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Ten Basic Principles of an Orthodox Exegetical Method

=First Principle=
1st PRINCIPLE of interpreting Scripture: that God is real and has become incarnate in Jesus Christ revealing Himself to us in the person of Christ, in the Scriptures about Christ, and in various ways in the Church. This also implies that Christ is the center of the Bible on all levels: He is the key to understanding  the OT - at least all of it that is relevant for Christians - and the NT. Obviously these facts must profoundly affect how we will interpret and use Scripture.

=Second Principle=
2nd PRINCIPLE:absolutely crucial, and emphasized by all saints from all times and places who have anything to say about interpreting Scripture: one's ability to interpret depends upon one's spiritual state (e.g., Mt. 12:35, 34).  One wilt only be able to interpretfully correctly if one's spiritual state is good (or at least, if one is open to repentance).

A related aspect of  this: because this is an inspired text, one must be inspired to fully understand it.  As Archim. J. Popovitch says " The Bible is not a book, but life; because its words are "spirit and life" (taken from Jn 6:63 where Christ says the "words I have spoken to you are spirit and life"). Therefore its words can be comprehended if we study them with the spirit of its spirit and the  life of its life." p.2  Also related to this is the emphasis on the necessity to pray in order to understand Scripture.

=Third Principle=
3rd PRINCIPLE:one must live it in order to fully understand (this applies particularly to the commandments and genera) way of life Christ revealed - the gospel life).  That is, the most important aspects of Holy Scripture can only be understood by living them. Archim J. Popovich rightly calls this the fundamental rule, or principle of Orthodox exegesis.

=Fourth Principle=
4th PRINCIPLE: the ultimate purpose of  interpreting Scripture must be the same as the ultimate purpose of Christian life: deification, theosis - becoming by grace what God is by nature, through a real communion with Him  This is entering the kingdom - a kingdom which is not of words, but of power, of life.

=Fifth Principle=
5th PRINCIPLE: only within the community of true faith, within the Church and her tradition, can Scripture be fully and correctly interpreted.  Would include with Tradition all aspects of the life of the Church - including writings and lives of the saints, and would involve looking for a patriotic consensus.

=Sixth Principle=
6th PRINCIPLE: Scripture is a witness to the truth, not explicitly containing everything that is important for the Church (see. p.62-3 Hopko, AFofU).  This means that we do not eliminate making the sign of the cross, etc. just because it is not explicit in Scripture like some Protestants do (though they ignore St. Paul's command in 2 Thess. 2:15 to "stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle." And they also have and do things not in scripture, e.g. having youth ministers:  this is just as "unbiblical" as monasteries are - but clearly both are natural extensions of scriptural principles in certain situations). It is very clear in this case that it is important to understand the kind of writing Holy Scripture was intended to be: e.g., it was never meant to be a detailed explanation of everything those in the Church do - thus you will misinterpret  it if you treat it as if it were supposed to dp this.

=Seventh Principle=
7th PRINCIPLE: primary emphasis must be on interpreting the Bible as we have it - the canon is important (Brevard Childs).  The main focus should not be on trying to find original pieces behind the books as we have them and then making a sort of new canon; or on excluding certain books, or passages because some scholars think they are written by someone other than who they are traditionally ascribed to, etc.  If the Church accepted them as canonical, then they are, and we must interpret them as we have them - at least as our primary focus.

The next 2 principles concern what might be called one's attitude as an interpreter:

=Eighth Principle=
8th PRINCIPLE:  As interpreters, one should follow God's example, e.g., using  the star to guide the magi: St. J. Chrysostom sees this as an example of God's condescension - how He reaches out to people where they are, using whatever will help them (see his p. 38, On Matthew). In other words, use everything possible (though with discernment) if it will help others come to the knowledge of the Truth.

=Ninth Principle=
9th PRINCIPLE:  To hive St. Basil's attitude toward ”difficult" texts: see Ph.Book, p.51 beginning: "This is my 2nd attempt to attack the text.  If anyone has a better interpretation to give, and can consistently with true religion amend what I say, let him speak and let him amend, and the Lord will reward him for me ... (see rest to "my brothers" NPNF, p.119) (Here also we see recognition that some passages are very difficult to interpret - not a naive view of language and perception such as the Enlightenment scholars had [no inherent difficulties in interpreting]; nor a Fundamentalist desperation to claim to know absolutely how to interpret every verse.  Also that the living Tradition [”true religion"] is the context within which all interpretations of Scripture be made.)

Or as St. Gregory of Nyssa says: "We shall leave what we say conjecturally and by supposition on the thought at hand to the judgment of our readers. Their critical intelligence must decide whether it should be rejected or accepted.“ (p. 98 # 173 Life of Moses)

=Tenth Principle=
10th PRINCIPLE: 8t. Gregory's last words lead us to a final point: reason, and our 2ndary knowledge - e.g. of  meanings of words, literary study of genres, archaeology, etc. - all have an important place in interpreting Scripture.  Generally speaking, this kind of knowledge is essential and most valuable as long as we realize that it is 2ndarv in the sense that its function is to illuminate - to shed more light on scripture - NOT to conclusively determine dogma (or the interpretive context provided by “true religion“) apart from the Church and the other principles above.