5.4: How do I read Scripture?

Many people are not aware all reading of scripture is based upon interpretation; scripture cannot be read literally. This is true for many reasons. For those scriptures that have their roots in the oral tradition, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, and Christianity, we have to remember myths were recorded orally using connotative language, which contains figurative language. We use connotative language every day, as we looked at in the previous chapter. It even appears in popular expressions, "Love is a battlefield," and films, such as in Forrest Gump, "Like is like a box of chocolates." Literally, these statements are false, but when we interpret them, or look at their figurative meaning, they are true.

The beginning of Matthew's Gospel from the Ethiopian gospels

One example of why scripture reading is based upon interpretation and the use of connotative language is the popular story of David versus Goliath, found in the Hebrew Bible. It recounts a battle between the Hebrews and the Philistines. This battle, like all conflicts in antiquity, were recorded and transmitted orally. As such, figurative language was used, and when the story moved from the oral tradition to scripture, these elements remained. For instance, the word "like" is used to make a simile and is seen in 1 Samuel 17:7 in describing Goliath's weapon, "The staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam..." In other words, those eye witnesses were familiar with weaving and the beams used in weaving; Goliath's spear was a lot like one of those beams: it was enormous! It is important to note this use of figurative language in no way detracts from the validity of this story and that Goliath had a giant spear. Figurative language was simply the best way for the audience to understand it.

Another reason why the reading of scripture is based upon interpretation is that of translation. When translating from one language to another, sometimes a direct literal translation is not possible. For example, Spanish "de nada" translates into English as "you're welcome." "De" means "of" and "nada" means "nothing," so literally it means "of nothing." However, the expression is used to show thanks. For instance, imagine a friend does you a favor, you say, "thanks," and your friend shrugs her shoulders and says, "Oh, it's nothing." This is the connotative meaning. The English expression used is "you're welcome." Most of the time translation issues like the above do not really matter, but sometimes they do.

We can look at Christianity for some examples where translation issues can raise readers' interest and further demonstrate all reading of scripture is based upon interpretation. Take the following passage from the gospel according to Matthew, "'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall give birth to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel'..." (1:23). This verse is used to help explain the Christian teaching known as the virgin birth: Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin, and Jesus' father is not Mary's husband, Joseph, but God. This verse in Matthew is from the Hebrew Bible, Isaiah 7:14. When one reads the verse from Isaiah, however, one finds "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman will conceive, and bear a son..." What? There is a big difference between a virgin giving birth and a young woman giving birth! How did this happen? The book of Isaiah, as all books in the Hebrew Bible were written in Hebrew. In the Hebrew text, the passage uses the term "almah," which means "young woman." When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek, the language of the New Testament, "almah" became "parthenous," which means "virgin." Of interest is that most English translations of Isaiah today translate parthenous as "young woman" and not "virgin" as that scribe did hundreds of years ago.

Another example of translation issues is the name Jesus itself. Jesus of Nazareth was born and given a Hebrew name, as all Jewish children living in Judea in the first century CE were. The New Testament was written in Greek, then translated into Latin, and much later into English. If we take the name "Jesus" in English and find its Latin counterpart, we find "Iesus," spelled with an i. When we move from Latin to Greek, "Iesus" becomes "Iesous." Moving from Greek to Hebrew, "Iesous" becomes "Yeshua." When Jesus of Nazareth was born, he was not name "Jesus" but "Yeshua." If we translate "Yeshua" directly from Hebrew to English, it becomes "Joshua."

An opened Midrash

Because reading scripture is based upon interpretation, over the years secondary scripture develops. Secondary scripture seeks to answer questions that followers of the religion naturally have when reading passages of scripture. In addition, some secondary scriptures also contain guidelines and rules for that faith. Secondary scripture is part of all religions. For example, Islam has the Hadith, which is a secondary revelation that allows Muslims to interpret the Koran. Judaism has Midrash and Talmud, which are collections of commentaries and teaching on the Hebrew Bible. And then the different denominations of Christianity have their own; for instance, the Methodist Church has the Book of Discipline, and the Roman Catholic Church has the Catechism, and so on.

While secondary scriptures are common, creeds are not. Not all religions have a creed. The word creed comes from the Latin term, "credo," which means "I believe." A creed develops as a religion forms its core beliefs and teachings, and it is an easy way for the followers to remember them and to share them with others. One example of a creed is The Apostles' Creed from Christianity:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living, and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Another example of a creed is the Shahada of Islam: "There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of God."

In closing, the story of scripture is very rich and detailed as it contains answers to many questions that followers of a religion never even thought to think to ask!