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Thus exegesis is repeating – -- in my language today – -- what an author in his situation and under his conditions wanted to say to his readers in their situation and under their conditions.

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The second step involving criticism of the results of the exegesis that is the first step is properly called "critical interpretation" (Sachkritik). It consists in subjecting the results of exegesis to a systematic theological control. To carry it out requires finding a standard.

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But even when one manages to focus attention on the individual NT writings, there are still difficulties. They lie in us ourselves. We (and with us also always our tradition) become much too quickly involved in the exegesis. We read the writings as Christians – -- more exactly, Lutheran Christians, Reformed Christians, etc. And since we understand our own Christian existence to be biblically grounded, we view ourselves as in solidarity with the NT writers. But with this our preunderstanding comes into play and easily turns our exegesis into eisegesis – -- without our knowing it or even wanting it. We must be clear that exegesis in its ideal form is not to be attained. Not only do we ourselves always stand in the way, but there is also the great temporal
distance that separates us from the NT writers and readers. Still, the difficulty of the task cannot release us from it, even if it should make us sensitive to the fact that one has to do a lot of work in taking this first step (204 f.).

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To be sure, non-theologians generally deal with the Bible in just this way. But then they do not hear what the writers wanted to say, but (even if through the texts) only their own tradition. The non-theologian doesn't know this; and the theologian who fails to reflect on her or his method doesn't pay attention to it. This can go well enough for quite a while; and it is a real question whether one ought to demand – -- and in what case one even can demand – -- that every Christian down to the very last ought to be equipped methodically to read the Bible.

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But exegesis cannot enable us to ascertain what actually happened at the resurrection of Jesus. Nor can exegesis determine what should be said about the resurrection of Jesus today (48 f.).

Exegesis never deals simply with texts. Exegesis always deals with texts composed by people, so the proper exegetical question always is, "What did the author want to say with this text?"