Eisegesis () is the process of interpreting text in such a way as to introduce one's own presuppositions, agendas or biases. It is commonly referred to as ''reading into'' the text. It is often done to "prove" a pre-held point of concern, and to provide

confirmation bias Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values. People display this bias when they select information that supports their views, ignoring ...

corresponding with the pre-held interpretation and any agendas supported by it. Eisegesis is best understood when contrasted with ''

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (logic), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern usage, ...

''. Exegesis is drawing out a text's meaning in accordance with the author's context and discoverable meaning. ''Eisegesis'' is when a reader imposes their interpretation of the text. Thus exegesis tends to be objective; and eisegesis, highly subjective. The plural of eisegesis is ''eisegeses'' (). Someone who practices eisegesis is known as an ''eisegete'' (); this is also the verb form. "Eisegete" is often used in a mildly derogatory way. Although the terms ''eisegesis'' and ''

'' are commonly heard in association with Biblical interpretation, both (especially exegesis) are broadly used across literary disciplines.

In Biblical study

While

is an attempt to determine the historical context within which a particular verse exists—the so-called "

Sitz im Leben In Biblical criticism, () is a German phrase roughly translating to "setting in life". It stands for the context in which a text, or object, has been created, and its function and purpose at that time. The is also used to refer to the social, eth ...

" or life setting—eisegetes often neglect this aspect of Biblical study. In the field of

Biblical exegesis Biblical criticism is the use of critical analysis to understand and explain the Bible. During the eighteenth century, when it began as ''historical-biblical criticism,'' it was based on two distinguishing characteristics: (1) the concern to ...

, scholars take great care to avoid eisegesis. In this field, eisegesis is regarded as "poor exegesis". In the field of ''biblical

proof texts A proof text is a passage of scripture presented as proof for a theological doctrine, belief, or principle. Prooftexting (sometimes "proof-texting" or "proof texting") is the practice of using quotations from a document, either for the purpose of ...

'', Christian theologians and missionaries are often accused of practicing eisegesis using isolated, out-of-context quotations from the Christian Bible to establish a proposition or to read Christ into the Hebrew Bible. While some denominations and scholars denounce Biblical eisegesis, many Christians are known to employ it—albeit inadvertently—as part of their own experiential

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. Modern

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

scholars accuse

liberal Protestant Liberal Christianity, also known as Liberal Theology and historically as Christian Modernism (see Catholic modernism and Fundamentalist–Modernist controversy), is a movement that interprets Christian teaching by taking into consideration ...

s of practicing Biblical eisegesis, while mainline scholars accuse

fundamentalists Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...

of practicing eisegesis.

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and

Orthodox Christians Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...

say that all

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

engage in eisegesis, because the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

can be correctly understood only through the lens of

Holy Tradition Sacred tradition is a theological term used in Christian theology. According to the theology of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Assyrian churches, sacred tradition is the foundation of the doctrinal and spiritual authority o ...

as handed down by the institutional Church; this is articulated in the ''

Dei verbum ''Dei verbum'', the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 18 November 1965, following approval by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,344 to 6. It is one of the principal documen ...

''. Protestants and fundamentalist Christians likewise often accuse Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians of eisegesis for viewing Scripture through Holy Tradition, and may accuse Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians of fabricating or distorting tradition to support their view, which they see as opposed to the doctrine of

Sola scriptura , meaning by scripture alone, is a Christian theological doctrine held by most Protestant Christian denominations, in particular the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of Protestantism, that posits the Bible as the sole infallible source of au ...

where the text is believed to be able to speak for itself without Holy Tradition. Jews, in turn, might assert that Christians practice eisegesis when they read the Old Testament as anticipating Jesus of Nazareth.Roth, M
"Isaiah 53: The Suffering Servant—Cutting Through the Distortions and Mistranslations of this Enigmatic Text"
Aish, May 21, 2011. Exactly what constitutes Biblical eisegesis remains a source of debate among theologians, but most scholars agree about the importance of determining the authorial intentions. Determining the author's intent can often be difficult, especially for books which were written anonymously.

In Bible translation

In conducting Bible translation, translators have to make many exegetical decisions. Sometimes the decisions made by translators are criticized by those who disagree, and who characterize the work of the translators as involving "eisegesis". Some translators make their doctrinal distinctives clear in a preface, such as Stephen Reynolds in his

Purified Translation of the Bible ''The Holy Bible: A Purified Translation'' is an edition of the New Testament which was published in 2000. A year earlier, 40,000 copies of the Gospel of John from this translation had been mailed to Southern Baptist pastors. It was translated b ...

, where he explained his belief that Christians should never drink alcohol, and translated accordingly. Such translators may be accused by some of eisegesis, but they have made their positions clear.

References

External links

* {{Wiktionary-inline, eisegesis Biblical exegesis Hermeneutics

In Biblical study

In Bible translation

See also

References

Further reading

External links