OFB, 32–51
Overview of chapter three
This chapter addresses a number of issues related to the question of hermeneutics, or biblical interpretation:
The first section (pp. 32–35) surveys a number of different ways in which the Bible is read: apologetic, devotional, doctrinal, liturgical, historical, and aesthetic.
The next section (pp. 35–38) looks at some of the major barriers we encounter when reading the Bible: time, location, language, and beliefs.
The major section (pp. 38–50) outlines the major hermeneutical methods used in biblical interpretation, grouping them into the "three worlds of the Bible":
the world behind the text,
the world within the text, and
the world in front of the text.
The concluding cameo essay (pp. 50–51) considers the brief word picture of a "scribe trained for God's empire" in Matt 13:52.
Web links of particular relevance to this chapter include:
Lectio Divina (Order of St Benedict)
Sabeel Center (Jerusalem)