Old Testament and figurative language

[Sugar_Ray]

Hello All,

I understand the book of Genesis is not a historical document in the way that the New Testament is and that the story of creation can be accepted as a figurative story that teaches certain spiritual truths.

However, how far through the Old Testament is this the case? Does the Church teach that we, as Catholics, can take the parting of the Red Sea as figurative if we choose to? How about Jonah in the whale of the belly and Elijah’s contest with the pagans? How about Lot’s wife turning into salt?

Where do we draw the line?

Thanks

 

[NotWorthy]

Hello All,

I understand the book of Genesis is not a historical document in the way that the New Testament is and that the story of creation can be accepted as a figurative story that teaches certain spiritual truths.

However, how far through the Old Testament is this the case? Does the Church teach that we, as Catholics, can take the parting of the Red Sea as figurative if we choose to? How about Jonah in the whale of the belly and Elijah’s contest with the pagans? How about Lot’s wife turning into salt?

Where do we draw the line?

Thanks

Do you have a problem with accepting these as reality? Why couldn’t God have performed these miracles?

To address your question, I don’t know, and maybe someone else can answer. But I have no problem accepting these miracles you listed. I mean, why can’t a God who created something out of nothing perform the miracles in question.

 

[Sugar_Ray]

No I have no problem accepting these miracles. I am trying to understand the latitude that the Church gives in allowing Catholics to accept language as figurative or literal.

Catholics are not bound to accept the creation story in Genesis as a literal and historical account. They can if they choose to but they do not have to.

I am trying to understand where else (if anywhere) within the Old Testament does that rule apply?

 

[NotWorthy]

There are some truths about the Creation Story that we must accept as Catholics:
A. The nine things that the Church teaches:
1. The creation of all things out of nothing by God at the beginning of time (including the creation of time).
2. The special creation of man.
3. The creation of woman from man.
4. All of humanity is descended from an original pair of human beings - i.e. Adam and Eve.
5. Adam and Eve were created in an original state of holiness, justice, and immortality.
6. A divine command was laid upon man to prove his obedience to God [do not eat from the tree…] God saw how good it was. Then God said, let us make man in our own image, after our likeness.

• Genesis 1:25-26
  

                    7. The transgression of that Divine Command at the instigation of Satan.
                    8. The loss of the state of holiness, justice, and immortality of our 1st parents [because of their disobedience, Adam and Eve were kicked out of Paradise].
                    9. The promise of a future Redeemer, a Savior [Genesis 3:15, the protoevangelium, the first “good news”]. Reference: Denzinger: #2123

As far as the rest of the literal vs. figurative stories, I think I’ve seen something on this before. I’ll see if I can locate it.

 

[copland]

This is an area that needs some study. There is a teaching out there that is popular today that attacks the authenticity and authorship of the Bible. Such as the book of Jonah not really being written by Jonah and not even a historical account, but simply a cute little fable that teaches a spiritual truth. And the same goes with alot of other parts of the Bible, especially in Genesis. You have the NAB translators who put footnotes and introductions that supports the JEPD approach, which is a modern technique that tries to say that Genesis was not written by Moses but by many different authors, and then many years later it was all grafted in together. My suggestion is to stay away from this. It is dangerous to orthodoxy!

Now this is totally different from the fact that the Bible uses metaphors. That fact has always been understood for the last 2000 years of our Faith. Here are a couple of sections in St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica that explains the use of figurative language. newadvent.org/summa/100109.htm

newadvent.org/summa/100110.htm