Hermeneutics pertains to the interpretation of a Biblical text. It is both a science and an art. It is a science because there are rules for interpretation. It is an art because communication is flexible and sometimes rules applied mechanically will distort the meaning. The Bible contains many categories of literature and each text should be understood as the author intended it. Deriving meaning out of the text (exegesis) should be the main goal of everyone reading the Bible rather than supplying meaning into the text (eisegesis).

Attacks on God’s word started in the garden of Eden and have continued to our own day. Scripture has been distorted to say things that the original authors never intended. It is imperative to make sure we are rightly interpreting the text and taking great care to bridge the historical, linguistic, cultural, and philosophical barriers between the authors’ times and our present day.