Scriptures
1.
Christian Scriptures and other scriptures:
We
are referring to the 66 books of Bible. Now when we say this we mean we are
taking all these 66 books equally important. NT is often taken as more
important than the OT in the aspect of fulfillment of the OT. But this is not to
be. The books are to be taken equally important because of our Indian
situation.
Francis
D’ Souza say, “Christian Scripture and other
Scriptures: Thesis towards a study of the significance of Scripture,”
Nereparapil Lucius,
opined that “Christian Scripture as the word of God in the word of man”
The Power of the secret scripture: Creation was created with the word. The word was life giving power,
Healing power, Preservatory power, Dynamic and effective word, Power to make
one God’s own child, Power to purify, Power to liberate and sanctify.
Scripture as history: The
bible is an important source for knowledge about Palestine and neighboring
countries during the period of at least a thousand year. (David Brown,
Christian Scripture, London: Seldon Press, 1968, p.48.)
Scripture as witness: They
are not simply the source of knowledge in the history but it is witness to the
presence of the living God within that history showing how God uses those
events to reveal who God is.
Writer of the scripture and the Spirit of God: The writers were led by the spirit of God. (David Brown, Christian Scripture, 1968).
Negative
approaches to the Bible:
1. Prove text approach.
Thinking that Bible gives answers to all question that human beings ask. The
Bible gives us pattern of obedience not a blueprint of action.
2. Biblicist (Bible as prove text).
3. Bibliolatry.
2. Indian
Perspective on Biblical Hermeneutics
Hermeneutics is a science of interpretation. The word hermeneutics
comes from the Greek word hermeneuein which means inclusively to
express, to explain, to translate and to interpret. The root is apparently
derived from the divine name Hermes, the messenger of the gods who makes
intelligible to human beings that which otherwise cannot be grasped. The Greeks
associated Hermes with the discovery of language and writing, the indispensable
tools of understanding. So here the goal is to make the message clear. Biblical
hermeneutics is the study of the methods and theories used to interpret the
scripture and the goal is to get the true and the correct interpretation which
the Holy Spirit has already inspired in the text.
ICT started in 19th century and called as the Thommistic
Christians. From there the Indian Christian Theologies has started and evolving steadily. though there are many
religions and culture in India, ICT is on the process of evolving among these
religions. This developing theology has made significant contributions to ICT.
It has foundation from the West and reassembles Christianity in the Cultural
context of India. It has focused on the realization of God with Indian
background. Christian theology is to address to the life-contexts of the people
and Socio-political situations existing in our country. It has made effort to
be contextual in attending to the problems in our society. In this way
discovering God through the suffering and working for their best liberation on
our context.
Our early Christian community converted from Hindu tradition to the
Christian culture. Though people converted to Christianity people brought the
caste into Christianity because of that it was not developed. There is disciple
and guru system in India for educational system. The liturgy played vital role
to form the Christianity in the early days. From there foreign missionaries
developed the Christian community by adopting Indian situation to culture and
language by promoting ICT.
Domestication of God: your knowledge of God is incomplete without
experience. There is danger of domestication of God when one emphasise on
experience. Experience, based on one’s own interest.
The need for Biblical Hermeneutics in ICT.
Hansjurgen Gunther says,
“The reason why our contemporaries regard what the church has to say as so
irrelevant is not so much that the church’s answer had been handed from the
past. This is also true in the path of the hermeneutics sciences... The reason
is rather that the church is answering questions which are no longer asked by
our own time.”
(Hansjurgen Gunther, A Hermeneutics Principle applied to
theological training in India, Indian Journal of Theology, vol.29, 1980,
p-176.)
Gunther calls Hermeneutics in Indian theology as ‘Anachronistic
(irrelevant) theological colonialism’.[p.177].
To get correct interpretation of the Bible. The question today are
different and therefore need different answers accordingly. To let the word of
God incarnate in the context of the people. Indian church is surrounded by many
religions and cultures.
DC Samuel, “Tradition, Community and Hermeneutics”, the Indian
Journal of Theology, vol.31, 1982. He argues that Bible to be interpreted
in a particular context in response to the need of the context. Articulating
the meaning of the Bible for a particular context.
(No one can exhaust the meaning of the Bible, the Bible is rich in
meanings.) Interpret the Bible locally but keeping in mind the Global context
as well. Reading Bible should not be in isolation but connects to every people
(globally).
Christopher Duraisingh, “Reflection on Theological Hermeneutics
in Indian context”, Indian Journal of Theology, vol. 31, 1982, p. 259-278. He talks about 3 hermeneutical contexts:
1. The
specificity of the interpreter. The particularity of the one who interprets. It
is about Hyphenated Identity i.e. Indian-Christian (one Indian and one
Christian). Your Indianness and your Christianess.
2. Cultural and
religious context. Your interpretation of the Bible depends on the context of
the one interpreting.
3. Socio-economic
context. Hierarchical social structure that dehumanizes the society. Social and
economic status.
Jones Muthunayagan,
“Interpretation of a few Biblical passage by adopting the post colonial Biblical
criticism and socio-cultural anthropology”. He also proposed a Participatory method and Escapist method.
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