From Gadamer to African Hermeneutics: Contextualizing Understanding as 'fusion of Horizons (original) (raw)
Related papers
The promise of attending to literary context for contextual biblical hermeneutics in Africa
Acta Theologica, 2021
For important reasons, African contextual hermeneutics raises the main question: “What does the Scripture mean to us and our community?”. This article asserts that the reader-centred approach tends to allow the voice of the community to ring louder than the voice of Scripture. Repercussions can include a limited role of Jesus Christ and a heightened role of material prosperity in some African expressions of Christian faith. The article argues that contextual hermeneutics needs to make room for the inductive analysis of biblical texts, especially their literary contexts. The heart of a combined inductive and contextual approach is inviting readers to a dialogue between text and context, asking questions that help them use literary context to observe the main aims, themes, and lines of thought of passages of Scripture, and that foster a deep identification between biblical texts and the readers’ context.
African Contextual Hermeneutics
Religion and Theology, 2015
ABSTRACT The role of the missionaries and their widespread dissemination of the Bible in the process of colonisation of Africa problematized the interpretation of its text, particularly in South Africa, where it was used both to legitimate apartheid and in the struggle for liberation. This paper documents the emergence of the ‘Tri-polar Model’ (Grenholm and Patte, as modified by Draper) in African Contextual Hermeneutics, problematizes it in terms of the hegemonic role of the reader’s ‘ideo-theological orientation’ (West). A new way forward is sought through emphasizing this role of the reader, but also the possibility of a ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ (Coleridge) in the construction of the ‘othered self’ through ‘conversation’ with the text (Gadamer) and the role of ‘reading communities’ (Fish) in demanding accountability from reader(s).
2017
This essay examines the mother tongue biblical hermeneutics (MTBH) of selected works of the Ghanaian scholar, John D. K. Ekem. Contextual principles, approaches, and methods have been advanced by biblical scholars to elucidate the meaning of Scripture. However, many of the principles, approaches, and methods do not adequately address the socio-cultural context of Ghana (or Africa) since they are products developed in and for another context. Hence, Ekem's assertion that biblical interpretation must critically engage and dialogue with local socio-cultural norms in the process of biblical interpretation in Africa. Not surprisingly, MTBH shares several principles with inductive biblical studies (IBS). Although MTBH faces numerous challenges, it has the potential to help African Christians to better apply the texts of the Bible to their existential situations. This essay honors the work of Ekem in an effort to bring awareness to MTBH and advance its growth in the African context. 1
The reconstruction of forms of African theology:towards effective biblical interpretation
1999
This thesis sets out to investigate current reconstruction of forms of African theology that is taking place in parts of Africa. The specific interest is to identify emerging biblical interpretative modes from these theologies and seek to suggest ways of making them effective for the benefit of African communities of readers and the biblical academia as a whole. After a brief consideration of the contribution of historical critical interpretation, this thesis then focused specifically on the development of African scholarly readings. The specific interest in these African readings is• to provide the necessary criteria which will ensure that critical scholarly readings can both be differentiated and derived from popular readings. My interest in popular readings is because of the major role they play in the provision of contextual components or the missing links that can only be obtained from ordinary readers, that the scholarly reader needs in hislher reconstruction of• African self-understanding. I have therefore looked at the attempts to structure the relationship between ordinary readers and scholarly readers and out of that has come the contribution to the theologies of reconstruction in Africa. In summary, to respond to the quest for acceptable critical models of reading the Bible using African cultural texts and world view, it has become necessary to provide recommendations for African hermeneuts which would enhance their readings in order to make their contributions to scholarly biblical interpretation to the global community more effective. This is exactly what this thesis aims at achieving.
THE SEARCH FOR A RELEVANT BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION FOR THE CONTEXT
African Christianity is one of the fastest growing phenomenon in the world. It is therefore important to examine the interpretation of the Bible within this context. Historically, biblical interpretation in Africa has been the brainchild of the Western world. Missionaries brought the gospel to Africa but tainted by their western cultural perspectives. The early African theologians were trained in western seminaries where they espoused the western approach to biblical understanding and interpretation such as source criticism, form criticism, redaction criticism, historical criticism, literary criticism among others. Such scholarship would not make sense to the traditional Africans in their contexts. The concern has been how to make the message not only understood by Africans but also relevant to them. The word should address their needs. The significance and shortfalls of the western traditional biblical criticisms for African contexts as well as the diverse biblical interpretation within the African context. The methodology used is evaluative and comparative mostly examining scholarly works on the subject. The African context has its peculiar issues such as culture, worldview, political, social and economic concerns among others needing relevant interpretive approach. The African context provides critical resources for biblical interpretation. Such an approach should seek to empower the African readers and hearers for a critical study of the Bible in relation to their life-situations, and for personal and societal transformation. It is argued herein that inculturation hermeneutics is the best approach for biblical interpretation in the African context. Introduction African Christianity is one of the fastest growing phenomena in the world today. The main text in African Christianity is the Bible. The challenge has been how to make the biblical message relevant and meaningful within the African situation. Missionaries brought the gospel to Africa but tainted by their western cultural perspectives. Their interpretation of the Bible was guided by their own background of western rationalistic standpoint. This made the Christian message alien to Africans. The early African theologians were trained in western seminaries where they espoused the western approach to biblical understanding and interpretation such as source criticism, form criticism, redaction criticism, and historical criticism among others. They went back to their homelands and presented messages tainted by the western worldview. African scholars began to address the issue of irrelevance of the Christian message for the African audiences noting that at first, biblical interpretation in Africa was the brainchild of the Western world. Due to the frustration in attempting to domesticate the biblical message in the African situation, the African scholars introduced all kinds of interpretive ways to the biblical text including contextualization and inculturation. There has not been any agreement on the exact method of interpreting the biblical text in the African context. The Bible is of dual nature: first it is a divine document that has to be received with respect; second, it is a human document with diverse characteristics presented in particular contexts. The Bible contains many different types of literature: poetry, law, history, prophecy, apocalyptic writing, wisdom literature, gospels, and