Wednesday, July 06, 2011

An Exegesis of Experience?

Yesterday morning at the men's Bible study we talked about allegorical interpretations of scripture, and this led to me giving a short description of the difference between allowing the scripture to speak for itself, and reading things into the Bible. These are commonly called exegesis and eisegesis (respectively) in theological (well, and in most church) circles. Of course, this was discussed because the allegorical mode of Biblical interpretation lends itself to easily falling into excessive eisegesis - especially for the creative mind. Those who quickly connect scriptures and theological concepts together can weave interesting and complicated elements together and quickly justify their own peculiar beliefs. Yet, I can not help but wonder if the line of eisegesis and exegesis might merge into one another seamlessly and properly at times.

Certainly, for most of us, our theological bent is driven by a combination of influence of mentors and teachers, or personal experience combined by study. I most certainly fall into the latter category, most of my mentors had theological views different than my own, Some of them leaned Reformed/Calvinist, and others held Pre-Tribulational eschatology views, in one case a very influential mentor is from the Word of Faith camp - and I am none of these.

Since my theology is influenced most by my own study, I must be honest to admit that there is a high degree of personal experience which informs my theological views as well. In part because my own experiences with God have been so dramatic, and in part because my experiences with life have sometimes been the stuff tall tales are made of.

Here is where I wonder how eisegesis and exegesis might seamlessly meet one another to create one body of movement toward truth.

The Apostle Paul appears to have been excessively influenced by his dramatic experiences with Christ: along the Damascus Road, being caught up into the heavens in visions, and through a life of persecution. His reading of the Old Testament is most definitely influenced by his interactions with Christ, and his reading of the scriptures was therefore born from this experience in which God seems to have implanted truth into Paul. It was an exegesis of life and experience. This in turn seems to have influenced Paul's writings, and he then interprets the Old Testament anew in the light of his experiences.

I read the New Testament - especially the Gospels differently than I did 5 or 6 years ago. My experiences in life have helped me (or is it simply "caused me," without necessarily carrying a beneficial element?) to see some scripture in a different light.

Does God communicate truth through experience to us, and then open our eyes to see things we might have been previously blind to? If so, it seems then that He is working through an exegesis of experience, and then allowing us to take the lessons learned in our experience and find them in scripture.

If this is the case, God appears to be seamlessly, although dangerously interweaving exegesis and eisegesis together to form truth in us. I tremble under the thought of this being a mode of truth communication. To see it in the Apostles and Prophets is one thing. To see in ourselves is another, and this makes the interpretation of scripture all the more baffling - especially since I still hold to the belief that scripture is not of any "private interpretation."

5 comments:

MadPriest said...
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MadPriest said...

Perhaps the scholars of the early church were so willing to employ an allegorical hermeneutic because Jesus was. Our Lord's ownership of scriptural prophesy even though in doing so he was taking the original prophesy and applying it out of context should be a reminder to us all that God speaks through a living Bible and that the Bible is not restricted by the culture or even the original intent of its original writers.

Anonymous said...

It seems man's view of his God is just as changeable as his view of God's view of Man. How can this be so?

Rodolfo Plata said...

EXÉGESIS BÍBLICA: BREVE CRÍTICA AL PROFETISMO JUDÍO DEL ANTIGUO TESTAMENTO: La relación entre la fe y la razón expuesta parabolicamente por Cristo al ciego de nacimiento (Juan IX, 39), nos enseña la necesidad del raciocinio para hacer juicio justo de nuestras creencias, a fin de disolver las falsas certezas de la fe que nos hacen ciegos a la verdad mediante el discernimiento de los textos bíblicos. Lo cual nos exige criticar el profetismo judío o revelación para indagar “si es verdad o es mentira” que los textos bíblicos son palabra de Dios. Enmarcado la crítica en el fenómeno espiritual de la trasformación humana y, las ciencias y técnicas que nos ayudan a desarrollarnos espiritualmente. Abordados por la doctrina y la teoría de la trascendencia humana, conceptualizadas por los filósofos griegos y los místicos hindúes. Sabiduría védica instruida por Buda e ilustrada por Cristo, la cual concuerda con los planteamientos de la filosofía clásica y moderna, y las respuestas que la ciencia ha dado a los planteamientos trascendentales: (psicología, psicoterapia, logoterápia, desarrollo humano, etc.). Utilizando los principios universales del saber filosófico y espiritual como tabla rasa, a fin de deslindar y hacer objetivo lo “que es” o “no es” del mundo del espíritu. Método o criterio que nos ayuda a discernir objetivamente __la verdad o el error en los textos bíblicos analizando los diferentes aspectos y características que integran la triada preteológica: (la fenomenología, la explicación y la aplicación, del encuentro cercano escritos en los textos bíblicos). Vg: la conducta de los profetas mayores (Abraham y Moisés), no es la conducta de los místicos; la directriz del pensamiento de Abraham, es el deseo intenso de llegar a tener una descendencia numerosísima y llegar a ser un país rico como el de Ur, deseo intenso y obsesivo que es opuesto al despego de las cosas materiales que orienta a los místicos; es por ello, que la respuestas del dios de Abraham son alucinaciones contestatarias de los deseos del patriarca, y no tienen nada que ver con el mundo del espíritu. La directriz del pensamiento de Moisés, es la existencia de Israel entre la naciones a fin de llegar a ser la principal de todas, que es opuesta a la directriz de vida eterna o existencia después de la vida que orienta el pensamiento místico (Vg: la moradas celestiales, la salvación o perdición eterna a causa del bien o mal de nuestras obras en el juicio final de nuestra vida terrenal, abordadas por Cristo); el encuentro cercano descrito por Moisés en la zarza ardiente describe el fuego fatuo; el pie del rayo que pasa por el altar erigido por Moisés en el Monte Horeb, describe un fenómeno meteorológico; el pacto del Sinaí o mito fundacional de Israel como nación entre las naciones por voluntad divina a fin de santificar sus ancestros, su pueblo, su territorio, Jerusalén, el templo y la Torah; descripciones que no corresponden al encuentro cercano expresado por Cristo al experimentar la común unión: “El Padre y Yo, somos una misma cosa”, la cual coincide con la descrita por los místicos iluminados. Las leyes de la guerra dictadas por Moisés en el Deuteronomio causales del despojo, exterminio y sometimiento de las doce tribus cananeas y del actual genocidio del pueblo palestino, hacen evidente la ideología racista, criminal y genocida serial que sigue el pueblo judío desde tiempos bíblicos hasta hoy en día, conducta opuesta a la doctrina de la no violencia enseñada por Cristo __ Discernimiento que nos aporta las suficientes pruebas objetivas de juicio que nos dan la certeza que el profetismo judío o revelación bíblica, es un semillero del mal OPUESTO A LAS ENSEÑANZAS DE CRISTO, ya que en lugar de sanar y prevenir las enfermedades del alma para desarrollarnos espiritualmente, enerva a sus seguidores provocándoles: alucinaciones, estulticia, delirios, histeria y paranoia; propiciando la bibliolatría, el fanatismo, la intolerancia, el puritanismo hipócrita, el sectarismo, e impidiendo su desarrollo espiritual.

Anonymous said...

@ Rodolfo - you conclude, "Today, behavior opposite to the doctrine of nonviolence taught by Christ that gives us discernment __ sufficient objective evidence of opinion that give us the certainty that the Jewish prophetic or biblical revelation, is a hotbed of evil OPPOSITE TO TEACHINGS CHRIST, since instead of healing and preventing heart disease to develop spiritually enervated his followers provoking hallucinations, stupidity, delusions, hysteria and paranoia, encouraging the bibliolatry, bigotry, intolerance, hypocritical puritanism, sectarianism and preventing their spiritual development." Should we then, be surprised that a "Christian right wing extremist/fundamentalist" is now charged with the Norwegian atrocity?