Give a definition of hermeneutics and then offer a discussion of the importance of one of the following components in interpretation--the role

of the author of the text, the role of the original readers of the text, or the role of the interpreter. What kind of impact does this particular participant provide on an attempt to discover the meaning of a text? How important is this component? Klein defines hermeneutics as, the task of explaining the meaning of the Scriptures. The word derives from the Greek verb hermeneuein that means to explain, interpret or to translate , while the noun hermeneia means, interpretation or translation. (Klein, 4) the role of the interpreter and hermeneutics is to give attention to the ancient text and the conditions that produced, while at the same time not ignoring the modern context and circumstances of those who attempt to both explain and understand the Scripture today. The interpreter must guard against any presuppositions that may color the text and render it an improper interpretation while one cannot interpret the Scriptures without at least a preunderstanding of the subject, one must also guard against this pre-understanding so as not to render the interpretation uses. The interpreter must be knowledgeable about the conditions by the original writers in order to properly put into context the meanings of the Scriptures, yet the interpreter must also be able to convert this ancient context into the modern context of the reader. This is of course very difficult since literally thousands of years have passed since the Scriptures were first penned. Therefore I believe that the role of the interpreter is perhaps the most important component of hermeneutics.

Four challenges for Bible interpretation are listed in your text--the distance of time, cultural distance, geographical distance, and distance of language. Offer an argument for which challenge is the easiest to overcome and which is the most difficult. Be sure to define the challenge and to identify clearly the problems inherent in it. Perhaps the most difficult challenge, in my opinion, is the distance of culture. The reason being is that culture often colors the way we perceive and act, incident, or custom. Many atheist, agnostic, and layman will hold much of the Old Testament Scripture as being barbaric. They look at the laws and find them to be unconscionable. The stoning of daughters who do not obey the orders of their fathers, God striking dead people for not following his laws when entering the tabernacle presenting offers, the orders of the Lord to completely destroy an entire people groups such as the Canaanites; all of these are cultural distances from our current Western culture. We even see this in the world today where nations in Africa, the Middle East, and even China place a lower value on human life than we do here in America. To us they seem to be barbaric, we referred to them as being lax on human rights and this is based upon our culture, while in their countries is just a matter of life. That is why believe that distance of culture is perhaps the greatest challenge in interpreting the Bible. The easiest challenge to overcome in my opinion is that of the distance of geography. Most of us have grown up learning about the lands of Israel and the surrounding areas of the Middle East and Mediterranean, and therefore they don't seem so distant or mysterious to us. As our culture becomes consistently more globalized, the world becomes a smaller place and geography seems much less

mysterious. It is for this reason that I list the challenge of geographical distance is the easiest challenge to overcome and biblical interpretation.