Hermeneutics (BIB2053)

Hermeneutics (BIB2053—Credit: 3 hours)

Course Description

Unit 1 of Hermeneutics is devoted to the need to interpret the Bible and to a historical survey of the various methods scholars have used. Attention is given to the major schools of both the past and the present, spanning the approaches taken by the Jewish allegorists to those used by the modern liberals and neoorthodox interpreters. Unit 2 establishes the theological perspectives which are held by the evangelical scholar toward the Bible and deals with the fundamental concept and method of literal interpretation. The subjects of special hermeneutics are dealt with in Unit 3—of how doctrines are derived from the Bible, how the Bible speaks to the problems of everyday life, and how science relates to the Bible. The validity and proper use of the typological method is also discussed. Unit 4 identifies the distinctive types of literature the Bible includes (such as narrative, poetry, and parable), and explores the implications for interpretation that arise from this fact. Hermeneutics is designed with the overall goal of teaching the student how to study and interpret the Bible so that he or she may personally apply its teachings more consistently and publicly teach its truths more effectively.

Course Objectives

 When you have completed this course you should be able to:
  1. Demonstrate the need for interpreting the Bible.

  2. Describe the major schools of biblical interpretation, beginning with the Jewish allegorists and concluding with the more recent liberal and neoorthodox theologians.

  3. Identify the theological perspectives which form the foundation of the evangelical interpreter's approach to the Bible.

  4. Apply the method of literal interpretation to the Bible, recognizing and correctly interpreting the various figures of speech and literary forms which are found in the Bible.

  5. Appreciate the value of background studies of the Bible and describe how to use resources such as Bible histories, atlases, and dictionaries.

  6. Demonstrate how the Bible should be used as a source for doctrine, a tool for personal devotions, and a guide for daily living.

  7. Describe how the findings of modern science relate to the content of the Bible.

  8. Define the doctrine of biblical inerrancy and answer objections to it.

  9. Identify the basis, varieties, and limits of typological interpretation.

  10. Distinguish between prophecy and predictive prophecy.

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