Ray Berrian
New Member
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From Jesus to Constantine: 30--313
Interpretation and the Bible
The earliest Christian scriptures were the same as the
Jewish community. When writers in the New Testament
refer to "scripture," they mean the Hebrew scriptures of their day.
Early Christian interpretations of scriptures used techniques similar to
those used by Jewish interpreters, including prophecy, allegory, and
typology. , Both groups understood the Scriptures as containing
timeless truths that could be made relevant to their contemporary
communities through new interpretations. They also believed that divine
revelation influenced interpretation.
Christians approached scriptural interpretation through their
understanding of who Christ was. The Hebrew scriptures were
understood to be looking forward to the coming of Jesus Christ, the
Messiah, who was the fulfillment of prophecy.
Philo of Alexandria
Philo (c. 15 BCE-50 CE) lived in the biggest Jewish
community outside of Israel. He was a Jewish philosopher
and interpreter of Torah as it existed in the Greek
translation of the Hebrew scriptures called the Septuagint.
Philo used the allegorical method of interpretation of the
Pentateuch in his commentaries. His exegesis offered
multiple interpretations of the same verse. He learned this
method from the Greeks, who had developed allegory in
order to bring alive their ancient myths, which no longer
were relevant if interpreted literally.
Philo was an apologist for Judaism and sought to show,
through allegorical and symbolic methods, that Jewish
culture was not inferior to Hellenistic culture. For example,
he interpreted Moses as philosopher who was the source of
all later philosophy. He was also influenced by the doctrine
of the Logos, which was also popular in early Christian
interpretations of who Jesus was.
Early Christian scholars admired Philo's work a lot. Both
Clement of Alexandria and Origen were influenced by his
methods. Because Christians admired his work so much, his
writings were preserved.
Some of the principles of interpretation that were
established by Philo and those in his tradition include:
The literal sense of a scriptural passage is rejected
if it raises a factual or theological contradiction
The silence of scripture is significant
A single word is often the key for interpretation
Word studies can uncover the meaning of
scripture.
Ray is saying, 'When multiple interpretations are included it is like the Indian saying goes, 'Man speaks with forked tongue. This should have thrown up a red flag to any vibrant Christian in the early days of the church. We are encouraged in the N.T. Scripture to 'rightly divide the word of truth' not to give various explanations as to what it might be. Philo and Clement of Alexandria and Origen were operating with sub-christian standards and it is still happening today when Catholics and some Protestants interpret the Book of Revelation allegorically or with a quasi-spiritual interpretation. In this way the truth is forever lost to brethren who are searching for Christ's truth coming from said book.'
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From Jesus to Constantine: 30--313
Interpretation and the Bible
The earliest Christian scriptures were the same as the
Jewish community. When writers in the New Testament
refer to "scripture," they mean the Hebrew scriptures of their day.
Early Christian interpretations of scriptures used techniques similar to
those used by Jewish interpreters, including prophecy, allegory, and
typology. , Both groups understood the Scriptures as containing
timeless truths that could be made relevant to their contemporary
communities through new interpretations. They also believed that divine
revelation influenced interpretation.
Christians approached scriptural interpretation through their
understanding of who Christ was. The Hebrew scriptures were
understood to be looking forward to the coming of Jesus Christ, the
Messiah, who was the fulfillment of prophecy.
Philo of Alexandria
Philo (c. 15 BCE-50 CE) lived in the biggest Jewish
community outside of Israel. He was a Jewish philosopher
and interpreter of Torah as it existed in the Greek
translation of the Hebrew scriptures called the Septuagint.
Philo used the allegorical method of interpretation of the
Pentateuch in his commentaries. His exegesis offered
multiple interpretations of the same verse. He learned this
method from the Greeks, who had developed allegory in
order to bring alive their ancient myths, which no longer
were relevant if interpreted literally.
Philo was an apologist for Judaism and sought to show,
through allegorical and symbolic methods, that Jewish
culture was not inferior to Hellenistic culture. For example,
he interpreted Moses as philosopher who was the source of
all later philosophy. He was also influenced by the doctrine
of the Logos, which was also popular in early Christian
interpretations of who Jesus was.
Early Christian scholars admired Philo's work a lot. Both
Clement of Alexandria and Origen were influenced by his
methods. Because Christians admired his work so much, his
writings were preserved.
Some of the principles of interpretation that were
established by Philo and those in his tradition include:
The literal sense of a scriptural passage is rejected
if it raises a factual or theological contradiction
The silence of scripture is significant
A single word is often the key for interpretation
Word studies can uncover the meaning of
scripture.
Ray is saying, 'When multiple interpretations are included it is like the Indian saying goes, 'Man speaks with forked tongue. This should have thrown up a red flag to any vibrant Christian in the early days of the church. We are encouraged in the N.T. Scripture to 'rightly divide the word of truth' not to give various explanations as to what it might be. Philo and Clement of Alexandria and Origen were operating with sub-christian standards and it is still happening today when Catholics and some Protestants interpret the Book of Revelation allegorically or with a quasi-spiritual interpretation. In this way the truth is forever lost to brethren who are searching for Christ's truth coming from said book.'
No you don't, not in the slightest.