How Do You Interpret The Bible? Allegory or Literal?

As mythology.

The Bible as we know it is a collection of many different books of different kinds which have been collected together. Some of the books are what we would now call 'mythology', some are poetry, some are 'inspirational' and others are factual (but not always as 'factual' as we would expect of a news story or a biography today). The only way to read the Bible correctly is to understand what prompted the various writers to write it down in the first place. That is partly to do with an understanding of who and what the Jews and the early Christians were and partly to do with understanding who and what God is. You have to get into the spirit of the Bible in order to understand it, in other words. Just as you read a poem in a different spirit to the way that you read, say, a textbook or a news report or a novel, so each part of the Bible needs understanding in its own context.

It's an Allegory. I like to call it historical fiction because the majority of it can't be proven. Most people aren't exactly sure whether or not it's true because most people can't find enough evidence to back up what is in the Bible.

Hi there, Since the Bible is there in our college syllabus we have to explain it from different angle. This is because the Bible itself has the scope of varied interpretations. As teacher we have to explain this both as a literary text and also as an allegory.

All those who believe in Bible consider it as the 'Word of God'. All think that it contains the words, which came from none other, but God. I do not interpret it in that context. I do not think that the word here means 'a brief statement from God.' I view it as a promise, "he gave his word." What is the promise God gave? There is a covenant between God and men. There is an agreement between God and his people in which God made a promise that whenever man would cry out to him in distress, he would come himself to save them. This was the promise he had fulfilled in coming as his own son. This shows that if you interpret the Bible literally you get one meaning and when you interpret it as allegory you get another.

Good choice of topic . First of all, a disclaimer that I'm not claiming to be an expert in biblical interpretation, though I'm fairly well-read in terms of scholarly thought on many issues raised here & add what I believe is appropriate for a more balanced view in some discussions. Throughout discussions I've commented on here, I have constantly stressed that it is our understanding of what is written that should be examined more closely instead of just looking at it & pointing out contradictions & arguing about what's right & wrong in an absolute sense without bothering to develop an understanding of why & how something was written & what the author was driving at. I appreciate your concern over people turning from God due to difficulties understanding & applying the Bible on a daily basis. This is just one of many reasons why this happens. In the end, people are free to choose & we should be more focused on helping these people, but only if they want our help. Some or many of these people turn to Christians or the Church for help, which seems logical, but all too often they find this "help" to be more interested in defending their own faith rather than seeking the truth of the matter with an open mind & addressing the people's concerns directly. Perhaps Christians should concentrate more on developing themselves in this regard before becoming concerned about why people are turning away from God or maybe just away from the Church. I'm not sure where you got your understanding & application of allegory from, but I find it somewhat lacking! It does not do it justice to summarize allegory as mere symbolism & you are encouraged to research it much further. However, allegory is not the only or even the main obstacle faced by those wanting to understand the Bible more; a multitude of mistranslations & centuries of doctoring by a "clever" priestly class have made it nearly impossible to extract even a thread of truth from the tangled mess. Allegory follows a very strict set of rules when used correctly & is one of the most ancient of scriptural arts & was never used in the broad terms which you have used. Soon after the Roman Emperor Constantine threw his support behind the Church of Rome, the approved scriptures were canonized and all the others were ordered destroyed. It was at that moment in time that it became a heresy for the average person to possess or to read scripture for themselves. That prohibition lasted until Martin Luther pushed the issue in the 16th Century and opened the door for the Protestant denominations. With that came the possibility that people might be allowed to search the scriptures for themselves and draw their own conclusions. Beginning in the time of Constantine, c. 325 ACE, the Orthodox Church leadership permitted only priests and bishops to possess, read, and teach the Bible. And they made it a heresy for anyone authorized to teach scripture to interpret it allegorically. Only the most literal of interpretations were permitted. The whale did swallow Jonah. Noah’s ark did carry a pair of every animal on the earth. Somehow, those things really did happen. “With God, all things are possible” became the Church's explanation. I hope this helps to "kick start" your research into this very important & worthwhile topic.

I interpret it as the Word of G♥d, meant to be taken seriously, though not really literal in some sense, but literal in others. For example, obeying His commandments is easier than to put a camel through an eye of a needle.. Of course, then you have whose interpretation are you going to use? King James? Or one of the many other versions? How about going to the beginning? Learn some Hebrew and Arabic and learn the culture, you'll be amazed how some people can read the Word wrong by taking "man" at his word...

The Bible is a spiritual piece of writings as their are multiple books by multiple authors. The Bible is like most spiritual things is to be understood and accepted by the person reading it and for them to ask themselves the hard questions. The point of these sorts of books is to have a person grow spiritually. Churches are in general going about the Bible the wrong way as Jesus and many other Spirtual masters discussed the meanings of everything and how it applied to the now. There is only one time which is the now. I don't really like how the Bible reads but that is just me. I believe that the Bible is to be read between the words not word for word as then you will miss the main point which is the common theme of most if not all religions it is self love self harmony.

Bible is own interpret and I belive that have a special conception and inspiration. So is important to knows that for interpret corect a Bible we must to consider literar and spiritual in both time.In some part of Bible we meet real event and in other part profetic presentation.Where are related event by divers person,we must literal interpretation and at profetic presentation we must to use key of interpretation who give Bible in other chapters.Only person who want to discover real and accurate interpretation will discover the true.

Symbooliclly.

As of right now, I interpret it as a symbolic and metaphorical story. I've read it cover to cover and thought about a lot of the things that were written down in scripture. I eventually had a big realization about... everything. While it is so big, it is very personal. There are some parts of the Bible that can be taken literally. However, a lot of the bible is figurative so to speak. In the end, no matter what personal beliefs you hold in your mind, it is all about how you relate to the world around you. You must love life and treat others with the same respect that you want yourself to have. One thing that is a turn off is arrogance. This is what people are in danger of falling into when they become too sure of themselves.

It is NEITHER! I know this is very late, but this is the most up-to-the-minute scholarly research on the matter. Up until recently, Philo's method of biblical exegesis has traditionally been referred to as the "allegorical interpretation of scripture", when a more accurate definition would be, "a systematic method of interpreting enigmatical modes of expression found in scripture". Like Philo the Jew before him, Plutarch the Greek historian explained that enigmas – not allegories, but enigmas – were the preferred means of telling stories about the gods. Enigmas are similar to allegories, but the difference, although subtle, must be fully understood. Webster's online dictionary defines allegory as, 1) a short moral story ...; 2) a visible symbol representing an abstract idea; 3) an expressive style that uses fictional characters and events to describe some subject by suggestive resemblances; an extended metaphor.” Synonyms listed include: fable; parable. By contrast, the definition of engima is, 1) an obscure speech or writing; 2) something hard to understand or explain; 3) an inscrutable or mysterious person. Synonyms listed include: “mystery, puzzle, riddle, secret.” The important difference between an allegory and an enigma can be summarized as follows:   The solution to an allegory can be based on an individual’s knowledge and personal life experiences and can therefore produce a multitude of subjective conclusions. The solution to an enigma (mystery, puzzle, riddle, secret) can be solved, but it requires a key – or secret knowledge. There is but one solution, and it cannot be influenced by an individual’s subjective interpretation as long as the key is intact and properly utilized. When an enigma is put into writing, its creator also provides the specific key which solves the mystery, puzzle, or riddle. Only certain people – the initiated – are given the key. With access to the key, virtually anyone can solve the puzzle and reconstruct the story hidden within the enigma. Most importantly, all who do so will reach the same and/or similar conclusions. Therefore, allegory is not suitable for serious discussion - scientific, literary or otherwise.

The Bible is literal AND allegorical, like STAR WARS---i.e. just a story that carries within it an ultimate truth (though some would say it carries THE ultimate truth), whether the story itself is true or not ... like American History.

Everything written in the Bible is from experience, thoughts, emotions and theories from people who lived at that time. The Bible is a collection of many booklets that's been put together into one Holy book. Each verse can be interpreted in as many ways as people who are reading it. Certain chapters sound like fables, but nobody can prove that they did not have happened in reality. As for certain parts of the chapters are realistic to have been true situations experienced by many people. The proverbs are good as guidelines even today for some people. I think you can at some point read from the literal view as well as from the allegory view. Like the prones and the cones depending on where you read in the Bible. Some people find comfort in reading the Bible. Some has it as guidelines how to be a good Christian. It is all up to each one how you want it.