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Scripture in Context Part I: Reconsidering Our Biblical Roots Bible Interpretation, the Apostle Paul and Mission Today by Larry W

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Scripture in Context Part I: Reconsidering Our Biblical Roots Bible Interpretation, the Apostle Paul and Mission Today by Larry W Scripture in Context Part I: Reconsidering Our Biblical Roots Bible Interpretation, the Apostle Paul and Mission Today by Larry W. Caldwell Introduction he interpretation of Scripture runs silent and deep across the fron- tiers of mission. As evangelicals we value the role of hermeneutics in the mission of the church, and we expect the Bible to be read and interpretedT properly as the gospel gains new ground. It’s no surprise that our differences over belief and practice in mission settings force us back to our hermeneutical assumptions, for we know that one’s interpretive compass will direct what one believes to be correct practice in church and mission. While this evangelical priority may seem obvious we might fail to see the particular assumptions that inform our largely Western interpretative enter- prise. These assumptions are especially crucial when our mission interacts with churches and movements emerging in new cultural settings. When we confront difficult questions of contextualization in these settings, are we aware of the cultural influences that shape our hermeneutical orientations? In this article I want to explore these underlying cultural influences on herme- Larry W. Caldwell (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) was Professor neutics through a study of the apostle Paul. If we can see the unique cultural of Missions and Hermeneutics at influences on Paul’s hermeneutical perspective, influences that were quite Asian Theological Seminary for 20 years, five of those years serving as distinct from our Western heritage, might we then acknowledge the place Academic Dean, and directed the of cultural preferences in all hermeneutical activity across cross-cultural and Doctor of Missiology program at the Asia Graduate School of Theology- multi-cultural mission settings? Philippines. He was editor of the Journal of Asian Mission for many The Western “Two Step” years, and has written and presented numerous papers in journals and Over the past few decades both the Western and non-Western (Global South forums across Asia and the Western or Majority World) church has been bombarded with a plethora of herme- world. He recently returned to the USA to become Director of neutical methodologies or approaches: philosophical hermeneutics, minjung Missionary Training and Strategy hermeneutics, structuralism, feminist hermeneutics, canonical criticism, for Converge Worldwide, and serves theological hermeneutics, the hermeneutics of liberation, semiotics, and even as Visiting Professor of Intercultural Studies at Sioux Falls Seminary. queer hermeneutics, to name but a few. For most evangelicals worldwide the International Journal of Frontier Missiology 29:2 Summer 2012•91 92 Part I: Reconsidering Our Biblical Roots: Bible Interpretation, the Apostle Paul and Mission Today hermeneutical methodology that has be presumed to be appropriate Higgins, following the work of Dan dominated the discussion is one that for use in the multiplicity of Sperber and Deirdre Wilson, describes has two simple steps. hermeneutical milieus of the cognitive environment as “merely a set non-Western world? of assumptions which the individual is Step One involves the Bible and is con- • Would it not be better for those capable of mentally representing and cerned with the question: How is a par- from other cultural contexts to accepting as true.”3 Higgins continues: ticular Bible passage to be best interpreted? search for indigenous herme- “Thus cognitive environment includes Through an analysis of the original neutical methods by which the a person’s current and potential context of the Scripture passage—often biblical message can best be matrix of ideas, memories, experiences using the tools of the grammatical-his- understood in their own unique and perceptions.”4 torical (or historical-critical) process— cultural settings? the interpreter attempts to ascertain, • And, finally, is the Two Step I was particularly intrigued by what the Bible passage first meant to its approach, as good as it is, the Higgins’ desire to understand “how original hearers, to understand what the best approach for the whole people process the meaning of the passage meant then. church in the 21st century, es- Biblical text from within their own pecially for the majority of the cognitive environment” . “how Step Two follows on the heels of this whole church—both Western cognitive environment shapes mean- first step. Here the interpreter at- and non-Western—that is ing and frames questions that are tempts to answer the question: How is predominately made up of pas- brought to the text.”5 Building on that Bible passage to be best interpreted tors, lay leaders and lay people Higgins, I would like to argue that for today? In Step Two the interpreter who will not have the luxury any hermeneutical method, includ- applies the results of the first step of learning the Two Step ap- ing the Two Step approach, is highly to the particular audience that the proach in evangelical training shaped by the cognitive environment interpreter is ministering with now, institutions worldwide? of the reader/hearer/interpreter. As usually being careful to make sure that such, any hermeneutical method the second step closely approximates Kevin Higgins has hinted at the must pay close attention to both the the results of the first step. These two crucial role that indigenous herme- interpreter’s own cognitive environ- major steps make up what is known neutics might play in his recent IJFM ment and its influence on the inter- as the “Two Step” approach to Bible article on translation and relevance pretation of a biblical text, as well as interpretation.1 theory.2 Here Higgins highlights to the reader/hearer and his/her in- relevance theory and its understanding terpretation of that same text. This is The methodology of the Two Step of cognitive environment, especially not to imply that the reader’s/hear- approach to biblical hermeneutics its implications for communication. er’s interpretation of the text takes has dominated Western evangelical Figure 1. Presupposition: Western Hermeneutical Methods Work for All Cultures hermeneutics over the past fifty years and continues to prevail even today. And, because of the success of West- The Bible: ern evangelical missionary efforts, this God’s Supracultural Truth approach also dominants much of the non-Western evangelical world. It is as if the current Western approach is to Western be universally applied in all cultures, as Hermeneutical illustrated in Figure 1. Methods But should the Two Step approach have gained such international domi- nance and acceptance among evan- Culture C gelicals worldwide? Several related Culture A Culture B questions follow: • Should the Two Step approach be so universally used? • Should a hermeneutical method that arose out of the cultural milieu of the Western world International Journal of Frontier Missiology Larry W. Caldwell 93 precedence over what the biblical text itself is saying (always the dan- he apostle Paul’s own hermeneutical methods— ger of reader-response criticism); the which he used when he interpreted the Old Bible always takes precedence over any reader/hearer and that person’s T Testament—defy this Western assumption. cognitive environment. Despite this disclaimer, we do well to examine by Paul should give both Westerners Part One of this article, comprising carefully the cognitive environment and non-Westerners greater freedom Sections 1 and 2, will continue below. of ourselves as interpreters, as well as in attempting to use interpretation Part Two of this article, comprising the cognitive environment—includ- methods that reflect their own cul- Sections 3 and 4, will continue in ing their indigenous hermeneutical tural contexts and cognitive environ- the next issue of IJFM (29:3, July- methods—of the audiences with ments, and a greater confidence to September 2012).7 which we do mission. interpret the Bible with more rel- Section 1: One First evancy for their own specific cross- Century AD Hermeneutical Higgins speaks of cognitive environ- cultural and multi-cultural situations. ment especially in terms of Bible There will be a new recognition that Method—Midrash translation. I would like to take his such culturally specific interpretation There were several hermeneutical discussion down to the foundational methods may, in the final analysis, be methods used immediately prior to level of Bible interpretation and more authentically biblical than using and during the time of the writing of the hermeneutical assumptions that the Two Step approach. the New Testament. Consequently, affect that interpretation, for, in my the New Testament writers had, view, all Bible translation is founded So why should Bible interpreters try as it were, a vast hermeneutical upon pre-existing hermeneutical to use culturally appropriate Bible in- smorgasbord of methods from which assumptions.6 As a result, I believe terpretation methods that reflect their to choose: literal historical, allegorical, that we can gain great insight into own cognitive environment—like midrash, typological, pesher, and “proper” Bible interpretation to- those of the apostle Paul that reflect theological, to mention some of the day—whether done by Western or his cognitive environment—rather most significant. In this article I have non-Western Bible interpreters—by than relying exclusively, or primarily, chosen to investigate in more detail first examining closely the cognitive on the Two Step approach? I will at- the hermeneutical method of midrash environment of the New Testament, tempt to answer this question in four because I believe that it offers perhaps in this case the hermeneutical milieu sections across two articles. Section the most parallels and insights for and methods of the apostle Paul. 1 will first give a brief background biblical interpretation today, for Such an examination will help guard of the hermeneutical milieu out of both Western and non-Western against the previously described which Paul’s hermeneutical methods multi-cultural and cross-cultural tendency of Western missionar- arose, especially looking at the meth- interpreters of the Bible. ies to assume that Western Bible od known as midrash.
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