Do the speakers in Acts use different hermeneutics for different OT genres?
Judd, Andrew. ‘Do the Speakers in Acts Use Different Hermeneutics for Different OT Genres?’ Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 64.1 (2021).
The Book of Acts’ quotations of OT texts have been explained in myriad ways: as everything from midrash, to rhetoric, to opportunistic prooftexting. This presents a confusing and unprincipled picture of apostolic hermeneutics. But is there a principle behind this diversity? Drawing on modern Genre Theory’s observation that genres create distinct hermeneutical roles for the reader, this article tests the hypothesis that the hermeneutical structure employed by the apostles to interpret and apply the OT vary depending on the genre of the source material. If the genre of the source text is a psalm, then nine times out of ten the text will be interpreted typologically to make a Christological point.
