The spirit of literal interpretation is that we should be satisfied with the. Amillennial writers counter with we interpret parousia literally. This means that included within the literal hermeneutic is the ability to recognize and understand figures of speech and symbols without having to abandon literal. Read this article and learn some of the interpretative principles that are involved in correct bible study on this matter. In recent years, some have argued that anything other than a literal reading of the first few chapters of genesis would be a compromise against the authority of the bible any other approach is a capitulation to the spirit of the modern age that would undermine the faith of the believer, smuggling in a materialist, evolutionary worldview that is inconsistent with and hostile. Sproul explains that the only way to interpret the bible is by literal interpretation, and looks at what that means. Biblical principles for interpreting gods word bible truth. In my experience, many good, conservative christian people are suspicious of interpretive bible translations because they invest moral significance in the.
This literal approach to the bible continues to this day as the major hermeneutical concern among evangelicals. Why i believe the bible teaches rapture before tribulation. An unfinished book represent the first two of five explanations of the beginning of the book of genesis that he undertook between 388 and 418. The word translated interpretation is only found in this verse in the bible and means an explanation. This method accepts as basic the literal meaning of the sentence unless by virtue of the nature of the sentence or phrase or clause within the sentence that it is not possible e. This activity within the church has aspects which go beyond the academic analysis of texts.
This type of hermeneutics is often, but not rejection by neoorthodox theology. T he normal literal method of bible interpretation refers to the way human language is ordinarily interpreted. The plainest meaning of a passage, which we derive from reading poetry as poetry, narrative as narrative, and so forth, is the meaning that controls our interpretation and application of a text. The idea of explanation is emphasized in the niv text with. Read the bible as you would read other books, and its essential meaning will be plain to you. Biblical literalism or biblicism is a term used differently by different authors concerning biblical interpretation. The creation of the israeli state in 1948 and the victory in the sixday war of 1967, both against all the odds, were not accidents of history without prophetic or spiritual significance. Literal translations are better, perhaps, for close exegetical study and for bible teaching to middle class, educated peoplein part, yes, because interpretive options are left open. In its nineteen usages both nouns and verbs in the new testament. A note on allegorical interpretation of scripture when we read the bible, it is important to know how to interpret what we are reading in a way that honors and upholds what the lord intended. In literature of all kinds, the literal sense is the grammaticalhistorical sense. In the first, a commentary on genesis, augustine counters the ignorant and impious attacks against scripture by the manichees. Pdf why the bible cannot and should not be taken literally. An early monk called john cassian 360435 identified four ways in which the bible could be understood.
The literal schools of interpretation the literal method of interpreting the bible is to accept the literal rendering of each sentence unless by virtue of the nature of the sentence or phrase or a clause within the sentence renders it impossible. If we do not read the bible according to the literary conventions that are appropriate for the various literary styles that it is using, we will go far astray. Biblical interpretation is a rationa l and spiritual process that attempts to understand an ancient inspired writer in such a way that the message from god may be understood and applied in our day. The primacy of the literal sense was later advocated by such diverse figures as st. Interpreting the bible literally reformed bible studies. Paul lee tan, in his book literal interpretation of the bible says, apparently the bible can be made to prove almost anything. How do i distinguish the literal from the figurative. The disciples literal new testament is a literal reflection of writing style, ways of. Literal bible interpretation and bible contradictions. It is easy to see that the many different sects of christendom use the bible to prove contradictory teachings. The creation of the israeli state in 1948 and the victory in the sixday war of 1967, both against all the odds, were not accidents of. Normal literal method of interpreting bible prophecy. Augustines two books on genesis against the manichees and on the literal interpretation of genesis.
One reason we should take the bible literally is because the lord jesus christ took it literally. Bible interpretation what is grammaticalhistorical. Nondispensationalists also interpret the bible literally in many places, but they do not do it consistently. It is necessary to remember that literal bible interpretation is the name for a process that properly places symbols, allegories, figures, types. Even symbols and allegories in the bible are based on the literal meaning of the scripture. The task of the interpreter is to discern the meaning of scripture. The following is an excerpt from the 202page advanced bible studies series understanding bible prophecy, available from way of life literature. A good rule of thumb is that if the literal interpretation of a passage makes sense, then we shouldnt try to take it any other way.
Literal, if possible, is, i believe, the only maxim that will carry you right through the word of god from genesis to revelation. When did the literal interpretation of the bible by. God has revealed his truth through the normal means of human language. Literal interpretation reformed answers to bible and. Under this rule of interpretation the courts interpret the statutes in a literal and ordinary sense. Consistent literal interpretation middletown bible church.
I will refer to authors as him rather than him or her for the sake of convenience. Literal interpretation is not a wooden interpretation of words without regard to their surroundings. First, we are to understand that all scripture is given by inspiration of god 2 tim. Barnabas illustrates well the effect that wrong assumptions. The literal meaning of a word is the basic, customary meaning of that word, and therefore to interpret literally is nothing more or less than interpreting words in their.
Literal rule of interpretation is the primary rule. However, it is not evolution or science that has driven christians away from a literal bible interpretation. This example illustrates the fact that when we say we want to interpret the bible literally, we do not mean that we ignore figures of speech, or any other form of communication that people ordinarily use. The literal interpretation principle we take the bible at face value. The verse numbers are still included for your reference, but the paragraphing and sentence structure reflects what was originally written. How does the bible student discern the difference between passages that contain figurative language, and those that strictly are literal. Literal interpretation is here defined as the authors intended meaning.
By the middle ages, these four methods of interpretation or senses had become fairly standard among christians. So, in the sense we are using the term literal now, a literal interpretation of that phrase is that it is raining very hard. The literal sense is the meaning conveyed by the words of scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation. Sometimes this approach to interpreting the bible is called literal interpretation you take the words literally, taking them to mean what they say, rather than giving. They interpret the words of the statute in a way that is used commonly by all. Thus, private interpretation means the prophets did not write their own opinions, but rather as verse 21 confirms, wrote word gods very words. It can equate to the dictionary definition of literalism. Sproul his teaching can be heard on the program renewing your mind, which is broadcast on hundreds of radio outlets in the united states and in 40 countries worldwide. We shall illustrate this in the following examples. Why is a literal interpretation of the bible, especially in the area of prophecy, often rejected in reformed circles. Thomas aquinas, nicholas of lyra, john colet, martin luther, and john calvin.
Any interpretation of scripture must begin with the literal sense of the passage. Figures of speech, fables, allegories do not admit to literal interpretation. The spiritual process is crucial but difficult to define. Are there not principles to help the serious student. The literal meaning is held to correspond to the intention of the authors. Dispensationalists seek to interpret the bible literally, that is, to consistently understand the scriptures in their plain, normal, natural, obvious sense, much like we would read and understand the newspaper, a book, a poem, an essay or other types of literature. Saint augustine on the literal interpretation of genesis. Literal interpretation biblical criticism britannica. Dewitt all dictionary quotes here are from the new oxford american dictionary. Consistent literal interpretation dispensationalism is known for its consistent literal interpretation. Holy bible modern literal version new testament 2020 update may 2, 2020 if the links in this file are not clickable, download the html version from.
The dictionary defines literal as belonging to letters. Horatio bonar echoed the plea for adherence to literal interpretation writing i feel a greater certainty as to the literal interpretation of the whole word of godhistorical, doctrinal, prophetical. Pdf historical survey of biblical interpretation ron j bigalke. What is wrong with the allegorical interpretation method. Jerome, an influential 4thcentury biblical scholar, championed the literal interpretation of the bible in opposition to what he regarded as the excesses of allegorical interpretation. Most of that is due to scientitific discoveries of the last 200 years. Literal interpretation asserts that a biblical text is to be interpreted according to the plain meaning conveyed by its grammatical construction and historical context. Bible teaches is to distort our view of literal interpretation. Whenever the lord jesus quoted from the old testament, it was always clear that he believed in its literal interpretation. Literal bible interpretation and bible contradictions today, there is much controversy over literal bible interpretation. As an example, when jesus was tempted by satan in luke 4, he answered by quoting the old testament.
One problem, though, is that the term is misleading if you dont acknowledge certain assumption. The meaning of scripture is to be found as one diligently applies the literal grammaticalhistorical method of. Pdf methodical bible study and hermeneutics outline, page 7 a list was included inside the saturday evening post magazine of the deliberate errors. For instance, figures of speech or fables of allegories do not admit to being of a literal interpretation. We affirm the necessity of interpreting the bible according to its literal. If you dont handle it accurately, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. This is such an important question, because so many christians today take the literal reading for granted as the most faithful way to read the bible.
The issue is the effort to establish a consistent methodology for literal bible interpretation. However, the rise of higher criticism within mainline protestantism and from there to others has altered the herme. The plainest meaning of a passage, which we derive from reading poetry as poetry, narrative as narrative, and so forth, is the meaning that controls our interpretation and application of. Literal interpretation consistent literal interpretation is essential to properly understanding what god is saying in the bible. However, these methods should not be set in opposition to literal interpretation, because every interpreter recognizes that some passages of the bible are intended to be taken symbolically, typologically, or allegorically. Further, it says literal interpretation involves an approach based on the actual words in their ordinary meaning. The necessity of the study of hermeneutics follows from several considerations.