Hermeneutics is a discipline focused on the interpretation of texts.
The first thing to do before analyzing in depth the meaning of the concept of hermeneutics is to determine its etymological origin, because in this way we will understand the reason for this meaning. In this sense, we can say that it comes from the Greek hermeneutikos , which in turn is made up of the union of three "particles."
Thus, it is the result of the sum of the word hermeneuo , which can be translated as “I decipher,” the word tekhné , which means “art,” and the suffix -tikos, which is synonymous with “related to.” Hence, it can literally be said that this term that concerns us is the art of explaining texts or writings, artistic works.
In the same way, we cannot ignore that hermeneutics is related to the Greek god Hermes , who was in charge of carrying secret messages to their recipients on Olympus and once with them, he was the one who had to decipher them.
What is hermeneutics
Hermeneutics is defined as the art based on the interpretation of texts , especially those works that are considered sacred . From the perspective of the philosophy defended by Hans-Georg Gadamer , this concept describes the so-called theory of truth and constitutes the procedure that allows the universalization of the interpretative capacity to be expressed from personal and specific historicity.
In this way, it is possible to classify hermeneutics in various ways. For example, there is the philological type (a variant that originated in Alexandria in order to determine the authentic character of ancient writings); biblical hermeneutics (which emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries with the purpose of achieving an adequate, objective and understandable interpretation of the Bible ); and philosophical hermeneutics (a modality that does not depend on linguistics and seeks to establish the relevant conditions for all interpretation).
In the specific case of the branch of hermeneutics responsible for carrying out the interpretation of sacred texts that belong either to the Bible or to other works of a religious nature that belong to various cultures, it is necessary to emphasize that it is also known by the name of exegetics.
The origins of hermeneutics are associated with the study of the Bible.
Its origin
The origin of hermeneutical studies is found in Christian theology , a framework in which two different interpretations of the Bible are distinguished: one literal and the other of a spiritual nature, which in turn is divided into anagogical, allegorical and moral analysis.
The literal message of the Holy Scriptures is that which emerges from the writing itself and is captured by philological exegesis, which is developed according to the norms of correct interpretation.
The spiritual value , on the other hand, is that generated by God in the human being , by proposing a religious content that allows the signs to be complemented. Within this framework, it is possible to distinguish between the allegorical sense (so that people of faith can achieve interpretive depth when reading the events. To cite a concrete example: the crossing of the Red Sea is a symbol of Christ's victory and baptism), the moral sense (the episodes mentioned in the Bible can serve as a model and impetus for just action) and the anagogical or mystical sense (that which aims to demonstrate that the saints have the capacity to observe realities and facts that last into eternity).
Among the most important authors in the field of hermeneutics who have advocated it and developed it in its different facets are figures of the stature of Friedrich Schleiermacher, the German scholar Wilhelm Dilthey, Martin Heidegger and Paul Ricoeur.