The “right” interpretation of the bible

[Kdtym10]

I thought I would start this thread to discuss biblical interpretation as it’s starting to derail a number of other threads and is probably worthy of its own thread and can be a place to move discussions to

Good idea! I was tempted to reply on a thread about denominations re 'high' and 'low' views of Scripture but this thread would be a great place for discussion. I don't have much time today but bumping/placemarking and looking forward to reading others' views.

Reading / watching with interest. I see the Bible as open to interpretation wrt creation

Yes it’s always interesting to see the different angles people approach the bible from. What is right from one perspective might not be right from another.hopefully it should spark some good discussions without derailing other threads or causing upset for those who don’t want such discussion for whatever reason

I find the variations in interpretation fascinating, even within the clergy of a single denomination. I've worked for the c of e for many years and it's so broad. Where I currently work we are on the higher side of middling if that makes sense, and we have close to all out war on some theoretical points!

Oh dear - I am responsible for the high view and low view bit - I was just trying to help. I wasn't trying to derail anything or be controversial - sorry if it looked that way.

From an academic perspective there is no right interpretation of scripture. The word bible means library and what we have is a collection of different texts which include, letters, poetry, 'histories', myths, hymns, gospels, apocalyptic texts etc. They were written and rewritten over hundreds of years and are now read in translation in a different culture and worldview from those of the 21st century.

Some of the conservative denominations and churches will say that there is one right interpretation of scripture. This is usually what their male and straight (or closeted) pastor tells them.

There have been a number of shifts in the way we read scripture over the past hundred years. One of the most seismic was liberation theology which came out of South America in the 60's I think. It started reading scripture from the margins rather than that of privilege. Another shift was a reinterpretation of the work of Paul which I just about remember coming out of the university and into the church through the work of E P Sanders. Something similar is happening at the moment with body theology which has been discussed in academia for decades but is only now coming out into the mainstream.

Debates about how we read scripture can get nasty very quickly. I've been called apostate and all sorts of nasties for not being conservative.

People interpret the bible (and all religious texts) to suit them - I am sure Hitler thought God was on his side. And the Templars certainly did, as the ravaged their way through communities.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that - just that it can get controversial as e.g. Christians who have more 'progressive' views may still have a high view of Scripture per se, but obviously contextualise it differently.

@Mustardseed86 Thank you.

Differences on interpretation has caused wars! I remember reading something somewhere - a similar question was asked and the answer is 'Mine, of course!' Everyone will think their interpretation is the right one.

How do people go about interpreting the bible? Do people look at the beliefs of those who wrote it? The order the various books were written, contemporary society. Other gospels that didn’t make the cannon etc

Or is it more a case of seeing the bible as the eternal word of God untainted by such matters as read accordingly. If so how do you decide Walmart is literal and what is allegorical?

I think if we are going to have the debate "agreeing to differ" might be a useful response. Blessed be the peace keepers.

And the cheese makers😂

How do people go about interpreting the bible? Do people look at the beliefs of those who wrote it? The order the various books were written, contemporary society. Other gospels that didn’t make the cannon etc

I would say all of the above with the exception of gospels that didn't make the canon - these are generally later creations and there's a reason they didn't 'make it' (not that they couldn't be interesting to read).

Literal vs allegorical usually comes down to what genre the book is, but there are so many layers of potential interpretations even within that framework - not even necessarily contradicting each other, but more to enrich your reading and understanding.

People also look at the overall 'arch' of the Bible and can find that a helpful framework within which to interpret the overall message and contextualise the different passages.

How to go about interpreting the bible? It takes study, patience, an open mind and the Holy Spirit.

Formally - it takes Hermeneutics - the study of interpreting and Exegesis - studying what the text is trying to communicate. Hermeneutics has various aspects - like historical/cultural context, lexicology/syntax, theological interpretation (with other scripture), literature type and purpose of the author, and I am sure there are others, I just can't remember.

I read a book 15 years ago called 'Living by the book' by Howard Hendricks and this was the easiest intro to Hermeneutics and how to read and interpret for yourself- it changed how I read the bible as I had a few techniques for personal bible study. I had quite a few 'a ha' moments.

I don't follow set methodology. My methodology is more organic and my understanding the sum of all my spiritual experiences informing each other. As I read or sometimes later on, I usually get 'eureka' moments regarding interpretation. For example today, with a church service this was read out,

"33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots." (Luke 23:34)

It seemed particularly pertinent to recent discussions on here. People in need of forgiveness, lacking in knowledge. The 'casting lots' over Jesus' clothes is interesting - I had the thought it can be the way of different groups of people taking 'pot luck' over which interpretation they decide to believe. Yet a portion of garment is by no means the fullness of Jesus Christ!

I studied English literature as part of my degree, generally read quite widely and extensively, fiction and non fiction. I am used to interpreting symbolism and allegory in fiction but think it applies to real life too, as Jesus is described as 'author and finisher'.

So literal or allegorical? I say neither one or the other but both!

If I'm preaching I would be looking at:

Genre - letter, myth, gospel, psalm etc

Language- I have a working knowledge of Koine Greek and Latin but my Hebrew is nonexistent. Two of my churches like the 17th century King James Version of the bible but there are better translations out there.

Translations - a good starting point is often to read the passage in a number of translations. Why did the translator use the words they have? What assumptions underlie particular translations ?

Who wrote it and why? Where has there is there been editing and rewriting particularly on the OT.

What do the church fathers, recent commentaries and older commentaries have to say about the passage? Is there something bang up to date that I can find that has some interesting new ideas about it?

Can I read it from the margins? What do third world or feminist or queer or disabled theologians say about it?

What do I need to understand about the culture of the day to help make sense of the passage?

What did I say about the passage the last time I preached on it? As I'm C of E we are on a three year cycle and if I'm really stuck I see what I did 3,6,9,12 years ago to see how what was happening then affected how I preached it.

It's a lot of work.

That sounds like a good methodology. Do you use non-Christian resources, eg Jewish ones?

@Kdtym10 There are often good blogs from other faith traditions but as they aren't following the same lectionary they aren't that easy to find.

To be fair to myself I'm doing this work every week as I'm the only preacher in this parish. When I find something it's a real gift but there are still assemblies, funerals, governance, visiting in hospitals and all that stuff to fit in. It would be so much easier if there was just one correct interpretation of each passage as it would save a lot of time.

I think that's the thing - people have very different lives. Very different starting points, backgrounds, intellectual abilities.

However, it's not at all solely about intellectual understanding - to know God you want to be thinking the same on a much deeper level, so you want to act as He would have you act, so you think and feel the same.

Faith helps, as does realising your personal and initial understanding won't be by no means all there is. And understanding will develop and change and with experience. I'm satisfied that God has sufficient power to lead people to Him! So I don't think we need to get too cross when we experience people that seem to turn our own understanding on its head! Or too disheartened with ourselves when our mind seems to boggle!😂

And sometimes I think different use of language can be a hindrance when checking for similarities/agreement in understanding. After often a pretty lengthy discussion you sometimes discover they might actually effectively be talking about the same thing but just using different words!

Sometimes buzz words from particular denominations/church communities puts people off right from the get go because they have a bad experience of that part denomination or community and they assume you will believe and act the same as the people they have experienced.

I often get into trouble conversationally with people because I have an understanding of English literature and language including Old and Middle English. So I might into what they have said as the way the language has changed or literary understanding means I might pick up on a sneaky double meaning they didn't intend. People don't like always me analysing their posts as you would literature but I sometimes do it so automatically there is much to get 'lost in translation'!

Many years ago, the 'thees and thous and shalts' of the KJV made reading all too ancient and boring for me.

I don't know about the "right" interpretation of the Bible - I use several different versions. Reading and listening to different versions means that I understand enough to help me live my life with the hope I am in God's Will. If there is a passage in one version that has me wondering what it means, by turning to another version I usually get clarity.