Allegory in the Bible
Summary
I used to hate when my teacher told me a rose wasn't just a rose. I didn't trust that she knew what the author was thinking and didn't understand the point of guessing outside of what was explicitly written. As I've grown over the years, I've learn to appreciate hidden meanings in texts a lot more. In the Bible, a lot of the individual stories are allegories for larger themes. One of the biggest clues to helping me find these allegories can be found in Jeremiah 6:2. In this verse, we are explicitly told a woman symbolizes God's holy city was really is His holy people. In the New Testament, you see confirmation of this when the Church constantly being referred to as "the Bride of Christ." When I started plugging "the Church" in for women in Biblical narratives, a whole new layer started to unravel for me. Below are just a few examples of allegory in the Bible. Can you come up with more?
Examples
Passage | Allegory |
---|---|
The Book of Esther |
Represents the transition of the Old Covenant into the New Covenant and
redemption of God's people
|
The Fall of Man |
Represents Christ coming to earth as a man to suffer to save the
Church
|
The Feast Days |
Represents the mission of Christ
|
References
- "Allegory". Merriam Webster Dictionary; visited March 2022
Adam, Esther, Eve, Feasts, Genesis, Literary Devices, Podcast, Season 4
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