The Promise of Hermeneutics

Book excerpt: This work presents an engaging interdisciplinary study of the nature and scope of interpretation, one of the most important areas of inquiry in today's postmodern world. The three authors, all acknowledged experts in the field, bring the resources of the Bible, Christian tradition, and intellectual history to bear upon contemporary hermeneutical disputes. Representing a complete revision of The Responsibility of Hermeneutics (1985), this substantially expanded volume has been brought up to date with recent work in hermeneutics and sets forth an important new perspective that shifts the interpretive focus from the past to the promise of the future. Making use of the best insights from current theories about language, interpretation, and the nature of the self, The Promise of Hermeneutics demonstrates how an encounter with contemporary interpretive theory can deepen the church's own hermeneutical practices. The authors also show how the Christian faith can help move us beyond the many impasses created by postmodern thought.