Have
you ever been involved in a discussion with another believer that turned
towards what one of you assumed was THE interpretation of a particular passage
of Scripture?
If you haven’t, count your blessings!
The fact of the matter is that we each bring a lot more to the study of
God’s word than simply the ability to read.
Preunderstandings
are the preconceived notions that we as interpreters of Scripture bring to the
task of hermeneutics.[1] These are things that have been formed
within us consciously and subconsciously before the task of interpretation is
undertaken. These preunderstandings are
the starting point for understanding.[2] There are times when our preunderstandings
are correct and other times when our preunderstandings are incorrect. The danger for the interpreter of Scripture
is the assumption that a given preunderstanding about the meaning of a
particular passage of Scripture is correct before the necessary study of
the passage is undertaken.
Preunderstandings should be allowed to change each time a text is
studied.[3]
In
simple terms, a presupposition is an assumption about a statement or the world
whose truth is taken for granted.[4] Our
presuppositions inform our preunderstandings and should not change with each
reading of a text. Presuppositions are
rooted in a person’s overall view of the Bible such as the text is the Word of
God, the Bible is true, the supernatural does occur, and the Bible does not
contradict itself.[5]
The
proper way to test presuppositions and preunderstandings is to place them under
the text submitting them to the text. If
a preunderstanding is found to be incorrect, we must be open to altering it. In trying to be objective in our studies, we
need not abandon our faith.
Presuppositions are not necessarily bad things and no one interprets
anything without an underlying set of assumptions.[6] In fact, some presuppositions are necessary
for correct interpretation of Scripture.
My own presuppositions include
the following:
·
The
Bible is the Word of God
·
The Bible is accurate in
the claims found therein
·
The Bible can be
understood by anyone who is willing to read it
·
The Bible does not
contradict itself
·
The Bible addresses
spiritual things and as such requires a spiritual element in the approach to
seeking to understand the truths found within
My presuppositions originate
from my time in church and my own studies.
I did not have the benefit of being raised in a Christian home yet my
parents willingly allowed a local Baptist church with an active bus ministry to
pick my sisters and I up and take us to church on Sunday mornings. Though I am confident of my salvation at age
7, it was not until my late 20’s that I began to understand my need for a
closer walk with the Lord. That
understanding culminated in a re-commitment to my faith and eventually making
known publically my call to the ministry.
Given
all of this, how is objectivity possible?
In my opinion, complete objectivity is simply not
possible, even for secular historians.
The cumulative life experiences of people are always the lenses through
which each of us views the world around us.
Complete objectivity should not be the goal when approaching the interpretation
of Scripture. The Christian should view
the Scriptures through our faith within a framework of proper
presuppositions.
[1] Duvall,
J. S., & Hays, J. D. (2001, 2005). Grasping God's Word 2nd Edition. (Grand
Rapids: Zondervan), 89.
[2] Klein,
W. W., Blomberg, C. L., & Hubbard, Jr., R. L. (1993, 2004). Introduction
to Biblical Interpretation, Revised and Updated. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson,
Inc.), 154.
[3]
Ibid, 94.
[4] Soanes,
C., & Stevenson, A. (2004). Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[5]
Duvall & Hays, 94-95.
[6] Klein,
Blomberg, & Hubbard, Jr., (1993, 2004), 143.
