Understanding and preunderstanding in theological hermeneutics

Abstract

The article provides a comparative analysis for the interpretation of theological hermeneutics in the works of Karl Barth and Rudolf Bultmann. The author considers the specifics in their understanding of the purpose and tasks of theological hermeneutics, its relationship with philosophical hermeneutics, the issues of preunderstanding and the hermeneutic circle. Barth’s hermeneutics is part of dogmatics; the hermeneutic question is the question of how we can adequately speak of God’s revelation in history. God must never become the object of our interpretations, but must always remain the subject who interprets us. Barth’s hermeneutics is characterized by a preliminary comprehension of the theological meaning of the Bible, which for him is the “otherness” of God. Bultmann sought to develop an adequate description of the human situation in which biblical texts are able to speak to us, tried to clarify preunderstanding, the formal conditions for the process of biblical interpretation. Since all human knowledge of God is interpreted knowledge, the theologian who reflects on that process of interpretation needs to reflect on the conceptual framework in which he is interpreting. For Bultmann, unlike Barthes, an open discussion in the presuppositions of any approach to texts should not be seen as determination of our understanding of those texts.