BIBLE AND EXEGESIS
Biblical exegesis belongs to the category of specialized exegesis. Reading and understanding the Bible are undertakings different in degree from reading and understanding a letter from a friend, an article in a contemporary magazine, a newspaper account of some event, or a modern novel or short story. The various complexities which can influence the exegetical process are all related in one way or another to biblical exegesis. Let us note how all seven of these factors enter the picture in biblical exegesis.
1. None of the Bible was originally addressed to the modern reader and interpreter. None of us was involved in the original communication events ads either senders or receivers. Paul=s letters, for example, were written to the Romans, the Galatians, the Corinthians, and others. The modern interpreter, in the case of Paul, is therefore reading somebody else=s mail. The books of Luke and Acts were accounts written for someone named Theophilus.
2. None of the Bible was originally composed in modern language. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and Aramaic and the New Testament in Greek. Even the modern Israeli who speaks Hebrew or the modern Greek who speaks Greek recognizes that the languages of the Bible are not the same as modern Hebrew and Greek. Thus all modern exegetes, in interpreting the Bible, encounter the problem of a language barrier.
3. The modern readers of the Bible and the original readers of the texts are separated by an enormous cultural gap. The culture presupposed by the Bible is that of the ancient Mediterranean world in general and Palestine in particular. One has only to note a few general characteristics of biblical culture to sense its difference from much modern culture. The social structures presupposed by the writers of biblical materials were patriarchal and authoritarian. The dominant economic system was agriculturally and village based. Diets were seasonal. Medical arts were primitive. Machines were little developed. Slavery was widespread. General mortality, and especially infant mortality, rates were high. Travel was slow and difficult. Life was rather simple and characterized by stability and similarity rather than change. Human life was oriented to the cycles of nature and climate. Entertainment was limited. Good artificial lighting did not exist. Animals were slaughtered, dressed, and burned on altars as an integral part of worship. Divine beings, both good and bad, were assumed to be participants in the ongoing course of life and history.
4. The historical gap that separates the present from the world of the Bible ranges from almost twenty centuries to over three millennia. The biblical traditions came into being during a period extending over twelve centuries. These factors suggest two reasons why the exegete must bridge this historical gap. First of all, the Bible originated withing a context chronologically far removed from the present. Secondly, since the materials originated over such a long period of time, it becomes necessary to understand the different historical contexts with in which the various books and traditions of the Bible came into being. In addition to these two considerations, there are two factors internal to the Bible itself which demand historical attention on the part of the exegete. First, much of the Bible takes the form of historical narrative. To call the Bible a history book is a misleading simplification but it does point to the fact that much of the material is concerned with historical matters. This phenomenon cannot be ignored if one is to understand the Bible. Secondly, much of the thought and theology of the Bible is expressed in terms of past, present, and future, that is, in terms of theology which both takes seriously the course of historical events and is expressed in categories dependent upon historical perspectives.
5. The gradual growth of traditions and collective contributions to documents are clearly evident in the Bible, especially the Old Testament. In fact, it is impossible to speak of particular authors of documents in the Old Testament since we do not know who wrote a single book. Instead, most of the works appear to have developed over lesser and greater lengths of time and many persons probably contributed to their formation.
6. As with most documents from antiquity, the oldest manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments we possess are copies made long after the original documents were written. The oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible dates from the Middle Ages (the copy was made in A.D. 1008). The oldest complete manuscript of the New Testament dates from the fourth century A.D. About 5,000 different Greek manuscripts or fragments of the New Testament are known. Of these, no two are identical. The manuscript copies of the Hebrew Bible or parts thereof are less numerous. In recent years, however, older fragments and almost complete manuscripts of some books of the Old Testament have been discovered in caves and other places in the Dead Sea region of Palestine. Some of these show considerable differences from the standard Hebrew texts.
7. That the Bible falls into the category of sacred Scripture needs no special comment. Two matters, one positive and one negative, should be noted. Positively, today=s biblical exegete has been preceded by centuries of biblical study and interpretation which can be drawn upon for perspectives and insights. Negatively, the Bible as sacred Scripture has been surrounded by tradition and traditional interpretations of various sorts. The exegete is frequently tempted to read the text in light of the tradition without any critical judgement or without letting the text speak afresh and on its own. To do this is to engage in eisogesis, a Areading into,@ rather than exegesis, a Areading out of.@
Taken from: John H. Hayes & Carol R. Holladay, Biblical Exegesis: A Beginner=s Handbook. pp. 14-17.