Lesson 9 | Vocab
Hebrew Is Not Enough
Theologian Kevin Vanhoozer wrote about the critical virtues needed to interpret the Bible rightly in a lengthy article for Desiring God. He identifies the twin virtues of "boldness and humility" in detail, for we must be both bold in asserting, "thus saith the Lord," and humble in acknowledging where the Bible is unclear, and when we have erred. But, he continues,
”Other interpretive virtues… are important too: attentiveness, patience, honesty, charity, fairness, and above all, wisdom, the virtue that helps you to discern when a situation calls for boldness and when it requires humility — when to stand fast, when to admit defeat, and when to compromise.”
—Kevin Vanhoozer, “Even Heretics Knew Hebrew.”
Notice that he didn’t mention Hebrew or Greek! While “[i]t is good to teach students how to read the Bible in the original languages and to attend to grammar and historical context,” of course, “it is one thing to acquire knowledge and learn skills, quite another to acquire virtue and learn Christ. This is less a slam on the grammatical-historical method than a reminder: a tool is only as effective as the person wielding it.”¹
How should this reality impact your life?
“When it comes to [interpretation], the who (the kind of person you are) is as important or even more important than the what (the particular method you use).”
—Ibid.
Learning Hebrew is not enough! May the Lord help you cultivate both boldness and humility, diligence in study, charity toward those who disagree—in short, the fruit of the Spirit! Then your hard work of interpretation will flower in glorification to God and joyful growth in his Church.
