After the commencement of the fifth centurj', gram- matical interpretation fell entirely into decay; which ruin was effected partly by the full development of the ecclesiastical system of doctrines defined in all their parts, and by a fear of deviating from this system, partly also by the continually increasing ignorance of the lan- guages in which the Bible was written. The primary condition of ecclesiastical or dogmatical interpretation was then most clearly expressed by Yincentius Lirinen- sis {Commotiif.i): "Since the holy Scriptures, on ac- count of their depth, are not understood b}^ all in the same manner, but their sentences are imderstood differ- ently by different persons, so that they might seem to admit as many meanings as there are men, we must well take care that Avithin the pale of the Catholic Church we hold fast what has been believed everywhere, alwaj-s, and by all" (Compare fw«OTor«V. ii, ed. Bremensis, 1688, p. 321 sq.). Henceforward interpretation was confined to the mere collection of explanations, which had first been given by men whose ecclesiastical orthodoxy was vmquestionable. "It is better not to be imbued with the pretended novelty, but to be filled from the fountain of the ancients" (Cassidori Jnsiiiuliones Divince, Praef. Compare Alcuini Kpistola ad Gislam, in Opera, ed. Erobenius, i, 464 ; Comment, in Joh., Prcpf., ib. p. 460 ; Claudius Turon. Prolefjomena in Comment, in libi-os Re- fpim; Hnymo, Historia p:cclesiosiira,ix,3, etc.). Doubt- ful cases were decided according to the precedents of ec- clesiastical definitions. " In passages which may be
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either doubtful or obscure, we might know that we should follow that wliicli is found to be neither contrary to evangelical precepts, nor oiiposed to tlie decrees of holy men" (Benedicti Capitulura, iii, 58, in Pertz, Mon- um'enta Veteris German. Uistor. iv, 2, p. 107).
During the \vliole period of the Middle Ages the al- legorical interpretation again prevailed. The Middle Ages were more distinguished by sentiment than by clearness, and the allegorical interpretation gave satis- faction to sentiment and occupation to free mental spec- ulation. The typical system of miracle-plays (q. v.) and the Biblia Pauperum exactly illustrate tlie spirit of allegorical interpretation in the Middle Ages. But men like bishop Agobardus (A.D. 840, in (iallandii Bibl. xiii, 11. 44(;), Johannes Scotus, Erigena, Druthmar, Nico- laus Lyranus, Roger Bacon, and others, acknowledged the necessity of grammatical interpretation, and were only wanting in the requisite means, and in knowledge, for putting it successfully into practice.
When, in the fifteenth centurj', classical studies had revived, they exercised also a favorable influence upon Biblical interpretation, and restored grammatical inter- pretation to honor. It was especially by grammatical interpretation that the domineering Catholic Church was combated at the Reformation ; but as soon as the newly -arisen Protestant Church had been dogmatically established, it began to consider grammatical interpre- tation a tlangarous adversary of its own dogmas, and opposed it as much as did the Roman Catholics them- selves. From the middle of the 16th to the middle of the 18th century this important ally of Protestantism was subjected to the artificial law of a new dogmati- cal interpretation, while the Roman Catholic Church changed tlie principle of interpretation formerly ad- vanced by Vincentius into an ecclesiastical dogma. In consequence of this new oppression, the religious senti- ment, which had frequently been wounded both among Roman Catholics and Protestants, took refuge in alle- gorical interpretation, which then reappeared under the forms of typical and mystical theolog}%
After the beginning of the 18th century grammatical interpretation recovered its authority. It was then first rcintroiluced by the Arminians, and, in spite of constant attacks, towards the conclusion of that century, it de- cidedly prevailed among the German Protestants. It exercised a very beneficial influence, although it cannot be denied that manifold errors occurred in its applica- tion. During the last half century Ixitli Trolcstaiits ;nKl Roman Catholics liave again curtailed ihc li^liisaml in- vaded the province of grammatiral iiiti'i|niiatioii by promoting (according to the gomial na< tion of our times) the opposing claims of doginalical ami mvstical interpretation. Comp. J. Rosenniiilicr. Ili.-<t,,ri,i' IhUt- prcliitiniiis lAhrorum sacrorum in lurlishi ChrittlniKt Lipsia'. l7!».->-18U,5 vols.; Van Mildert..l» //»/"//■// iut'n till' (,'iiiiriil Principles of Scrijiliire /iili rp/i liifimi. in Ki:iht Srinnus, ctr. (Oxinrd, iMi:,); .Mcvcr. ( ;, sr/u',-/,/,^ (hr Srhrlj), rtl,iriiii,i .■^,i/ ,l,r Whd, rh, rxi, Umni ,1, r ilVx-
Criliqiie ilex prinripdiu- Cni, nil: iitiil, HIS ihi Xmn- '/;,■/ (Rotterdam, 1G93); E. F. K. IJoMannnlln-, l/,,wl/,„rli Oi'r die Li/erutitr der Bihlisclien Kritik iniil /-yn/is, ((i,,u 1797-1800, 4 vols.).
3. In accordance with the various notions concerning Biblical interpretation which we have stated, there have been produced Biblical hermeneutics of very different kinds; for instance, in the earlier period we might men- tion tliat of the ponatist Ticonius, who wrote about the fourth century his Rcfpdai ad investigandam et incenien- dam iiifelliyeidiam Scripturarum sept em ; Augustinus, De Doctrina Christiana, lib. i, 3 ; Isidorus Hispalensis, Sentenf,i\9 sq.; Santis Pagnini (who died in 1541), Isafjnria ad mynticos Sacrm ScriptU7-ce sensus, lihri octo- denm (Colon. 1540); Sixti Senensis (who died 1599), lUhlinthi'rn Sancta (Venetiis, ISGG. Of this work, wliicli lias frequently been reprinted, there belongs to our present subject only Liber tcrtiiis, A rtem eapouendi
Sancta Scripta Catholicis Exjwsitoribus aptissimis Reg- idis et ExemiMs ostendeiis.) At a later period the Ro- man CathoUcs added to these the works of Goldhagen (Mainz, 17G5), Bellarmine, Martianay, Calmet, and, more recently, Seemiiller's Hermeneutica Sacra (1799) ; Mayr's Institutio Interp. Sacri (1789) ; Jahn's Enchiridion Mer- men. (Vienna, 1812) ; Arigler's Hermeneutica Ger^ralis (Vienna, 1813) ; Unterkircher's Hermeneutica Biblica (1831) ; Ranolder, llerm. Bibl. Principia Rationalia (Fllnf Kirchen, 1838) ; Schnittler, Grundlinien der ller- meneutik (Ratisbon, 1844) ; Glaire's Hermeneutica Sacra (1840).