respond to at least 2 of the following questions in separate threads. Consider these questions with the information in your textbooks in mind, but feel free to use other sources as needed to add to the conversation. In the subject line of each of your threads, acknowledge which question is being answered (e.g., “Discussion: Introduction to Hermeneutics, Question 1”), and restate the question within your thread. Post each thread as a new topic.

1. Give a definition of hermeneutics and then offer a discussion of the importance of 1 of the following components in interpretation – the role of the author of the text, the role of the original readers of the text, or the role of the interpreter. What kind of impact does this particular participant provide on an attempt to discover the meaning of a text? How important is this component?

2. Four challenges for Bible interpretation are listed in your text—the distance of time, cultural distance, geographical distance, and distance of language. Offer an argument for which challenge is the easiest to overcome and which is the most difficult. Be sure to define the challenge and to identify clearly the problems inherent in it.

3. Throughout the history of the Bible, allegorical methods have been employed as a means to discover a “hidden meaning” in the text. Outline the use of allegorical approaches and discuss the benefits and pitfalls of utilizing such an approach to interpret Scripture today.

4. Consider the history of biblical interpretation and choose 1 time period and 1 person whose method offers the most promise for attaining a clear interpretation of Scripture today. Be sure to identify the person and the method with special focus on how that method aids a modern interpreter in understanding Scripture