Wege in die Bibel - Leitfaden zur Auslegung

The main aim of this work is to present a personal way of interpreting biblical texts of the Old and New Testaments. In principle anyone can independently go this way. Within the diversity of the exegetical methods, the book also aims to provide guidance among the different approaches. This guide provides at first an independent synchronic methodological approach to a responsible interpretation of biblical texts and then it offers also extensive information about all important and also newer methods of biblical exegesis. Together with the presentation of the necessary background for the understanding of language, text, and communications, the book offers practical information derived from the experience to deal with the texts of the Bible. The new methodological approach that is presented is structured into two main moments: the text-perception and the interpretation of the text. The text-perception includes the process of delimitation of the examined text from its context, the integration of this text into its surroundings, the translation, the analysis of the shape (structure and development) but also observations on artistic expressions, content and value systems. The interpretation of the text describes the essential features, in which the results of the text-perception are weighted and interpreted, so one can come to a founded reading by sifting, comparing, differentiating, and through dialogue with the positions of other scientists. The book also deals with the substantial background for the understanding of literary texts: with their verbal communication-structure but also with their syntactic-structure. But as the book offers primarily methods to interpret biblical texts, a chapter is devoted to explain the principles of biblical interpretation. Here the characteristics of the Bible are treated as Word of God and as a work of a community. Also the importance of exegesis within the field of theology is a fundamental matter which is underlined. The synchronic approach that characterizes the book is a novelty in the panorama of books about biblical exegetical methods. The creative style with numerous illustrations and tables is didactically friendly and allows understanding the content easily.