ABSTRACT
This chapter situates Gadamer's hermeneutics in the context of four discussions: with the German philosophical tradition, the phenomenologists, the Greeks and the Protestant theologians. This perspective highlights where many of his critics have misread his account of the hermeneutical experience. The Gadamerian hermeneut is neither captive to the authority of tradition (as the progressives and postmodernists allege) nor free to embrace subjectivism (as the conservatives worry). Gadamer thus offers a promising theoretical foundation for biblical hermeneutics, enabling us to hold open the tension between the authority and relevance of Scripture. However, Gadamer's critics do reveal elements of his account that are unclear or open to challenge. His optimism about the possibility for arriving at greater truth and understanding is poorly established. His hermeneutics provides no structural place for questions of genre. He does at times seem to be naive about the deceptive power of oppression. These critiques need to be addressed because they each have implications for Gadamer's ability to hold one side or the other of the tension between Scripture's authority and relevance.
