This already has some answers, but a follow-up is in order. Many subjective considerations are *assumed* in cases when folks recommend migration. **This post is intended to encourage more comments to determine the OP's intent before recommending migration.**

I propose the following test for whether or not a question should be migrated to BH.SE (to be used in conjunction with [the existing flowchart for asking questions on BH.SE][1]):

## BH.SE Migration Test

1.  **Is the OP seeking to understand how a *specific* text was understood in its *original* historical context by its *original* audience (and/or attempting to discern the *human* author's intent)?**

    This is often not clear from the question itself. If a user asks, "what does this passage mean?", they could mean several things:

 1. What does this passage mean *to me* (in my *current* context)?
 2. What does this passage mean *to religious practitioners* in [any context that is anachronistic to the original text (including interpreting Hebrew Bible passages through the New Testament)]?
 3. What does this passage mean in light of other Scripture? [this is *assuming* a theological/doctrinal belief about the text itself]
 4. What did God mean in this passage (other than where God speaks/acts as a literary character in the text)?
 5. What is *prescribed* by this passage? [BH.SE seeks to *describe* the text without *prescribing* beliefs/practices to readers]

    Discerning the OP's intent will often mean asking them questions in comments. The answers may not be apparent from the question itself. Often, the OP is not aware of these assumptions since they are shared by others in their faith tradition and [recommending migration will only serve to needlessly frustrate and confuse the OP][2] (it is reasonable to assume that an OP who asked a question about the Bible on a site named "Christianity" expects to hear Christian perspectives that align with traditional Christian interpretative traditions).

    None of these should be migrated to BH.SE. If the OP wants to understand how the text *applies* to them *today*, BH.SE is not the place for it. If the user is asking about the *entire* "Bible" (which is [often not defined nor agreed upon even among Christians](http://meta.hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/a/687/)) rather than a *specific* text, it is also not a good fit for BH.SE (imagine the average Christian OP receiving an answer citing 4 Maccabees or an answer claiming that "El" in Psalm 82 refers to a Ugaritic deity and teaches a polytheistic worldview). If the OP wants to know what *God* meant in a passage (aside from God's appearance as a literary character in the text), it is (again) not a good fit for BH.SE.

    It could be closed as **primarily opinion-based** if it does not specify a specific doctrinal perspective, but it is not a candidate for migration to BH.SE. On the other hand, if the user clearly is seeking information about the *original* historical, linguistic, or literary context of the text, then BH.SE is the right place for it.

2. **Does the OP start *solely* from the *specific* text being asked about and "connect the dots" leading to their question?**

    It is important that questions on BH.SE avoid **anachronistic *assumptions***. A clear-cut example is assuming the continuity of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and New Testament. If a question is focused on understanding a Hebrew Bible text but references New Testament passages or characters (e.g. Jesus), it is not a good candidate for migration to BH.SE (please note that it is perfectly alright for questions focused on understanding New Testament passages to reference Hebrew Bible passages as this is *not* anachronistic). Many Christians *want* answers that use the New Testament to elucidate the Old. This site (C.SE) is likely a better place for these users to ask their questions, since they can focus on the specific Christian perspective(s) they wish to hear about. On BH.SE, they will need to show a lot more work to connect the dots that are often assumed in Christian interpretation.

    Many questions assume a theological/doctrinal framework or idea without even realizing it. For instance, asking whether a passage teaches Arminianism or Calvinism reads anachronistic theological positions into the text. Also, sometimes passages are really about an idea and merely use the text as a backdrop (but the actual question is about an idea that does not arise naturally from the text itself — for instance, asking about the practice of marriage when asking about a text about Adam and Eve's relationship, or asking "what does this text say about the Trinity?"). Such questions are not a good fit for BH.SE (BH.SE is seeking exegesis over eisegesis).

3.  **If the OP is *not* asking about #1 or #2, is the OP asking about source criticism, textual criticism, the *process* of hermeneutics, or related academic sub-disciplines of biblical studies (e.g. Assyriology or philology as related to biblical interpretation)?**

    These questions are generally off topic here at C.SE but may fit well at BH.SE. Hermeneutics itself is a gray area. BH.SE is much more interested in the *process* of hermeneutics than theological/doctrinal perspectives from which hermeneutics stem (but recognizes that these are intertwined for many Christian interpreters). Questions about the process of hermeneutics are best suited for BH.SE.

## A Few Sidenotes

 - **While questions asking about the original language(s) of a passage are *usually* better suited for BH.SE, be sure to focus the question solely on the linguistic aspects of the text before migrating or it will be closed.** Often migrated questions have commingled issues: the OP is asking, "what does the Greek of [passage X] say about [doctrine Y]?" This is not a good fit for BH.SE, since doctrine Y is likely not a linguistic issue. In this case, the OP should be encouraged to ask two questions: one about the grammar/morphology/syntax on BH.SE and then a follow-up question about the doctrinal issue this may elucidate on C.SE (possibly referencing answers to the BH.SE question as context).

 - **Be careful to differentiate between the *original* historical context and later *Christian* historical context of passages.** For instance, asking how early Church Fathers interpreted a passage is a better fit here than on BH.SE, as is asking how a passage figured in early ecclesiastical councils.

 - **Be careful when multiple texts are related to one another. The relationship should go beyond mere (topical) "proof-texting" when asking about related texts on BH.SE.** The most common example is asking about contradictions between two texts written by different authors. These questions are sometimes better suited for C.SE, especially when they assume theological beliefs such as inerrancy. However, if the connection between the two texts is on another basis, then the question may be better suited for BH.SE (e.g. same author, same linguistic expression, same literary device/pattern, etc.). This is another gray area.

 - **Keep in mind that BH.SE is *not* C.SE's "sister site".** [BH.SE attempts to distinguish itself from traditional Christian approaches to the biblical texts.][3] Non-religious approaches are welcome (and encouraged), including those that reject/repudiate Christian approaches to the text (such as Judaism, atheism, historical criticism, etc.).


  [1]: http://meta.hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/q/867/
  [2]: https://christianity.meta.stackexchange.com/a/960/
  [3]: http://meta.hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/a/803/