eisegesis

eisegesis
A comparatively modern term to describe, disapprovingly, a piece of scholarship which appears to find in a given text a significance alien to its context. This might be to provide biblical support for a doctrinal position already held. The term was coined (from the Greek eis, in, and egeisthai, to guide) as the opposite of exegesis (Greek ek), which means an elucidation of.
An example of eisegesis is when theologians holding a theory about Christian initiation argued for supporting evidence in the gospels. It was suggested that baptism both effects forgiveness of sins and imparts the gift [[➝ gifts]] of the Spirit [[➝ spirit]], but that this rite became split into two parts, i.e. baptism in water soon after birth and the laying on of hands (episcopal confirmation) at a later date but equally essential to the wholeness of the rite. It was suggested that the two parts of the rite were anticipated at the baptism of Jesus: first the baptism in the river (Mark 1:9), followed as a second constituent of the rite by the descent of the Spirit (Mark 1:10).

Dictionary of the Bible.

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  • Eisegesis — (from the Greek root εις, meaning into, in, among) is the process of misinterpreting a text in such a way that it introduce one s own ideas, reading into the text. This is best understood when contrasted with exegesis. While exegesis draws out… …   Wikipedia

  • eisegesis — the reading of one s own ideas into scripture, 1878, from Gk. eis in, into + ending from EXEGESIS (Cf. exegesis) …   Etymology dictionary

  • eisegesis — eisegetic /uy si jet ik/, eisegetical, adj. /uy si jee sis/, n., pl. eisegeses / seez/. an interpretation, esp. of Scripture, that expresses the interpreter s own ideas, bias, or the like, rather than the meaning of the text. [1890 95; < Gk… …   Universalium

  • eisegesis — noun (plural eisegeses) Etymology: Greek eis into (akin to Greek en in) + English exegesis more at in Date: 1892 the interpretation of a text (as of the Bible) by reading into it one s own ideas compare exegesis …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • eisegesis — n. interpretation of a text (usually the Bible) that demonstrates the interpreter s biases and not the actual meaning of the text …   English contemporary dictionary

  • eisegesis — eis·e·ge·sis …   English syllables

  • eisegesis —  Эйзегеза …   Вестминстерский словарь теологических терминов

  • eisegesis — A faulty interpretation of a text caused by reading in one s own ideas …   Grandiloquent dictionary

  • eisegesis —    This term (from the Greek eisēgeisthai, meaning to lead in ) designates an interpretation of the Scriptures that stems from the personal viewpoint of the interpreter, who reads this interpretation into the text, in contrast to exegesis, where… …   Glossary of theological terms

  • eisegesis —   n. incorrect explanation of text, especially of Bible, by distorting the meaning to fit preconceived ideas.    ♦ eisegetical, a …   Dictionary of difficult words

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