Context
Bernard Ramm writes to “present that
system of hermeneutics which most generally characterizes conservative
Protestantism”. (pg. ix) His presentation in 1956 has provided far-reaching
effects among conservative Protestant scholarship. He truly serves as one standing in the gap
between what is practiced in most evangelical churches and the conservative
theological academy. Ramm described the
context of his writing as a “hermeneutical debate not less serious than that of
the Reformation”. (pg. vii) He wrote this book at the crossroads of the
influence of liberalism and neo-orthodoxy with the rise to popularity of
dispensationalism and its version of literalism. Theological arguments over the millennial
position certainly influenced this writing as well as the desire of many to
abandon sound principles of interpretation in teaching Christianity. The author is careful to distinguish the
hermeneutical differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism hence the
title, Protestant Biblical Interpretation. Even these distinguishing marks offered by
Ramm are presented in historical consideration and with proper Christian
charity. At the time of this writing
Ramm had not yet acquiesced to his later Barthian loyalties and this book presents
a firmly Protestant and conservative approach to biblical interpretation. He spoke strongly against the liberalism of
Fosdick and Harnack and even offered strong words of caution regarding
neo-orthodoxy as presented by Barth, Brunner, and Bultmann. This book contains solid answers to the
hermeneutical questions that arise in any reader of the Holy Scriptures as well
as the questions that occur in the academy.
Ramm addresses the historical developments of the most important
hermeneutical approaches, the various technical terms used in interpretation,
and the proper practice of sound hermeneutical principles.
Content
Ramm offers this definition of
hermeneutics, “the science and art of Biblical interpretation”. (pg. 1) He
describes it as science because “it is guided by rules within a system” and as
an art because “the application of the rules is by skill, and not by mechanical
imitation”. (pg. 1) His reasoning for the need of such a task is that God has
spoken through the scriptures and this is the “very heart of our faith”. (pg. 1)
Correct biblical interpretation is what prevents us from confusing the “voice
of God with the voice of man”. (pg. 2) Hermeneutics is necessary in knowing
what God has said in “Sacred Scripture; to determine the meaning of the Word of
God”. (pg. 2)
Ramm’s historical summation of
hermeneutical approaches is a book within a book. He lays out seven divisions by which one can
observe interpretive paths. He begins
with the schools of allegory from Jewish, Christian Patristics, and
Catholicism. He continues with the
schools of a literal approach from Jewish, Syrian, Victorine, Reformation, and
Post-Reformation perspectives. His third
class is devotional where he considers the Mystics, Pietists, and Modern
(contemporary not modernism) schools of thought. Ramm covers the characters and their marks in
his assessment of liberalism’s hermeneutical schemes and he does the same with
Neo-Orthodoxy. He describes the
Heilsgeschichtliche approach and completes his historical survey with Bultmann
and the New Hermeneutic. His final
comments of the chapter remind the reader that his purpose has not been to
refute each of these views but to summarize the history of hermeneutical
approaches. As for Ramm he stresses the
importance of the “conservative Protestant method of Biblical interpretation”
as the “only adequate one to unlock the meaning of Sacred Writ”. (pg. 92)
Ramm allocates his next three
chapters to the description and defense of “the
Protestant system of Hermeneutics.” (italics mine) This system proposes “the
divine inspiration of the Bible is the foundation of historic Protestant
hermeneutics and exegesis”. (pg. 93) His careful analysis of the features of
inspiration state the Bible is moral, supernatural, and revelational. These hermeneutical presuppositions remind
the interpreter that “the Bible is not an end; it is a means” and Ramm agrees
with Augustine that “the guide of interpretation is LOVE – love to God and love
to man”. (pg. 96) Ramm insists the “goal of all interpretation is spiritual results in the listeners”.
(pg. 96) Theological perspectives in the tradition of the Reformers, especially
Luther are presented and a discussion of philology (Chapter III) brings Ramm to
the importance of words in Chapter IV.
He describes words as “the bricks of our conceptual formulation”. (pg.
128) They may be studied etymologically, comparatively, culturally, cognately,
but they must be studied thoroughly to get the proper message of the biblical
text. A grammatical-historical approach
is certainly preferred by Ramm and he outlines the grammatical considerations
for interpretation. Proper context is to
be found within the entire Scripture and its second context is the Testament in
which it is found – Old or New. The
particular book in which the passage is found must be studied for understanding
and the materials immediately before and after should be earnestly consulted. The author describes biblical religion as
“revelational theism” (pg. 163) which builds proper Christian doctrine. He says, “Doctrine gives the Christian faith
its substance and form”. (pg. 164) The repudiation of this propositional and
doctrinal basis is the great failure of liberalism according to Ramm. The great shortcoming of neo-orthodoxy is its
desire to deny propositional revelation while attempting to embrace “revelation
as an inward encounter”. (pg. 165) Ramm points out the invalid nature of a
non-propositional revelation making such propositions as are necessary for
religious belief. The role of philosophy
is addressed with its importance in the hermeneutical process. He refers to the exegetical effort as
building a theological system “brick by brick” and the systematic theologian
the one who “builds the temple of his theological system”. (pg. 169) Ramm’s
assessment of these roles can be well summarized, “The exegetical theologian
and systematic theologian seek to determine the content of the divine
revelation. The philosophical theologian
is the watch-dog and detective”. (pg. 169)
Chapter VII expands Ramm’s views of
devotional use of the Bible and the continued importance of sound hermeneutical
principles in such efforts. He pointedly
states, “all such usages of the Bible must be based upon sound exegetical
principles”. (pg. 185) He doubles down on the importance of this, “Never should we handle a passage of
Scripture in such a way as to distort its original meaning simply because we
feel under pressure to find something devotional or spiritual…” (pg. 186). Application of Bible promises is important to
every Christian and Ramm outlines some principles to help with biblical
accuracy for such application. He says
one should note whether the promise is universal, personal, conditional, or for
our time. He says, “the will of God is
determined from the Bible only in terms of what it says in its first
grammatical sense, or what can be derived from it in terms of great spiritual
principles”. (pg. 195)
Chapter VIII digs deeper into the
issues of applying secular science in relation to hermeneutics and historical
beliefs regarding the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture. Ramm traces the historic beliefs of the
churches who have “accepted the inerrancy of all the historical and factual
matters of the Scriptures which pertain to matters of faith and morals”. (pg.
201) The churches have affirmed that which the Bible claims of itself as the
revelation of God. He does provide
caution in how one judges the inerrancy of Scripture. He says we “must judge them according to the
customs, rules, and standards of the times the various books were written, and
not in terms of some abstract or artificial notion of inerrancy”. (pg. 203)
Ramm warns against overly simplified views of inerrancy but fully affirms the
doctrine. He closes the chapter by
pointing out multiple reasons why secular scientific method cannot successfully
object to the inerrancy of the Bible.
An in depth look at typology is
presented in chapter IX. Ramm covers the
differences between typology and allegory and observes the various schools of
typological interpretation. He suggests
rules for understanding typology beginning with seeing how the New Testament
treats the subject. The specifics of the
“Old Testament Tabernacle and the Wilderness Wanderings are considered the two
major areas of typical materials”. (pg. 230) In locating the typical and the
accidental in a passage he cautions against seeking to be “novel, clever,
original, or shocking”. (pg. 231) Ramm
concludes his list of rules with a prohibition of proving doctrine from types
unless there is clear New Testament proof.
There is application in these interpretative principles of typology as
God will be the same God now as He was then.
A full treatment of prophecy is
offered in chapter X. Ramm states, “The
real issue in prophetic interpretation among evangelicals is this: can prophetic literature be interpreted by
the general method of grammatical exegesis, or is some special principle
necessary?” (pg. 244) He seeks to be fair-minded to both dispensationalists
and covenant theologians. Ramm’s
hermeneutic emphasizes the need to “interpret prophecy literally unless the
implicit or explicit teaching of the New Testament suggests typological
interpretation”. (pg. 266) He maintains “the centrality of Jesus Christ must be
kept in mind in all prophetic interpretation”. (pg. 267) A common thread from
the Patristics to the Reformers to today’s evangelicals is the importance of
this centrality. The author offers this
thought from Francis Roberts (17th century), “For as the sun gives
light to all the heavenly bodies, so Jesus Christ the sun of righteousness
gives light to all the Holy Scriptures”.
(pg. 268)
Protestant
Biblical Interpretation concludes with an instruction on the interpretation
of parables. Ramm offers an etymological
definition, “parable is a placing alongside of for the purpose of comparison”.
(pg. 276) He admits that the word is really not capable of simple definition
but usage of the word serves as a helpful way to illustrate the kingdom of
heaven. According to the author, Jesus
has two intentions with his parabolic teachings. First, “it is a method of teaching the
responsive disciple”. (pg. 277) Second, it was a way “to hide the truth from
the unresponsive and so aid in the hardening of the heart as they continually
rebelled against God”. (pg. 278) He offers some rules for interpretation and
summarizes with a reminder that “the kingdom in some sense has come; it is
continuing, and it will come…” (pg. 281)
Positive and Negative Criticism
This book is presented in an
incredibly helpful and systematic format.
The outlines throughout the book make it an invaluable resource for
further teaching of hermeneutics. There
are a few typographic errors in the outlining process in my particular edition
(1970) but this does not hinder the valuable usage of the book. The student will find the material easily
accessible for structured learning. The
teacher will find a rich resource with an outline that brings the material into
a teaching format with ease. It is no
wonder that this book has been a standard in introduction to biblical
interpretation for decades and its content has extended beyond even its bound
format.
The content of Ramm’s Protestant Biblical Interpretation has
stamped a ubiquitous footprint upon conservative evangelical scholarship. Ramm is right to present this work as a
thoroughly protestant and conservative hermeneutical approach. He sought to “present that system of
hermeneutics which most generally characterizes conservative Protestantism”.
(pg. ix) When one considers the amount of application that is actually
practiced in evangelical churches today Ramm’s summary statement may need to be
adjusted to read “present that system of hermeneutics which should most generally
characterize”. Ramm’s work has proved to
be of great importance as it has brought a more consistent and thoughtful
approach to the hermeneutical systems of many conservative protestant
churches. While the idea of hermeneutics
may still be an unknown idea to many Christians they are all practicing some
form of biblical interpretation nonetheless.
If they will consult Ramm’s book they will find an enriching resource
which will take them much deeper in understanding God’s revelation.
Although the definition of hermeneutics
offered by Ramm has become fairly standard among these discussions it may need
to be slightly revisited. It is
considered, “science and art” with science being the “guided rules within a
system”. (pg. 1) It is this scientific approach which could possibly be the
outworking of modernistic desires to satisfy man’s quest to justify how we know. Ramm sought to balance this by insisting
hermeneutics must also be art because “the application of the rules is by
skill, and not by mechanical imitation”. (pg. 1) The application of rules as
skill still lends itself to a mechanized approach. This epistemological basis seeks to employ a
system that wishes to justify what we know about God and this system is how we
can acquire such knowledge. Possibly a
few metaphysical presuppositions could be strongly emphasized in biblical
interpretation. Perhaps there is an
internal and underlying Protestant fear that cautions us against the more
metaphysical approach to the hermeneutics of Augustine, Aquinas, and the
Mystics. Ramm is helpful in reminding us
the importance of searching the Bible to know the meaning of the Word of God,
especially within his context of the influence of liberalism and
neo-orthodoxy.
Ramm’s summation of hermeneutical
approaches is help beyond measure. His
breaking down of the allegorical and literal schools of interpretation provides
a framework of understanding which delineates various approaches
thoroughly. While his history of
interpretation may not fit neatly into his exact groupings it is still a
valuable tool. There is a brilliant
integration of dependence upon theological methods in Ramm’s presentation. He describes exegetical theology as the
“bricks” of a theological system while the systematic theologian builds the
“temple” of the system and the philosophical theologian serves as the
“watch-dog and detective”. This is a
beautiful description of the checks and balances in the various roles offered
the churches by those with different theological strengths.
The quest of this book to build sound
doctrine on sound hermeneutical principles is admirable. At times it may seem that Ramm’s desire takes
him a bit far especially when he presents his method as the “only adequate one
to unlock the meaning of Sacred Writ”. (pg. 92) Certainly we should give more
credit to those outside this system of interpretation. Many of the Patristics were rich in doctrinal
fidelity with sometimes flawed hermeneutic approaches. Aquinas’ emphasis on natural theology would
not fit well into Ramm’s system but his contribution to the churches can be
measured only by God. The Mystics should
probably not serve as a pattern for normal exegetical methods but they arrived
at rich doctrinal truth and were somehow able to unlock the meaning of Sacred
Writ. I am not opposing the principles
employed by Ramm but I am saying more credence could be allowed to those of
differing systems of interpretation.
There is a warning to those who wish to
make biblical interpretation an academic exercise and the goal of their
study. Ramm reminds us the goal of
knowing the Bible is to know God. He
takes us back to Augustine’s helpful reminder that the way we understand the
Bible is through love and it should result in genuine love flowing from our
lives. The end of Christian doctrine is
not knowledge, it is charity. True
Christian knowledge will love God and love others. The thoughtful exegete will appreciate Ramm’s
emphasis on love and humility in one’s interpretative work. There will also be colossal payoff for the
one who heeds his insistence of utilizing the grammatical-historical
method. This book provides a fair
assessment of both liberal and neo-orthodox approaches to theology which is why
it is so mysterious that Ramm would later draw close to Barthian theology.
The assertion from church history that
the Bible is inerrant and infallible is courageously and thoughtfully presented
in this book. Ramm presents an orthodox
view of the Bible in the face of liberalism and neo-orthodoxy while challenging
conservatives to refuse artificial notions of inerrancy. His approach to understanding typology should
help all Bible students make sense of the literary device. This leads into a most helpful discussion of
prophecy. He acknowledges value in the
historic interpretations which read the Old Testament Christo-centrically. I especially appreciated Ramm’s call for all
interpreters to operate with humility and bring balance to issues such as
“spiritualizing” and “literalizing” the texts. (pg. 254) After listening to
many preachers refer to amillenialists as “allegorists” and “liberals” it is
nice to read Ramm’s warning of such abuses.
He states this is “simply not being accurate with or fair to the
amillenarians”. (pg. 257) Although I am personally a premillenialist this type
of caricature has always seemed quite unchristian to me. Bernard Ramm provides Christians with the
right stuff for sound biblical interpretation which will result in doctrinal
growth and Christian love. This is the
proper end of Protestant biblical interpretation.
Conclusion
Bernard Ramm successfully presented that
hermeneutical system which most accurately describes proper Protestant biblical
interpretation. This book helped
formulate a proper approach to hermeneutics among evangelicals and continues to
shape them over fifty years after its first publication. The entirety of this volume presents such a
well thought through manner of hermeneutic that its continued use is almost
guaranteed for years to come. Biblical
interpretation must begin in sound principles which provide discipline for
further study leading to even deeper and greater discovery of the nature of
God. The Bible is God’s Word and Ramm
lays out a system to achieve the basic need of hermeneutics. This book will help anyone “ascertain what
God has said in Sacred Scripture”. (pg. 2)
Application
A system of hermeneutics is crucial to
our theology. Although theologies can be
built with other techniques the wise person will employ many of the principles
in Ramm’s book. We need to believe
rightly about God. How do we do so? We need to understand God’s revelation of
Himself. What is that? The Bible claims to be exactly that. How do we understand the Bible? We need to have guiding principles to draw
out the message of the Scriptures. Many
of these principles are found in Protestant
Biblical Interpretation. We shall
always need the interpreter. We will need
the one who can help us to know the message of the text. This book will give the skills necessary to
help the interpreter in his service to the people of God. With all of this talk of systems and methods
Ramm brings us to the point of it all.
Christian charity is necessary.
The author closes by stating, “Hermeneutical victory at the expense of
Christian graciousness is hardly worth winning”. (pg. 289) May we know more of
God through His Word and may we do so with love.
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