Indian Interpretation with reference to the method in interpreting the scripture

Indian Interpretation with reference to the method in interpreting the scripture

Introduction

                        Indian Interpretation has its own stance where it reflects esprcially on Casteism and some other specific crisis. When interpreting the Scripture in the Indian context we must comprehend the context of India prior to interpretation. Thus, the interpretation in Indian context will be more effective and makes sense in interpretation. Sometimes, while bringing the Scripture into Indian context, it may becomplex in nature but there are unique fetures which naturally fits in Indian Interpretaion. Indian context is pluralistic by its culture, religion, ideologies etc. Not like the other interpretations that prevail around the world, Indian interpretation of the bible has unique significance because of its pluralistic in nature. After the influence of Post-Modernism and influence of Liberation Theology Indian interpretation seeks to get interpretation from the marginalized people.

Ancient  Interpretation of the Bible in India

            Brahmanic caste plays an important and dominant role in the society in India. The status of the Brahmins obstructed the concept of equality among the people. Thus the early Indian Interpretation of the Bible was obscure to know through the concept of equality. When the protestant missionaries came here and when they spread the gospel biblical interpretation was mainly based on the ideologies of the dominant caste Christians as such that missionaries proclaim the Exodus motif of liberation but they failed to preach equality concept of gospels.

Krishna Mohan Banerjea draws parallels between the biblical and Vedic concepts of his comparison in the Vedic sacrice of prajapati (‘Lord of Creatures’) with death of Christ. Nehemiah Goreh he considered the Bible as divinely inspired and reliable in all its parts.For Goreh ,the bible occupies  the status of Veda ,according  to Robin Boyd,  Goreh used much of European interpretation

Missionaries

Robert de Nobilli

He is the first and foremost missionary to take effort to convert high caste Hindus who are called as Brahmins into Christianity. He lived as sanyasi. He studied both Vedas and Vedanta and so to use Indian philosophy and philosophical language as a vehicle for conveying Christian theological truth but he had a negative thought towards Hinduism. He wanted to make Christian religion as an universal religion.

 Bartholomeus Zigenbalg

            He is very conservative he considered Hinduism to be only idolatry and nothing it has. He considered the Hindus as they spiritually blind. After studying Hindu scriptures he changed himself.

Vedic and Philosophical understanding of the scripture:

Some people who don’t want to convert into Christianity but like Christianity wanted to make some contribution to the society by combining Hindu philosophy and Vedic philosophy some people wanted interpret the scripture in the light of Hindu philosophy. Ram Mohan Roy(1772-1833)  was very much inspired by the western rationalism and Unitarian Christianity. His book the precepts of Jesus, is an appeal to a person for accepting the teachings of Jesus for him.

Swami Vivekanandha (1862-1902) and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan made their response to Jesus Christ in their reaffirmation of Advaita or nnon dualistic Vedanta. Keshab Chandra Sen (1838-1884) form of Brahmo Samaj is jiust a resemblance of church. He interpreted Trinitarian concept in a Indian concept of Brahman as Sachidananda .

Uniqueness of    Biblical  interpretation in India apart from western ways of interpretation in the post—modern world

                        According  to George M. Soares-Prabhu,S.J. Indian approach to interpret would differ from the westerners ideas of interpreting bible by the means of historical criticism. For him the biblical texts contain ‘surplus of meanings’ (i.e.) text has to be actualized by its readers, as everyone would his/her perspectives for understanding. Because for him there is no single interpretation of the text because India has been divide by language, culture, and also contextual issues.

Dalit interpretation of bible

                        According to the Vedas Dalits  are lower class and also made as ‘untouchables’. It is supported by the Hindu karma ,according to this karma the present situation may be good or bad based on your past actions. So when Dalit people were converted into Christianity they were also clinched by this ideology. Now modern Indian liberation scholars are in the mode constructing the theology and hermeneutics based on the perspectives of people whom the people are oppressed by someone else. So liberation theologians move towards contextual theologies especially for the Dalits they seek the biblical text which supports the argument Of God’s solidarity with the oppressed.George Koontham in the book” voices from the margin” edited by R.S.Sugirtharaj, contributed the biblical hermeneutics which based on the reflections made from Isaiah 3:12-15, in the text Koontham related the text with the context of Dalits in India, he says that this text as empowerment for the Dallits as it seeks to portray God as God who is solidarity with the poor who are oppressed as they were being poor.Caste system is a great injustice structure of Indian society. There is a popular belif that the Aryans brought with them their sacred writings called the Vedas.

Dalit Women Hermeneutics

            Kodasingu Jesurathnam says that Dalit hermeneutics should adopt the methodology that to remove patriarchal hermeneutics and to limits the scriptures of other faith which are degrading values of women.As the Dalits are made to be oppressed and untouchables Dalit women also have to undergone to pain more than a Dalit man as she is born as a woman she have to undergone many struggles in her life. Dalit Christian also faces problem of discrimination in church, society, and in home also.

The men centred theology and its patriarchal structures continue to subjugate Dalit woman, as context is very much oppress them, Dalit women reading were emerged in order to create theology to them. Stella Faria in the book  Feminist Hermeneutics edited by Larinawami Ralte and Evangeline Anderson-Rajkumar says that text should be refreshed and it should be restored to its God’s original inclusive message which would bring men and women in wholeness.

Tribal Hermeneutics

            The interactions, interrelations, confrontations, conflict realities are with them. It needed to resolve the problem in a biblical frame work which led to emergence of Tribal hermeneutics in India. Nirmal Minz in the book Readings in Indian Christian theology tribe is a homogeneous community occupying the particular land, with the language of their own. As for as Tribes are to be considered, land is an integral part of their life Some forces are trying to distort the idea of identity.These forces are called them as tribal and they were made to dwell in the forest areas. These forces tend to make some serious consequences in politics and in nature also. There are three paradigm of bible to provide contextual reinterpretation of tribal reality in the lives of  tribal’s.

Ø  Noahic covenant

Ø  Abrahamic covenant

Ø  Mosaic Covenant

Noahic covenant

            Noahic covenant described in (Gen.9: 8-19) is very suitable for them as it they believe that land and forest are given by God. No human beings has earned them or made them for him. Tribals have frequent relationship with land and the forest. Tribal humanity rested in harmonious or balanced relationship of man-nature and spirit. It is therefore, the primacy of spirit (God) over man and nature which sets things in proper harmony and balance. Any disruption of this balance meant dehumanization of man and unhealthy pollution of environment around man.

Mosaic Covenant

            Hear in (Exo.19 :1-24) says that the people who are in Chottanagpur are oppressed by the people of their home land ,for them it is an empowerment text for them that God would liberate them from the oppression.

Abrahamic covenant

            The covenant that God was made with Abraham in (Gen.12:1-4) which could be contextualised that it tends to relate Tribals with each other. As Abraham is a migrant to Israel nation such that it tend to make tribe to revisit their history and identity from the Indus valley civilization from their present land.

Conclusion

            The hermeneutics of India plays a diverse in nature where caste system prevails here alone in full force. Thus hermeneutics  When we look back into past Indian history, and the present day context and we can see how the interpretation has been taken in the Indian context. Hermeneutics is the best tool to be  liberalize the people and make people to create theology which we would be relevant to them.

Bibliography

King,Urusula.Feminist Theology from the Third world.A reader.London: ORBIS/SPCK,1996.

Boyd,Robin. An Introduction to Indian Christian Theology.Delhi:ISPCK,1969.

Sugirtharajah,R.S and Cecil Hargreaves.Readings in Indian Christian theology.vol1.Delhi:ISPCK,1993.

Jesurathnam,Kondasingu.Dalit liberative hermeneutics.Indian Christian Dalit interpretation of psalm 22.Delhi:ISPCK,2010.

Ralte, Lalrinawami and Evamgeline Anderson-Rajkumar,eds.,.Feminist Hermeneutics. Delhi :ISPCK,2002.

Sugirthrajah,R.S.Voices from the margin.Interpreting the Bible in the Thirld world.London:ORBIS/SPCK,1991.

George Soares Prabhu,”Interpreting the bible in India Today” .http://www.theway.org.uk/Back/s072Soares-Prabhu.pdf(27 JUL 2013).