[drstevej]

Good discussion. I think the goal is to determine the original intent (akin to the approach Robert Bork, et al. advocate in interpreting the Constitution). The question to be answered is what did the author intend to communicate to his audience / readers? Context, grammar, historical background etc. are the means to this end.

Instead of using the term literal meaning I think a better term is the normal meaning. By this I mean, if the author intend to use figurative language (I am the door of the sheep) we seek to understand the point of comparison being made.If the author did not intend a figure we do not introduce one.

A document well interpreted fairly and accurately reflects the intent of the author.

Mortimer Adler's, "How to Read a Book" is a classic on interpreting literature and advocates methodology I find helpful in biblical interpretation. This approach does not resolve all conflicts by any means, but it is IMHO, a clear statement of the task.

[RnMomof7]

Good discussion. I think the goal is to determine the original intent (akin to the approach Robert Bork, et al. advocate in interpreting the Constitution). The question to be answered is what did the author intend to communicate to his audience readers? Context, grammar, historical background etc. are the means to this end.
Instead of using the term literal meaning I think a better term is the normal meaning. By this I mean, if the author intend to use figurative language (I am the door of the sheep) we seek to understand the point of comparison being made.If the author did not intend a figure we do not introduce one.

I thought you would like this thread..I am NO scholar.You and Dan are the professionals ..Locke is a studied man..me I limp along

I have to say that my nature is to read it trying to understand what it meant at the time..to that end I have purchased books on Jewish customs and History..

It seems that so much that is said we miss because of the time and cultural distance..As an example If you follow through the OT to the NT you see what the meaning of "I am the Bread of life " is and you see the Last Supper in the covenant context..if you do not appreciate the understanding of the listeners, you miss the true meaning..and out a literal translation on meaning of the bread at the last supper...the one that the apostles would have had...

[lockeliberty]

It seem most of the controversy in the Church revolves around interpretation. For the interested lay person there is an abundance of Christian scholarship on hermeneutics and exegesis to be found on the web. For example, here is a tidbit from this Page

Revelation emanates from God and has resulted in the inspired, divinely superintended Scriptures. The recognition of divine inspiration has resulted in the canon as we have it today. Exegesis seeks to understand the originally intended meaning of the biblical author as he wrote God's message for his particular, contextualized readers. Normal-Literal, Historical-Contextual, Grammatical-Syntactical, Literary-Rhetorical tools aid the exegete in arriving at the original "surface" and/or "existential" meaning.See James DeYoung and Sarah Hurty, "Kingdom Reality: Making the Best of Both Worlds,'' in Beyond the Obvious, (Gresham, Oregon: Vision House Publishing, Inc., 1995):101-122. Theology consists of answering the questions, "What does this text tell me (1) about God, (2) about Man (creation), (3) about the relationship(s) between God and Man, and (4) about the relationship(s) between Man and Men?" These four questions will be answered on at least three levels: the biblical theological, the canonical theological, and the systematic theological