A History of Biblical Interpretation in China

Author(s):  
John Y. H. Yieh

Since its first Protestant translation by Robert Morrison in 1823, the Chinese Bible has been earnestly used for devotional and apologetical purposes by Chinese Christians. This essay discusses why it is necessary to construct a history of biblical interpretation in China now and suggests how best to conceive it and what to include. A history of biblical interpretation has historical and hermeneutical value and it may help clarify three elements of “Chinese biblical interpretation.” It can be divided into four stages of development in correlation to the radical changes in national history and the main challenges in church history, to provide proper socio-historical contexts. For basic content, it should assess major interpreters and influential approaches in four settings, i.e. translation, church, society, and universities and discuss four inquiries regarding its reception, interpretation, appropriation, and consequence in China.

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim A. Dreyer

In this contribution, the author reflects on historical theology as theological discipline. After a short introduction to the precarious situation of church history as a theological discipline in South Africa and the question of faith and history, the contribution presents an analysis of Gerhard Ebeling’s 1947 publication on church history in which he proposed that church history should be understood as a history of Biblical interpretation. Based on some of the principles Ebeling delineated, the author proposes that historical theology could be applied to five areas of research: prolegomena, history of the church, history of missions, history of theology and church polity. The point is made that historical theology, when properly structured and presented, could play a major role in enriching the theological and ecclesial conversation and in assisting the church in the process of reformation and transformation.Keywords: Gerhard Ebeling; Hermeneutics; Church History


2018 ◽  
Vol 98 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 367-386
Author(s):  
Steven W. Tyra

AbstractThis article examines Martin Luther’s interpretation of Saint Mary Magdalene throughout his career, from his Psalms lectures of 1513 to his sermons on John’s Gospel in 1529. In particular, it will be argued that Luther both adopted and reshaped the exegetical tradition flowing from the twelfth-century theologian, Bernard of Clairvaux. The final result was a Reformation reading of the Magdalene that was neither fully medieval nor “Protestant” as the tradition would later develop. Luther’s journey with the saint thus illumines his ambiguous place in the history of biblical interpretation, as well as his fraught relationship to the medieval past.


1999 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
H.J.M. Van Deventer

Rhetorical criticism and the interpretation of the Old Testament Modern history of Biblical interpretation presents us with two basic approaches to the text of the Bible, viz. historical and literary approaches. This article proposes rhetorical criticism as a process of interpretation that analyses both the historical and literary features of a text. After a short overview of the modern use of the term, especially within the field of Biblical interpretation, this article investigates various “forms” of rhetorical criticism as proposed by scholars working in the fields of general literary theory, a well as Biblical (Old and New Testament) interpretation. The article concludes by proposing a form of rhetorical criticism for interpreting texts from the Old Testament.


2001 ◽  
Vol 57 (3/4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kobus Labuscbagne

Assurance of faith in the church's history of Biblical interpretation. The aim of this article is to focus on biblical interpretaion. It relects on the implications of biblical interpretaion for the foundaions of faith. People generally understand their world on the basis of their own presupposed convicions and on the basis of what they already know and have experienced of life. This tendency afects interpreters, understanding of the original audience of biblical texts. The article argues that the challenge to study Scipture accurately and objecively requires hermeneutical guidelines from the church in order to prevent subjecivism.


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