Saint Augustine gives answers and problems.

In On Christian Teaching, Saint Augustine provides insight in the form of a double edged sword (or maybe a sword with foam on one side and razor sharp steel on the other). His ideas on interpreting religious texts is quite helpful for those within the faith of that text but can be somewhat problematic (though insightful) for those who are analyzing the text (as non-believers). Augustine spends a great deal of time focusing on ambiguity. He references both the ambiguity of various translations of text from older/different languages as well as the ambiguity of signs in texts (whether they can or should be taken metaphorically or literally). His advice on which translations should be used is helpful for all: "We should aim either to acquire a knowledge of the languages from which the Latin scripture derives or to use the version of those who keep excessively close to the literal meaning." While this applies universally to readers of scripture, it also creates a somewhat elitist structure to understanding religious texts. Whereas with some disciplines there are certain theorems or formulas or themes that can be used to address unfamiliar concepts and derive meaning, with religion, according to Augustine, the way to understand religious texts, and especially the signs and ambiguity within, is to become completely knowledgeable in "the complete canon of scripture"--which is a pretty hefty list. In other words, Augustine is stating that understanding of signs/ambiguity in religious texts must come from contextual clues (not necessarily in the same text but in texts that are part of the canon) and that we must provide the context with our own knowledge. Because of this, it seems that a relatively small group of people will be able to completely comprehend the subtleties of religious text. A dedicated believer in a religion would likely become well versed in the complete canon, as would a someone who's occupation or main field of interest was in religious studies, but for perhaps the average believer and certainly the average non-believer, Augustine's method of understanding is likely beyond the realm of possibility. Thus, for us taking intro religious studies, it is almost essential that we have the instruction of a well-versed religious studies professor so that we may have a tie to this "complete canon of scripture" and a better (and non-face value) understanding of the Psalms.