Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
I find this very troubling. It does not have to be either or. I think everyone, all Christians, agree that parts of the Bible are allegorical and therefore this is certainly one way in which God speaks. By allegory I mean metaphors, parables, and other forms of imagery.
On the other hand, using allegory as the basis for teaching, creating a teaching based on an allegorical understanding of the word, opens the door for all sorts of abuse and misuse of the word.
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Hello again dear brother ZNPaaneah,
I believe that it cannot too be stressed too much that all of us must keep dear brother Nigel's three caveats in mind while reading or discussing this article. I would remind everyone to please take time to read and understand the section of Nigel's article entitled "Some Caveats". This section made me aware of how careful and precise Nigel is being in his critique.
If I may, here is my paraphrase of Nigel's three caveats:
- Portions of the Bible which were written as allegories (such as Song of Songs) should be interpreted allegorically. The danger lies in allegorizing, which is the practice of trying to decipher a hidden meaning behind portions of Scripture which were not written as allegories.
- In Galatians 4:24 Paul did allegorize a historical account from the book of Genesis. This is, however, not a license for a "free-for-all"; rather, this minimal use of allegorizing in the New Testament shows that the practice of allegorizing Scriptures which not written as allegories should be kept to a minimum.
- Finding and applying Old Testament types to New Testament events was used by both Jesus Christ and His apostles. The actual history of the Old Testament event is very important in applying typology, which makes the application of typology very different from allegorizing.