John 6:53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; 54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56* He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.Hello brothers and sisters. I need some help in understanding what to take literally and not literally in the Bible. I just read Genesis and wasn’t sure on what the Holy Church teaches about what is be taken literally and what is not. I have the St. Ignatius Bible and it gives some hints in the foot notes but I still wasn’t clear. Thanks!
Just a couple of examples to start with. Probably the story of Jonah is not literally true. It would be very hard to believe that Nineveh repented in sackcloth and ashes. The story of David killing Goliath with a single stone is true. When Jesus says “This is My Body” that is literally true. When Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan it doesn’t matter if it is true or not, the point of the story is the same. The story of a woman who took leaven and mixed it with three measures of flour, till it was leavened all through is literally true. I have done that. When Jesus says “what God has joined let no man rend asunder” that is literally true.Hello brothers and sisters. I need some help in understanding what to take literally and not literally in the Bible. I just read Genesis and wasn’t sure on what the Holy Church teaches about what is be taken literally and what is not. I have the St. Ignatius Bible and it gives some hints in the foot notes but I still wasn’t clear. Thanks!
When we take Communion we are literally taking in the flesh and blood of Christ. Or that is how I understand it anyway. It’s literally just what he talks about in scripture. I was more concerned with the Old Testament’s literal meanings.John 6:53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; 54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56* He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.
You could start here. LITERAL:thumbsup:
Ok I have a couple specifics. In Genesis how literal is the creation story supposed to be taken? Did God literally create Adam from the earth and Eve from his rib? Did people literally live to be hundreds of years old? Thanks for your help.Just a couple of examples to start with. Probably the story of Jonah is not literally true. It would be very hard to believe that Nineveh repented in sackcloth and ashes. The story of David killing Goliath with a single stone is true. When Jesus says “This is My Body” that is literally true. When Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan it doesn’t matter if it is true or not, the point of the story is the same. The story of a woman who took leaven and mixed it with three measures of flour, till it was leavened all through is literally true. I have done that. When Jesus says “what God has joined let no man rend asunder” that is literally true.
However, it takes years of study to go through the whole Bible and figure out everything. Try to ask more specific questions.
Do not take the Genesis 1-2 creation stories (not the plural) literally. Genesis and the Pentateuch were written around the time of the the Babylonian exile, and so are not the earliest books of the Old Testament. And there’s too much genetic variation in human DNA for us all to have descended from two people living 6,000 years ago.Ok I have a couple specifics. In Genesis how literal is the creation story supposed to be taken? Did God literally create Adam from the earth and Eve from his rib? Did people literally live to be hundreds of years old? Thanks for your help.
Ok thank you for your thoughful reply. Reading the Bible is fascinating and I really enjoy it. It’s just hard for me to sometimes differentiate between what is literal and what is not. The genetic variation in human DNA interests me. So does that mean that God created many more people originally than Adam and Eve?Do not take the Genesis 1-2 creation stories (not the plural) literally. Genesis and the Pentateuch were written around the time of the the Babylonian exile, and so are not the earliest books of the Old Testament. And there’s too much genetic variation in human DNA for us all to have descended from two people living 6,000 years ago.
There are things described in the Bible that have historical correspondence, such as Jerusalem being the capital of Israel in the time of David. There are other things that do not have such historical correspondence, such as the stories of the Patriarchs. Exodus probably took place, but not on the scale described in the Bible.
Jonah did not sit 3 days in the belly of a fish. It’s a story meant to illustrate a real point.
As to other truths in the Bible, we have to be honest about what we know. The Gospels tell a truth, but not consistently. That doesn’t mean they’re not descriptions of true events… just like in a court room… how many eye witnesses describe exactly the same story? Take that court room analogy and think about the fact that the Gospels were all written somewhere between 30 and 65 years after Christ died. No surprise you don’t get exact matching up (particularly in the Passion narratives, which seem to be the earliest texts… there’s a lot of material shared among the other parts of the gospels, particularly Matthew, Mark, and Luke).
Take literally the meetings between Peter and Paul, described variously in Acts and Galatians. Paul describes them in slightly more salty terms, of course…
Don’t take literally the Book of Revelation, which is in the genre of apocalyptic literature common in “inter-testamental” Jewish writing. It’s full of code and symbol, which make its meaning real, but not literal.
Every so often you get a real gemstone… for example, there was an earthquake on Passover in 33 AD. Which may have been the day Christ died…
Ok great thanks, I have the CCC, time to open it up! I don’t read it enough.There is not enough space on the ethernet to dissect the entire Bible to point out which verses should and should not be taken literally.
A needed companion to the scriptures, to answer such questions, is the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). Since, you have the internet, you can access it at the vatican website.
You will not find an index of literal and figurative interpretations by verse, but you can learn by topic. For instance, read the CCC topics related to creation, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Peace and all good!
From the first three chapters in the Book of Genesis.Ok thank you for your thoughful reply. Reading the Bible is fascinating and I really enjoy it. It’s just hard for me to sometimes differentiate between what is literal and what is not. The genetic variation in human DNA interests me. So does that mean that God created many more people originally than Adam and Eve?
Does the Vatican website Catechism include its “Index of Citations”?There is not enough space on the ethernet to dissect the entire Bible to point out which verses should and should not be taken literally.
A needed companion to the scriptures, to answer such questions, is the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). Since, you have the internet, you can access it at the vatican website.
You will not find an index of literal and figurative interpretations by verse, but you can learn by topic. For instance, read the CCC topics related to creation, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Peace and all good!
It does!Does the Vatican website Catechism include its “Index of Citations”?
If not, the paperback edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, is worth the inexpensive cost. In it, you can find what Scriptue verses have been used in Catholic teachings. Go to page 689 where you see “Index of Citations” This follows paragraph 2865. From here, it is simple to discover how important Scripture is. Another important tool are the footnotes.
My apology.It does!
Peace and all good