18 - The Bible in philosophy and hermeneutics

Summary

Biblical interpreters in church, society and academy have always engaged in some form of conversation, implicitly or explicitly, with past and present hermeneutical traditions, developments and debates. The relationship between biblical and philosophical hermeneutics has not necessarily been one-sided in terms of biblical interpretation merely seeking to respond to hermeneutical initiatives emerging from philosophical schools or individual hermeneuts. Friedrich Schleiermacher combined a Pietistic family background with Romantic and Enlightenment concerns, and provoked a revolution in hermeneutical thinking. Once a sub-discipline of theological and literary disciplines, hermeneutics was now presented as an overarching philosophical discipline essential for anybody wishing to understand another person's linguistic communication. Philosophical hermeneutical reflection is necessary for proper biblical interpretation. Martin Heidegger's philosophy gave rise to an explosion in hermeneutical studies. His philosophical analysis of the human person's existential possibility to decide for or against an authentic life motivated Rudolf Bultmann.