understandings nd deeper nd er


Mother’s Bible, Lemuel M. Wiles, 1858 / Source: The Athenaeum


Hermeneutics: How Lutherans read the Bible By David C. Ratke


Series editor’s note: In our seminaries we often use what I call “30 dollar words.” Like those in other professions, theologians capture complex ideas in shorthand. We begin 2017, the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, with David Ratke unpacking for us the rich concept of hermeneutics. –Michael Cooper-White


“Hermeneutics” is one of those words that you might have heard your pastor use. The


English word comes from the Greek ermēneuein, meaning simply to translate or interpret. In short, hermeneutics is that area of theology that has to do with how we interpret texts. Pastors and theologians are particularly interested in how we interpret biblical texts, and we fi nd ourselves refl ecting on how we do that.


44 JANUARY 2017


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