ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the activity of interpretation as a subjective enterprise which nevertheless retains certain objective and communitarian aspects. It focuses on the "given" in relationship to the Spirit and the acts of interpretation. The chapter argues that human acts of interpretation are graced by and through the Spirit such that unpredictable novelties emerge over time. The goal of interpretation is the generation of ideas that are true to the facts of experience. Key features of the Spirit's inspirational role in interpretation can be seen expressed in basic human activities such as the when the imagination is exercised creatively, when personal agency is freely and responsibly exhibited, and when the human being is grasped by what is otherwise transcendent. Theological interpretation builds in part on Scripture as well as adumbrated toward specific teloi. Interpretation therefore involves discerning and assessing oneself, one's situation, and one's prejudices, looking for possible resources, and charting the appropriate response.
