VARIOUS METHODS USED
TO INTERPRET THE BIBLE

About biblical interpretation:

An important source of Christian beliefs is the Bible:

	Some Protestant Christian faith groups follow two of the main slogans of the Reformation: "sola scriptura:" Faith is to be based on the Bible alone. "Quod non est biblicum, non est theologicum: What is not biblical is not theological.") 1 The Bible is considered to be the Word of God.
	The Roman Catholic Church and some other denominations consider the Bible to be a main source, supplemented by their church's traditions. The Catholic Church stated at the Council of Trent that the Church is "...the divinely constituted depository and judge of both Scripture and tradition." 2
	Other Christian faith traditions base their beliefs on some combination of the text of the Bible; church tradition; reason, including the scientific method; and personal experience. Depending upon the particular denomination, different weighting is given to each source.

Christian denominations as well as individual Christians -- theologians, clergy and laity -- hold a wide range of assumptions about the nature of the Bible. Different assumptions lead to different methods of interpreting the text. As a result, they reach very diverse conclusions about what it actually says.

There have been major human rights conflicts throughout history in which both or all sides quoted extensively from the Bible to support their positions. This has happened over human slavery, women's suffrage, the use of contraceptives, the roles and status of women, female ordination, how to discipline children, racial segregation, inter-racial marriage, abortion access, religious tolerance, equal rights for gays and lesbians, same-sex marriage, etc. One of the reasons why emotions currently run particularly high in North America on topics like abortion and homosexuality is that many Christians on all sides of the issues sincerely believe that the Bible supports their viewpoint. They believe that they have interpreted the Bible correctly and have assessed the will of God on the matter. Many feel assured that God agrees with their beliefs, and that they are acting as a type of agent for God on earth.

Major theological disagreements between Roman Catholicism and conservative Protestant faith groups can be traced to their differing methods of interpreting the Bible. Other disagreements exist within a single wing of Christianity among very conservative, mainline, and very liberal denominations for the same reason. Diversity of beliefs also exist at the national, regional, congregational and family level within each denomination.

This lack of consensus is so extreme that sincerely and devoutly held beliefs by very liberal Christians may well be considered blasphemy by very conservative Christians, and vice-versa. The end result is that Christianity can be more accurately viewed as a collection of religions, not as a single religion.

Four common ways of interpreting the Bible are listed below:

	Method 1. Interpreting the Bible literally: Christians taking this conservative approach recognize that: Some biblical passages are clearly written as poetry. Jesus made extensive use of parables; the people and incidents that he described may or may not have been fictional. Some other biblical verses must be interpreted figuratively. For example, when Jesus is reported to have said in John 15:1 "I am the vine, ye are the branches..." Jesus is obviously not a vine, and his followers are obviously not branches. However, they believe that most biblical passages, from Genesis to Revelation, should be interpreted literally. Thus, as the first part of Genesis explains: God did create the first humans, the other species of life, the earth itself and the rest of the universe in six days. The flood destroyed all of the human race except for Noah and his family. Noah's descendents repopulated the earth after the flood. The first rainbow really was seen by Noah and his family. God confounded the speech of the people at the Tower of Babel and thereby established the major linguistic groups in the world, And so on. It all happened exactly as the Bible describes. The literal interpretation of the Bible is generally based on the following foundational beliefs: The Bible is a unique document. It is different from every other book in the world. Its authors were directly inspired by God at the time that they were writing their book(s). The Bible is inerrant. That is, when its 66 books were originally written, God prevented the authors from making any errors. The biblical text is accurate, whether it is discussing science, history, theology, morality, or any other topic. Some minor copying errors may have occurred since those original autograph copies were written. However, they have had no significant impact on modern-day religious doctrines. The bible is infallible. That is, it is fully trustworthy. It does not deceive the reader. The Bible is correct when it identifies authors of its books. So, the Pentateuch -- the first five books in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) -- were written by Moses. All of the Epistles identified as having been written by Paul had him as their author. The official canon of the Christian Scriptures (New Testament) was finalized by church leaders during the 4th century CE. Under God's inspiration, they separated the canonical books from the many heretical works which were then in circulation. For example, they chose exactly four Gospels from among the over 40 that were in use within the early Christian movement as God inspired, inerrant and infallible. They rejected the rest. All passages in the Bible are equally valid and are useful as a spiritual guide. As 2 Timothy 3:16 says: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." The Bible is the "Word of God." It is internally absolutely consistent. It was as valid at the time of Moses as it is today, because God is unchangeable. Most English versions of the Bible are reliable translations. This is particularly true of the King James Version (KJV) and New International Version (NIV). Literally hundreds of apparent contradictions exist in the Bible. However, almost all can be harmonized with a little thought. A very few unimportant contradictions can be attributed to copyist errors. A few discrepancies cannot be harmonized with our currently available knowledge. However, an explanation does exist, and will be discovered some day. Many, but not all, Christians who interpret the Bible literally also believe that an unsaved individual cannot achieve a deep understanding of the Bible. However, when the person repents of their sins and trusts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them and leads them properly comprehend the text. As Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:14 writes: "...the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
	Method 3. Interpreting the Bible as midrash: This is a method of looking at the Bible from a totally different perspective. As explained by retired Episcopal Bishop J.S. Spong: 3 "Midrash is the Jewish way of saying that everything to be venerated in the present must somehow be connected with a sacred moment in the past...It is the means whereby the experience of the present can be affirmed and asserted as true inside the symbols of yesterday." Bishop Spong illustrates Midrash by citing four stories in the Hebrew Scriptures which involved a common miraculous theme: the parting of waters in a sea or river: The first story is found in Exodus 14:5-28. The Hebrew people were trapped between the Red or Reed Sea and the approaching Egyptian army. Moses cried out to God who parted the sea so that the Israelites could pass in safety. The second story is found in Joshua 3:14-17. Joshua was the successor to Moses. He commanded that the ark of the covenant be carried to the Jordan River. As the priests carrying the ark reached the river, God stopped the water and caused it to pile "up in a heap a great distance away." (NIV) The priests found themselves standing on a dry river bed. The third story is found in 2 Kings 2:7-8. In the presence of Elisha, Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water of the River Jordan. "The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground." (NIV) At this point, Elijah was taken in a fiery chariot pulled by fiery horses up to heaven. Elisha was left behind. The fourth story is found next in 2 Kings 2:13-14. Elisha picked up Elijah's cloak, struck the water with it. Again, "it divided on the right and to the left and he crossed over." (NIV). According to a Midrash interpretation, the purpose of the parting of the Red/Reed Sea was to show the Israelites that God was on their side and that Moses could call on him for protection. The purpose of the second, third and fourth stories was to show that God continued to work through his chosen prophets in later times. They also show that the history of Israel is continuous, containing repetitive themes that link back to earlier events. It is not useful to ask whether the partings of the waters actually occurred. A proper question is: "What was the experience that led, or even compelled, the compilers of sacred tradition to include this moment, this life or this event inside the interpretive framework of their sacred past?" 4 There are many events in the Christian Scriptures that mirror events that appeared in earlier passages of the Bible and are prime candidates for a midrash interpretation. Some are: The guiding stars involved in the births of Abraham, Isaac, Moses and Jesus The local rulers ordering that Jewish babies be killed, placing both Moses and Jesus at risk. The temple experiences of Samuel and Jesus. The feeding of 100 men by Elisha and Jesus' feeding of 5000 men plus women and children. Both Elijah and Jesus bringing dead people back to life. The ascension of both Elijah and Jesus towards heaven.
	Method 4. Interpreting the Bible as folklore: Alan Dundes is a professor of anthropology and folklore at the University of California. He has written over 30 books based on his studies of the oral traditions of many cultures. In his book called: "Holy writ as oral lit. The Bible as folklore," he reports that multiple versions of various stories appear in the Bible. 5 A few examples are: the creation of the first woman: one story in Genesis has her created at the same time as the first man; the second story has God creating her later. The flood of Noah: Much of Genesis 7 consists of an interleaving of flood accounts by authors referred to as "J" and "P." Alternative verses are by different authors. The Ten Commandments which appear in three different versions in the Pentateuch, The names of the twelve tribes of Israel, The names of Jesus' disciples, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount or Plain, The Lord's prayer, The various inscriptions on the sign on placed on the cross, as described by various gospel writers. Dundes believes that these stories were circulated for decades and even centuries as an oral tradition. During that time, each version of the stories subtlety changed as it was circulated before it was recorded in written form. From the discrepancies among the various version of the same story, he concluded not only that the Bible contains folklore, but that the Bible is folklore. Dundes writes: "...the Bible clearly manifests the basic distinctive criteria of folklore: namely multiple existence and variation." 6

References used:

1. Richard Muller, "Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms: Drawn Principally from Protestant Scholastic Theology," Baker, (1985). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
2. From the "Decrees of Council of Trent," Session IV, and "Dens Theo.," Tom. 2., N. 80 and 81.
3. J.S. Spong, "Resurrection: Myth or Reality?", Harper Collins (1994), Page 8-9. Read reviews or order this book
4. Ibid., Page 11.
5. Alan Dundes, "Holy writ as oral lit. The Bible as folklore," Rowman & Littlefield, (1999). Read reviews or order this book.
6. Ibid, Page 2.