Chapter 2—Three Rules of Hermeneutics

During World War II one of the branches of the U.S. Navy was known as the “Seabees.” The name was derived from the acronym of their more prosaic title, “Construction Battalion.” Their motto is germane to our study of inspired writings: “Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.”HIPSA 5.9

There are tools that will unlock the meaning of the prophetic writings. Three very simple rules of interpretation—hermeneutics—were suggested more than 30 years ago by an Andrew University religion professor, T. Housel Jemison, in his college textbook on prophetic guidance, A Prophet Among You. ^{1(Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1955), Acts 16:23.} The rules are simple, easily applied, and work equally well, whether deriving meaning from the Scriptures or from the more recent writings of Ellen G. White.HIPSA 5.10