Obstacles to a spontaneous understanding of the original meaning of the message.

• Historical Gap

• Cultural Gap

• It is impossible to study people or phenomena as if we were looking as if we were looking at fish in a goldfish bowl from a detached position outside the bowl; each of us in inside a bowl ourselves. (Harold Garfinkel)

• Philosophical Gap

• Linguistic Gap

• Hermeneutics is needed, then, because of these gaps that block a spontaneous, accurate understanding of God's Word.