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== Orthodox Hermeneutic Principles ==
1. '''God is real and is incarnated in our [[Lord ]] Jesus Christ.''' Everything pertaining to the Scriptures must be understood [[Christology|Christologically]]. [[Jesus Christ]], the incarnate Second Person of the [[Holy Trinity]], is the center of all that we as Christians do, and being Himself the very Truth, He is the only gate through which we may enter into understanding of the Bible, both [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]]s (though not all that is contained in the Old Testament is directly relevant for Christians). The Bible ultimately is about Christ and assists us in our union with Him.
2. '''Only the pure in heart "shall see God."''' That is, our spiritual state has a direct bearing on our interpretation of the Scriptures. As St. [[Athanasius the Great|Athanasius]] said, "One cannot possibly understand the teaching of the saints unless one has a pure mind and is trying to imitate their life." Because the Scripture is a book inspired by the [[Holy Spirit]] and given through holy men, one's own holiness is directly relevant to the ability to interpret the book correctly. Unlike any other book, the Bible's words are "spirit and life," and so we must live spiritually in order to drink from this spiritual well. Clearly, [[prayer]] and spiritual discipline are necessary in order to understand Scripture properly.
