Introduction
Introduction Statistics Contact Development Disclaimer Help
Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
Christian Deference Forum
https://christiandeferenceforum.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
Return to: Spiritual Interpretations
*****************************************************
#Post#: 130--------------------------------------------------
Actual Interpretation
By: CatholicCrusader Date: August 10, 2012, 8:34 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[list]Although there is a spiritual aspect to Bible
interpretation, it cannot be divorced from the historical
iinterpretation. It must be taken as a whole, lest we
accidentally go of into erronous readings of the text.
Here are the best tools I have seen for scripture
interpretation:
III. THE HOLY SPIRIT, INTERPRETER OF SCRIPTURE
109 In Sacred Scripture, God speaks to man in a human way. To
interpret Scripture correctly, the reader must be attentive to
what the human authors truly wanted to affirm, and to what God
wanted to reveal to us by their words.75
110 In order to discover the sacred authors' intention, the
reader must take into account the conditions of their time and
culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes
of feeling, speaking and narrating then current. "For the fact
is that truth is differently presented and expressed in the
various types of historical writing, in prophetical and poetical
texts, and in other forms of literary expression."76
111 But since Sacred Scripture is inspired, there is another and
no less important principle of correct interpretation, without
which Scripture would remain a dead letter. "Sacred Scripture
must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by
whom it was written."77
The Second Vatican Council indicates three criteria for
interpreting Scripture in accordance with the Spirit who
inspired it.78
112 1. Be especially attentive "to the content and unity of the
whole Scripture". Different as the books which compose it may
be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God's plan,
of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since his
Passover.79
The phrase "heart of Christ" can refer to Sacred Scripture,
which makes known his heart, closed before the Passion, as the
Scripture was obscure. But the Scripture has been opened since
the Passion; since those who from then on have understood it,
consider and discern in what way the prophecies must be
interpreted.80
113 2. Read the Scripture within "the living Tradition of the
whole Church". According to a saying of the Fathers, Sacred
Scripture is written principally in the Church's heart rather
than in documents and records, for the Church carries in her
Tradition the living memorial of God's Word, and it is the Holy
Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the
Scripture (". . . according to the spiritual meaning which the
Spirit grants to the Church"81).
114 3. Be attentive to the analogy of faith.82 By "analogy of
faith" we mean the coherence of the truths of faith among
themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation.
The senses of Scripture
115 According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish
between two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual,
the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral and
anagogical senses. The profound concordance of the four senses
guarantees all its richness to the living reading of Scripture
in the Church.
116 The literal sense is the meaning conveyed by the words of
Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of
sound interpretation: "All other senses of Sacred Scripture are
based on the literal."83
117 The spiritual sense. Thanks to the unity of God's plan, not
only the text of Scripture but also the realities and events
about which it speaks can be signs:
[color=white]-1. The allegorical sense. We can acquire a more
profound understanding of events by recognizing their
significance in Christ; thus the crossing of the Red Sea is a
sign or type of Christ's victory and also of Christian
Baptism.84
-2. The moral sense. The events reported in Scripture ought to
lead us to act justly. As St. Paul says, they were written "for
our instruction".85
-3 The anagogical sense (Greek: anagoge, "leading"). We can view
realities and events in terms of their eternal significance,
leading us toward our true homeland: thus the Church on earth is
a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem.86 [/li][/list]
118 A medieval couplet summarizes the significance of the four
senses:
- The Letter speaks of deeds; Allegory to faith;
- The Moral how to act; Anagogy our destiny.87[/color]
75 Cf. DV 12 � 1.
76 DV 12 � 2.
77 DV 12 � 3.
78 Cf. DV 12 � 4.
79 Cf. Lk 24:25-27,44-46.
80 St. Thomas Aquinas, Expos. in Ps. 21,11; cf. Ps 22:14.
81 Origen, Hom. in Lev. 5,5:PG 12,454D.
82 Cf. Rom 12:6.
83 St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I, 1, 10, ad I.
84 Cf. 1 Cor 10:2.
85 1 Cor 10:11; cf. Heb 3:1-4:11.
86 Cf. Rev 21:1-22:5.
87 Lettera gesta docet, quid credas allegoria, moralis quid
agas, quo tendas anagogia; Augustine of Dacia, Rotulus
pugillaris, I: ed. A. Walz: Angelicum 6 (1929) 256.
#Post#: 134--------------------------------------------------
Re: Actual Interpretation
By: Admin Date: August 10, 2012, 3:25 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[font=trebuchet ms]All very good and true, from what I can see,
CC. I liked that the spiritual sense was further divided into
the allegorical, the moral, and the anagogical. I'm very
interested right now in such things as types, shadows, and
symbolism. And, of course, morality is related to our
spirituality and our sense of what it means to live righteously.
Also, yes, there is much in Scripture that is of eternal
consequence, that leads us forward toward eternity.
Thanks for your post. You've made me dig out my copy of the
Catechism once again. ;)[/font]
*****************************************************
You are viewing proxied material from gopher.createaforum.com. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.