Difference between revisions of "Sensus plenior"
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| − | As you can see from the | + | As you can see from the chart, Matthew quoted the version of Isaiah's prophecy given in the Septuagint. In the case of Genesis 22:17, ESV's "gate of his enemies" is a literal translation. The grammar is smoothed over both by NSRV (for Hebrew) and by Brenton (for Greek).<ref>[https://bible.org/article/plain-senses-scripture-questioning-interpretive-singularity-galatians-3-and-romans-4 The Plain Sense(s) of Scripture: Questioning interpretive singularity in Galatians 3 and Romans 4].</ref> |
The human author of Psalms intended "O God" as a deification of the king. Paul interprets it as a reference to Jesus. RSV translated this passage as, "Your divine throne endures for ever and ever."<ref>{{bibleverse||Psalm|45:6|ESV}}</ref> This applies a modern Jewish perspective in which no human is deified. Both NRSV and ESV restore the traditional Christian translation. | The human author of Psalms intended "O God" as a deification of the king. Paul interprets it as a reference to Jesus. RSV translated this passage as, "Your divine throne endures for ever and ever."<ref>{{bibleverse||Psalm|45:6|ESV}}</ref> This applies a modern Jewish perspective in which no human is deified. Both NRSV and ESV restore the traditional Christian translation. | ||
Revision as of 03:58, January 17, 2014
A sensus plenior, or "fuller sense," is an interpretation received from God. The divine interpretation of a passage may be different than the one intended by its human author.[1] The term was introduced by Catholic theologian Andrea Fernández in 1925 and was popularized by Raymond Brown in the 1950s.[2]
The authors of the New Testament interpreted various Old Testament passages as messianic prophesies. Peter justifies these interpretations as follows: “No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation."[3] Yet this type of reinterpretation has been questioned by Modernist translators and commentators.
Translations may be classified as either conservative or liberal depending on how they present these passages. The King James Version (1611), the New International Version (1978) and the English Standard Version (2001) use sensus plenior. The Revised Standard Version (1952) and the New Revised Standard Version (1989) ignored New Testament interpretations and translated Hebrew text from a Jewish perspective.
NRSV is the Bible translation preferred in secular and academic study, but it is rarely used by Christians. In the chart below, it gives the intentional sense of the Hebrew passage. ESV is also a revision of RSV, but it is intended for use by Evangelicals. Its translations follow traditional Christian understanding. The authors of the New Testament were generally more familiar with the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament, than with the Hebrew original.
| New Revised Standard Version | Septuagint (Brenton) | English Standard Version | English Standard Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 7:14 | Matthew 1:22-23 | ||
| Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.[4] | Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel.[5] | Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.[6] | 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel' (which means, God with us).[7] |
| Genesis 22:17 | Galatians 3:16 | ||
| I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies,[8] | surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is by the shore of the sea, and thy seed shall inherit the cities of their enemies.[9] | I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,[10] | Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.[11] |
| Psalm 2:12 | |||
| Kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who take refuge in him.[12] | Accept correction, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and ye should perish from the righteous way: whensoever his wrath shall be suddenly kindled, blessed are all they that trust in him.[13] | Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.[14] | Not in the New Testament |
| Psalm 45:6 | Hebrews 1:8-9 | ||
| Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;[15] | Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a sceptre of righteousness.[16] | Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;[17] | But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”[18] |
As you can see from the chart, Matthew quoted the version of Isaiah's prophecy given in the Septuagint. In the case of Genesis 22:17, ESV's "gate of his enemies" is a literal translation. The grammar is smoothed over both by NSRV (for Hebrew) and by Brenton (for Greek).[19]
The human author of Psalms intended "O God" as a deification of the king. Paul interprets it as a reference to Jesus. RSV translated this passage as, "Your divine throne endures for ever and ever."[20] This applies a modern Jewish perspective in which no human is deified. Both NRSV and ESV restore the traditional Christian translation.
References
- ↑ Brown, Raymond E., The Sensus Plenior of Sacred Scripture (Baltimore: St. Mary's University, 1955), p 92. “The sensus plenior is that additional, deeper meaning, intended by God but not clearly intended by the human author, which is seen to exist in the words of a biblical text (or group of texts, or even a whole book) when they are studied in the light of further revelation or development in the understanding of revelation."
- ↑ Longenecker, Richard, Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period, xxxii. 1999.
- ↑ 2 Peter 1:20
- ↑ Isaiah 7:14
- ↑ Septuagint Esaias 7:14
- ↑ Isaiah 7:14
- ↑ Matthew 1:22-23
- ↑ Genesis 22:17
- ↑ Septuagint Genesis 22:17
- ↑ Genesis 22:17
- ↑ Galatians 3:16
- ↑ Psalm 2:12
- ↑ Septuagint Psalm 2:12
- ↑ Psalm 2:12
- ↑ Psalm 45:6
- ↑ Septuagint Psalm 45:6
- ↑ Psalm 45:6
- ↑ Hebrews 1:8-9
- ↑ The Plain Sense(s) of Scripture: Questioning interpretive singularity in Galatians 3 and Romans 4.
- ↑ Psalm 45:6