Hermeneutics Part One

Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation. Applied to the study of Scripture it gives us the rules or principles of interpretation to go by so that we do not misunderstand Scripture of misinterpret it. The rules are simple. They begin with the Bible itself and move to more abstract principles deduced from the Bible. They have been used and tested throughout the 2000-year history of the Church. They have been argued over and debated, but have come to stand for the conservative evangelical method of understanding Scripture as opposed to the liberal, neo-orthodox, analogical methods. These principles make up the work of the exegete of Scripture. He is one who attempts to draw out of Scripture what is there through many different tools. An exegete only draws out, he never reads into to Scripture what is not there. This contrasts the exegetical method of interpretation with the eisegetical method. The only thing we must be wary of is to assume that exegesis forbids the informing of a passage of Scripture by another passage of Scripture. This will be treated more below though. The most important of these will be listed and a short summary of their appropriateness will be given as we go.