Hermeneutics and Fundamental Rules

Vocabulary flashcards based on Lesson 4 covering the definition, etymology, and historical methods of Hermeneutics.

Hermeneutics (Etymology)

Originates from the Greek terms Hermeneuein and Hermeneus, which mean "to explain, translate, interpret."

Hermeneutics

The science that interprets and determines the meaning of the Bible and teaches the principles, methods, and rules to do so.

Historical Methods of Interpretation

Methods used for many years by the church that did not yield a correct interpretation and led to multiple errors, consisting of the Literal, Allegorical, and Dogmatic methods.

Grammatical-Historical Method

The method of scriptural interpretation that is currently the most widely used.

Literal Method

A historical method that interprets texts exactly as they appear in the document without taking any other aspect into account, which can cause conflicts (e.g., Matthew 5:30).

Allegorical Method

An interpretation method that disregards the common meaning of words to attach varied ideas based on the interpreter rather than the author's intent (e.g., interpreting the crossing of the Red Sea as the destruction of human carnality).

Dogmatic Method

An interpretation method that interprets biblical texts based on church dogmas, rather than deriving dogmas from biblical interpretation.