 The tree of life (árvore da vida) Each
circle represents one of the ten emanations
or sefiroth which is manifested through the Divine.  The Tree of Life an etching by
Athanasius Kircher, published in his
Œdipus Ægypticus in 1652. This has since
become the most common variant of the
Tree used in Hermetic Qabalah.
(larger image)The word exegesis means "to draw the meaning out of" a given text. Exegesis may be contrasted with eisegesis, which means to read one's own interpretation into a given text. In general, exegesis presumes an attempt to view the text objectively, while eisegesis implies more subjectivity. One may encounter the terms exegesis and hermeneutics used interchangeably; however, there remains a distinction. Exegesis is the practical application of hermeneutics, which is the interpretation and understanding of a text on the basis of the text itself. Traditional exegesis requires the following: analysis of significant words in the text in regard to translation; examination of the general historical and cultural context, confirmation of the limits of the passage, and lastly, examination of the context within the text. Although the most widely-known exegeses concern themselves with Christian, Jewish and Islamic books, analyses also exist of books of other religions. Christianity According to some forms of Christianity, two different forms of exegesis exist: revealed and rational. Revealed exegesis considers that the Holy Spirit inspired the authors of the scriptural texts, and so the words of those texts convey a divine revelation Rational exegesis bases its operation on the idea that the authors have their own inspiration, so their works result from human intelligence. Roman Catholic traditions Roman Catholic centres of biblical exegesis include: - the School of Jerusalem founded in 1890 by the Dominican order's Marie-Joseph Lagrange. The school became embroiled in the modernist crisis, and had to curtail its New Testament activities until after Vatican II
- the Biblical Institute of Rome practises exegesis in a more canonical way
Protestant traditions For more than a century, German universities such as Tübingen have had reputations as centres of exegesis; in the USA, the Divinity Schools in Chicago, Harvard and Yale became famous. Nowadays many secular universities such as EPHE (École pratique des hautes Études) in France concern themselves with exegesis. See higher criticism. Robert A. Traina's book Methodical Bible Study has become influential in the field of Protestant Christian exegesis. Many regarded it as the standard text describing the inductive approach to interpreting the English-language Bible. Translations of the Hebrew Bible, like the Septuagint and the Vulgate, based on Jewish exegesis, have also become the objects of exegetic studies. Judaism see: Pesher
Traditional Jewish forms of exegesis appear throughout rabbinic literature, which includes the Mishnah, the two Talmuds, and the midrash literature. Jewish exegetes have the title meforshim (commentators). The Midrash forms an exposition of biblical exegesis of the Pentateuch and its paragraphs related to Law, which also forms an object of analysis. The Halakha comprises an exegesis of the written Law. The Aggadah is an exegesis of the parts of the Pentateuch not connected with Law. The Mikra comprises the exegetical study of the Pentateuch, the Prophets and the Hagiographa, the three divisions of the Old Testament or Jewish Bible. The Masorah is the exegesis that determined the rules and principles that govern the biblical texts. The redaction of the Talmud resulted from exegetic studies, and the Talmud itself has become the object of study and analysis. Jewish exegesis did not finish with the redaction of the Talmud, but continued during ancient times, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance: it remains a subject of study today. Jews have centres for exegetic studies around the world, in each community: they consider exegesis an important tool for the understanding of the Scriptures. Indian philosophy The Mimamsa school of Indian philosophy, also known as Pūrva Mīmāṃsā ("prior" inquiry, also Karma-Mīmāṃsā), in contrast to Uttara Mīmāṃsā ("posterior" inquiry, also Brahma-Mīmāṃsā), is strongly concerned with textual exegesis, and consequently gave rise to the study of philology and the philosophy of language. Its notion of shabda "speech" as indivisible unity of sound and meaning (signifier and signified) is due to Bhartrhari (7th century). Islam An Islamic Exegesis of the Qur'an is named Tafsir, and it constituted a large field of the Islamic studies. Zoroastrianism See article on Zoroastrian exegesis from Encyclopædia Iranica. Protestant Exegesis - Alexander, T. Desmond; Brian S Rosner (2000). New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Leicester: Inter-Varsity. ISBN 0830814388.
- Bock, Darrell L; Buist M Fanning (2006). Interpreting the New Testament Text: Introduction to the Art and Science of Exegesis. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books. ISBN 1581344082.
- Corley, Bruce; Steve Lemke, Grant Lovejoy (2002). Biblical Hermeneutics: A Comprehensive Introduction to Interpreting Scripture. Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman. ISBN 080542492X.
- De La Torre, Miguel A., (2002) Reading the Bible from the Margins, Maryknoll: NY: Orbis Books. ISBN 1-57075-410-1.
- Doriani, Daniel (1996). Getting the message : a plan for interpreting and applying the Bible. Phillipsburg N.J.: P&R Pub. ISBN 9780875522388.
- Fee, Gordon D.; Douglas Stuart (2003-11-01). How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (3 Revised ed.). Zondervan. pp. 288. ISBN 0310246040.
- Fee, Gordon D (2001). To What End Exegesis?: Essays Textual, Exegetical, and Theological. Grand Rapids, Mich.; Cambridge, U.K: W.B. Eerdmans. ISBN 0802849253.
- Hendricks, Howard G. (1991). Living by the Book. Chicago: Moody Press. pp. 349. ISBN 0802407439.
- Kaiser, Walter C; Moisés Silva (2007). Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning (Rev. and expanded ed ed.). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan. ISBN 0310279518.
- Kaiser, Walter C (1998). Toward an Exegetical Theology: Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching (1st paperback ed ed.). Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Books. pp. 268. ISBN 0801021979.
- Klein, William W. William Wade; Craig Blomberg, Robert L Hubbard, Kermit Allen Ecklebarger (1993). Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Dallas, Tex.: Word Pub. ISBN 0849907748.
- Glynn, John (2003). Commentary & Reference Survey: A Comprehensive Guide to Biblical and Theological Resources. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Academic & Professional. ISBN 0825427363.
- Hayes, John Haralson; Carl R Holladay (2007). Biblical Exegesis: A Beginner's Handbook. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664227753.
- Osborne, Grant R (2006). The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. InterVarsity Press. ISBN 0830828265.
- Ryken, Leland (1984). How to read the Bible as literature. Grand Rapids Mich.: Academie Books. ISBN 9780310390213.
- Traina, Robert (1952). Methodical Bible study : a new approach to hermeneutics. Ridgefield Park? N.J.; New York: [distributed by] Biblical Seminary in New York.
- VanGemeren, Willem (1997). New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Pub. House. ISBN 0310481708.
- Wald, Oletta (2002). The new joy of discovery in Bible study (Newly rev. ed.). Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress. ISBN 9780806644295.
- Zuck, Roy B (1991). Basic Bible Interpretation. Wheaton, Ill: Victor Books. pp. 324. ISBN 0896938190.
- Rightly Divided: Readings in Biblical Hermeneutics. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications. 1996. pp. 320. ISBN 0825440998.
Other Works - Bertholet and A. Meyer, article "Bibelwissenschaft" in Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart (Tübingen, 1909).
- Diestel, Geschichte des Alten Testaments in der chrislichen Kirche (Jena, 1869)
- Farrar, The History of Interpretation (London, 1886)
- Fürst, Bibliotheca Judaica (Leipzig, 1863)
- Geiger, Urschrift und Uebersetzungen (Breslau, 1857)
- Ginsburg, Introduction to the Massoretic Critical Edition of the Hebrew Bible (London, 1897)
- Hody, De Bibliorum Textibus (Oxford, 1705)
- Nestle, Einführung in das griechische Neue Testament (Leipzig, 1897, 1909)
- Pfleiderer, Das Urchristenum (Berlin, 1886, 1902)
- Rosenmüller, Historia Interpretationis Librorum Sacrorum in Ecclesia Christiana (Hildsburgshausen, 1795–1814)
- Swete, An Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek (London, 1900)
- Wolf, Bibliotheca Hebraica (Jena, 1715–33), continued by Köcher as Nova Bibliotheca hebraica (Jena, 1783–84)
- Zöckler, Handbuch der theologischen Wissenschaften Nördlingen, 1890)
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