Abstract:
Hermeneutics can be understood as interpretation in a broader or narrower sense and is always related not only to language but also to relationships and encounters. The aim of this article is to emphasise the underlying presence of relational hermeneutics in Practical Theology. The etymological and epistemological roots, a few definitions and the chronological development of hermeneutics are explicated. The function of interpersonal misunderstanding and relational prejudice in hermeneutics is shown. Emphasis is placed on the hermeneutic-relational character in the doctrines of the Trinity, Christology and Pneumatology. In a Christological-Pneumatological interaction the role of a relational ecclesiology is elucidated. In a theonome reciprocity two aspects are illuminated, namely pneumatological reciprocity and theological-anthropological perspectives. It is evident that divine salvation and human existence are interdependent and that in relational terms such as the Covenant, the Decalogue and the Kingdom of God, a relational hermeneutics is the underlying interpretative means.
