The Problem with Interpretation

Today in my Birth of Christianity class, we were discussing who had "ownership" of the scripture in the ancient Hebrew Bible - the Jews or the Christians? Touchy subject, to be sure. Debate grew in the classroom. Some admitted that they were the Jewish people's writings first, and so must be theirs. Others suggested that they became the Christians' as the Christians used and reinterpreted them. I, now known as the class heretic, offered something outside of the box.

The way I see it, they were both the Jewish people's scriptures and the Christians, and at the same time, neither of theirs. Each group laid claim to them (and later, Muslims), and so they each have ownership to their own interpretations, but the only one who knows the actual meaning of the scriptures would be the author - or authors. My professor assumed that I was making a religious argument, that I was looking at this from a theological perspective. I would suggest that he was, not I.

image found on Thumb Press

What I meant is that only the one who writes something, the author, actually knows what meaning s/he intended. My professor assumed I was referring to "God" as the author; rather I was trying to be completely objective, so I was including God (possibly) and the actual human instruments (if indeed they were instruments
). I was trying to look at this problem academically, including all possibilities. For example, whoever wrote the Book of Job had a reason for writing it down. Because we do not have an explicit explanation from the author as to why s/he wrote it down and what it meant, we are left to conjecture and interpretation, which is done with our own personal understandings (bias). The same goes for every other piece of Scripture.

I'll give an example as to how the interpretation that we find may have nothing to do with the meaning of the writing that the author intended. I submit a poem of my own:

The Vanishing

It creeps in

at night

during your sleeping rest.

It strolls

through the corridors

in and out

of rooms.

The paths it takes

are none

to be seen.

It caresses your

thoughts

as shadows disappear.

It steals your

valuable

possessions of time.

It has no

regret

of all damage it causes,

and no

punishment

can it be given,

since its

silence

is that of no virtue,

no seizure,

no hope.

I know what I wrote about. I know the meaning I intended. My challenge to you is to come up with what you believe it is about - your interpretation - and write it below in the comments. I have a link that I will post in response to your comment that will reveal my intended meaning. The challenge is to see if your interpretation is right or wrong when compared to my intended meaning.The goal I seek is whether or not I am right or wrong in my thinking about this. 


I look forward to your comments and interpretations!