Bible: literal or symbolic?

The bible has both. There are allegories, symbols, and foreshadowing. There is also a literal factor that must be taken to heart. For example, the Bible tells us to honor our mother and father...this is literal...yet there is the symbolism found in Numbers about Christ and what He came to do...it says that Moses was commanded to construct a bronze serpent, when the people were bitten by snakes (because of their disobedience to God), they had to look at the serpent, and not die. Jesus picks this up in the gospel of John and He says, 'As the bronze serpent was lifted up, so must the Son of Man...' Just to give an example...the real issue though is - what do you want to believe? If you want to have a relationship with Christ, His word will show you the way...if you do not, put the book down. No sense in researching something you refuse to follow or adhere to right? I mean, you won't catch me reading the Quaran or Book of Mormon...I have no desire to follow that. To each his own you know? I believe Augustine said it best, 'In pure essentials, let there be unity, in non - essentials, let there be liberty, but in all things, there must be charity' God bless...

When we read the Bible we are faced with 2 options: to interpret it literally or figuratively. In some parts, the words of the bible are to be taken literally in some parts they should be understood as figures of speech or symbols. Several authors of the Bible also used different types of literature thus a diversity also in the manner of interpretation. That is why, it is important that we read the Bible while prayerfully asking God for wisdom so that we would be able to grasp the meaning of what is written as they were intended by God to be understood.

Well the Bible like other religious books are mostly symbolism and isn't to be taken literally. Also the parts that may be based on real events often have issues with how they are recorded. As in most of the Books in the Bible where written most likely from stories that had been pasted down from generations to generations orally for some time. This is why some parts of even the old testament didn't happen. Like the Jews building Pyramids and other Egyptian buildings or even being enslaved. This is because of a lack of record from the Egyptians of a massive exodus of slaves. Also the recent findings that people volunteered for the job of building the Pyramids. The main focus of the Bible Jesus spoke for the most part using parable and symbolism. He didn't say exactly what was going to happen. The big thing that clearly shows that the Bible is to be taken with a symbolic message would be in Revolutions remember the Fall of Babylon being the major sign of the end times it is going to fall in a day if I remember right well guess what Babylon doesn't exist and hasn't for many and many years we are talking a little less than 2000 years of not existing. The Bible The Quran The Lotus Sutra The bhagavad gita and the many other religious text are met to be symbolism to open your mind and expand that third eye. To expand you spirtually and to put different glasses on your face so you see the entire world differently than you did before.

Throughout history, preachers have misquoted and misinterpreted the christian testament and the Torah to suit their needs. The early church took advantage of the illiteracy of the serfs and lower classes to instill fear in them by using the fear of their god with the help of Dante's description of the levels of Hell. Today christians still believe in that description of Hell even though they are thinking literate people now and should know that Hell is not a physical place. They call the TANACH and the Torah the "Old Testament", yet when they wish to prove the authenticity of their 'god jesus' they will quote the hell out of it. Then, they discount it again as being put away by their christ figure. Bizarre! The stories in the Torah and TANACH are slowly being backed up by archaeological finds and ancients scrolls. So far there have been no such finds for the christian testament. No Romans wrote of them or other peoples of the time. You would have expected there to be some major Jewish accounts of the times since there were so many Jewish scribes. The christian testament stands in great doubt since a pagan had so much to do with the early churches beginnings and the declaration of the christ figures divinity and his mother's virginity. These are both ancient pagan traditions.

I think you already know the answer my friend lol. How can one take a piece of fiction literary, although it is the best work of fiction ever written

The Bible is literal in many ways. There are also times when it is symbolic for different things.

Definitely symbolic. I had a minister tell me that if I were to take the bible literally, I might as well live in the dark ages. Take Eph 5:22, for example. Submit to my husband? One could argue that 5:25-33 gives me something good to submit to, but I think 5:21 is more on the mark. Submit one to the other (equally) and then take the 5:25-33 bit, and apply that to AND FROM both partners. I am not going to allow any man to be my H E A D no matter how well he treats me. Were I to take the bible literally, I'd have no choice!

The so-called symbolic interpretation is used when the text (written by men) is absurd or ambiguous.

I do take the Bible literally. God the one who inspired the writing of this Holy Book is communicating with me through this so I must take this Book literally. Whenever I read the verses of the Bible I always focus on what is the message of God to me. I don't give my own interpretation but rather I give total weight to the context the the intent of God why those words were written. It takes right and correct way of handling the Word of God to come to the knowledge of the truth and only Christians can fully understand it because only Christians do have the Holy Spirit that guides them to the truth. There are some parts of the Bible which use figure of speech and it is the Holy Spirit that gives a Christian the wisdom to interpret and discern what God wants to impart from those verses.

the bible has to be taken symbolically.

I'd say that most of the Old Testament is to be taken literally while most of the New Testament is to be taken symbolically. Spiritual Christians will be able to get some kind of meaning from Isaiah and Daniel of the Old Testament, and Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Revelation, etc. of the New Testament. Sometimes, there are double meanings (not in opposition to each other). In Revelation, there is the spiritual meaning, there is symbolism, and there is the literal meaning.

i still don't know what it means to be LITERAL OR ALLEGORY... but to me, bible is only made for us humans to lessen our sins.... to think plenty of times before doing wrong... each of the moral lessons inside the bible teaches us to be good to our neighbors as well as following the 10 commandments.... but all of the stories in the bible is just a myth only, meaning, there is really no proven solid evidence to support such claims... there is no harm or bad if it is called a myth... if the contents inside the bible we will soon become a good Christians....

Hello Bionicman, I think some parts of it can be taken literally, but other parts are just symbolic… or they were once true and taken literally and now they are not. Like back in the 1700s when suspected witches were put on trial and killed? It says somewhere in the bible to not suffer a witch to live. Of course we don’t go hunting down witches anymore and burning them at the stake and hanging them… they are free to practice their religion just like we are. I’m sure there are other passages in the bible that cannot be taken literally either. Have a great day!

I believe that God and what the Bible says is 100% literal. I have had my ups and downs in my life, i tried other religions, but all of them ended up making me worse. I finally decided to side with God, and my life is alot better. So yes i beleve that what the bible says and the believers are 100% true.

Most Bible readers and scholars will say that it is both. There are parts of the Scriptures like express commands and historical records that are to be taken literally but there are also portions that are obviously symbolic like many records of prophecies especially in the book of Revelation and Daniel.

They are proving more each day that events recorded in the bible did indeed exist. At least the historical events in the geographical locations recorded in the bible. It is currently a history book but the spirituality part is symbolic in my opinion. I watch the history channel and they show that by examining archeological findings, they are safely arguing that some of the events did exist in those locations. Of course there are always missing pieces.

Actually they are wrong about 100% bible to be interpreted literally, few only can interpreted into literal mostly contents in the whole bible are symbol or allegorically specially words from Jesus..

Hi Bionicman, In my opinion, the Bible should NOT be taken literally. It's is 100% symbolic.