Assumptions in Questions: 'Showing Your Work' Revisited

Question

What assumptions can be brought to a text? When does work need to be shown when it comes to assumptions inherent in various hermeneutical approaches?

_{I am primarily asking about questions. Feel free to comment on any options you agree with if you'd like to see such standards required for answers as well. For the record, my current thinking is that these standards should be enforced for questions (edit/close/delete nonconformity), but only encouraged for answers (answers that don't follow these guidelines might be downvoted but don't require editing/deletion).}

Answer 1

The Bible is not one continuous book, it is a collection of texts shared by the Judeo-Christian religious traditions

• We can't assume that two authors of separate works agreed (except when stated explicitly in the text itself). You can't cite Mark as evidence to support a position advanced by Paul without supporting your reasoning. For instance, if you made the case that Mark was likely a disciple of Paul, then you could probably conclude that Mark's understanding of a topic is similar to Paul's - but this 'if' should be stated. But to flat out assume that James and Paul agreed on the topic of faith's role in salvation (and who was the subject/object of saving faith) is not acceptable. Apparent contradictions (even if explained away as paradoxical or perceived) require justification/explanation. Even more tenuous are citations from the Hebrew Bible to support New Testament teachings. Continuity between the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament is an assumption and should be explicitly stated as such (and in the case of questions about the Hebrew Bible with no mention of New Testament texts, it's relevance will likely also need to be defended). There are of course exceptions, such as when a New Testament text itself cites the Hebrew Bible. In fact, using instances where a New Testament text cites a Hebrew Bible text would be a strong argument that the author considered his or her work to be in continuity with it.

• The use of hermeneutics that carry religious/doctrinal assumptions still requires the explicit statement of these assumptions in order to fully 'show your work'. For instance, if your hermeneutic is allegorical and its primary assumption is that everything in the Bible points to and is centered on Jesus Christ - this should be explicitly stated. If it's not stated and your answer makes an unsupported assertion that X Hebrew Bible passage is a prophecy pointing to Jesus, it will likely be downvoted for not showing its work. In addition to being an assumption, claiming continuity between the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament is also a doctrinal assertion in most cases. Once your assumption is stated, that still does not necessarily mean your assertion of fulfilled prophecy is well supported, but it is one step in the process that ought to be stated for the benefit of readers who find your answer via a search engine.

• We can't assume that there is any sort of harmony or canonicity in the compiled texts referred to as the Bible on this site. Canonicity is a doctrinal concept, and is dismissed for this reason. But unity or harmony in subject matter is an assumption that must be supported. This means that you are not free to 'proof-text' ideas/assertions using passages from various authors in varying time periods (with the exception of when the author of the text does so him or herself).

I know that I was very redundant in making this point, but I felt it needed to be said. This is all part of having a logical argument so that all 'leaps in logic' are supported.

Answer 2

The Bible as a Work of Literature

• This site approaches the Bible as literature, not as Scripture / sacred writings. Participants need not agree with this stance, they must merely understand that this is the site's approach to the text. We cannot assume that the text was 'inspired' by a deity - this is an assumption (and doctrinal assertion) that should be explicitly stated.
• We cannot assume that the text is true or accurate. This doesn't mean that we must assume it is false or inaccurate, just that any assumption of either must be explicitly stated and/or defended.
• We cannot assume that the text applies to a specific group (or to oneself) today. I've addressed this in depth elsewhere so I will say nothing more about it.
• We cannot assume the text is relevant to a later issue or idea in history (cf. anachronism, e.g. asking what a first-century text says about a Christian doctrine that developed post-15th century). It is best to ask "What does this text mean?" rather than "What does this text say about [anachronistic topic X]?" or even worse, "Does this text mean [X]?"

Answer 3

We don't know who wrote these texts

In a court of law, if we were to assert that someone was the author of a work, we would need to provide proof. Self testimony is generally sufficient proof, but less so if the person is dead (and there is a dispute about whether the text was written within their lifetime or not). We could also look at their writing style and compare it to works that we definitively know were written by them, or ideally we could produce eyewitnesses who saw them write the text (or in modern times, unaltered video footage of them doing so).

When discussing ancient texts, we generally don't have this level of proof. Granted, we aren't discussing texts in an effort to defend them in a court of law, but we still should be careful about what assumptions we make about authorship. This can be confusing because many books are commonly named after their presumed author (such as the Gospels), but scholars disagree on whether or not the Gospels' namesakes are truly their authors. It is OK to limit the scope of a question by assuming certain authorship, but this assumption should be stated as such (e.g. "Assuming John wrote the fourth Gospel, what...?").

Answer 4

The default should always be that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God.

If someone doesn't hold that point of view, then they should state it.