Who among the following first framed a theory of general hermeneutics?

The correct option is Friedrich Schleiermacher.

Hermeneutics, in its historical origins, was primarily concerned with the interpretation of sacred or biblical texts (biblical hermeneutics) and classical texts (philological hermeneutics). Each domain had its own specific, localized rules of interpretation.

Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768–1834), a German theologian and philosopher, revolutionized this field by proposing that the interpretation of any written text or spoken utterance relies on common, universal human processes of understanding. He moved hermeneutics beyond specialized domains to establish a general hermeneutics (allgemeine Hermeneutik) as the art of understanding itself (Verstehen).

Schleiermacher's general hermeneutics is constructed on a dual method of interpretation:
1. Grammatical Interpretation: Analyzing the text objectively in the context of the shared language and its linguistic rules.
2. Psychological (or Technical) Interpretation: Understanding the subjective and creative act of the author, reconstructing the author's inner mental life and intent at the time of composition.

Through this systematic approach, Schleiermacher became the first to frame a unified, general theory of hermeneutics, paving the way for later philosophers like Wilhelm Dilthey, Martin Heidegger, and Hans-Georg Gadamer to expand the discipline further.