Hermeneutical Principles Research Articles

Mixed Methods for the Interpretation of Longitudinal Gerontologic Data

This article's main objective is to demonstrate that data analysis, including quantitative data analysis, is a process of interpretation involving basic hermeneutic principles that philosophers have identified in the interpretive process as applied to other, mainly literary, creations. Such principles include a version of the hermeneutic circle, an insistence on interpretive presuppositions, and a resistance to reducing the discovery of truth to the application of inductive methods. The importance of interpretation becomes especially evident when qualitative and quantitative methods are combined in a single clinical research project and when the data being analyzed are longitudinal. Study objectives will be accomplished by showing that three major hermeneutic principles make practical methodological contributions to an insightful, illustrative mixed methods analysis of a qualitative study of changes in functional disability over time embedded in the Precipitating Events Project-a major longitudinal, quantitative study of functional disability among older persons. Mixed methods, especially as shaped by hermeneutic insights such as the importance of empathetic understanding, are potentially valuable resources for scientific investigations of the experience of aging: a practical aim of this article is to articulate and demonstrate this contention.

Promoção da Saúde Mental - Tecnologias do Cuidado: vínculo, acolhimento, co-responsabilização e autonomia

Healthcare relations serve as efficient devices for the promotion of mental health and the development of comprehensive practices. This study seeks to analyze the measures that make mental healthcare possible in the daily operations of a Psychosocial Healthcare Center (CAPS). It is qualitative research adopting a critical and reflexive approach conducted in CAPS in the municipality of Sobral in the State of Ceará. Complying with regulations, the study was submitted for analysis by the Committee for Ethics in Research adhering to norms for research involving human beings. For data gathering, conducted between May and July 2008, semi-structured and systematic observation interview techniques were used. The research subjects involved 20 people, distributed into three groups: group I (mental health workers-8); group II (users-7) and group III (relatives of users-5). The material was organized and analyzed using principles of critical hermeneutics. According to the results, in the daily operations of CAPS, the relations of care and its devices (reception, emotional involvement, co-responsibility and autonomy) make the transversal adaptation of psychosocial practices possible. The dialogues were derived from meetings of mental health workers, users and relatives in their quest for healthcare solutions.

Moral learning in psychiatric rehabilitation

The purpose of this article is to illustrate moral learning in persons with a psychiatric disability who participated in a nursing intervention, called the photo-instrument. This intervention is a form of hermeneutic photography. The findings are based on a multiple case study of 42 patients and additional interviews with eight of them. Photo groups were organized within three settings of psychiatric services: ambulatory as well as clinical, all situated in the Netherlands. Data were analysed according to hermeneutic and semiotic principles. Two cases are presented. Findings show that voice and face are concepts that help to identify elements of moral learning in the rehabilitation process of persons with a psychiatric disability. During the process patients become more aware of their responsibilities towards themselves and others.

’n Diskoers oor eskatologie en promissioterapie by vroue na die verlies van ’n eggenoot

A discourse on eschatology and promissiotherapy with women after the loss of a husbandThe central metaphor “discourse” is used in this research because it links with the narrative approach. This discourse is founded in practical theology and researched from postmodernity as paradigm and social constructionism as epistemological point of departure. The research is placed within the narrative hermeneutic approach and principles underlying participatory action research, as part of qualitative research methodology,are portrayed. The discourse is informed by using mechanisms of the narrative approach. Women, affected by the loss of a husband, constructed their stories during the pastoral therapeutic dialogue and their discourses on heaven are portrayed in verbatim conversations. The prospect of eschatology and promissiotherapy, to understand and interpret the experience of mourning and to facilitate hope and consolation, is explored.The concept eschatology emphasises the Christian aspect and deals with the actual and not just the ultimate. Promissiotherapy deals with the promises that are concerned with the beginning and the end or, in other words, the eschatology. The prospect of eschatology and promissiotherapy, to understand and interpret the experience of mourning and to facilitate hope and consolation, is explored. In this discussion the women’s portrayal of life hereafter and the role it can play to offer hope and consolation are illustrated.

A critical analysis of Gretha Wiid�s sex ideology and her biblical hermeneutics

Gretha Wiid and Angus Buchan have established themselves as the moral gurus of the Afrikaner Christian community with their �Worthy Women� and �Mighty Men� mass conferences. Wiid is also often invited by the broadcast media to participate in TV and radio talks to discuss her views on relationships and sex � she is even invited by popular Afrikaans singers to share the stage with them. Recently, Gretha Wiid was again on the front pages of popular magazines to promote her and her husband�s views on sex and sexuality based �on the Bible�. She suggests that women hand over their sexuality, their bodies and their sexual decisions completely into the hands of men. Her view is that the husband is the king, prophet and priest in the family and should be honoured accordingly. The aim of this article was to use Wiid�s public appearances and publications as a case study to analyse her statements, hermeneutic principles and procedures and to demonstrate how her interpretation of sex and sexuality is infused by heteropatriarchal biblical discourse. The purpose of the article was to unveil the hermeneutic principles �ordinary� Christians such as Wiid apply in interpreting biblical texts and how these are culturally inscribed on women�s and children�s bodies.

Mechanisms, continental approaches, trials, and evolutionary medicine: New work in the philosophy of medicine

Mechanisms, continental approaches, trials, and evolutionary medicine: New work in the philosophy of medicine

An Outline of the Historical Evolution of Qawā‘id Literature in Islamic Law

The legal rules of each legal system reflect their own nature and primary characteristics in both quantity and quality. Since they comprise the main structure of the system, the study of these rules, therefore, gives an idea about the mechanism of the system as a whole. An investigation of the principles behind these legal rules, which represent dominant features of several rules is a further step and gives an opportunity to understand the common points of the particular cases. These principles have different essences and historical backgrounds in every legal surrounding. The settled principles of Islamic law (al-qawā‘id al-fiqhiyyah) which reflect the general characteristics of rules, were used in legal corpuses from the early ages and developed at a later stage as an independent subgenre in Islamic law. Not only the four Sunni schools of law, but also Shi‘i jurists have made a considerable contribution to the development of the literature in the course of time. In the Muslim world, there are several academic works on the subject such as critical editions, theoretical studies of the genre, and the investigations and applications of certain qawā‘id in legal corpuses. Nevertheless, this significant subject of Islamic law has so far found little attention among the Western academia. This paper, aims to make a small contribution to this significant component of Islamic law. It is concentrating on al-qawā‘id alfiqhiyyah, not al-qawā‘id al-usūliyyah (hermeneutic principles). After dealing with the concept of qawā‘id and its importance in Islamic law, the paper presents a historical overview of the development of qawā‘id literature in four Sunni schools of law. The evolution of the genre is examined in three periods: the formative period second/eighth–fourth/tenth centuries), the self-contained compilation period (fourth/tenth–tenth/sixteenth centuries), and the post-compilation period (tenth/sixteenth– thirteenth/nineteenth centuries).The paper concludes with a list of traditional and modern qawā‘id works.

An Outline of the Historical Evolution of Qawā‘id Literature in Islamic Law

The legal rules of each legal system reflect their own nature and primary characteristics in both quantity and quality. Since they comprise the main structure of the system, the study of these rules, therefore, gives an idea about the mechanism of the system as a whole. An investigation of the principles behind these legal rules, which represent dominant features of several rules is a further step and gives an opportunity to understand the common points of the particular cases. These principles have different essences and historical backgrounds in every legal surrounding. The settled principles of Islamic law (al-qawā‘id al-fiqhiyyah) which reflect the general characteristics of rules, were used in legal corpuses from the early ages and developed at a later stage as an independent subgenre in Islamic law. Not only the four Sunni schools of law, but also Shi‘i jurists have made a considerable contribution to the development of the literature in the course of time. In the Muslim world, there are several academic works on the subject such as critical editions, theoretical studies of the genre, and the investigations and applications of certain qawā‘id in legal corpuses. Nevertheless, this significant subject of Islamic law has so far found little attention among the Western academia. This paper, aims to make a small contribution to this significant component of Islamic law. It is concentrating on al-qawā‘id alfiqhiyyah, not al-qawā‘id al-usūliyyah (hermeneutic principles). After dealing with the concept of qawā‘id and its importance in Islamic law, the paper presents a historical overview of the development of qawā‘id literature in four Sunni schools of law. The evolution of the genre is examined in three periods: the formative period second/eighth–fourth/tenth centuries), the self-contained compilation period (fourth/tenth–tenth/sixteenth centuries), and the post-compilation period (tenth/sixteenth– thirteenth/nineteenth centuries).The paper concludes with a list of traditional and modern qawā‘id works.

Plato's Supposed Defense of the Division of Labor: A Reexamination of the Role of Job Specialization in theRepublic

This article challenges the long-standing belief that Plato is an early proponent of the division of labor on account of the political proposals advanced in the Republic. In contrast, I contend that the Republic offers a radical critique—rather than any endorsement—of job specialization and its accompanying psychological orientation toward acquisitiveness. The article begins with a methodological section that attempts to explain the origin of the common misreading of Plato's works and forwards an interpretive framework for situating arguments raised in the Platonic dialogues in their dramatic and dialogic contexts. Having established these hermeneutic principles, the article proceeds to analyze the shifting significance of job specialization within the imaginary cities that are considered in the Republic and concludes that the dialogue ultimately critiques job specialization insofar as it prevents the individual from harmonizing his own soul and hinders his actualization of his natural job to philosophize.

Liberation-Hermeneutics in the Asian Church

Liberation-Hermeneutics in the Asian Church Aloysius Pieris S.J. (bio) The continent of Asia, well known as the source of the sacred scriptures of all existing world religions, is not yet recognized as the repository of so many exegetical traditions, some of which go back to pre-Christians times. These have not yet been properly assessed and judiciously employed for the benefit of Christians and non-Christians both in Asia and elsewhere. In recent times, however, the exercise of "cross-scripture reading" has opened up avenues for a cross-fertilization of various hermeneutical traditions. I myself have made some attempts at generating an inter-textual encounter between the Hebrew-Christian Bible and the Pali Buddhist Tripitaka with due regard paid to their original linguistic and cultural idioms as well as to their different social contexts. I have fruitfully employed one of these studies—on the Buddha's and the Christ's convergent teachings on beatitudinal spirituality of evangelical poverty demanding justice to the poor—during a seminar organized by the Methodist Church which invited some socio-politically active Sinhala Buddhist monks to dialogue with representatives of Hinduism, Christianity and Islam (among whom were also Tamil participants) with the intention of engaging them in a common struggle for peace in our ethnically torn, economically impoverished and politically polarized country. It was by employing Asia's traditional exegetical methods that I discovered how both Buddhist and Christian Scriptures can come alive as a voice that speaks to the representatives of all religions in the here-and-now of our history. Leaving aside the West Asian hermeneutical traditions of Judaism and Islam, which bear an affinity to Christianity, I focus now on a South and South East Asian contribution which offers us a startlingly new approach, namely, the Pali commentarial literature (aṭṭhakathā) which has adopted a different methodology. Two monumental Buddhist treatises on hermeneutics, the Nettippakaraṇa and the Peṭokapadesa, had been compiled about ten or twelve centuries before modern biblical exegesis was even thought of in Europe! My own doctoral thesis as well as thirty years of post-doctoral research, published and unpublished, have revolved around this Buddhist exegetical lore. I grant that the Pali exegetes were an elite class of literati who practiced and promoted a soteriology that culminated in the family-renouncer's spirituality. Yet, unlike [End Page 265] the corresponding bhāṣya literature of the Hindus, the Buddhist commentaries (specially of the Theravada School) show a remarkable "sense of history," supplying a wealth of information about contemporary people, customs and events in the course of commenting on the sacred text, thus tacitly acknowledging that what the sacred texts reveal and what the secular history has recorded are not to be dissociated from each other. Click for larger view View full resolution From the Garden © MA Andrew In the limited space allotted to me I can do no more than merely whet the appetite of Asian theologians who long to see their Christian scriptures speak intelligibly to Asians. Dr. Sam Mathews, the New Testament Professor of the Gurukul Theological Seminary in Chennai, who visited our Centre to be initiated into the art of cross-scripture reading and had watched me handling the biblical texts for young Jesuits during their Sunday liturgy, urged me to make this method available in writing and not to restrict it to oral transmission. This essay is the first timid step towards that bold enterprise; for what I illustrate here is just one hermeneutical principle among many which I have used with [End Page 266] immense success in day-to-day reading of Scriptures as well as in explaining the biblical texts during the liturgy of the Word. This ancient formula runs in Sanskrit as follows: Mumukṣave vyācikhyāsito granthaḥ. Using the desiderative form of the verb "to liberate" (muc-) and of the verb "to interpret" (vi+ā+khyā-), the sages declare that the sacred text (granthaḥ) by its very nature is "longing, yearning and pining to be interpreted" (vyacikhyāsitaḥ) solely "for the sake of the person who is longing, yearning and pining to be liberated" (mumukṣuḥ). The criterion of a good exegesis, in other words, is that it responds...

Mensagem e situação: considerações introdutórias para uma análise do método teológico de Richard Shaull

This article represents an introductory approach to the analysis of the theological method developed by Millard Richard Shaull (1919-2002). Starting from the dialectical categories “message” and “situation”, the article shows that Richard Shaull’s theology represents an attempt to resignificate the Christian tradition before the questions raised by new historical situations. This ongoing process of reinterpretation inspires the development of a hermeneutical principle, responsible for the mediation between the Christian symbols and the contemporary existential situation.

Abraham's Journey: Reflections on the Life of the Founding Patriarch (review)

Abraham's Journey: Reflections on the Life of the Founding Patriarch, by Joseph B. Soloveitchik, edited by David Shatz, Joel B. Wolowelsky, and Reuven Ziegler. Jersey City: KTAV Publishing House, 2008. 224 pp. $25.00. This volume on the biblical patriarch Abraham is the ninth in the MeOtzar HoRav series, faithfully edited by students of Rabbi Soloveitchik (1903-1993), the revered leader of modern Orthodox Jewry in America. Rav, as he is commonly called, was a masterful Talmudist, a brilliant philosopher, and a legendary teacher. A group of Soloveitchik's students worked diligendy to produce this series from handwritten manuscripts and audiotapes of his lectures. The volume is superbly edited, allowing a giant in modern Jewish thought to posthumously speak to a wider audience on fundamental issues of Jewish identity, history, and destiny. Rabbi Soloveitchik's perspective reflects the traditional view of Abraham as a paradigmatic role model for Jews everywhere and at any time. Jewish tradition sees the Genesis narratives about the patriarchs and matriarchs as prototypical lessons for their descendants. The classic expression of this hermeneutical principle is that of Nachmanides, paraphrased as ma'aseh avot siman la-banim - the life events of our Biblical ancestors are signs or instructive precedents for later generations of Jews. Rabbi Soloveitchik, as an ardent teacher and defender of hakkhah, does on occasion link a virtuous practice exemplified by Abraham to the normative system of mitzvot developed over centuries by Rabbinic sages. But the book is not a treatise on Jewish law; it is, instead, an extensive philosophical meditation on what it means to be Jewish, throughout history and in our time, in light of the Genesis stories and later commentaries. Some of Soloveitchik's philosophical and psychological categories are applicable to anyone, Jewish or non-Jewish. For example, Soloveitchik makes a vital distinction between goral (fate), what circumstances dictate, and yi'ud (destiny), a faith journey pursued through deliberate choice, often in opposition to societal norms and at great sacrifice. Abraham demonstrates heroic fidelity to his evolving destiny, serving as an iconoclastic pioneer who sets a spiritual and ethical example for his descendants. Lovingkindness (chesed) and hospitality (hakhnasat orchim) are character traits traditionally associated with Abraham, and Soloveitchik examines how they are exemplified in specific actions. This kind of ethical wisdom, contextualized for our time, is a practical resource for anyone seeking to live a faithful Jewish life. What is more problematic, at least for this reviewer, is Soloveitchik's isolationist understanding of Jewish identity and his negative attitude toward the cultures and values of non-Jews. His spiritually segregationist stance, idealizing loneliness as a tragic Abrahamic virtue to be embraced by Jews, is evident in Soloveitchik's other writings, most famously Tfoe Lonely Man of Faith. His article Confrontation, advocating humanitarian cooperation with non-Jews but opposing dialogue on spiritual or theological concerns, was written for the journal Tradition in the mid-1960s in response to Vatican II and the Catholic Church's radically new understanding of Judaism. For Rabbi Soloveitchik, or for any Jew of his generation who witnessed the horrors of the Shoah, such a tragic worldview is understandable. But it is also lamentable and should be challenged in our own time by a more pluralistic and less defensive stance toward non-Jews. For it is one thing - harsh fate/goral - when others force Jews into physical ghettos; but it is another - self-limiting destiny /yi'ud - when Jews create their own spiritual ghettos and deem them normative habitats in which to live, raise their children, and engage the rest of the world. For Soloveitchik (p. 181),[t]he destiny of Avraham ha-Ivri, the lonely Abraham, has always accompanied the Jews. …

Calvyn oor die verskynsel van demonologie

Scripture teaches an increased occurrence of demonology at the end of time (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 16:13, 14). This truth can already be observed in increasing occultism, witchcraft and other forms of demonology in Europe and in Africa, where traditional African culture plays a decisive role. In order to combat demonology from a Reformed point of view, it is important to note John Calvin’s opinion and approach. Not only was he one of the greatest Reformed theologians, but he also lived and worked in the “devil’s golden age”. Calvin’s hermeneutical principles and his interpretation of Scripture are still essentially important.

Trust As Hermeneutic Principle

Trust As Hermeneutic Principle

Luther's Theology of the Cross Fifteen Years after Heidelberg: Lectures on the Psalms of Ascent

Luther's hermeneutical principles labelled ‘the theology of the cross’, developed in his ‘Heidelberg theses’ of 1518, continued to guide his formulation of biblical teaching throughout his career. In lectures on the Psalms of ascent (1532–3), under quite different circumstances, Luther claimed again that ‘Our theology is a theology of the cross’. Five elements of his Heidelberg theologia crucis guided his interpretation in these lectures. The distinction of the hidden and the revealed God, the focus on Christ's atoning sacrifice for sin, the reliance on faith in God's Word rather than human reason, God's working ‘under the appearance of opposites’ and the suffering involved in battling Satan shape his treatment of many passages in the lectures on Psalms cxx–cxxxiv.

Jesus the ‘teacher-saviour’ or ‘saviour-teacher’: Reading the Gospel of Matthew in Chinese contexts

While every interpretation is culturally particular and context-specific, the critical assessment of the hermeneutical principles and social consequences of real examples from different cultures may facilitate fresh readings of the scripture with more creative imagination, theological integrity and ethical responsibility. This essay investigates three influential interpretations of Matthew’s Gospel by well-known Christian leaders in China: Hong Xiuquan, Wu Leichuan and Watchman Nee. Different theological orientations notwithstanding, they all highlight Jesus’ role as ‘saviour and teacher’ and favour the Sermon on the Mount. The strategies that they use to appropriate Matthew’s Gospel and to make Jesus relevant show what it takes to ensure a sound hermeneutical process. They also bring to the table of Matthean scholarship insight into the roles that Jesus plays in the Gospel narrative and in various socio-cultural settings. Finally, they provide interesting cases for a brief refl ection on cross-cultural readings and post-colonial criticism that have fascinated recent biblical scholars.

P26 A multidisciplinary onco-geriatric approach for the management of older patients with gynaecological cancer

Decision making is an inherent, complex and vital component of the work of managers. Its importance and role in operationalizing the activities of an organisation are well-evidenced in management literature. Yet, there is a dearth of literature about the processes used by nurse managers to make decisions. The principal aim of this paper is to identify the different types of decisions made by nurse managers and explore the related decision-making processes. A ‘dependency model’ is proposed, which illustrates the factors affecting the art of decision making. Structured interviews were conducted to identify types of decisions made by nurse managers in different health-care settings and the factors underpinning these decisions. The research focused on an intensive study of a small group of nurse managers working in rural and regional health institutions in South Australia. The sample included nurse unit managers, after-hours coordinators and directors of nursing. Hermeneutic principles and interpretive research were used to conduct interviews with nurse managers who make numerous and varied types of decisions, though often without following a step-by-step approach. The study identified dependency factors that influence how decisions are made, and developed a model based on eight key variables: (1) the situation to be addressed; (2) the time period in which the decision has to be made; (3) required inputs from colleagues; (4) complexity of the task and the environment, (5) the duration and time it takes to make a decision, (6) availability of resources, (7) the decision-making environment, and (8) personal characteristics. These eight variables are interrelated and have both direct and indirect impacts on how decisions are made. Nurse managers make pragmatic decisions reflecting the complexity of their roles and responsibilities. Awareness of the factors on which decisions depend helps understanding of how they navigate through decision-making processes. The findings are presented as a model that can be used to support decision making by nurse managers in various health settings.

P32 Why elderly patients have a poorer clinical outcome than younger patients? Results from a large retrospective study on 446 patients

Decision making is an inherent, complex and vital component of the work of managers. Its importance and role in operationalizing the activities of an organisation are well-evidenced in management literature. Yet, there is a dearth of literature about the processes used by nurse managers to make decisions. The principal aim of this paper is to identify the different types of decisions made by nurse managers and explore the related decision-making processes. A ‘dependency model’ is proposed, which illustrates the factors affecting the art of decision making. Structured interviews were conducted to identify types of decisions made by nurse managers in different health-care settings and the factors underpinning these decisions. The research focused on an intensive study of a small group of nurse managers working in rural and regional health institutions in South Australia. The sample included nurse unit managers, after-hours coordinators and directors of nursing. Hermeneutic principles and interpretive research were used to conduct interviews with nurse managers who make numerous and varied types of decisions, though often without following a step-by-step approach. The study identified dependency factors that influence how decisions are made, and developed a model based on eight key variables: (1) the situation to be addressed; (2) the time period in which the decision has to be made; (3) required inputs from colleagues; (4) complexity of the task and the environment, (5) the duration and time it takes to make a decision, (6) availability of resources, (7) the decision-making environment, and (8) personal characteristics. These eight variables are interrelated and have both direct and indirect impacts on how decisions are made. Nurse managers make pragmatic decisions reflecting the complexity of their roles and responsibilities. Awareness of the factors on which decisions depend helps understanding of how they navigate through decision-making processes. The findings are presented as a model that can be used to support decision making by nurse managers in various health settings.

P30 The Jules Bordet Onco-Geriatric Pilot Unit: one-year report

Decision making is an inherent, complex and vital component of the work of managers. Its importance and role in operationalizing the activities of an organisation are well-evidenced in management literature. Yet, there is a dearth of literature about the processes used by nurse managers to make decisions. The principal aim of this paper is to identify the different types of decisions made by nurse managers and explore the related decision-making processes. A ‘dependency model’ is proposed, which illustrates the factors affecting the art of decision making. Structured interviews were conducted to identify types of decisions made by nurse managers in different health-care settings and the factors underpinning these decisions. The research focused on an intensive study of a small group of nurse managers working in rural and regional health institutions in South Australia. The sample included nurse unit managers, after-hours coordinators and directors of nursing. Hermeneutic principles and interpretive research were used to conduct interviews with nurse managers who make numerous and varied types of decisions, though often without following a step-by-step approach. The study identified dependency factors that influence how decisions are made, and developed a model based on eight key variables: (1) the situation to be addressed; (2) the time period in which the decision has to be made; (3) required inputs from colleagues; (4) complexity of the task and the environment, (5) the duration and time it takes to make a decision, (6) availability of resources, (7) the decision-making environment, and (8) personal characteristics. These eight variables are interrelated and have both direct and indirect impacts on how decisions are made. Nurse managers make pragmatic decisions reflecting the complexity of their roles and responsibilities. Awareness of the factors on which decisions depend helps understanding of how they navigate through decision-making processes. The findings are presented as a model that can be used to support decision making by nurse managers in various health settings.

Edwards's Ezekiel: The Interpretation of Ezekiel in the "Blank Bible" and "Notes on Scripture"

Abstract The recent publication of Jonathan Edwards's Blank Bible together with his previously published Notes on Scripture has provided historians of biblical interpretation for the first time with an unrestricted view of Edwards's interpretation of individual biblical books. Utilizing these resources, this paper inductively examines Edwards's dramatic and imaginative reading of the book of Ezekiel to uncover the exegetical techniques and hermeneutical principles Edwards applied to it. As his interpretation of Ezek 1, 4–5, and 38–39 reveals, Edwards departed from traditional Puritan exegesis. He highlighted layers of meaning lying beyond the literal sense, layers that bridge the divide between the textual world and the ostensive world. Beneath Edwards's complex exegesis, we can observe a guiding principle at work, namely, the providential harmony of all things. For Edwards, similarities between things—whether biblical texts, natural phenomena, historical events, institutions, doctrines, or human experiences—revealed the unity that undergirds the created order. Scriptural interpretation, in Edwards's view, was much more than an exposition of words on a page. To him, it was a vast enterprise that set the interpreter to the extraordinary task of mapping the mind of God.