How we relate to our past, how we understand ourselves, and how we relate to fellow humans: These are issues of great social importance. Such issues involve interpretation and appropriation. How should we understand texts from another era? This is not merely about understanding Homer’s Odyssey; it also involves laws made a few years ago. Do they still have meaning and significance for us, who live in circumstances different from the time when those laws were formulated? Must we go back to the original meaning to determine their meaning for us, today? If not, what does give the law a meaning that is sufficiently stable to be relevant?