101 Hermeneutics (copy)

Allegorize – to interpret a text as if it were an allegory.

Allegory – a metaphor extended into a story; the elements of the story take on meanings that are 

different from the ordinary literal sense of the words; those using this method generally identify a deeper spiritual meaning to a passage.

Apocrypha – hidden; a collection of books in the Septuagint and Latin Vulgate; Considered 

canonical by Roman Catholics; NOT by Protestants and Jews.

Authoritative – something that has authority and establishes a norm that is binding on a particular 

Community.

Canon – reed; rod for measuring; most often used to designate the collection of biblical books 

Christians accept as uniquely authoritative for faith and practice.

Contextual meaning – the meaning of a word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, or passage as it stands in 

relationship to the larger literary context.

Criticism – scientific investigation of literary documents to determine origin, formation of text, 

historical background, etc.

Cultural-historical context – the placement of a text against the cultural and historical background 

of its author and its first readers.

Cultural relativism – the truth value of any idea is dependent on the culture that produced it; this 

would deny Divine authorship and eternal relevance or authority.

Deductive reasoning – draws conclusion about the particulars of a passage from a general 

conclusion already drawn

Denotative meaning – the actual things behind the literal sense of a word, distinct from that which 

might be implied (i.e. sword).

Didactic – designed or intended to teach; this has application to particular literary genres within 

Scripture.

Dogmatic – relating to a particular dogma or set of principles; does not necessarily imply a harsh 

adherence to a truth, simply follows a particular teaching.

Eisegesis – to draw or lead into; the interpretative error of reading one’s own beliefs or opinions 

into the text.

Epistemology – branch of philosophy that investigates the nature, sources, and acquisition of 

Knowledge.

Etymology – the study of the origin and historical development of words, their forms, and 

meanings.

Exegesis – drawing out; refers to the analysis and explanation of a text to determine the meaning 

intended by the author and understood by its first readers.

Existentialism – a school of philosophy that defines human life in terms of being or existence.

Exposition – explaining or setting forth the meaning of a text; includes Exegesis but develops 

meaning into current understanding and application.

External evidence – evidence that comes from literary sources other than the one being considered.

Genre – a group of texts that share common traits.

Hermeneutics – science and art of biblical interpretation (1) science because of rules and orderliness 

required, (2) art because flexibility required in application of rules.

General hermeneutics – study of those rules that govern interpretation of the entire biblical text; 

historical-cultural; contextual; lexical-syntactical; and theological.

Special hermeneutics – the study of those rules that apply to special genres, such as—parables; 

allegories; types; prophecy.

Textual or lower criticism – attempt to ascertain the original wording of a text.

Historical or higher criticism – validating authorship, date of writing, circumstances, authenticity, 

and literary unity of a text.

Homiletics – the science and art of sermon preparation and preaching.

Idiom – an expression or use of words that is peculiar to a particular language, either grammatically 

or having a meaning that is something other than the sum of its linguistic parts.

Illumination – the action of the Holy Spirit imparting insight and understanding to the individual 

reading of Scripture.

Inductive reasoning – logical thought that draws a general conclusion based on observing and 

analyzing particular facts, the opposite of deductive reasoning.

Internal evidence – refers to the evidence supporting a particular textual reading from within the 

literary work itself.

Interpretation – the act of process of explaining the meaning of verbal communication, either 

written or oral.

Linguistics – the formal study of human language, particularly as speech.

Literal translation – tries to stay as close as possible to the exact wording and phrasing of the 

original biblical language and still make sense in the language of the intended audience.

Literary context – the text that surrounds the text to be interpreted.

Mechanical layout – syntactical analysis; a display of a text in such a way that the reader can 

discern the relationship of subordinate clauses or phrases to the main clauses which they qualify or modify.

Metaphor - Metaphor: or representation; a declaration that one thing is (or represents) another; 

comparison by representation; Greek, metaphora, a transference, or carrying over or across; while the Simile says, “all flesh is AS grass” (1 Pe. 1:24), the Metaphor carries the figure across at once, and says, “All flesh IS grass” (Isa. 40:6).

Metaphysics – division of philosophy that concerns itself with the fundamental nature of reality and 

being; includes supernatural, existence of God, etc.

Morphology – the study and description of word formation in language.

Occasional – a rising out of a specific set of historical circumstances or occasion.

Ontology/Ontological – a branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of being or existence.

Orthodox/Orthodoxy – conforming to an established doctrine or set of doctrines, especially in 

Religion.

Orthopraxy – the correct practice, or conduct, within a given sphere.

Paraphrase – to restate a text or passage using different wording or literary forms than found in the 

original text.

Pericope – a selected portion of a book chosen for liturgical reading.

Perspicuity – the belief that the words of Scripture are sufficiently clear so that the competent 

Christian can read and understand without the need of church tradition as a guide.

Phenomenal language – descriptive language that speaks of things as they appear from a finite 

human and historically conditioned perspective.

Philological – the historical and comparative study of words and is often used to refer to the field of 

Linguistics.

Polysemy – having multiple meanings.

Presuppositions – the first principles or assumptions held about a certain subject matter prior to 

investigation or an argument.

Principalization – to take what the biblical author intended to teach or convey and restate it in the 

form of timeless truth.

Progressive revelation – the belief that God’s revelation of Himself and His plan of salvation is 

progressive and incremental as recorded in Scripture.

Propositional revelation – the view that revealed truth of Scripture can be logically presented in 

coherent statements or propositions.

Rationalism – regards the human mind as independent and capable of determining truth.

Receptor language – refers to the language the Scriptures are being translated into.

Referent – the thing a word or expression is directed to; the Jews often referred to a particular group 

of Jews.

Referential meaning – the meaning that completes the sense of the words used, usually in light of a 

broader unknown or unfamiliar context; Nicodemus understood Jesus word but not their referential meaning.

Semantics – the study of word meanings, including an investigation into historical origin, usage, 

and change in meaning.

Semiotics – part of what is called structural linguistics and refers to the philosophical and linguistic 

theory of signs and how they function in human language.

Semitism – a characteristic feature of a Semitic language occurring in another language.

Sensus literalis, literal meaning

Sensus plenior, fuller meaning

Sitz im Leben, situation in life

Stichwort, key word

Subjectivism – the individual’s experience, feeling, or private apprehension is the final determiner 

of truth.

Torah – the expression of God’s will for the nation of Israel as revealed to Moses at Mount Sinai; 

originally, the five books of Moses; over time came to include any expression of the will of God.

Totally transfer – the erroneous assumption that the full range of a word’s meanings follow it in 

interpreting a passage.

Tradition – truth that has been preserved, passed on, and over time has come to occupy a place of 

authority in a given community as a rule of faith.

Unity of meaning - the much-debated view that except for the literary device of Double Entendre, 

there is only one meaning to a text—the one intended by the author.

Unity of Scripture – the belief that the Bible presents a coherent, unified perspective in its essential 

teachings, stemming from the conviction that behind the diverse writings of Scripture there is a single Divine Author who speaks a unified message in and throughout the biblical canon.

Usus loquendi – use of speech; the ordinary, plain sense of a word used by an author in a given 

literary context.

Verbal parallel – occurs when two or more verses or passages contain the same words or 

expression.

Word loading – the practice of assigning to a word in a particular text many and even all possible 

meanings of that word (see semantic range).

Biblical theology – divine revelation as given throughout O.T. and N.T.  deals with progressive 

understanding, looking at what was known at a particular time in history.

Systematic theology – organizes biblical data in logical rather than historical manner; groups all 

teaching on given subject together, hence systematic.