Should We Take the Bible Literally or Figuratively?

CatholicExchange.com ^ | April 17, 2007 | Mary Harwell Sayler

[Salvation]

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Should We Take the Bible Literally or Figuratively?

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April 17, 2007

Question: I started going to a Bible study in our parish and usually enjoy it but am thinking about dropping out. Several people in our group said we should never take the Bible literally, but what's the point of reading the Bible if it doesn't mean what it says?

Discussion: The Bible does mean what it says. However, God's ways can be so mysterious that people do not always understand what's said or why, especially on first reading. Some may write off the whole Bible as being merely symbolic or allegorical, while others take every word as the kind of literal truth you get when you say something like, "The fire is hot." Symbolically, that same fire represents the power, warmth, and enthusiastic fervor poured into Christians by the Holy Spirit. You can approach the flame literally or figuratively, but either way, the fire is "true." 

As the living word of God, the Bible is also true to itself and the spiritual truths expressed in a variety of tones, formats, and literary styles. Many themes and purposes arise in its pages, but the overall goal shows the salvation and redemption of man by the Almighty God, beginning in Genesis and going all the way through the final Amen in Revelation. So as you study the Bible, don't worry about whether you should take the words literally or figuratively. Just take them. Read them. Study them, and get to know what the Biblical record shows about the ongoing relationship between human beings and the God of love.

You might also take another tack in your Bible study. For instance, try thinking of yourself as an investigator or a Christian reporter looking for the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your Judeo-Christian heritage and the life-giving truth of God's loving mercy and forgiveness. As you do this, consider:

the Who of God — i.e., the character and power of the One to Whom you speak;

the what of the conditions, circumstances, or context surrounding the larger spiritual truth that a book or chapter presents;

the when of the past, present, and future as well as the timelessness of eternity in which a Biblical truth or statement affects God's people, including you;

the where of the place and culture from which the text arises;

the why of the law recorded, the wisdom taught, or the prophecy spoken;

the how of the literal, figurative, or poetic words that the inspired writer utilized to tell a story and present a spiritual truth in the most effective way.

Generally speaking, the Who, what, when, where, and why of the Bible will express our Judeo-Christian background and beliefs, whereas the how has more to do with the means by which the Bible presents a spiritual truth. Unlike modern libraries that separate fiction from nonfiction and both genres from poetry, a single book of the Bible may contain an eclectic mix of Godly commands, historical events, poetic lines, and allegorical tales. Between genres, thin lines may overlap, but don't let them trip you up. For instance, if you read something that troubles you or that you don't understand, just do a little research by looking up the verse or passage in a reputable commentary. Better yet, see if the Catechism of the Catholic Church covers that specific topic. To ease the search, just look for a key word on a website that contains the complete Catechism.

Most importantly, begin and end each Bible study session or independent reading with prayer for God to guide the discussion and increase your understanding. Then trust that He will. The same Holy Spirit who scripted the story of God's love into the Holy Scriptures knows how to write His word into your spirit today.

 

© Copyright 2007 Catholic ExchangeMary Sayler has studied the Bible since early childhood and leads discussion groups in her local parish. In addition to being a poet, freelancer, and assignment writer for the religious markets, she works with other writers and poets through her website http://www.catholicpoetsandwriters.com/.

[Salvation]

**They keep pulling
me

back

in.**

Are you saying you have no self-discipline? I really doubt that??? Then who are you blaming?? Or are you blaming anyone at all??

Inquiring minds want to know.

[Diego1618]

Which set of 10 came first ... Catholic or Protestant? Jewish. :-)

LOL.....right over their heads!

[P-Marlowe]

Here’s a list of questions to ponder:

Figurative or Literal?

1) 6 Day Creation?
2) Garden of Eden?
3) Serpent?
4) Tree of Knowledge?
5) Cain & Abel?
6) The Flood?
7) Abraham?
8) Moses?
9) The Nile into blood?
10) Plagues of Egypt?
11) The passover?
12) The parting of the Red Sea?
13) The 40 year wandering?
14) The Ten commandments?
15) The Walls of Jericho?
16) The one hour time stop?
17) Jonah?
18) Job?
19) Sampson and the Phillistines
19) David & Goliath?
20) Daniel and the Lion’s Den?
21) Shadrach Meshach and Abednigo in the fiery furnace?
22) The Virgin Birth?
23) Water into wine?
24) The Incarnation?
25) The Resurrection?

I’m sure there are more.

[jude24]

Figurative or Literal?

False dichotomy.

[ichabod1]

which translation?

[ichabod1]

In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.

All metaphor must break down somewhere or else it be the thing which it describes.

[Salvation]

Now that is some list for discussion! Wow!

[Enosh]

1) 6 Day Creation?
Literal. (God’s perspective.)

2) Garden of Eden?
Literal.

3) Serpent?
Literal. (Talking donkey later too!)

4) Tree of Knowledge?
Literal.

5) Cain & Abel?
Literal.

6) The Flood?
Literal.

7) Abraham?
What about him?

8) Moses?
What about him?

9) The Nile into blood?
10) Plagues of Egypt?
11) The passover?
Literal. (Three in one bonus question there?)

12) The parting of the Red Sea?
Literal. (The Jordan several times too.)

13) The 40 year wandering?
Literal.

14) The Ten commandments?
Literal, but butterfingers busted the first copy.

15) The Walls of Jericho?
Literal.

16) The one hour time stop?
I always had trouble with Joshua having “the clapper” rigged to the sun. Help? Anyone?

17) Jonah?
Literal.

18) Job?
What about him?

19) Sampson and the Phillistines
Literal. Huzzah smackdown!

19) David & Goliath?
Literal. Huzzah smackdown!

20) Daniel and the Lion’s Den?
Literal.

21) Shadrach Meshach and Abednigo in the fiery furnace?
Literal.

22) The Virgin Birth?
Literal.

23) Water into wine?
Literal.

24) The Incarnation?
Literal.

25) The Resurrection?
Literal.

[Diego1618]

Acts 20:7, of course, shows that Christians gathered on the first day of the week for the breaking of the bread and to hear the Word preached.

εν δε τη μια των σαββατων συνηγμενων των μαθητων του κλασαι αρτον ο παυλος διελεγετο αυτοις μελλων εξιεναι τη επαυριον παρετεινεν τε τον λογον μεχρι μεσονυκτιου [Acts 20:7]

If you notice the sixth word in the passage above...taken from the original Greek, it is the word Sabbatwn. This is a Hebrew word (Greek had no word for Sabbath) and the phrase "mia twn Sabbatwn" means....."one of the Sabbaths". Which one? The only time this Hebrew word is translated into the Greek is when it refers to one of the Special Sabbaths between Passover and Pentecost that the Hebrews observed [Leviticus 23:15-16]. The word does not mean Sunday...it does not mean first day of the week....it means "one of the Sabbaths" and you can see by the context that the season is Passover [Acts 20:6] and that Paul hoped to get to Jerusalem by Pentecost [Acts 20:16].

So.....to correct your translation, the verse should read: "On one of the Sabbaths we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people..........etc."

[Frank Sheed]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1819452/posts?page=28#28

[Tax-chick]

Sooo, are you saying that lay people ought to just defer to the Church and not read scripture on their own?

What a disconnected response to my suggestion that you find out what the Catholic Church (as an institution) teaches by consulting the Catholic Church's published statements of its teaching. It's almost as if you have a mental block, such that, no matter what anyone says, you're going to interpret it to mean what you've previously decided.

I find that to be No Fun. Nothing personal, and have a nice day.

[kerryusama04]

Please direct your admonishments to your fellow Cahtolics. At one point I did leave the thread only to be pinged back in.

[Tax-chick]

I agree, as far as I can tell.

[Conservative til I die]

To What Degree does the Bible Matter to Catholicism?

I'll take the obvious bait. Obviously, a whole bunch. The Catholic faith is obviously one that traces all of its beliefs to Scripture, either explicitly or implicitly. It certainly doesn't trace it to any other book. Of course, others can disagree about the Church's interpretations and appeals to Scripture.

However, the Catholic faith is not one that ties itself completely to the Bible, in that everything must be pointed out explicitly like a paint-by-numbers coloring book.

Of course, if one were to read the Catechism, they would see that the Bible is referenced many times. And if one were to go to a Catholic Mass, they would find at least 3 readings from the Scriptures (from the Old Testament, Gospel, and the Epistles and sometimes Acts/Revelations), along with the Psalms, the Our Father, and the Last Supper.

[annalex]

All these are safe to take literally, even if there is room for some semantical distinctions here and there in the Old Testament.

there are more

26) "This is my body" - literal.
27) "Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained" - literal
28) "labour the more, that by good works you may make sure your calling and election" - literal
29) "by works a man is justified; and not by faith only" - literal

[LadyDoc]

ancient teachers said the bible is to be interpreted four ways.

Some stories, like Jonah and Job, are teaching stories. Other historical parts were verbal traditions handed down, and have some distortions of “history” but many true facts, but again are remembered for what they tell us about God.

Even Jesus criticized the oversimplification of following the rules, and the early church disposed of most of the hygiene rules.

Like all great literature, there are many meanings and layers of meanings in the Bible. Too often the “literal” arguments miss the point.

[kerryusama04]

Who decided that Gentiles don't have to keep kosher?

I think kosher is beyond the OT rules on food. I can't find anywhere that was revised. And, if you look really closely at the flood, you can see that the clean meat laws pre-dated Sinai.

You shall take with you every clean animal by sevens, the male and female. And take two of the animals that are not clean, the male and female. (Genesis 7:2)

[eleni121]

That’s it in perfect form! Thanks.

[RetiredArmy]

I take it as THE WORD. Period.

[kerryusama04]

What happened to the whole "stay on topic" thing?

We've already had this discussion. Since I have no respect for a church that teaches contrary to the commandments of God, why would I send them a form in triplicate notifying them of my departure?

Then you probably still are Catholic. Have you taken steps to go through all the paperwork to formally disavow yourself from the Catholic Church? I bet not........so you are probably still a Catholic. (And you can come back anytime as long as you repent of your disbelief against the Catholic Church.)