Interpreting the Bible: Balancing Literal Facts with Symbolic Meanings
The Bible cannot be reduced to an exclusively literal or exclusively metaphorical reading. The text contains both concrete descriptions of historical events and images filled with deep symbolic meanings that require flexibility in interpretation.On one hand, there are parts of the text where the narration of events is taken literally. For example, when the Old Testament says that “the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem and burned it,” or when the apostle Paul notes that he experienced shipwrecks three times. As noted in one of the statements, “When the Old Testament says that the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem and burned it, it means in the most literal sense that they took Jerusalem and burned it. When Paul says that he experienced shipwrecks three times, it means that he truly experienced them three times” (source: link txt).On the other hand, there are passages that use images to convey deeper ideas. An example of this is Jesus’ parables: “I have never met a Bible reader who thought that the story of the prodigal son actually happened… Almost every reader understands this intuitively” (source: link txt). Here, it is clear that the metaphorical approach helps convey moral and spiritual lessons without turning the narrative into a literal recounting of events.The key point is that many readers intuitively understand where a literal interpretation should be applied and where a metaphorical one should prevail. One of the texts emphasizes: “In fact, throughout my life I have not encountered a single person, regardless of their education and culture, who did not intuitively feel that some parts of the Bible should be understood literally, and some metaphorically” (source: link txt). Thus, the combination of both methods—a literal approach for specific historical facts and a metaphorical one for rich images and symbols—allows us to fully grasp the message of the Scriptures. This complementarity helps avoid oversimplification; to categorically reject a literal or solely metaphorical reading of certain fragments may lead to a loss of the significant nuances embedded in the text.Supporting citation(s):“In fact, throughout my life I have not encountered a single person, regardless of their education and culture, who did not intuitively feel that some parts of the Bible should be understood literally, and some metaphorically...” (source: link txt)“Another obvious example is Jesus’ parables. I have never met a Bible reader who thought that the story of the prodigal son actually happened...” (source: link txt)“And therefore we must find literal indications of specific events – and rejoice in them – while simultaneously understanding the full richness of metaphorical meaning. It is precisely the combination of these two things that is the key element in interpreting the Bible.” (source: link txt)