• Home
  • RELIGION IS NOT. . .PART I
  • THE SEARCHER-SEEKER

Searcher-Seeker

Musings of a lifelong searcher-seeker

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« THINKING ABOUT ‘CHANGE’
THE NEVER-ENDING QUESTION »

HARD TEXTS REQUIRE INTERPRETATION

July 30, 2022 by Searcher Seeker

Both read the Bible day and night/But thou read’st black where I read white. –William Blake

The Wise and the Mystics caution us: Never say, “I Hate!” or “I Kill!” because your religion says so.  They remind us that every text needs interpretation.  They also remind us that every interpretation needs wisdom.  Fundamentalism (it doesn’t mean just one tradition) reads texts as if God were as simple as we are.  That, Gentle Reader, is unlikely to be true. 

All Scriptural Traditions and Religions (especially the three Abrahamic Faiths – Jewish, Christian and Islamic) contain hard texts, verses, commands and narratives that if taken literally and applied directly would not simply offend our moral sense, they would also go against our deepest understanding of the Tradition and Religion itself. 

The Hebrew texts, the Christian ‘New Testament,’ the Qur’an and the Hadith require a care-full interpretation if they are not to become the motivators for inflicting great harm.  That is why every-text based Tradition and Religion develops its own commitment to interpretation.  The Wise and the Mystics were/are clear: One who translates a verse literally is a liar and a deceiver! 

Their point is clear: no text without interpretation, no interpretation without wisdom and no wisdom without tradition.  2 Corinthians remind Christians clearly and force-fully: ‘The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.’  

For most of their history the Jews, Christians and Muslims have struggled with the meanings of their scriptures.  For example: Medieval Christianity had its four levels of interpretation – literal, allegorical, moral and eschatological.  Islam has its fiqh [deep understanding, full comprehension]; its four schools of jurisprudence; its principles of taqleed, ijtihad and qiyas [Gentle Reader, I invite you to do a bit of research and learn more about these concepts]. 

Hard Texts need interpreting.  Without this discipline they lead to violence (physical, emotional and spiritual violence).  God has given us a mandate and a responsibility to engage in this discipline.  We are guardians and stewards of God’s Word for the sake of our World. 

Consider, Gentle Reader, that fundamentalism refers to different things in different contexts.  One of them is the tendency to read texts literally and apply them directly: to go directly from revelation to application without interpretation, without wisdom. 

There are a number of negative consequences to literalism.  One is that it is a tap root of schisms.  Faith traditions become violently split.  Consider that fundamentalism emerges when people feel that the world has been allowed to defeat the word.  They, by contrast, become determined to defeat the world by means of their word. 

The great religious traditions believe that the most powerful battles are the ones that take place in the mind and the soul.  These battles change the world because they change us.  This is a wisdom that the zealots of all ages did not (and do not today) understand.  It takes wisdom to know how to translate the word of God into the world of human beings. 

Living traditions constantly reinterpret their canonical texts.  That is what makes fundamentalism – text without interpretation – an act of violence against tradition.  Fundamentalists ignore a significant fact about a sacred text – that its meaning is not self-evident. 

The sacred literatures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam all contain passages that, read literally, are capable of leading to violence and hate.  We must interpret them.  The great work of Jewish mysticism, the Zohar, reminds us that those who love the divine word penetrate beneath its outer garments to its soul. 

Religion’s ‘Hard Texts’ are a challenge to our capacity to engage in covenantal listening to God’s word.  God’s word is given to us in love and God invites us to interpret his word while we are rooted in love. 

Advertisement

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in Uncategorized |

  • Recent Posts

    • SURGERY
    • CONSIDER – ‘CRITICAL THINKING,’ PART VI
    • CONSIDER – ‘CRITICAL THINKING,’ PART V
    • CONSIDER – ‘CRITICAL THINKING,’ PART IV
    • CONSIDER – ‘CRITICAL THINKING,’ PART III 
  • Archives

    • November 2022 (8)
    • October 2022 (12)
    • September 2022 (8)
    • August 2022 (12)
    • July 2022 (8)
    • June 2022 (15)
    • May 2022 (15)
    • April 2022 (15)
    • March 2022 (15)
    • February 2022 (13)
    • January 2022 (13)
    • December 2021 (15)
    • November 2021 (10)
    • October 2021 (13)
    • September 2021 (10)
    • August 2021 (14)
    • July 2021 (13)
    • June 2021 (15)
    • May 2021 (15)
    • April 2021 (14)
    • March 2021 (15)
    • February 2021 (14)
    • January 2021 (14)
    • December 2020 (14)
    • November 2020 (16)
    • October 2020 (14)
    • September 2020 (15)
    • August 2020 (12)
    • July 2020 (14)
    • June 2020 (13)
    • May 2020 (12)
    • April 2020 (12)
    • March 2020 (11)
    • February 2020 (12)
    • January 2020 (13)
    • December 2019 (11)
    • November 2019 (12)
    • October 2019 (14)
    • September 2019 (11)
    • August 2019 (12)
    • July 2019 (10)
    • June 2019 (11)
    • May 2019 (12)
    • April 2019 (15)
    • March 2019 (13)
    • February 2019 (14)
    • January 2019 (10)
    • December 2018 (12)
    • November 2018 (10)
    • October 2018 (10)
    • September 2018 (7)
    • August 2018 (9)
    • July 2018 (12)
    • June 2018 (10)
    • May 2018 (8)
    • April 2018 (11)
    • March 2018 (12)
    • February 2018 (13)
    • January 2018 (12)
    • December 2017 (10)
    • November 2017 (11)
    • October 2017 (13)
    • September 2017 (14)
    • August 2017 (12)
    • July 2017 (12)
    • June 2017 (14)
    • May 2017 (14)
    • April 2017 (14)
    • March 2017 (14)
    • February 2017 (12)
    • January 2017 (13)
    • December 2016 (15)
    • November 2016 (15)
    • October 2016 (12)
    • September 2016 (12)
    • August 2016 (13)
    • July 2016 (9)
    • June 2016 (14)
    • May 2016 (14)
    • April 2016 (14)
    • March 2016 (15)
    • February 2016 (14)
    • January 2016 (15)
    • December 2015 (15)
    • November 2015 (15)
    • October 2015 (15)
    • September 2015 (15)
    • August 2015 (13)
    • July 2015 (11)
    • June 2015 (13)
    • May 2015 (11)
    • April 2015 (15)
    • March 2015 (15)
    • February 2015 (13)
    • January 2015 (16)
    • December 2014 (14)
    • November 2014 (15)
    • October 2014 (14)
    • September 2014 (12)
    • August 2014 (10)
    • July 2014 (13)
    • June 2014 (11)
    • May 2014 (14)
    • April 2014 (14)
    • March 2014 (16)
    • February 2014 (13)
    • January 2014 (14)
    • December 2013 (14)
    • November 2013 (14)
    • October 2013 (14)
    • September 2013 (13)
    • August 2013 (14)
    • July 2013 (16)
    • June 2013 (13)
    • May 2013 (23)
    • April 2013 (29)
    • March 2013 (31)
    • February 2013 (28)
    • January 2013 (31)
    • December 2012 (29)
    • November 2012 (30)
    • October 2012 (31)
    • September 2012 (30)
    • August 2012 (31)
    • July 2012 (31)
    • June 2012 (30)
    • May 2012 (31)
    • April 2012 (30)
    • March 2012 (31)
    • February 2012 (16)
  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 45 other subscribers

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Searcher-Seeker
    • Join 45 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Searcher-Seeker
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
%d bloggers like this: