12/15/2013
allegory, allegorical method.
An allegory is a story in which the details
correspond to or reveal a “hidden,” “higher” or “deeper” meaning.
The
allegorical method of biblical interpretation assumes that biblical stories
should be interpreted by seeking the “spiritual” meaning to which the literal
sense points. [PD of Theological Terms];
A method of interpreting a text in which the characters, events or places
signify “deeper” meaning(s) than their literal meaning.
The allegorical method
was especially employed with difficult texts (e.g., the “sacrifice of Isaac” in
Gen 22) or texts that no longer held the same power for later readers (e.g.,
for Christians, the temple or dietary laws were given new meaning in the light
of the person and work of Jesus).
These texts were given new life or wider
significance, making them more accessible or more relevant for new contexts.
The danger in the allegorical method is the violence done to the text in
forcing correspondences that do not naturally correspond or cohere with the
text. [PD of Biblical Studies]
Complied from the IVP Pocket Dictionary Series
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