic regeneration and a new creation. However, according to Epicurean, the resurrection was nonsense since they had adopted the theory that all things are made of atoms in constant and no association, and thus the resurrection of Christ meant nothing to them. They had assumed that some of the atoms had swerved out of their standard form and due to this, Epicureans strongly objected the Resurrection of Christ. Hermeneutical reflection and practice today reflects the plan of our pluralistic, a special interest culture and not the biblical view point. For instance, in some scholarly literature, we find much hermeneutics such as structuralist hermeneutics, black womanist hermeneutics among others hermeneutics. In appreciating that one ought to take the two prospects of the culture of biblical and our culture in the enterprise of interpretive, one can wonder on how biased individual interests hermeneutics have come to be. We confirm this through hermeneutic of reader response which states that "in effect that the legal meaning of any text is usually up to the reader. Theological Issue Luke wrote the book of Luke to ancient people in a culture and language that are ancient. Thus, for readers to have a valid biblical interpretation of a text they must be consistent with the context of historical-cultural of the text.[4] The literary context of Luke chapter 24:13-32 examines the death of Christ with His deliverance. Here the reader is moved from the absence of Christ to His visible appearance. Literature genre may appear where Luke uses different categories of literature to refer to, thus bringing a theological issue. In that chapter, the narrative discloses on the two followers who were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus where one was named Cleopas.[5] One may speculate this by saying this was the one mentioned in the Gospel John 19:25 spelled "Cleophas" thus the other person could be Mary, his wife. Hence, the closeness of these names may bring an issue of interpretation the text in the Bible. In Galatians1:1-18, the purpose of Paul's message was to defend his apostleship due to attack he had on his authority affirming that he was not commissioned by a congregation but through Jesus Christ. His aim was also to discuss on the justification through faith. The language used here, echoes the prophetic call of Jeremiah in the Old Testament and his mission on his calling was to proclaim Christ to the Gentiles.[6] Under the contextual insight of this chapter, it's hard to interpret since it contains grammatical idiosyncrasies where he broke his subject with series of parenthesis, broken sentences, and unusual punctuation. Hence, it can bring a problem in trying to follow the thought of Paul. A theological problem may arise in the scripture of Galatians 1:1-18 on how to relate the Old Testament and the New Testament. One can reveal God in Old Testament in a marvelous way; however, when it comes to Judaism they emphasized the human aspect on the covenant thus mishandling the Mosaic covenant.[7] This can bring a misunderstanding in interpretation if one doesn't relate well the two divisions of Old and New Testament. Kerygma Issue Kerygma is the announcement of a person before. A problem arises when it is expressed as a witness in the scripture. A hermeneutical arises since we are not the one who did witness but we are the hearers who listen to the witnesses.[8] Hence we can only believe by hearing and by interpreting the text which itself is already an interpretation.[9] Luke Chapter 24 confirms the issue of kerygma where Jesus says, "Everything written about me in the Law of Moses and prophets and the Psalms, must be fulfilled." He opened their minds by saying "thus it is written, Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from dead and the repentance and forgiveness of sins should get preached in his name to all nations."[10] The framework of these grammatical versus illustrates the developing Kerygma fulfill, suffer, rise, and preach. We tend to believe what happened through faith since we never witnessed and also in these verses there is fusion of horizons whereby it occurs in the text, but the word w as appropriated in front of the text thus bringing the issue of Hermeneutic.[11] Feminist Issue Feminist Hermeneutical is a subject that revolves around the practice of women's interest. According to Danvers, not only is there "widespread uncertainty and confusion in our culture regarding the complementary differences between masculinity and femininity,"[12] but there has been a resultant confusion regarding the proper treatment and the way biblical text is interpreted. Feminist biblical Hermeneutical comes with three principles including the radical form, the neo-orthodox, and the critical form. The fundamental denies all ability to the Bible claiming it has been formed by men; the neo-orthodox accepts the Bible while the critical form rediscovers women's status and their roles. Women are playing a lively part in exegetical study and have thrived better than men in identifying the presence and were playing a significant role. In Luke 24:22, it was women who were early in the sepulcher, and this had astonished other people. The sensitivity of feminine has helped to unmask and c orrect some normally acknowledged interpretations that were tendentious and aimed to validate the domination of male on women[13]. Feminist Exegesis has proceeded from a preconceived judgment and runs the threat of interpreting texts of the Bible in a tendentious and arguable way. Fundamentalist Issue This interpretation begins with a principle that God's word being stimulated and free error, should be read and be inferred in all details. However, literal interpretation comprehends a literalist interpretation that is nave by excluding every endeavor in comprehending the Bible that accounts for its historical origin and improvement[14]. Fundamentalist has a problem in the interpretation of the biblical text since it refuses to be responsible for the historical character of the revelation of the Bible and makes itself unable of accommodating the whole truth of the incarnation itself. It fails to identify that God's word has been created in language and expression accustomed by various phases. Luke 24:15 on the resurrection of Jesus, seems to challenge a belief in the bodily Christ resurrection. Christ appears and disappears out of thin air, and this describes a more ethereal resurrection[15]. The belief in resurrection that is physical can raise questions on whether bodies will be r aised just as they are. Fundamentalist is dangerous since it is attractive to people who looks to the Bible to get ready answers for life's problems thus offers them religious interpretations but illusory, rather than telling them the word doesn't contain immediate solutions to their daily problems. Rhetorical Analysis Issue The current studies in the area of biblical have committed some substantial attention to the existence of features of rhetorical in scripture since the more biblical text is in some character of measure persuasive. Rhetoric is the action of creating discourse in aiming influential. The rhetoric draws attention to language capacity so as to persuade and convince[16]. Every discourse situation involves three elements such as the speaker, the discourse, and the audience. The word of God is not just a statement of truths rather it is a message that carries within itself a communication function in a prcised context, carry with it certain argument power and a rhetorical strategy. When rhetorical analysis remains on the level of explanation, its results often reflects an apprehension for style only. It is not an independent method that is sufficient by itself and the way it is applied raises various questions. In Galatians chapter 1:2, Paul addresses his message to the people of Galatia me aning that it was to be read by those assemblies. Here, Galatians functions like a speech thus emphasizing linear presentation. "The audience hears the words in progression without the opportunity to review what has been said earlier and an orally received text are characterized by a greater degree of repetition than is a text is intended to be read privately." [17] Christological Issue Christology is main concerned with nature and person of Jesus and it is mainly concerned with details of the ministry of Jesus, his teachings in arriving at a clear understanding and his role in salvation. There are three hermeneutical issues that arise in Christology which are Jesus' resurrection, narrative's role in Christology and that Jesus is the universal savior. All these may bring an issue when interpreting the Bible[18]. After Jesus had resurrected, he engages in an interesting conversation with two of his disciples on the journey to Emmaus. In the dialogue He tells them "beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.[19] Later in the chapter, he tells them that all the things written will come to be fulfilled. Today, many who truly believe in the Old Testament must be led in the light of the New Testament. Luke 24 substantiate a hermeneutic of Christological where to some it means an allegorical inte rpretation method that sees the picture of Jesus and his work as a deliverance hidden in the Old Testament but to others they see it as proof that encodes references to Christ. In this way, truths revealed in the New Testaments about the Messiah are seen as the central to discovering the real meaning of the scriptures of the Old Testament. In these verses of Luke, he does not mandate Christological hermeneutic since in the verses there is no record of a particular verse that was referred to by Jesus[20]. According to Jesus in Luke 24, the two men central problem was with them was foolishness and slowness of heart that did prevent them from believing what been revealed about Him in the Old Testament. Today, many claims that the Old Testament cannot be understood apart from the New Testament light, but this is opposite in Luke 24. Jesus had expected them to be able to comprehend and to believe what had been taught about him apart from the light of the revelation of the New Testament. Jesus was affirming the perspicuity of Old Testament and insisting that its original audience could understand its revelation. The Canonical Issue The canonical approach expresses its perception that the critical method of historical, experiences difficulty time in arriving at conclusions in a level of theological. It seeks to position each text within God's plan. The system does not affirm to be an alternative for the critical method of historical and the hope is usually rather compete it[21]. In canonical approach, the complex relation that exists is that of Jewish and Christian canons of scripture, and this raises a problem of interpretation. Canonical interpret each text in the light of canon scripture and thus the Bible is acknowledged as the norm of faith by community's believers. Conclusion The way a biblical text is interpreted has an effect on the truth of that verse. There many hermeneutical issues that are related to the interpretation of the biblical text and scripture. The message must be looked on who wrote the text (writer), why he wrote the text and who it is intended to so as to be able to interpret clearly the content of the text. References [1] Mohr, J. W., Rawlings, C. (2012). Four ways to measure culture: Social science, hermeneutics, and the cultural turn. The Oxford handbook of cultural sociology, 70-113. 2 Brevard S. Childs. (1992). Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments: Theological Reflection on the Christians Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress, 324-326. 3Hardin, J. K. (2014). GALATIANS 12 WITHOUT A MIRROR.Tyndale Bulletin,65, 275-303. 4Brevard S. Childs, Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments: Theological Reflection on the Christians Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992, 324-326. 5 Luke Chapter 24:16-32 6 Gerhard Ebeling. The Nature of Faith trans. Ronald Gregor Smith (London: Collins, 1961), 188-191. 7Martin Buber, "The man of Today and Jewish Bible, "Biblical Humanism: Eighteen Studies by Martin Buber, ed. Nahum N. Glatzer. London: Macdonald, 1968, 5-6. 8Anthony C. Thistleton, Hermeneutics: An Introduction (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009), 191-94. 9 Luke Chapter 24:13-32 10 Robert W. Wall, "Reading the New Testament in Canonical Context," in Hearing the New Testament: Strategies for Interpretation. Ed. J.B. Green. (GrandRapids, Eerdmans 1995)384-85. 11 Pratt, D. (2015). Terrorism and religious fundamentalism: Prospects for a predictive paradigm. Marburg Journal of Religion, 11(1). 12 Luke 24:15 13Copeland, R., Melville, S. (2013). Allegory and Allegoresis, Rhetoric and Hermeneutics.Exemplaria. 14Rickert, T. (2013).Ambient rhetoric: The attunements of rhetorical being. University of Pittsburgh Pre. 15Bloemendal, J. (2016). Exegesis and Hermeneutics in Erasmus' Paraphrase on Luke. Erasmus Studies, 36(2), 148-162. 16 Luke 24:27 17Schillebeeckx, E. (2013). Can Christology be an Experiment?.Proceedings of the Catholic Theological Society of America,35. 18Watson, F. (2013). Gospel writing: A canonical perspective. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.