ONLINE FIRST
published on May 14, 2022
Matthew McWhorter
https://doi.org/10.5840/ipq2022513188
Interpreting Aquinas: Resources from Gadamer¡¯s Hermeneutics
Certain teachings found in Gadamer¡¯s hermeneutics (especially as presented in his major work Truth and Method) are examined in order to help cultivate the historically-minded theological methodology proposed by Thomistic thinker Benedict Ashley. Consideration is given to four Gadamerian themes mentioned in Ashley¡¯s introduction to Theologies of the Body: (1) Interpretation is an intellectual inquiry that can be enriched by adopting hermeneutic reflection where such reflection is understood as a kind of a contemplative meta-praxis. (2) Interpretation as the search for understanding involves a heuristic process. (3) Hermeneutic reflection facilitates an interpreter becoming aware that the work of interpretation itself occurs within a historical context. (4) The process of interpretation is incomplete without the contemporary application of what is understood. With respect to each of these four themes, Ashley¡¯s work is considered first and then the same topics are considered as found in the writings of Gadamer.