analogy of faith_analogia fidei
12/15/2013
analogy
of faith (analogia fidei).
A principle of
interpretation that suggests that
clearer passages of Scripture should be used to interpret more obscure or
difficult passages.
For Augustine the analogy of faith requires that Scripture
never be interpreted in such a way that it violates the church’s summary of
Christian faith (i.e., the Apostles’ Creed).
For Luther, Christ is the analogy
of faith, so that Scripture needs always to be interpreted as testifying to
Christ.
For Calvin the analogy of faith assumes that because the Spirit oversaw
its writing, Scripture and the Spirit together interpret other parts of
Scripture. [PD of Theological Terms];
The view that interpretation of the Scriptures should be governed by faith.
For
Augustine, this meant that the Scriptures should be interpreted in terms of the
“rule of faith”—the teachings of the church as embedded in the creeds.
For
Martin Luther, the analogy of faith was linked to the person of
Christ—specifically, all of Scripture should be interpreted as testifying to
Christ.
For John Calvin, the principle implied that interpretation must be
shaped by the Spirit who inspired the writing of the Scriptures.
In all these
cases, some parts of the Scriptures are regarded as clearer and more definitive
than others and are to be used to interpret those less clear passages. [PD of Apologetics & Philosophy of
Religion]
Complied from the IVP Pocket Dictionary
Series
Labels:
