Editing Hermeneutics (section)

== In religious traditions ==
=== Mesopotamian hermeneutics ===
{{See|Exegesis#Mesopotamian Commentaries}}

=== Islamic hermeneutics ===
{{Main| Quranic hermeneutics}}

=== Talmudic hermeneutics ===
{{Main|Talmudic hermeneutics}}
{{See also|Judaism#Rabbinic hermeneutics|l1=Judaism § Rabbinic hermeneutics}}
{{Eras of the Halakha}}

Summaries of the principles by which Torah can be interpreted date back to, at least, [[Hillel the Elder]], although the thirteen principles set forth in the [[Baraita of Rabbi Ishmael]] are perhaps the best known. These principles ranged from standard rules of logic (e.g., [[A fortiori argument|''a fortiori'' argument]] [known in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] as {{Lang|he|קל וחומר}}&nbsp;–&nbsp;{{Transliteration|he|kal v'chomer}}]) to more expansive ones, such as the rule that a passage could be interpreted by reference to another passage in which the same word appears ([[Talmudical Hermeneutics#Gezerah Shavah|Gezerah Shavah]]). The [[rabbi]]s did not ascribe equal persuasive power to the various principles.<ref>See, e.g., Rambam Hilkhot Talmud Torah 4:8</ref>

Traditional Jewish hermeneutics differed from the Greek method in that the rabbis considered the [[Tanakh]] (the Jewish Biblical canon) to be without error. Any apparent inconsistencies had to be understood by means of careful examination of a given text within the context of other texts. There were different levels of interpretation: some were used to arrive at the plain meaning of the text, some expounded the law given in the text, and others found [[Western esotericism|secret]] or [[Mysticism|mystical]] levels of understanding.

=== Vedic hermeneutics ===
{{Main|Mimamsa}}

Vedic hermeneutics involves the exegesis of the [[Vedas]], the earliest holy texts of [[Hinduism]]. The [[Mīmāṃsā|Mimamsa]] was the leading hermeneutic school and their primary purpose was understanding what [[Dharma]] (righteous living) involved by a detailed hermeneutic study of the Vedas. They also derived the rules for the various rituals that had to be performed precisely.

The foundational text is the [[Mimamsa Sutras|Mimamsa Sutra]] of [[Jaimini]] (c. 3rd to 1st century BCE) with a major commentary by [[Śabara]] (c. the 5th or 6th century CE). The Mimamsa sutra summed up the basic rules for Vedic interpretation.

=== Buddhist hermeneutics ===
{{Main|Buddhist hermeneutics}}

Buddhist hermeneutics deals with the interpretation of the vast [[Buddhist texts|Buddhist literature]], particularly those texts which are said to be spoken by the [[Buddha]] ([[Buddhavacana]]) and other enlightened beings. Buddhist hermeneutics is deeply tied to Buddhist spiritual practice and its ultimate aim is to extract [[Upaya|skillful means]] of reaching spiritual enlightenment or [[nirvana]]. A central question in Buddhist hermeneutics is which Buddhist teachings are explicit, representing ultimate truth, and which teachings are merely conventional or relative.

=== Biblical hermeneutics ===
{{Main|Biblical hermeneutics}}
Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation of the Bible. While Jewish and Christian biblical hermeneutics have some overlap, they have very different interpretive traditions.

The early [[Church Fathers|patristic]] traditions of biblical [[exegesis]] had few unifying characteristics in the beginning but tended toward unification in later schools of biblical hermeneutics.

[[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]] offers hermeneutics and [[homiletics]] in his ''[[De doctrina christiana]]''. He stresses the importance of humility in the study of Scripture. He also regards the duplex commandment of love in Matthew 22 as the heart of Christian faith. In Augustine's hermeneutics, signs have an important role. God can communicate with the believer through the signs of the Scriptures. Thus, humility, love, and the knowledge of signs are an essential hermeneutical presupposition for a sound interpretation of the Scriptures. Although Augustine endorses some teaching of the [[Platonism]] of his time, he recasts it according to a theocentric doctrine of the Bible. Similarly, in a practical discipline, he modifies the classical theory of oratory in a Christian way. He underscores the meaning of diligent study of the Bible and prayer as more than mere human knowledge and oratory skills. As a concluding remark, Augustine encourages the interpreter and preacher of the Bible to seek a good manner of life and, most of all, to love God and neighbor.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Woo | first=B. Hoon | title=Augustine's Hermeneutics and Homiletics in De doctrina christianae | journal= Journal of Christian Philosophy | year=2013 | volume=17 | url=https://www.academia.edu/5228314 |pages=97–117}}</ref>

There is traditionally a fourfold sense of biblical hermeneutics: literal, moral, allegorical (spiritual), and anagogical.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/hermeneutics-principles-of-biblical-interpretation|title=hermeneutics &#124; Definition & Facts|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|date=7 July 2023 }}</ref>

==== Literal ====
{{See also|Biblical literalism}}
Encyclopædia Britannica states that literal analysis means "a biblical text is to be deciphered according to the 'plain meaning' expressed by its linguistic construction and historical context." The intention of the authors is believed to correspond to the literal meaning. Literal hermeneutics is often associated with the verbal inspiration of the Bible.<ref name="Hermeneutics 2014">'Hermeneutics' 2014, Encyclopædia Britannica, Research Starters, EBSCOhost, viewed 17 March 2015</ref>

==== Moral ====
Moral interpretation searches for moral lessons which can be understood from writings within the Bible. Allegories are often placed in this category.<ref name="Hermeneutics 2014"/>

==== Allegorical ====
Allegorical interpretation states that biblical narratives have a second level of reference that is more than the people, events and things that are explicitly mentioned. One type of allegorical interpretation is known as [[typology (theology)|typological]], where the key figures, events, and establishments of the Old Testament are viewed as "types" (patterns). In the New Testament this can also include foreshadowing of people, objects, and events. According to this theory, readings like Noah's Ark could be understood by using the Ark as a "type" of the Christian church that God designed from the start.<ref name="Hermeneutics 2014"/>

==== Anagogical ====
This type of interpretation is more often known as mystical interpretation. It claims to explain the events of the Bible and how they relate to or predict what the future holds. This is evident in the [[Kabbalah|Jewish Kabbalah]], which attempts to reveal the mystical significance of the numerical values of [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] words and letters.

In Judaism, [[Anagoge|anagogical interpretation]] is also evident in the medieval [[Zohar]]. In Christianity, it can be seen in [[Mariology]].<ref name="Hermeneutics 2014"/>