Advertisement
Langgam Pos - Hermeneutics, derived from the Greek word "hermeneuein", translates to "interpret" with its noun form, "hermeneia", meaning "interpretation." In Ancient Greek tradition, "hermeneuein" held three primary meanings:
1. To say
2. To explain
3. To translate
In English, these meanings are encompassed by the term "to interpret," signifying three fundamental aspects of interpretation:
1. Oral recitation
2. Reasonable explanation
3. Translation from another language
Hermeneutics is commonly understood as "the art and science of interpreting especially authoritative writings, mainly applied to sacred scripture, and equivalent to exegesis." It can also be viewed as a philosophy focusing on the "understanding of understanding" regarding texts, particularly sacred texts, originating from contexts and situations unfamiliar to their readers. The term is often linked to Hermes, the Greek mythological figure who served as an intermediary between the gods, particularly Zeus, and humans.
In Islam, Hermes is frequently associated with Prophet Idris, the first to learn writing, weaving, and medicine. For Prophet Idris, a crucial challenge was interpreting divine messages spoken in "heavenly" language for human understanding. This metaphorically aligns with the weaving profession, where words are woven together for clear comprehension. Thus, hermeneutics, inspired by Hermes' role, is seen as the art or science of interpreting texts. As a discipline, hermeneutics employs scientific methods to uncover meaning, rationale, and testability, while as an art, it aims to present interpretations that are both valuable and aesthetically pleasing.
In Ancient Egypt, Hermes was known as Thoth, and in Greek culture, he was recognized as Unukh, while in ancient Persian society, he was Hushang. Over time, the definition of hermeneutics evolved from a focus on textual interpretation to encompass various disciplines of knowledge.
Modern scholars, both classical and contemporary, agree on the definition of hermeneutics as the process of transforming ignorance into understanding. This involves transitioning from abstract and obscure concepts to clear, comprehensible language.
Recently, hermeneutics has gained popularity among academic researchers, literary critics, sociologists, historians, anthropologists, philosophers, and theologians for examining, understanding, and interpreting texts, such as the Bible and the Qur'an. Its growing presence in contemporary literature and its role as a methodological approach to scriptural studies highlight its significant impact.
Hassan Hanafi, in his work *Religious Dialogue and Revolution*, suggests that hermeneutics is not merely about interpretation but also encompasses the study of the reception of divine revelation from words to the worldly level, transforming divine thought into human life.
In Islamic discourse, the term "tafsir" is traditionally used to refer to the interpretation of the Qur'an. Derived from the Arabic "fassara" or "fasara", "tafsir" is a discipline that addresses understanding the Qur'an’s meanings and content according to human comprehension. Historically, the term hermeneutics is not found in classical Islamic exegesis of the Qur'an, making its presence in Islamic scholarly debates a subject of ongoing discussion.
(*)
Tags: exegesis and hermeneutics, understanding the whole bible, hermeneutics, hermeneutic, hermeneutics (field of study), academic, apologetics, interpret scripture, exegesis, how to interpret scripture, eisegesis, study
