Exegetical Approaches and Methods in the Mirror of Sociology of Culture

Gap between the time in which received and compiled the holy words on the one side and the spatio-temporal conditions man faces in his historical development on the other is among the important issues that make the interpretation and comparative studies on the sacred scriptures with each other and those conditions inevitable. Laying stress on Christianity, this article shows that to bridge that gap is a task as complicated as sacred texts themselves. Study on the background of sacred texts and on their compilation is a matter of importance to those who are interested in knowing their meaning. In order to attain a correct understanding and clear explanation of the meaning and purpose of the sacred texts, one needs to study their cultural context in addition to evaluating their material compounds and history; such a background and context that the compiler or transferor of the text is present in it. The only exception to this rule is where one is not after realizing the clear meanings of the phrases and sentences; instead he looks for their paraphrastical and mystical meanings; for an allegorical interpretation does not need a study in the cultural context. With a descriptive-analytical approach, this article collects theoretical findings. The study shows that the impact of culture on the approaches as well as on methods of interpretation of the sacred texts is so important – albeit different - that it has resulted in the creation of three methodologies in the three periods of tradition, modernity and post-modernity.