Perhaps the most significant change in my personal spirituality has been the recognition that much of the language of the gospels is metaphorical, not literal. They are, in fact, a combination of memory and metaphor; which is to say that the authors reported both their earliest memories of what Jesus said and did, as well as the meaning that his teachings had come to hold for their own lives.
To make sure we’re on the same page, let me distinguish between the words, “metaphor” and “simile”. A simile uses the word, “like” where a metaphor does not. Simile: “My love is like a red, red rose.” Metaphor: “My love is a red, red rose.”
In short, the metaphorical meaning of language is its more-than-literal, more-than-factual meaning.
In our Western culture, it is common to think of metaphorical language as inferior to factual language. As you hear me say that I am learning to read the gospels metaphorically, I’m sure you may be thinking, “The Bible is much more than metaphorical, don’t you know? What do you mean, it’s only metaphorical?”
But metaphor is truly about a surplus of meaning, not a deficiency of meaning.
My best guess is that somewhere during the transition from the Industrial Age to the Information Age, our culture became obsessed with “just the facts”. If a thing couldn’t be proven scientifically and factually, it must not be true. In such a climate, it’s no wonder Christians became obsessed with defending the literalness of the Bible, as if it were 100% scientifically and historically accurate with no errors of any kind.
Sadly, along the path to foundational fundamentalism, we’ve degraded the Bible—along with its metaphorical, more-than-literal language—to the level of classroom science or history book.
In ancient times, Christian interpreters of the Bible and the gospels consistently emphasized their meaning as metaphor. Only in the last few hundred years have some Christians flattened the rich, biblical language by emphasizing its literal-factual meaning. I am not proposing that it is either/or, but rather a third way of reading the gospels as a combination of metaphorical narrative and historical memory.
- Jesus is obviously not literally a light, candle or a lamp. But he is metaphorically all of these.
- Jesus is not literally a loaf of bread, but he is the metaphorical “Bread of Life” that satisfies our deepest hunger.
- Jesus is not literally a gate, door or road. But he is the Gate, Door, and the Way into a new kind of life.
The authors of the gospels felt completely comfortable combining both their memories of Jesus words and actions with their metaphorical meanings. Jesus’ teachings themselves were full of metaphor…
- You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
- Let the dead bury their own dead.
- Can a blind person guide a blind person?
- Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?
Taking any of these sayings literally would miss their meaning. Metaphor is about meaning. Literalism often misses meaning.
A literal reading of the stories in the gospels—or much of the rest of the Bible, for that matter—emphasizes only the factuality of the miracle, and we are left with only one question: “Do you believe that this really happened?”
“Did Jesus actually convert over a hundred gallons of water into wine at a wedding?”
A literal read shifts the focus to whether or not you believe Jesus could have changed water into wine, but misses the greater impact of the story’s metaphorical meaning…
Why did John choose to open his account of Jesus with a story of a wedding? Because John is painting a vivid picture for his readers… metaphorical imagery that held rich symbolism for folks of his time: the story of Jesus is about a wedding. And more: It’s a wedding at which the wine never runs out! More: It’s a wedding at which the best wine is saved for last!
All of this flows from a more-than-literal reading.
It doesn’t really matter whether you believe that Jonah was actually swallowed by a fish, that Mary was actually a virgin, that Peter actually walked on water… hearing the metaphorical meaning of these stories does not require that one deny their factuality. It is still important to ask, “What is the more-than-literal meaning of this story for me, right here and now?”
Believe what you want about whether or not these stories really happened in this way… now let’s talk about what they mean.
In fact, we probably confuse the word, “literal” with the word “factual,” and factuality has been elevated over the metaphorical in Western culture. When someone says that he/she takes the stories in the Bible “literally,” they most often mean “factually.” The difference is not ultimately a literal versus a metaphorical reading, but a factual versus a metaphorical reading.
To read a story factually, when it was intended and written metaphorically, the result is a story that is hard to believe. But when a metaphorical narrative is read and understood metaphorically, it gives up its most powerfully-challenging meaning.
Next time you sit down with your Bible, try it! Rather than reading the stories the same way that you’ve read them for years, ask yourself, “what is the metaphorical, the more-than-literal meaning of this story?”
If you’re like me, you’ll be amazed, and will find yourself suddenly wanting to consume the Bible once again.
Filed under: Musings |
Tags: Bible, literal, spirituality
I think it’s great that you’ve been able to explore and find meaning in the Bible and that it’s renewed your desire to consume the Bible. I recently found a resource online called
Bible Study Tools . The reason I like it so much and want to share it with you is because I can read so many commentaries, 29 translations, lexicons, Greek and Hebrew, devotionals and more all for free. I could never afford these books nor would I have the time to search through all of them! I also like that I can highlight text and save notes. The screen is split-panel that lets you compare versions, commentaries, etc. so it’s really easy to use. I hope you get a chance to check it out! It’s been a blessing for me and I want to let others know that they can find tools to understand the Bible without having to go to seminary! Ha
I’ve recently read of this (and always thought it true) in Colin Tudge’s book ‘So Shall We Reap’. The point he made was about the garden of eden and that the tale was more likely to be about man’s loss of freedom from a hunter gatherer lifestyle and instead though an over indulgence in agriculture being forever tied to the land to find food (in that particular region of the earth) which makes perfect sense since as the bible states “forever more man shall sweat for his bread” as he continued to destroy his natural environment to make way for agriculture (1st agricultural revolution)
I’d like to know if there are any decent textx, preferably secular and non partizan) which explore the bible without bashing it for as an atheist enjoying the knowledge that the Bible and the Qu’ran as being two of the most important historical documents readily available and being a bit thick…would like some assistance in discovering the “metaphorical meanings of the bible” since language at the time was steeped in metaphor and symbolism (see language in Vico’s new science).
The Marcus Borg book I mentioned above entitled, “Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary“ is one of the best I’ve read. He goes into a number of examples of metaphorical reads, several of which impacted me emotionally with their freshness.
Other than that, I am also looking for books like you mentioned, so if you find others, please post them back here.
Interesting comments. Hope you come back and comment more in the future.