ACCESS: This video is in English with the addition of American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and English captions. You can find the original video HERE.

What is the “meaning” of a text? Part 5

John Piper will continue to answer these questions:
1. What do we mean by the word “meaning”?
2. How do we use the word “meaning” in these LABS?
3. Specifically, what is the “meaning” of a written text?
Answer: The meaning of a text is what the author intended to communicate by his words.

Reason #5: This definition of meaning implies that a text’s meaning never changes from age to age or from reader to reader.

The reason is that a text’s meaning is a historical event. The author intended to communicate something through his words. That even, like any other event in history, is past. It can’t cease to be what it was. It simply is, like all other events in the past.

Scripture References
Mathew 5:18

John Piper is founder and teacher of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary.

For more information on John Piper and Desiring God, check out desiringgod.org

For more information on Bethlehem College & Seminary, check out bcsmn.edu

Special thanks to John Piper and Desiring God for graciously letting us translate their material into sign language for the deaf to enjoy and benefit from.