Christians interpret the Bible in one or more of the following ways. Generally, this leads to a better understanding of what it all means. -mackie
1. LITERALLY WRITTEN AS THE WORD OF GOD:
| That most biblical passages, from Genesis to Revelation, should be interpreted literally, unless some other method is clearly obvious. |
Examples: some passages are written as poetry, others in parables (which may or not be fictional), and others as figuratively:
John 15:1 “
I am the vine, ye are the branches…”
Jesus is obviously not a vine, and his followers are obviously not branches. He was speaking metaphorically (like the brain is a computer).
2. WRITTEN AS A HISTORICAL DOCUMENT:
Christians who use this approach to biblical interpretation view the Bible as having been written by very human, fallible authors. The writers were motivated by a desire to promote their own religious, spiritual, and political beliefs and/or those of their faith group. The
Hebrew Scriptures (a.k.a. the
Old Testament) and the Christian Scriptures (a.k.a.
New Testament) thus reflect the evolution of religious and cultural thought over about a ten century time span.
3. WRITTEN IN THE FORM OF THE MIDRASH (Jewish sayings):
“Midrash is the Jewish way of saying that everything to be venerated in the present must somehow be connected with a sacred moment in the past…It is the means whereby the experience of the present can be affirmed and asserted as true inside the symbols of yesterday.“
Bishop Spong illustrates Midrash by citing four stories in the Hebrew Scriptures which involved a common miraculous theme: the parting of waters in a sea or river:
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The first story is found in Exodus 14:5-28. The Hebrew people were trapped between the Red or Reed Sea and the approaching Egyptian army. Moses cried out to God who parted the sea so that the Israelites could pass in safety. |
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The second story is found in Joshua 3:14-17. Joshua was the successor to Moses. He commanded that the ark of the covenant be carried to the Jordan River. As the priests carrying the ark reached the river, God stopped the water and caused it to pile “up in a heap a great distance away.” (NIV) The priests found themselves standing on a dry river bed.(for the rest of the stories click on the link at the bottom)
It is not useful to ask whether the partings of the waters actually occurred. A proper question is:
“What was the experience that led, or even compelled, the compilers of sacred tradition to include this moment, this life or this event inside the interpretive framework of their sacred past?“
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4. WRITTEN AS FOLKLORE:
Ancient stories were circulated for decades or centuries via an oral tradition before being fixed in written form. Some were legends and myths; others were accounts of real events. Various groups within a religion or culture passed on different versions of the story. By the time that multiple versions of the same story were written down, many discrepancies had developed. There are different writings of the stories of the creation, the flood, the ten commandments, the Lord’s prayer, the sermon on the mount, etc. Compare the parables and other passages in the Gospels.
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I would like to add one more method of interpretation called the MYSTICAL:
1 a : having a spiritual meaning or reality that is neither apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence <the mystical food of the sacrament> b : involving or having the nature of an individual’s direct subjective communion with God or ultimate reality <the mystical experience of the Inner Light>
2 : mysterious, unintelligible
3 a : mystic 2 b : mystic 3 for more click on: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/MYSTICAL
THE ULTIMATE REALITY COMES TO US IN MANY WAYS IF ONLY WE OPEN OUR TOTAL BEINGS AND EMPTY OURSELVES AND LET HIM CONTINUALLY FILL US WITH HIS LOVE, POWER, GRACE, MERCY AND WONDER. IT IS A MOMENT BY MOMENT PROCESS. -mackie
For other religious texts used in 1281-1400 AD (Late Medieval Period) click on:
Bible, Faith
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