A deeper understanding of the Bible is essential for its place in today’s society. Each year, over 100 million copies of the Bible are sold worldwide (Lehnardt). The Bible has played a monumental role in shaping culture and proves to be one of the most influential books of all time. This influence not only reaches its committed Christian following but goes further by influencing nonbelievers as well. Even though the context of the Bible is important (given its historical insights and doctrines), it is also crucial to highlight how it is interpreted. In the course of our semester lectures, we have observed various forms of interpretation, their progression over the years and how these interpretations differ amongst several groups (early Christians, medieval Christians, and Rabbis, etc.). Origen’s method for searching for the inner figurative meanings of Scripture is necessary to make the Bible relevant in a modern world where the literal meanings of the Bible can seem false or irrelevant.
The question being posed brings attention to the pros and cons of allegory and its relation to today’s society. This discussion creates a dialogue between my insight on the matter and compares it to Origen, a prominent figure who has a definite opinion about biblical interpretation. This paper will display support for Origen’s standpoint on allegory; which is that it is a necessity. Identify the benefits of allegorical interpretation such as literary and figurative comprehension. And lastly, examine the problems that arise from this form of interpretation.
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The first reason why the Bible should be read allegorically is for literary comprehension. The Bible is a complex text written thousands of years ago by several authors and it comes as no surprise when we see a diverse array of literary conventions. These literary conventions are often influenced by a culture within a specific time period, making the road to comprehension narrow for every day, 21st-century readers. One example of this form that we looked upon in our class lectures, is apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic literature refers to a genre of literature common to Jewish and Christian culture that has an underlying message of world destruction. It consists of detailed descriptions, symbols and unusual imagery (Benware). A literal approach to apocalyptic literature would be ineffective because it is very unique and is not present in other cultures (Bailey). Its uniqueness alongside difficulty to understand makes it likely for readers of the 21st- century to grasp false or incomplete narratives from the Bible.
Take the book of Daniel chapter 2 for instance. A literal approach when taking on this chapter would read like a simple story about a king (Nebuchadnezzar) who had strange dreams and a wild goose chase to find who could interpret those dreams. But if we look deeper into the book of Daniel and examine its historical nature, we see that Daniel was among the very few privileged youths who managed to escape Jerusalem’s destruction. He migrated to Babylon as a refugee under captivity to serve the Babylonian empire. It is also important when reading the book of Daniel to note that he was living in a pagan environment. Due to these historical insights, a higher level of understanding is achieved. Origen’s standpoint supports this theory as he expresses false opinions and ignorant assertions about God, are birthed in the misunderstanding of scriptures. He also mentions the spiritual meaning of the Bible and the significant role it plays when reading the Bible (Placher & Nelson, 25).
The Second reason why the Bible should be read allegorically is so that people in the 21st century can relate to it. For the Bible to remain relevant in today’s world, people need to see themselves in it. The Bible has a lot of parables and these stories often depict a moral element that readers are to grasp from it. These parables are told in a different time period and are often influenced by the culture and the atmosphere of that time in history. “To take the Bible seriously, we also need to consider whom the author was writing to. The Bible was written for us, but not to us. Cultural norms, symbolism, and the audience’s familiarity with Scripture may all contribute to the way in which Scripture has been written and understood” (Bailey). If we examine the parable of the 10 virgins in the book of Mathew, it’s difficult to see how someone in the 21st century (without deeper understanding), could relate to that story. The situation in itself is specific to that time period. “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom” (Mathew 25:1).
If we put ourselves in the shoes of modern-day Christians, no one uses lamps anymore and even if they did, how does that relate to the kingdom of heaven? The parable suggests that the virgins in the story are the readers but the ideal modern-day Christian, is not necessarily a virgin. So, if they cannot see a representation of their being in the story nor understand the concept of the story, they cannot relate it thus rendering the passage irrelevant.
While allegorical interpretation has its benefits to modern-day readers, it is crucial to observe this discussion from an opposing perspective. Allegorical interpretation in its nature seeks a deeper, spiritual understanding of the sacred text. However, problems begin to arise in determining which scriptures are to be deeply analyzed. “The problem with the allegorical method of interpretation is that it seeks to find an allegorical interpretation for every passage of Scripture, regardless of whether or not it is intended to be understood in that way” (Zuck). This method of interpretation raises an important question; are all Bible passages to be read allegorically? Surely there are some things that are just stated plainly in the Bible and are not so much open to interpretation. For instance, the ten commandments; these are clearly stated in instructions God laid out for Man with the use of Moses. And as such would be ineffective if people were to read in deeper into these instructions.
Another issue with the method of allegorical interpretation is that it could lead to a rise in heresy. As we read in the History of Biblical Interpretations, most people who read the Bible allegorically had the authority from Jesus, like Paul. “For Origen, when Paul, for example, uses an allegorical interpretation to make a point in his epistles, Paul is also himself (with apostolic authority) teaching allegory as a method of interpretation” (Yarchin,42). We can infer from this exert that Paul has been approved by Jesus to interpret allegorically which implies that his evaluation of the sacred text is accurate. Sometimes people when are interpreting they tend to be creative so much so that the intended, obvious message of the text is lost. “Interpreters who allegorize can be very creative, with no control based in the text itself. It becomes easy to read one’s own beliefs into the allegory and then think that they have scriptural support” (Zuck).
Allegorical interpretation also has a history of negative connotations attached to its name. Some biblical scholars refer to it as pagan philosophy and describe it as “breaching the walls of the simple apostolic faith, allowing the firm foundations of the historical Gospel to be undermined by esoteric speculations” (Bostock,47). Others have referred to it as Bible abuse. 'Centuries must pass before the pulpit could be delivered—and even yet it is not wholly delivered! —from bondage to this [allegory] ancient and trenched abuse of Scripture' (Dargan,190). The negative portrayal of such interpretation makes allegory seem unreliable and an inaccurate form of reading.
In summary, Origen’s method for searching for the inner figurative meanings of Scripture is necessary to make the Bible relevant in a modern world where the literal meanings of the Bible can seem false or irrelevant. The Bible should be read allegorically for literary and figurative comprehension when dealing with uncommon texts such as apocalyptic literature. It should also be read using this method to promote relatability to 21st Century culture; people of today need to see themselves represented inside of the Bible for them to keep it relevant. While allegorical interpretation has its benefits to modern-day readers, it is crucial to state the opposing views on it. Problems begin to arise in determining which scriptures are to be deeply analyzed. There’s also the potential for heresy. Most people who read the Bible allegorically had the authority from Jesus, like Paul. Given all the aspects discussed in this assignment ultimately, I side with Origen to read with a deeper, spiritual motive to keep the Bible relevant in today’s world.
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