Hermeneutics as a Theory of Understanding

Walk with Petr Pokorný in and around his beloved field of hermeneutics as he explores a number of basic issues in understanding -- from language in general to the interpretation of the Bible in particular.

Pokorný first addresses the world of language, showing the importance of understanding language thoroughly in terms of its vocabulary, syntax, and pragmatics, while keeping a keen eye open for metaphor and myth. Next he focuses on text, examining its graphic character, its misuse, and its silence -- its frustrating inability to answer questions posed to it.

The third stop on Pokorný's tour -- methods of interpretation -- looks at translation, rhetorical criticism, and historical methodologies of interpretation. Here he argues not only that the encounter between texts and readers is rife with problems in communication but also that these impediments can be overcome by returning again and again to the text until it makes clear its relevance to the present.

In the final segment of his wide-ranging hermeneutical journey, Pokorný examines the nature of interpretation itself, celebrating especially its capacity to bridge the gap -- or even the abyss -- that divides the world of the text and the lived world of the reader, creating a dialogue between the two that can overcome the silence of the written word.