Exegetik

Exegetik, or exegesis, is the scholarly discipline focused on interpreting religious texts, especially the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. It seeks to uncover the meaning the text conveyed in its original historical and literary context, using linguistic, historical, and literary analysis.

Key methods include textual criticism, philology, historical criticism, form criticism, source criticism, and redaction criticism. In modern practice, exegetik also employs literary and rhetorical analysis, intertextual readings, and reception history. It distinguishes exegesis from hermeneutics, the theory and process of interpretation; exegesis is practice-oriented toward the text itself.

Languages involved include Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek; scholars study manuscript traditions, cultural backgrounds, genres, and contextual factors that shape meaning.

History: Exegetic methods trace back to ancient expositors and mature in patristic and medieval scholarship; modern exegesis developed with historical-critical methods in the 18th-19th centuries, and today combines critical approaches with literary theory.

Significance: Exegetik informs theology, preaching, and education, and supports ecumenical and interfaith dialogue by clarifying textual meanings. It remains central in theology faculties, seminary training, and biblical scholarship.