The Holy Bible is without doubt the most read book in history. There are also probably more ways of reading and interpreting it than any other book on this planet. Apart from the non-Christian approaches to the Bible, Christian theologians and biblical students came up with many approaches to the scriptures under what is known as biblical hermeneutics. Biblical hermeneutics can roughly be defined as the systematic study of the different principles used in interpreting the Bible. Many different approaches to biblical interpretation surfaced. Some approaches that are currently popular are - rhetorical criticism, narrative criticism, redaction criticism, discourse analysis, postmodern hermeneutics, and deconstructionist interpretation, just to name a few. And I do believe that biblical hermeneutics is very important for obtaining a systematic understanding of the Bible, whether one is a student of theology or just a lay person. The proper understanding of the Bible is essential for any Christian and it was also my favorite subject during my days at the seminary. But I have also recently found a different way of reading the Holy Scriptures which I now will be sharing with you.
When I was young, there were times when my parents and I lived in different countries. It was during those days that I much longed for correspondence from my Mom and Dad. During those days, the email was still not even dreamt of so it was for the postman that I always had waited for. And just the sight of seeing him making a stop in front of our house got my heart racing up. I also remember well my youthful days when I waited for my valentines, my birthday cards, and Christmas cards from people I loved. The joy of receiving them is something hard to put down in words. And as I receive tremendous joy and comfort every time I read the Bible, I consider it a love letter sent to me by God.
And that's my other way of approaching the Bible. I read it as reading a love letter from God. And this is not simply just another approach to Bible reading. When one reads a love letter, it is no longer read with the critical mind of a theological student but with a loving heart of a lover. And if you think about it, it is a love letter from God. Let us take a closer look. We know that God loves us. We also know that the Bible is His Word. It was delivered to us through the Prophets, the Apostles, and finally through the translators. And, here it is. We all know that the Bible should be read with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But we can also read it with a certain attitude. Quoting the German poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, something that was written in love can be touched and read only with love. I firmly believe that we need to love the Lover who sent this letter to understand it.
