Section on Law and Religion, Co-Sponsored by Islamic Law and Jewish LawTorrance, South Tower/Level 4, San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina
Scriptual Interpretation and Constitutional Interpretation
(Program to be published in Michigan State Law Review)
Over the years, a substantial body of literature has developed exploring methodological similarities and differences in constitutional and scriptural interpretation. For instance, both disciplines involve interpretation of authoritative texts that are designed to formulate and embody the principles that underlie the basic values and structure of society. At the same time, these texts are often formulated in general terms that require complex modes of hermeneutics through which they are defined, refined, interpreted, and applied.
This area of study has recently gained new vitality with increased interdisciplinary focus in the examination of these issues in works such as Jaroslav Pelikan’s Interpreting the Bible and the Constitution. Perhaps more significantly—if less directly—comparisons between constitutional and scriptural interpretation relate to one of the most controversial and pressing issues in contemporary constitutional jurisprudence: the relevance of foreign law to constitutional interpretation. In this context, scriptural interpretation may serve as yet another model to be applied to constitutional interpretation.
This panel will include scholars in the fields of both constitutional and scriptural interpretation, who will consider the extent to which these methods may, or may not, provide mutual analogs to facilitate more thoughtful study in each of these fields.
Business Meeting at Program Conclusion.
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