The narrative constructs the identity of the character, what can be called his or her narrative identity, in constructing that of the story told. It is the identity of the story that makes the identity of the character.
Paul RicoeurRead
Although there has always been a hermeneutic problem in Christianity, the hermeneutic question today seems to us a new one.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Ricoeur suggests that the interpretation of Christian texts is inherently complex and that contemporary context presents new interpretive challenges.
In this quote, Paul Ricoeur highlights the ongoing difficulty of interpreting Christian texts, known as the hermeneutic problem, and asserts that this issue takes on a new dimension in today's world. He emphasizes that while challenges in interpretation have always existed, the questions we face today regarding meaning and understanding are distinctly relevant and may differ significantly from those of the past, which invites a deeper exploration of faith and theology in a modern context.
Themes
InterpretationHermeneuticsChristianityMeaningContext
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a theological seminar discussing modern interpretation of religious texts.
More from Paul Ricoeur
All quotes →If it is true that there is always more than one way of construing a text, it is not true that all interpretations are equal.
Paul RicoeurRead
But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny. Myth expresses in terms of the world - that is, of the other world or the second world - the understanding that man has of himself in relation to the foundation and the limit of his existence. Hence to demythologize is to interpret myth, that is, to relate the objective representations of the myth to the self-understanding which is both shown and concealed in it.
Paul RicoeurRead
On a cosmic scale, our life is insignificant, yet this brief period when we appear in the world is the time in which all meaningful questions arise.
Paul RicoeurRead
Testimony demands to be interpreted because of the dialectic of meaning and event that traverses it.
Paul RicoeurRead
Myth expresses in terms of the world - that is, of the other world or the second world - the understanding that man has of himself in relation to the foundation and the limit of his existence.
Paul RicoeurRead
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