In this primer on hermeneutics, Petr Pokorný takes up basic issues in understanding from language in general to the interpretation of the Bible.

While Hermeneutics as a Theory of Understanding deals with most of the problems of hermeneutics and their role in society and impact in history, the book's main aim is not to introduce new methodologies or to investigate the character of human understanding by new probes into literary or historical documents. Instead, Pokorný's principal intention is to define the philosophical and theological premises of individual projects of understanding - their interrelations, meaning, and function in interpretation, especially that of ancient texts such as the Bible.

Pokorný's work here functions admirably both as a text for students and as a monograph that suggests new paths in hermeneutical discussion.