Ways of reading the bible

[Montie_Claunch]

I was reading Dr. Scott Hahns Book Letter and Spirit. I didn’t get that far before my aunt ran off with it so she could read it but, I discovered so awesome things in there. To what I got, Dr. Hahn talked about Economy, Typology, and Mystagogy which he explained as ways of reading the bible. Typology being alludements in a passage to a future event in the bible while Mystagogy was he explained typology for the Sacraments. I was wondering. Are there any other ways to read the bible other than these that I don’t know of? I think it is awesome and would like to apply it when I start reading the bible from cover to cover again. Thanks and God bless.

 

[Della]

From the CCC:

The four ways of interpreting Scripture: #s 115-119.

The senses of Scripture

115 According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish between two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual, the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral and anagogical senses. The profound concordance of the four senses guarantees all its richness to the living reading of Scripture in the Church.

116 The literal sense is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation: "All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal."83

117 The spiritual sense. Thanks to the unity of God’s plan, not only the text of Scripture but also the realities and events about which it speaks can be signs.

1. The allegorical sense. We can acquire a more profound understanding of events by recognizing their significance in Christ; thus the crossing of the Red Sea is a sign or type of Christ’s victory and also of Christian Baptism.84
2. The moral sense. The events reported in Scripture ought to lead us to act justly. As St. Paul says, they were written “for our instruction”.85
3. The anagogical sense (Greek: anagoge, “leading”). We can view realities and events in terms of their eternal significance, leading us toward our true homeland: thus the Church on earth is a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem.86

118 A medieval couplet summarizes the significance of the four senses:
The Letter speaks of deeds; Allegory to faith;
The Moral how to act; Anagogy our destiny.87

119 "It is the task of exegetes to work, according to these rules, towards a better understanding and explanation of the meaning of Sacred Scripture in order that their research may help the Church to form a firmer judgment. For, of course, all that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgment of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God."88
But I would not believe in the Gospel, had not the authority of the Catholic Church already moved me.89

 

[Dandelion_Wine]

What Della said. In fact, I think I have a book called “The Four Senses of Scripture” or something like that. I’ll look for it when I get home tonite and post the title. I also have one with typology.