센수스 플레니오르(Sensus Plenior)에 관한 신학적 검토

Abstract

Often it has been argued that there exists in the Biblical texts Sensus Plenior, a fuller meaning intended by the divine author, being fuller than the literal sense intended by the human author. It has been thought to be distinguished from the literal sense and able to be found by further revelation or the developed understanding of revelation. This article examines and discusses the sources and types, and the characteristics and problems of the Sensus Plenior. The Sensus Plenior is found when a Biblical text is interpreted under the whole canonical context and when the two things of the Bible are related typologically as type and antitype, and as prophecy and fulfillment as well. However, several alleged characteristics are suspicious: whether the divine author`s and human author`s intentions are separated, and whether the divine author intends what the human author does not understand, as argued by some proponents of the Sensus Plenior theory. Also questionable is whether the Sensus Plenior is distinguished and different from the literal sense of the Bible, because such a Sensus Plenior may not be the legitimate and true sense of the Bible. Furthermore, the Sensus Plenior concept as different from the literal sense does not fit the inspiration concept. For all these reasons, the validity of the original concept of Sensus Plenior is challenged. However, the Sensus Plenior may be able to be redefined and identified with the canonical meaning as understood in the whole canonical context, and then the canonical meaning has the characteristics of the original Sensus Plenior concept, removing its problems. There is no Sensus Plenior beyond the canonical meaning, which in fact fulfills the concept of the Sensus Plenior.