To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law…" (1 Cor 9:19-20). St. Paul himself reveals how both historical and literary context should shape our understanding: the history behind St. Paul's letters illustrates the grandeur of the Church's mission, and the literary style shows the passion and zeal with which they were composed -- not to win men through poetic style but through truth first -- St. Paul's style flows from the humbling knowledge that he is in possession of that truth.
Some of the basic hermeneutical principles then are as follows: 1) Historico-grammatical interpretation: For centuries the Church based all interpretation on the Latin Vulgate translation of the original texts by St. Jerome commissioned by Pope Damasus in 382. Historical-grammatical interpretation relies upon the original Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic texts only when it was deemed necessary to obtain a clearer understanding of Jerome's Latin. 2) Official interpretation: Since the Church was given the keys to Heaven by
3) Reverence: Because Sacred Scripture is the inspired Word of God, all study of it should be enacted with a humble spirit of prayer,
devotion, and reverence. 4) Inerrancy: Because it is the Word of God, any
claims that it contains internal contradictions or errors must be discounted.
In
conclusion, hermeneutics is the study of biblical interpretation, and without taking into consideration such things as historical and literary context, as well as the opinions of early Church Fathers, no serious study of interpretation can be undergone. History, language, and guidance are all there for our use, and should be considered whenever…
