Ways of interpreting Scripture

(Originally written February 3, 2006 in Book 23)

Clement of Alexandria in the fourfold interpretation of Scriptures

- Clement states there are four ways to interpret Scriptures

1) The literal sense
2) The allegorical sense, which conveys something to be believed
3) The moral (tropological) sense, which conveys something which is to be done
4) The analogical sense, which conveys something which is to be hoped for

(The four-fold interpretation is called the Quadriga)

Origen on the Three Ways of Reading Scripture

- Origen believes there is a correlation between a Christian's maturity level and what he/she can get out of certain passages of the Bible. He classifies them in 3 sets:
1) The "body": this is what the simplest Christians obtain. It is the mere immediate acceptance of the text as divine in nature
2) The "soul": is what Christians, who have matured by the "body" way of reading scripture are able to extract from the text
3) The "spiritual" is the complete perfect understanding of the text only mature Christians are capable of obtaining.

There are some passages that contain messages for all three of these, while some only contain messages for those who read at the "soul" or "spiritual" levels.

Augustine on the Literal and Allegorical senses of Scripture

Augustine writes on this topic to refute held by the Manichaeans

The Manichaeans hold a view that the New Testament makes the Old Testament obsolete, The New Covenant in Christ removes completely the old.

Augustine states that rather than rendering the Old Testament obsolete, the New Testament removes a "veil" that was over it, making it possible for us to understand the spiritual meaning of the Old Testament. He states there is "no tension" between the two. The New Testament removes the veil of the Old Testament allowing us to see the connection and relationship between the two.

Vincent of Lépins on the role of Tradition

He wrote in an attempt to find a way to be secure in deciding what was true teaching and what was heresy. His findings were rooted in two key principles of accepting any specific doctrine:
1) by authority of the divine law
2) by the tradition of the Catholic Church

The need for the use of the tradition of the Catholic Church is that many people interpret the Scriptures in many different ways. The Church was to govern which interpretations were true and which were false.

Vincent assures us that the Church will have all the sound doctrines by ensuring three things:
1) The ecumenicity of the doctrine and that it is believed everywhere
2) The antiquity of the doctrine: it has always been believed, especially by the original leaders of the Church
3) The consent of the doctrine: it is believed by all people

"That which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all people" (The Vincentian Canon)

Martin Luther on the fourfold sense of Scriptures

Luther maintains the Quadriga, but states there are two subsets of the literal approach.
1) Literal-historical views an Old Testament passage as directly involving Israel
2) Literal-prophetic views Old Testament passage in relation to the Incarnation of Christ

He states there are two ways of living and each has a distinct way of interpreting Scripture:
1) Spirit (Literal-Prophetic)
2) Flesh (Literal-Historical)

Luther warns that the Scriptures will become ludicrous if Scripture is taken allegorically or tropologically without it being explicitly stated in a historical manner somewhere else.

Emil Brunner on the Personal Nature of Revelation

Brunner believes that God reveals Himself to the individual, not just the information of Himself, but His essence

The relationship with man and God is personal. If God were only relaying information to man it would be an impersonal relationship.

James Packer on the Nature of Revelation

Packer defines revelation as two things:
1) God's act: a personal self-disclosure whereby he brings us actively to know him as our God and savior
2) God's gift: the revelation of knowledge about Himself

"God reveals Himself by telling us about Himself, and what He is doing in His world"

Packer believes God speaks to us in a verbal way. Either through angels, dreams, visions or through the Holy Spirit directing us to do a certain thing; in any case it is a form of verbal communication that God uses to reveal himself to us.