How do you decide how to interpret?

[Inky]

Almost every sufficiently detailed piece of writing is ambiguous in some way - what the author really meant isn't perfectly clear. This is especially true in the case of documents from other cultures and time periods. If you rely on a religious document for guidance, how do you decide how to interpret an ambiguous passage?

[Oberon]

In the case of religious documents I am not familiar with, I will refer to scholarship in that area. For most Greek, Roman, early Christian, and many Judaic texts, I refer to scholarship but I have a sufficient knowledge base to judge for myself what interpretation I follow.

[TheKnight]

I believe in the Torah. Because the Torah on its own (without explanation), I rely on the scholarship and teachings of the Sages and Teachers of Judaism that have passed on the Oral Tradition of explanations that was given to Moses and the Jewish people along with the Torah at Sinai 3300 years ago.

[Dunemeister]

Anglicans use a tripod whereby sacred scripture is primary and is penultimately authoritative; interpreting it is a matter of employing tradition judiciously (i.e., an essential use of reason).

[3.14]

i roll a dice

[MoonWater]

fpr any philosophical, religious or spiritual text I read I rely on a combination of my own intuition and reason as well as on what other scholars have to say about the texts.

[UltraViolet]

To be honest, the only thing that really interests me at all is PERSONAL interpretation.

This does not always mean "my" personal interpretation however,
as I also enjoy very much the PERSONAL interpretations of other individuals.
In fact I love the sheer variety of ways "a thing" can be interpreted.
I think personal interpretations also tell an interesting bit about
the individual doing the interpreting.

The interpretations that interest me least are the ones that claim to be
the "correct" ones. meh. I do not believe in such a thing,

[Willamena]

Originally Posted by Inky

Almost every sufficiently detailed piece of writing is ambiguous in some way - what the author really meant isn't perfectly clear.

Interpretation isn't "what the author meant," it is the meaning we find in it. "Interpretation" is those bits that are clear to the reader; that the reader has interpreted. On rare and fortunate occasions, we are free to imagine we have stepped into the author's shoes.
Edit: Though some people give themselves more freedom than others.

Originally Posted by Inky

This is especially true in the case of documents from other cultures and time periods. If you rely on a religious document for guidance, how do you decide how to interpret an ambiguous passage?

If you mean how does one find meaning in it, it will have meaning on first read; it will have greater meaning on subsequent readings; it will have expanded meaning on consultation with someone else about their interpretation; it will have broader meaning when scholarship is brought into the fold; it will have deeper meaning when the poet steps in to repaint it in pictures; etc.

[Willamena]

The best thing about ambuguity is that the two or more meanings that are clear could be just what the author meant.

Did you have an example, Inky?

[Carico]

Originally Posted by Inky

Almost every sufficiently detailed piece of writing is ambiguous in some way - what the author really meant isn't perfectly clear. This is especially true in the case of documents from other cultures and time periods. If you rely on a religious document for guidance, how do you decide how to interpret an ambiguous passage?

One doesn't interpret scripture, he simply believes it. 99% of the words in the bible we all learned in elementary school. So the problem isn't understanding the words, the problem is believing them. Most people don't believe them.