Allegory in Theology
This is an excerpt from the paper...
Allegory. As in the case of literary texts, allegory in the case of theology is a figure of speech in which language conveys an idea or a description by indirect means. That is, an allegory describes a thing not in its own terms but in terms of something else, much in the manner of poetry. In the theological context, the allegory may be extended, consisting of manifest descriptions or other language with concrete referents while conveying latent and/or complex ideas and meanings with moral content and spiritual import. Biblical parables, for example, can be read as allegorical. They function as straightforward, literal narratives but also are meant to convey deeper meanings. Scripture that is read "allegorically" has been said to "contain[] deeper meanings put there (inspired) by God" but not necessarily manifest. For the Christian fathers, who "almost total[ly] disregard[ed] . . . the literal meaning of the text," allegory became instrumental in supporting the view that "every word of scripture contained a prophecy about Jesus." Controversy has historically surrounded the concept of allegory in theology, which has a dialectical and often hostile relationship with literalist interpretations of biblical text. The patristic-era commentator Origen despised "literalists" who did not appreciate the wealth of poetry and metaphor in the biblical texts and therefore "believe[d] such things about [God] as would not be believed of the most savage and unjust of men." Origen underst
. . .
ntended by God but not clearly intended by the human author . . . in the light of further revelation or of development in the understanding of revelation." This sense of scripture anticipates evolving discovery and interpretation of continuities between Old and New Testament texts. An example would be the idea that Old Testament prophecy turned out to refer to the life of Jesus. Brown cross-references Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23, each describing the virgin birth. A "typical" sense connotes types rather than something routine and involves objects or even persons. Thus the reign of King David, an ancestor of Jesus, would foreshadow the reign of Jesus Christ over the kingdom of God, and the manna in Exodus can be seen as a type of Eucharist. Types are things that resonate because "they foreshadow future things."
Allegorical sense involves an appeal to the reader's poetic imagination in text, in particular with respect to the meaning of Christ's teaching and Passion. In a way it coincides with more-than-literal interpretation, with symbol and metaphor figuring significantly and in terms of the Christian witness. For example, a Christian interpretation of the mission and Passion in Galilee and Jerusalem is that they stand for the
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Bible Literal, Jesus Lord, Jesus Galatians, Judaism Clement's, Asia Minor--and, Ark Genesis, Babylon Christian, God God, , God Son, raymond brown, biblical texts, university press, raymond brown joseph, personal study edition, jerome biblical, brown joseph, ed raymond, joseph fitzmyer, joseph fitzmyer roland, personal study, ed raymond brown, study edition, fitzmyer roland murphy, york oxford,
Approximate Word count = 7789
Approximate Pages = 31 (250 words per page)
|
Customer Service
to Over
32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
