Hermeneutics is the study of interpretation of various texts. It is a very important concept in religious studies. The sects of various faiths are greatly affected by the holy texts of the faith. Some faiths even have heated debates about the correct way to interpret the text. However, what people do not realize is that these texts often contain many allegories, metaphors, and symbols that can lead to multiple interpretations of the text. Another point worth mentioning is the people have their own biases prior to reading and understanding the text. These maybe one's personal values, beliefs, and morals that affect the way in which the reader approaches the text. For example, in reading Amina Wadud's book on her interpretation of the Qur'an, she approaches the holy text through a female lens and points out significant information. There are many scholars of religion that dig and look for specific phrases in order to get their point across. It was interesting to learn that the Buddhist emphasize in reading texts as a parts of a whole in order to understand the bigger picture. In learning about various faiths and cultures, it is important to understand that texts have evolved over many years and are influenced by various cultures. Thus, as scholars of religion, we must have an open-mind and take these accounts into consideration.
Do you think it's possible that the evolution of sacred texts make them more difficult or easy to understand? It seems to me that they would be easier to comprehend, however, the fact that the reader does not have to personalize the evolved texts as much makes me think that they are harder to understand.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I understand, evolution of the text certainly takes away from the original authorship. Evolution of the text occurs when a certain group of people choose to interpret the work in a certain way. Thus, it makes it clearer for people in that group to follow whatever the text is teaching. I agree with your comment. From the outside perspective, the reader is left with multiple sources of interpretation and understanding the faith as a whole is difficult. However, we must realize that there isn't a correct answer. Sects and faiths all have different beliefs that come from these texts and as scholars of religion, we can never completely understand the faith without believing in it; but that is something that is not permitted by our academia. We must simply take a survey of the text and do our best to do justice to it. Hope that helped!
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