Skip to main content

BIBL 550 - Hermeneutics

Teacher Dr. S. Schumacher
Semester Spring Duration 8 Weeks
Frequency Every three years
Credits 5 ECTS Workload 125-150 Hours
Module format Intensive
Applicability This module is essential in the reading and understanding of the Bible and all academic texts. As such it is a required course for all students.
Course structure See module and courses
Contact time 35-45 Hours Self-Study 105-125 Hours
Participation requirement See access to the program
Evaluation
Evaluation Hours Weight
Phase 1 50 20%
Reading & Reflection paper
 50 20%
Phase 2 40 50%
Participation
 30 10%
Presentation
 5 10%
Exam 5 30%
Phase 3 60 30%
Research Paper
 60 30%
Total 150 100%
Content of the Module This course will deal with the two main aspects of hermeneutics: How do we understand? and, how do we interpret texts? It will explore different epistemological as well as various hermeneutical approaches. Particular attention will be given to more recent hermeneutical approaches. The course wants to assist the student to develop his own hermeneutical approach to Evangelical/Pentecostal provenience.
Learning Objectives

A. General Learning Objectives

  1. Trace the history of interpretation
  2. Discuss the hermeneutical approaches used during the First Century
  3. Provide the rationale for reactions to the key European figures who determined the hermeneutical discussion for centuries and develop an Evangelical/Pentecostal hermeneutic
  4. Enhance understanding of linguistic, sociological, and cultural aspects for an Evangelical/Pentecostal hermeneutic
  5. Introduce the concept of an inclusive learning community in which individual differences are recognized and respected

B. Specific Learning Objectives
As a result of the activities and study in this course, the students should be able to:

  1. Understand the history of Biblical interpretation 
  2. Awareness of the hermeneutical approaches of the First Century
  3. Understand hermeneutical principles that are valid for a Pentecostal / Evangelical approach to hermeneutics 
  4. Compare and contrast linguistic, sociological, and cultural aspects of hermeneutics
  5. Understand Christian faith and values in the context of its time 
  6. Appreciate the concept of the inclusive learning community
Outline - Introduction
- How do we understand?
- How do we exegete?
- History of hermeneutics
- Rabbinic hermeneutics
- Jesus as Teacher
- Pneumatic hermeneutics
- Elements of Pentecostal Hermeneutics
- Gospel and synoptic tradition
Examination See Evaluation
Core Literature

Textbooks:
Archer, Kenneth J. A Pentecostal Hermeneutic for the Twenty-First Century. London: T&T Clark International 2004.
Maier, Gerhard. Biblische Hermeneutik. Wuppertal: Brockhaus 1990.
Riesner, Rainer. Jesus als Lehrer. WUNT, 2. Reihe, 7, 3. Aufl. 1988.
Schmidgall/Wendel. Hermeneutische Ansätze zu Lukas. Theologisches Gespräch 2005.
Schnabel, E.J. und Neudorfer, Heinz-Werner, Das Studium des Neuen Testaments. 2. Bände. Wuppertal: Brockhaus 1999.

Reading List:
Gadamer, Hans-Georg. Philosophical Hermeneutics. Translated and Edited by D. E. Linge. Berkley, CA: University of California Press, 1976.
Gadamer, Hans-Georg. Truth and Method. 2nd ed. Translated and Revised by J. Weinsheimer and D. G. Marshall. New York, NY: The Continuum Publishing Company, 1975.
Habermas, J. On the Pragmatics of Communication. Edited by Maeve Cooke. 1998.
Pelikan, J. Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985.
Ricoeur, P. Figuring the Sacred: Religion, Narrative, and Imagination. Translated by D. Pellauer. Edited by M. I. Wallace. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1995.
________. Hermeneutics & the Human Sciences: Essays on Language, Action and Interpretation. Edited & Translated by J. B. Thompson. Cambridge, 1981.
Thiselton, A. New Horizons in Hermeneutics. Zondervan, 1997.
Vanhoozer, Kevin J. Is There a Meaning in This Text? The Bible, The Reader, and the Morality of Literary Knowledge. Zondervan, 1998.
Other information


Back to top