All literature requires interpretation; and so does the Bible. As stated before (B4), the Christian Church has a rich history of theology as a result of reflection and discussion. 'Hermeneutics' is the technical term that refers to the art and science of interpretation. The different Christian traditions have applied different principles of interpretation to understand and explain the Word of God. 

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The Meaning of Hermeneutics

 

The term 'hermeneutics' can be traced back to the Greek god of communication, Hermes. In Greek mythology he 'served as messenger for the gods, transmitting and interpreting their communications to their fortunate, or often unfortunate, recipients' (Hermeneutics, 15). This background of Greek religious thought explains why Paul was called 'Hermes' at Lystra, 'because he was the chief speaker' (see Acts 14:8-12). A lame man had been raised just been raised by Paul as he was listening to him preach the gospel (vv 8-10) and the crowds, with their Greek understanding, interpreted this striking miracle with the conclusion that 'The gods have become like men and have come down to us' (v 11). Barnabas was equated with Zeus and Paul with Hermes (v 12). The priests were about to sacrifice to what they perceived to be incarnate Greek gods (v 13), yet Paul and Barnabas, tearing their clothes as an expression of outrage, stopped them 'with difficulty,' explaining that they were but human 'of the same nature' as they, yet in the proclamation of the gospel they pointed to the 'living God,' who was the Creator of all things and who cared for His creation globally and throughout history. People are to turn away from vain things to the living God they proclaimed through the gospel (vv 14-18). What Paul and Barnabas did was point people to God. They explained who the true and living God is, and proof of it was the miracle! 

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In contrast, when the same type of miracle of a lame man walking occurred in Jerusalem among Jews (Acts 3:1-10), people did not refer to Peter and John as Zeus and Hermes. Why? Because they had a different religious understanding. The lame man praised God (vv 8-9) and the people were 'filled with wonder and amazement' (v 10). Peter then explained that it wasn't them who caused this miracle—later called 'a noteworthy miracle' (Acts 4:16)—but that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob whose Son Jesus Christ was crucified and raised from the dead had caused it! Faith in His Name healed this lame man (Acts 3:13-16). Peter explained further how Jesus is the Prophet Moses had predicated (Acts 3:22; see Deuteronomy 18:15, 18), that He is Saviour of the world and Judge of the universe, and that people should repent from their wicked ways (Acts 3:17-26). Peter, like Paul, explained God and His plan of salvation to their respective audiences. The Jews knew that Peter spoke of Yahweh, the God of Israel, the God of their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Paul explained Yahweh to the Greeks as the Creator of all things, and later again in Athens as the One who gives life and breath to all things as 'Lord of heaven' (Acts 17:22-31).

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The apostles explained the invisible God of heaven and earth to people, both Jews and Gentiles. The Son of God is the eternal Word (Logos) and became human (John 1:1-4, 14). Having been with the Father as the only One to truly see God, He came full of grace and truth to explain Him to humanity (v 18). The apostles were eyewitnesses of Christ, God incarnate, and proclaimed Him to humanity. They were not the messengers of the Greek gods, as the people in Lystra wrongly, yet understandably, assumed, but the messengers of the true and living God—Yahweh! What they heard and saw is what they left to posterity in the Scriptures. The Bible reveals the true and living God. As readers we are to understand what the authors had communicated, being inspired by the Spirit of God (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). The biblical authors are the authoritative messengers of the truth of God. As readers, we are to seek the meaning as intended by the inspired authors of Scripture. We do so by interpreting the texts of the Bible. The meaning of the term 'hermeneutics,' according to Henry A. Virkler, is 'the science and art of biblical interpretation.' It is both a science 'because it has rules and these rules can be classified into an orderly system,' yet also an art 'because communication is flexible, and therefore a mechanical and rigid application of rules will sometimes distort the true meaning of a communication' (Hermeneutics, 16). 

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Meaning and the Author

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Words have meaning, context matters, and authors have an intended meaning they wish to convey. In Postmodern and deconstructionist hermeneutics, almost anything can mean almost anything, and meaning is lost. The shift from the author to the reader as the one determining the meaning of a text has distorted basic literary rules: the author defines the meaning. Simply put, in the words of Robert H. Stein, 'the meaning of a text is what the author consciously intended to say by his [or her] text... All normal conversation assumes that the goal of interpretation is to understand what the speaker or writer means by the words he or she is using' (A Basic Guide, 20-21). 

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