A GUIDE TO CONTEMPORARY HERMENEUTICS Major Trends- in 0 Biblical Interpretation Edited by Donald K. McKim GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN W ILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING C OMPANY To Van Hunter faithful biblical interpreter, CONTENTS whose insights into Holy Scripture are matched only by his sensitive, caring friendshiP Dedicated with a/@eciation xowledgments vii Preface xi Introduction, Donald K. McKim xiii Contributors xix PART I: BIBLICAL AVENUES Hermeneutical Persfiectives Biblical Hermeneutics in Recent Discussion: Old Testament, Copyright @ 1986 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Bruce C. Birch 3 255 Jefferson Ave. SE., Grand Rapids, Mich. 49503 Biblical Hermeneutics in Recent Discussion: New Testament, All rights reserved Daniel J. Harrington 13 Printed in the United States of America The Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics 21 Theology and Exegesis: Ten Theses, David C. Steinmetz 27 Interpretive Procedures Typological Interpretation of the Old Testament, Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gerhard von Rad 28 A Guide to contempomry hermeneutics. The Sensus Plenior and Biblical Interpretation, Includes bibliographical references. William Sanford LaSor 47 1. Bible-Criticism, interpretation, etc.-History- 20th century. 1. McKim, Donald K. The Superiority of Precritical Exegesis, BS500.G85 1985 220.6’01 86-16487 David C. Steinmetz 65 ISBN O-8028-0094- 1 The New Hermeneutic, Anthony C. Thiselton 78 V VI CONTENTS PART II: THEOLOGICAL ATTITUDES Legitimate Hermeneutiq Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. 111 Hermeneutics and Theology: The Legitimacy and Necessity of Hermeneutics, Anthony C. Thiselton 142 PART III: CURRENT ASSESSMENTS Biblical Hermeneutics on the Move, Karlfried Froehlich 175 Biblical Authority and Interpretation: The Current Debate on Hermeneutics, Thomas W. Gillespie 192 Mind Reader and Maestro: Models for Understanding Biblical Interpreters, Patrick R. Keifert 220 PART IV: CONTEMPORARY APPROACHES ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Theological The Sovereign Subject Matter: Hermeneutics in the Church Dogmatics, Thomas E. Provence 241 The editor and publisher gratefully acknowledge permission to Literary reprint the following material: The Coming Revolution: The New Literary Approach to the Birch, Bruce C. “Biblical Hermeneutics in Recent Discussion: New Testament, Peter W. Macky 263 Old Testament.” Religious Studies Review 10 (1984): l-7. Structural Froehlich, Karlfried. “Biblical Hermeneutics on the Move.” The Structuralists and the Bible, Richard Jacobson 280 Word and World 1 (1981): 140-52. Harrington, Daniel J. “Biblical Hermeneutics in Recent Dis- Contextual cussion: New Testament.” Religious Studies Review 10 ( 1984) : The Interpreted Word: Reflections on Contextual 7-10. Hermeneutics, C. Rene Padilla 297 International Council on Biblical Inerrancy. “Articles of AfKr- Anthr@ological mation and Denial.” Copyright @ 1982 by the Interna- Supracultural Meanings via Cultural Forms, tional Council on Biblical Inerrancy. Previously appeared Charles H. Kraft 309 in Hermeneutics, Inewamy and the Bible. Edited by Earl D. Radmacher and Robert D. Preus. Grand Rapids: Liberation Theology Zondervan, 1984. Pp. 881-87. Hermeneutics, Truth, and Praxis, Jose Miguez Bonino 344 Jacobson, Richard, “The Structuralists and the Bible.” Inter- Feminist Theology pretation 28 (1974): 146-64. Toward a Feminist Biblical Hermeneutics: Biblical Kaiser, Walter C., Jr. “Legitimate Hermeneutics.” In Z~wuncy. Interpretation and Liberation Theology, Edited by Norman L. Geisler. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, Elisabeth Schiissler Fiorenza 358 1979. Pp. 117-47. Copyright @ 1978 by The Zondervan Index 383 Corporation. Used by permission. Keifert, Patrick R. “Mind Reader and Maestro: Models for Vii viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS IX Understanding Biblical Interpreters.” Word and World 1 Thiselton, Anthony C. “Hermeneutics and Theology: The Le- (1980): 153-68. gitimacy and Necessity of Hermeneutics.” In The Two Kraft, Charles H. “Supracultural Meanings via Cultural Horizons: New Testament Hermeneutics and Philosophical De- Forms.” In Christianity in Culture: A Study in Dynamic Biblical scri$tion. Copyright @ 1980 by Anthony C. Thiselton. First Theologizing in Cross-Cultural Perspective. Maryknoll, N.Y.: published 1980 by The Paternoster Press. First American Orbis Books, 1979. Pp. 116-46. Copyright @ 1979 by edition published through special arrangement with Charles H. Kraft. Paternoster by the William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. LaSor, William Sanford. “The Sensus Plenior and Biblical Inter- Thiselton, Anthony C. “The New Hermeneutic.” In New Tes- pretation.” In Scripture, Tradition, and Interpretation: Essays tament Interpretation: Essays on Principles and Methods. Edited Presented to Everett F Harrison by His Students and Colleagues by I. Howard Marshall. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977. in Honor of His Seventy$fth Birthday. Edited by W. Ward Pp. 308-33. Copyright 0 1977 by The Paternoster Press Gasque and William Sanford LaSor. Grand Rapids: Ltd. Eerdmans, 1978. Pp. 260-77. Macky, Peter W. “The Coming Revolution: The New Literary Approach to New Testament Interpretation.” The Theo- logical Educator 9 (Spring 1979): 32-46. Miguez Bonino, Jose. “Hermeneutics, Truth, and Praxis.” In Doing Theology in a Revolutionary Situation. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1975. Pp. 86-105. Copyright @ 1975 by Fortress Press. Used by permission. Padilla, C. Rene. “The Interpreted Word: Reflections on Con- textual Hermeneutics.” Themelios, September 1981, pp. 18-23. Rad, Gerhard von. “Typological Interpretation of the Old Tes- tament.” Translated by John Bright. Copyright @ 1952, 1963 by Christian Kaiser Verlag. Previously appeared in Essays on Old Testament Hermeneutics. Edited by James Luther Mays. Richmond: John Knox Press, 1963. Pp. 17-39. Schiissler Fiorenza, Elisabeth. “Toward a Feminist Biblical Hermeneutics: Biblical Interpretation and Liberation Theology.” In The Challenge of Liberation Theology: A First World Response. Edited by Brian Mahan and C. Dale Richesin. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1981. Pp. 91-112. Steinmetz, David C. “Theology and Exegesis: Ten Theses.” Histoire de l’ex~gt?se au XVZe sikle. Textes Du Colloque In- ternational Tenu a Ge&ve en 1976. Gem&e: Librairie Droz S. A., 1978. P. 382. xx CONTRIBUTORS David C. St&nct~ Professor of Church History and Doctrine Duke Divinity School Durham, North Carolina Anthony C. This&on Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies University of Sheffield Sheffield, England PART I BIBLICAL AVENUES The essays in Part I present materials related to biblical her- meneutics. In the “Hermeneutical Perspectives” section, Bruce C. Birch surveys current research in Old Testament the- ology and suggests ways of understanding the hermeneutical principles used today. Daniel J. Harrington discusses the prob- lems faced by those who study New Testament hermeneutics. “The Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics” was drafted by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy and conveys a view of how biblical hermeneutics should be approached from the point of view of those who hold to the inerrancy of the Scriptures. David Steinmetz’s “Theology and Exegesis: Ten Theses” is derived from discussions at a conference on the his- tory of exegesis in the sixteenth century held in Geneva in 1976. Biblical, scholars use a variety of interpretative procedures in doing exegesis. The essays following in the “Interpretive Procedures” section show some of these methods. The ancient practice of using typology as a tool is discussed by Gerhard von Rad, who applies it to the Old Testament. The “fuller sense” of Scripture, or sensusplenior, is explored in William San- ford LaSor’s essay as he considers its usefulness for biblical interpretation. In “The Superiority of Precritical Exegesis,” church historian David Steinmetz argues that the medieval practice of finding levels of meaning in biblical texts was one valid means for getting at the truth of Scripture and that it may serve as a corrective to some contemporary interpretative presuppositions and practices. In a different vein, Anthony C. Thiselton discusses “The New Hermeneutic” for New Testa- 1 2 BIBLICAL AVENUES ment study as it has developed particularly through the work of Ernst Fuchs and Gerhard Ebeling. The variety of perspectives and procedures represented here show the great diversity among those who exegete Scripture, BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS a diversity of both fundamental orientation and methodology. IN RECENT DISCUSSION: Differing approaches to the nature of Scripture are reflected in this multiplicity and in specific instances can lead to widely OLD TESTAMENT disparate interpretations of Scripture. BRUCE C. BIRCH In an important article appearing in 1979, H. G. Reventlow as- sessed the current state of Old Testament theology.’ His judgment (echoed by Brueggemann a year later)2 was that Old Testament theology had remained largely in an impasse since the publication of the monumental works by von Rad and Eichrodt.3 Both von Rad’s diachronic approach based on tradition-historical methods and Eichrodt’s attempt to organize Old Testament theology around a central theme (covenant) were seen as inadequate to deal with the diversity and complexity of the biblical material. For over a decade scholars have described Old Testament theology as in crisis. Ger- hard Hasel begins his important monograph chronicling the debate in Old Testament theology with the line “Old Testament theology today is undeniably in crisis” and proceeds to a thorough docu- mentation of the state of the discussion.4 After a decade of