From Method To The Awareness Of Methodology: Studying The Theological Theory Of Hermeneutics In 17^th Century

The understanding implies the expression of its essence and the transcendence of the activity. So we should start from the characteristics during the theoretical discussing. We meet the demand and trust our own ability, while we understand something. If we want to keep the understanding, and we should value the purpose and ability of ourselves. In spite of the kind of linguistic historical relics, understanding shows the characteristic of objectivity. If we want to affirm the existence of the activity, we need to esteem the objectivity of it. No matter from the subjective or objective view, understanding inherently requires persistence. To improve itself forever, we must seek for something transcendental infinity of the future.Augsburg Confession (Jun.25,1530) is the Lutheran Church’s most important confession of faith. It shown that, the tradition of the Catholic understanding is harmful for faith. The key to understanding is to realize that even the human is sinful and finite, we still need to be rightful with God by it. In this finite world, but we can get it right during the understanding of the help of the belief about the infinite truth. Even with the limited "human word", still we can rely on the sacred "God’s word" to meet the transcendental demand. We can sublate ourselves by seeking the eternity, and also drive the understanding go on and on.After the Reformation, the Council of Trent (1545-1563) put forward that the reciprocal support of the text and tradition is the foundation of accurate understanding of the Bible. The council proclaimed that the Canon is unshakeable. The tradition was adopted from Jesus himself to the Apostles, and then to us, is also unshakeable. They both are transcendental. So we can get redemption by them in the understanding. But the text of the Bible and Tradition either can deny they are artificial (man-made; von Menschen eingesetzt). The limitation will always restrict the growth of understanding, and also the process of getting the right.The ultimate aim of Galileo’s (Galileo Galilei,1564-1642) understanding is the Atonement. In his opinions, the misunderstanding of the Bible is caused by the way which it was written, and also the Vorurteil of the theologians. For correcting the misunderstanding, Galileo thought that we must get the scientific knowledge into the interpretation of the Bible. Even though the science is not faithful, but it shows the truth of the God. In the interpretation of the Bible, there is a tension between science and theology. It will be always been there, following, promoting the interpretation and the meaning, civilization.In the 16th century, the discussing of understanding the Bible made the theological method doubted. Because it cannot provide enough persuasiveness. In Montaigne’s (Michel Eyquem de Montaigne,1533-1592) mind, the ability of reason and sense is the cause of the doubt. They are just the arch-criminal of the chaos and heresies. He went back to feudalism, and showed that mistrust all our ability is the only way to understand rightly. But Descartes(Rene Descartes,1596-1650) took advantage of Montaigne’s skepticism, saw "cogito" as an undoubted start point. By this point, he gives the limited ability of reason to a transcendental value, rather than replace the finite for some infinite. By this rationalism, Dannhauer (Johann Conrad Dannhauer,1603-1666) advanced an idea of drawing up a general hermeneutics. In this assumption, the goal is reasonable knowledge but not the redemption truths.Spinoza (Baruch de Spinoza,1632-1677) gathered the predecessors’ ideas. He criticized all the theological theory of interpretation. He liberated the ability of reason and of sense from the divine authority. And free the text of the Bible from the sacred Tradition. He thought that only the human’s limited ability is the real basis of the true knowledge. The theological method of understanding has been becoming the methodology. It was based on the general reason and scientific technology, as Dannhauer had been demanded. As so, the modern methodology of hermeneutics was awaking. Spinoza broke the authority of the Church, and got space for the philosophical thinking. Then, the understanding method of salvation was gone, and there came the modern hermeneutics.The true hermeneutics should imply the expression of its essence and the transcendence of the activity. This means that understanding always happens this-worldly. It must depend on the "finite". The knowledge will offer confidence for the continuity of understanding. But this does not mean that the "infinite", which suspended by the modern hermeneutics is nothing. But, the assumption of "the other shore" would provide hope for human’s future. It looks the worldly suffer as the object which could be transcended and sublimated. The infinite cannot unfold by the finite. There is an unbridgeable gaps existed between them. Even so, the value of understanding is just to bridge them, and with the help of "better understanding" to drive people to advance in this limited world.