A Short Note on Allegory

Here's a definition: Allegory is a form of extended metaphor, in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative, are equated with the meanings that lie outside the narrative.

Can we see how important this is in having Faith? I find it vital in understanding how words written thousands of years ago apply today with such elegant perfections. Imagine if we took all the literal meanings and tried to make them work today... the conflicting lessons, the contradictory passages, the very differences in moral culture, would make it impossible to understand.

Instead, search yourself for the meaning of a particular passage, understand how it has an underlying, eternal meaning. God gave us the Bible for a reason. He gave us Free Will and Reason, for a reason, His reason. We need to use these tools to understand that God's plan is eternal, that the Bible is relevant not just then, not just now, but for all time.

We also need to understand that much of the culture in the Bible has long since fallen away - who would think it right now to have a slave? Yet often there are mentions of slaves and of slave-keeping, and of how to treat slaves. Again, this is where allegory can help us understand the deeper meanings that go beyond things that have long since been cast off.

The Bible is the Living Word. Remember that, give thanks to God, and pray for His hand to guide you. In this, and in walking the path He has forged for you, all the good things in life can come upon you.