allegorical interpretation
Quick Summary
Allegorical interpretation is a method of reading texts, particularly the Bible, where characters, objects, and actions are understood as symbols representing deeper truths or generalizations about human experience. This approach, which traces its roots to ancient Greek "speaking figuratively," became particularly popular in the Middle Ages.12
In biblical criticism, allegorical interpretation assigns meanings to scripture that may not have been the author's original intent. For instance, the Song of Solomon's endearments can be interpreted as symbolizing the communion between God and the soul, or Christ and the church. This method was often employed when the literal meaning was deemed unacceptable or insufficient.2
Closely related is typological interpretation, where Old Testament figures and events are seen as prefiguring New Testament counterparts. For example, Noah's Ark can symbolize the church, and Isaac carrying wood for sacrifice can represent Jesus carrying the cross. While traces of this appear in the New Testament, its elaborate application became a significant hermeneutical theory.2
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ChristianityScriptural traditionsThe allegorical interpretation of Greek classical philosophical and poetical texts, which was prevalent at the Library and Museum (the school) of Alexandria, for example, directly influenced the exegetical method of the Christian catechetical school there. Basing his principles on the methods of Philo of Alexandria and…
Read MoreThe allegorical interpretation of Greek classical philosophical and poetical texts, which was prevalent at the Library and Museum (the school) of Alexandria, for example, directly influenced the exegetical method of the Christian catechetical school there. Basing his principles on the methods of Philo of Alexandria and…
Read More- patristic literatureThe Apostolic Fathers
…anti-Jewish, the Alexandrian author substitutes allegorism (use of symbolism) for Jewish literalism and thus enables himself to wrest a Christian meaning from the Old Testament. The same tension is underlined by Ignatius’s polemic against Judaizing tendencies in the church. At the same time, all these writings—especially those of Ignatius, Polycarp,…
Read More…anti-Jewish, the Alexandrian author substitutes allegorism (use of symbolism) for Jewish literalism and thus enables himself to wrest a Christian meaning from the Old Testament. The same tension is underlined by Ignatius’s polemic against Judaizing tendencies in the church. At the same time, all these writings—especially those of Ignatius, Polycarp,…
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