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The hermeneutic circle is a concept in interpretive theory suggesting that understanding a text—especially in a theological context—involves moving back and forth between the parts and the whole. One’s understanding of the parts inform one’s understanding of the whole, and vice versa.
For example, scholar John Bartkowski highlights that when readers interpret the Bible, they rely on their understanding of the overarching message of the Bible to make sense of specific passage, and their understanding of specific passages inform their perception of the entire text.
The world “hermeneutic” is quite literally defined as “concerning interpretation.” Thus, you can think of a hermeneutic circle as a loop of interpretaion, whereas each part affects interpretation of the whole, and the whole affects interpretation of each part.
Hope that helps! Check out my full Religion 101 article list (useful for studying, or just learning!) here.