1
<chapter id="h2-rules"><title>Rules of Bible Interpretation (Hermeneutics)</title>
2
<para>We already learned about the "3 Cs": content, context, cross-reference. We want to expand that now by
3
delving briefly into biblical hermeneutics, whose goal is to discover the meaning intended by the original author (and
4
Author!). While many applications of a passage are valid, only one interpretation is valid. The scripture itself says
5
this by saying that no scripture is of any private interpretation (2 Pe.1:20 KJV <quote>Knowing this first, that no
6
prophesy of scripture is of any private interpretation.</quote>). Certain rules are helps toward discovering the correct meaning;
7
by ignoring these rules people have brought much trouble on themselves and their followers. 2 Pe.3:16 <quote>...in which are
8
some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to
9
their own destruction.</quote></para>
11
<para>How do we go about discovering the intended meaning of a passage? Let's say your attention has been
12
drawn to a particular verse whose meaning is not clear to you. How do you study it out? Keep these rules in mind:</para>
14
<section id="h2-rules-exact"><title>Rule 1 - Interpret according to the exact meaning of the words.</title>
15
<para>The more precise we can be with the exact, original meaning of the words the better our interpretation will be.
16
Try to find the exact meaning of the key words by following these steps:</para>
20
<formalpara><title>Definition</title>
21
<para>Look up the definition in a Greek or Hebrew dictionary. For verbs, the verb tense is also crucial.</para>
26
<formalpara><title>Cross-reference</title>
27
<para>Compare scripture with scripture. Seeing how the same Greek or Hebrew word
28
(not the English word) is used in scripture may clarify or throw new light on the definition. How does the same author
29
use this word elsewhere? Other authors? Your reference tools may give you uses of the word in non-biblical
30
documents, as well. Why do we have to go to the original languages; why isn't the English word good enough?
31
<emphasis>Because more than one greek word may be translated into the same english word, and the greek
32
words may have different shades of meaning.</emphasis></para>
37
<section id="h2-rules-exact-crossref-ex1a"><title>Example 1A</title>
38
<para>Jn.20:17 <emphasis>"Touch me not"</emphasis> (KJV) sounds harsh, doesn't it? Sounds like Jesus doesn't want
39
to be touched now that He is risen, that He is too holy or something. But that doesn't seem right, so let's look
40
it up in Spiros Zodhiates' <emphasis>The Complete Word Study New Testament</emphasis> (AMG Publishers, 1991).</para>
42
<para>Definition: Turning to John 20:17, above the word "Touch" we see "pim680." The letters
43
give us a code for the part of speech, and the number refers to Strong's dictionary reference. Let's look up
44
the definition (p. 879). "680. Haptomai; from hapto (681), touch. Refers to such handling of an object as to exert a modifying
45
influence upon it... Distinguished from pselaphao (5584), which actually only means to touch the surface of something. " Now look
46
up "pim." The grammar codes in Zodhiates come right after Revelation; on p. 849 we see that pim stands for
47
"present imperative active (80)". On p.857, "Present Imperative. In the active voice, it may indicate a command to do
48
something in the future which involves continuous or repeated action or, when it is negated, a command to stop doing something. " This
49
is a negative command, so it is to stop doing something that is already occuring. So, what have we found?</para>
50
<para><emphasis>Mary is already clinging to Jesus, and he is saying to stop holding him!</emphasis></para>
53
<section id="h2-rules-exact-crossref-ex1b"><title>Example 1B</title>
54
<para>In James 5:14, <emphasis>Elders are told to pray and anoint someone who is sick</emphasis>. What is this anointing?</para>
55
<para>Definition of aleipho (218) - "to oil" (Strong's); but we also have another Greek word translated
56
"anoint", chrio (5548) - "to smear or rub with oil, i.e. to consecrate to an office or religious service" (Strong's).
57
Since it's a verb, consider the tense also, "apta" aorist participle active. "The aorist participle expresses simple action,
58
as opposed to continuous action...When its relaitonship to the main verb is temporal, it usually signifies action prior to that of the main
59
verb." (Zodhiates p.851)</para>
62
<listitem><para>Cross-references for aleipho:
64
<listitem><para>Mt.6:17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head</para></listitem>
65
<listitem><para>Mk.16:1 [the women] brought spices that they might come and anoint Him.</para></listitem>
66
<listitem><para>Mk.6:13 And they were...anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.</para></listitem>
67
<listitem><para>Lk.7:38 [...] kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume</para></listitem>
68
<listitem><para>Jn.12:3 Mary [...] anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped them with her hair</para></listitem>
72
<listitem><para>Cross-references of chrio:
74
<listitem><para>Lk.4:18 <quote>The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach [...]</quote></para></listitem>
75
<listitem><para>Acts 4:27 Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed</para></listitem>
76
<listitem><para>Acts 10:38 God anointed Jesus with the Holy Ghost and power</para></listitem>
77
<listitem><para>2 Cor.1:21 Now He who...anointed us is God</para></listitem>
82
<para>So what's the difference between aleipho and chrio? Look back over the cross-references and the
83
definitions, and sum up the difference: <emphasis>"aleipho" is a practical use of oil and "chrio" is a spiritual</emphasis></para>
85
<para>As an illustration (although the word is not used) of the practical use of oil at that time, when the good
86
Samaritan cared for the man beat up by robbers he poured oil and wine in the wound. So oil had a medicinal
89
<para>Now let's apply what we just learned by this word study to James 5:14 <emphasis>"Is any among you sick? Let
90
him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the
91
Lord."</emphasis> Is "anointing" spiritual or practical? Practical!</para>
93
And the tense in Greek, the aorist participle, would
94
be better translated "having anointed," so the order is the anointing first, then the prayer ("in the name of the
95
Lord"refers to the prayer, not the anointing). James 5 is saying that the elders should give the sick person
96
medicine and pray for him in the name of the Lord. Doesn't that express a beautiful balance of practical and
102
<section id="h2-rules-context">
103
<title>Rule 2 - Interpret within the biblical
105
<para>Interpret scripture in harmony with other scripture. What do the
106
verses on each side say? What is the theme of the chapter? the book? Does your interpretation fit with these? If not,
107
it is flawed. Usually, the context supplies what we need to correctly interpret the passage. Context is key. If
108
confusion remains as to the meaning after we have interpreted the text within its context, we have to look further.</para>
110
<section id="h2-rules-context-ex2a"><title>Example 2A</title>
111
<para>In a previous lesson we considered Jn.3:5 <emphasis>"born of water and the Spirit."</emphasis> In context, what is
112
the water under discussion here?</para>
113
<para>Water baptism is not under discussion here, which would be a big switch from the subject being
114
discussed by Jesus and Nicodemus. Watch out for a sudden change of topic, it may be a clue that your
115
interpretation has been derailed! The water is the amniotic fluid, "born of water" = natural birth.</para>
117
<section id="h2-rules-context-ex2b"><title>Example 2B</title>
118
<para>1 Cor.14:34 <quote>Let the women keep silent in the churches</quote> has to be taken within the biblical
119
context of 1 Cor.11:5 <quote>every woman [...] while praying or prophesying [...]</quote></para>
121
<section id="h2-rules-context-ex2c"><title>Example 2C</title>
122
<para>Acts 2:38 <quote>And Peter said to them, "Repent,
123
and let each of you be baptized in the name of
124
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins [...]"</quote>. Is this teaching baptismal regeneration? If this was the
125
only verse of scripture we had, we would have to conclude that. But in the light of the clear teaching
126
elsewhere that regeneration happens by faith in Christ, we have to interpret it otherwise. Peter is urging
127
baptism as a way for his hearers to respond to the gospel. If baptism were the pathway to being born again,
128
how could Paul write 1 Cor.1:17 <emphasis>"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel"</emphasis>?
133
<section id="h2-rules-hcontest">
134
<title>Rule 3 - Interpret within the historical and cultural context</title>
136
At first we are not asking <quote>What does it mean to me?</quote> but <quote>What did it mean to the original readers?</quote>; later we can ask, <quote>What does it mean to me?</quote>.
137
We have to take into account the historical and cultural background of the author and the recipients.</para>
139
<section id="h2-rules-hcontest-ex3a"><title>Example 3A</title><para> <quote>3 days & 3 nights</quote> (Mt.12:40) have
140
led some to come up with a "Wednesday crucifixion theory,"
141
esp. the cult of Armstrongism. How could Jesus die on Friday afternoon and rise Sunday morning
142
yet "be raised on the third day" (Mt.16:21)? Exact meanings of "three" or "days" won't help explain the
143
apparent contradiction.</para>
144
<para>We need an historical tidbit: Jews counted any part of a day as a full day, as we would count buckets
145
of water (if there were six and one-half buckets of water, we would say there were 7 buckets of water even if one was only partly full). So to the Jewish
146
mind, any part of a day counted as a full day, and days started at 6 p.m. and ended at 6 p.m. Friday from 3
147
p.m. to 6 p.m. = day 1. Friday 6 p.m. to Saturday 6 p.m. = day 2. Saturday 6 p.m. to Sunday 5 or so a.m. =
148
day 3. Interpreting within the cultural context keeps us out of trouble.</para>
151
<section id="h2-rules-hcontest-ex3b"><title>Example 3B</title><para>Gen.15:7-21. The historical context
152
is that cutting animals in two and then walking between
153
the pieces was the normal way of entering a contract in Abraham's day. Both parties walked between, taking
154
the pledge that dismemberment would happen to them if they didn't live up to their part of the contract. But
155
in this case only God goes thru, making it a unilateral covenant.</para>
159
<section id="h2-rules-normal"><title>Rule 4 - Interpret according to the normal usage of words in language</title>
160
<para>Let literal language be literal and
161
figurative language be figurative. And watch out for idioms, which have special meanings.</para>
163
<section id="h2-rules-normal-ex4a"><title>Example 4A</title>
164
<para><quote>evil eye</quote> in Mt.6:23.</para>
165
<para>Rule 1, definition of "evil" and "eye" - no help here. Rule 2, context: seems to confuse us even
166
more. It doesn't seem to fit with what goes before and after! This should tip us off that we aren't
167
understanding it rightly!!</para>
168
<para>What we have here is a Hebrew idiom, <quote>evil eye</quote>. Let's look up other uses of this idiom: Mt.20:15
169
"<emphasis>Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious [lit."evil"] because I
170
am generous [lit. "good"]?</emphasis>" We find that having an "evil eye" is a Hebrew idiom for being stingy or envious.
171
Now go back to Mt.6 and notice how this understanding ties in so perfectly to the context.</para>
174
<section id="h2-rules-normal-ex4b"><title>Example 4B</title>
175
<para>Is.59:1 <quote>The Lord's hand is not short;</quote></para>
176
<para>Deut.33:27 <quote>Underneath are the everlasting arms.</quote></para>
178
References to body parts of God are used by Latter-Day Saints to prove that God was once a man just as we
179
are. Once they convince people of that, they go on to teach that we can become God just like He is! At a
180
lecture he was giving, a group of Mormon elders challenged Walter Martin (author of <emphasis>Kingdom of the Cults</emphasis>)
181
with an enumeration of verses like these. Dr. Martin then asked the Mormons to read one more scripture:
182
Ps.91:4 <quote>He will cover you with His feathers; And under His wings shalt thou trust</quote>. W.M. said, <quote>By the same
183
rules of interpretation that you just proved God to be a man, you just proved that He is a bird</quote>. The Mormons
184
had to laugh as they realised the ridiculousness of their position.
189
<section id="h2-rules-parables"><title>Rule 5 - Understand the purpose of parables and the difference between a parable and an allegory</title>
190
<para>An allegory is: <emphasis>A story where each element has a meaning.</emphasis></para>
191
<para>Every parable is an allegory, true or false?</para>
193
<para>Some parables are allegories, for instance, the parable of the sower is an allegory: the seed is the word of
194
God, the thorns are worries and greed, etc. But most parables are not allegories but simply stories to illustrate one
195
point. It's dangerous to get our doctrine from parables; they can be twisted to say all sorts of things. We need to get
196
our doctrine from clear scriptures that lay it out; then if a parable illustrates that, fine.</para>
198
<section id="h2-rules-parables-ex5a"><title>Example 5A</title>
199
<para>The parable of the widow with the unrighteous judge in Lk.18:1-8. This story illustrates one
200
lesson: boldness in prayer. If we draw it into an allegory, what do we have?</para>
201
<para>All sorts of violence happens to the meanings: God is reluctant to protect the rights of widows, prayer
202
"bothers" Him, etc.</para></section>
204
<section id="h2-rules-parables-ex5b"><title>Example 5B</title>
205
<para>The parable of the unrighteous steward in Lk.16:1-9. What is the point of the parable? Is it
207
<para>The steward is commended for only one thing, his shrewdness in using what he had to prepare for a
208
time when he wouldn't have it. But he is not commended for his unethical behavior in cheating his master. </para>
1
<chapter id="h2-rules">
2
<title>Rules of Bible Interpretation (Hermeneutics)</title>
3
<para>We already learned about the "3 Cs": content, context,
4
cross-reference. We want to expand that now by delving briefly into
5
biblical hermeneutics, whose goal is to discover the meaning intended
6
by the original author (and Author!). While many applications of a
7
passage are valid, only one interpretation is valid. The scripture
8
itself says this by saying that no scripture is of any private
9
interpretation (2 Pe.1:20 KJV
10
<quote>Knowing this first, that no prophesy of scripture is of any
11
private interpretation.</quote>). Certain rules are helps toward
12
discovering the correct meaning; by ignoring these rules people have
13
brought much trouble on themselves and their followers. 2 Pe.3:16
14
<quote>...in which are some things hard to understand, which the
15
untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the
16
Scriptures, to their own destruction.</quote></para>
17
<para>How do we go about discovering the intended meaning of a
18
passage? Let's say your attention has been drawn to a particular
19
verse whose meaning is not clear to you. How do you study it out?
20
Keep these rules in mind:</para>
21
<section id="h2-rules-exact">
22
<title>Rule 1 - Interpret according to the exact meaning of the
24
<para>The more precise we can be with the exact, original meaning
25
of the words the better our interpretation will be. Try to find the
26
exact meaning of the key words by following these steps:</para>
30
<title>Definition</title>
31
<para>Look up the definition in a Greek or Hebrew dictionary.
32
For verbs, the verb tense is also crucial.</para>
37
<title>Cross-reference</title>
38
<para>Compare scripture with scripture. Seeing how the same
39
Greek or Hebrew word (not the English word) is used in
40
scripture may clarify or throw new light on the definition.
41
How does the same author use this word elsewhere? Other
42
authors? Your reference tools may give you uses of the word
43
in non-biblical documents, as well. Why do we have to go to
44
the original languages; why isn't the English word good
46
<emphasis>Because more than one Greek word may be translated
47
into the same English word, and the Greek words may have
48
different shades of meaning.</emphasis></para>
52
<section id="h2-rules-exact-crossref-ex1a">
53
<title>Example 1A</title>
55
<emphasis>"Touch me not"</emphasis> (KJV) sounds harsh, doesn't
56
it? Sounds like Jesus doesn't want to be touched now that He is
57
risen, that He is too holy or something. But that doesn't seem
58
right, so let's look it up in Spiros Zodhiates'
59
<emphasis>The Complete Word Study New Testament</emphasis> (AMG
60
Publishers, 1991).</para>
61
<para>Definition: Turning to John 20:17, above the word "Touch"
62
we see "pim680." The letters give us a code for the part of
63
speech, and the number refers to Strong's dictionary reference.
64
Let's look up the definition (p. 879). "680. Haptomai; from hapto
65
(681), touch. Refers to such handling of an object as to exert a
66
modifying influence upon it... Distinguished from pselaphao
67
(5584), which actually only means to touch the surface of
68
something. " Now look up "pim." The grammar codes in Zodhiates
69
come right after Revelation; on p. 849 we see that pim stands for
70
"present imperative active (80)". On p.857, "Present Imperative.
71
In the active voice, it may indicate a command to do something in
72
the future which involves continuous or repeated action or, when
73
it is negated, a command to stop doing something. " This is a
74
negative command, so it is to stop doing something that is
75
already occurring. So, what have we found?</para>
77
<emphasis>Mary is already clinging to Jesus, and he is saying
78
to stop holding him!</emphasis>
81
<section id="h2-rules-exact-crossref-ex1b">
82
<title>Example 1B</title>
84
<emphasis>Elders are told to pray and anoint someone who is
85
sick</emphasis>. What is this anointing?</para>
86
<para>Definition of aleipho (218) - "to oil" (Strong's); but we
87
also have another Greek word translated "anoint", chrio (5548) -
88
"to smear or rub with oil, i.e. to consecrate to an office or
89
religious service" (Strong's). Since it's a verb, consider the
90
tense also, "apta" aorist participle active. "The aorist
91
participle expresses simple action, as opposed to continuous
92
action...When its relationship to the main verb is temporal, it
93
usually signifies action prior to that of the main verb."
94
(Zodhiates p.851)</para>
97
<para>Cross-references for aleipho:
100
<para>Mt.6:17 But you, when you fast, anoint your
104
<para>Mk.16:1 [the women] brought spices that they might
105
come and anoint Him.</para>
108
<para>Mk.6:13 And they were...anointing with oil many
109
sick people and healing them.</para>
112
<para>Lk.7:38 [...] kissing His feet and anointing them
113
with the perfume</para>
116
<para>Jn.12:3 Mary [...] anointed the feet of Jesus, and
117
wiped them with her hair</para>
119
</orderedlist></para>
122
<para>Cross-references of chrio:
126
<quote>The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has
127
anointed me to preach [...]</quote></para>
130
<para>Acts 4:27 Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed</para>
133
<para>Acts 10:38 God anointed Jesus with the Holy Ghost
137
<para>2 Cor.1:21 Now He who...anointed us is God</para>
139
</orderedlist></para>
142
<para>So what's the difference between aleipho and chrio? Look
143
back over the cross-references and the definitions, and sum up
145
<emphasis>"aleipho" is a practical use of oil and "chrio" is a
146
spiritual</emphasis></para>
147
<para>As an illustration (although the word is not used) of the
148
practical use of oil at that time, when the good Samaritan cared
149
for the man beat up by robbers he poured oil and wine in the
150
wound. So oil had a medicinal use in Jesus' day.</para>
151
<para>Now let's apply what we just learned by this word study to
153
<emphasis>"Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of
154
the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in
155
the name of the Lord."</emphasis>Is "anointing" spiritual or
156
practical? Practical!</para>
157
<para>And the tense in Greek, the aorist participle, would be
158
better translated "having anointed," so the order is the
159
anointing first, then the prayer ("in the name of the Lord"refers
160
to the prayer, not the anointing). James 5 is saying that the
161
elders should give the sick person medicine and pray for him in
162
the name of the Lord. Doesn't that express a beautiful balance of
163
practical and spiritual in our God!</para>
166
<section id="h2-rules-context">
167
<title>Rule 2 - Interpret within the biblical context</title>
168
<para>Interpret scripture in harmony with other scripture. What do
169
the verses on each side say? What is the theme of the chapter? The
170
book? Does your interpretation fit with these? If not, it is
171
flawed. Usually, the context supplies what we need to correctly
172
interpret the passage. Context is key. If confusion remains as to
173
the meaning after we have interpreted the text within its context,
174
we have to look further.</para>
175
<section id="h2-rules-context-ex2a">
176
<title>Example 2A</title>
177
<para>In a previous lesson we considered Jn.3:5
178
<emphasis>"born of water and the Spirit."</emphasis>In context,
179
what is the water under discussion here?</para>
180
<para>Water baptism is not under discussion here, which would be
181
a big switch from the subject being discussed by Jesus and
182
Nicodemus. Watch out for a sudden change of topic, it may be a
183
clue that your interpretation has been derailed! The water is the
184
amniotic fluid, "born of water" = natural birth.</para>
186
<section id="h2-rules-context-ex2b">
187
<title>Example 2B</title>
189
<quote>Let the women keep silent in the churches</quote>has to be
190
taken within the biblical context of 1 Cor.11:5
191
<quote>every woman [...] while praying or prophesying
194
<section id="h2-rules-context-ex2c">
195
<title>Example 2C</title>
197
<quote>And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let each of you be
198
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your
199
sins [...]"</quote>. Is this teaching baptismal regeneration? If
200
this was the only verse of scripture we had, we would have to
201
conclude that. But in the light of the clear teaching elsewhere
202
that regeneration happens by faith in Christ, we have to
203
interpret it otherwise. Peter is urging baptism as a way for his
204
hearers to respond to the gospel. If baptism were the pathway to
205
being born again, how could Paul write 1 Cor.1:17
206
<emphasis>"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach
207
the gospel"</emphasis>?</para>
210
<section id="h2-rules-hcontest">
211
<title>Rule 3 - Interpret within the historical and cultural
213
<para>At first we are not asking
214
<quote>What does it mean to me?</quote>but
215
<quote>What did it mean to the original readers?</quote>; later we
217
<quote>What does it mean to me?</quote>. We have to take into
218
account the historical and cultural background of the author and
219
the recipients.</para>
220
<section id="h2-rules-hcontest-ex3a">
221
<title>Example 3A</title>
223
<quote>3 days & 3 nights</quote>(Mt.12:40) have led some to
224
come up with a "Wednesday crucifixion theory," esp. the cult of
225
Armstrongism. How could Jesus die on Friday afternoon and rise
226
Sunday morning yet "be raised on the third day" (Mt.16:21)? Exact
227
meanings of "three" or "days" won't help explain the apparent
228
contradiction.</para>
229
<para>We need an historical tidbit: Jews counted any part of a
230
day as a full day, as we would count buckets of water (if there
231
were six and one-half buckets of water, we would say there were 7
232
buckets of water even if one was only partly full). So to the
233
Jewish mind, any part of a day counted as a full day, and days
234
started at 6 p.m. and ended at 6 p.m. Friday from 3 p.m. to 6
235
p.m. = day 1. Friday 6 p.m. to Saturday 6 p.m. = day 2. Saturday
236
6 p.m. to Sunday 5 or so a.m. = day 3. Interpreting within the
237
cultural context keeps us out of trouble.</para>
239
<section id="h2-rules-hcontest-ex3b">
240
<title>Example 3B</title>
241
<para>Gen.15:7-21. The historical context is that cutting animals
242
in two and then walking between the pieces was the normal way of
243
entering a contract in Abraham's day. Both parties walked
244
between, taking the pledge that dismemberment would happen to
245
them if they didn't live up to their part of the contract. But in
246
this case only God goes thru, making it a unilateral
250
<section id="h2-rules-normal">
251
<title>Rule 4 - Interpret according to the normal usage of words in
253
<para>Let literal language be literal and figurative language be
254
figurative. And watch out for idioms, which have special
256
<section id="h2-rules-normal-ex4a">
257
<title>Example 4A</title>
259
<quote>evil eye</quote>in Mt.6:23.</para>
260
<para>Rule 1, definition of "evil" and "eye" - no help here. Rule
261
2, context: seems to confuse us even more. It doesn't seem to fit
262
with what goes before and after! This should tip us off that we
263
aren't understanding it rightly!!</para>
264
<para>What we have here is a Hebrew idiom,
265
<quote>evil eye</quote>. Let's look up other uses of this idiom:
267
<emphasis>Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is
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my own? Or is your eye envious [lit."evil"] because I am generous
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[lit. "good"]?</emphasis>" We find that having an "evil eye" is a
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Hebrew idiom for being stingy or envious. Now go back to Mt.6 and
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notice how this understanding ties in so perfectly to the
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<section id="h2-rules-normal-ex4b">
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<title>Example 4B</title>
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<quote>The Lord's hand is not short;</quote></para>
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<quote>Underneath are the everlasting arms.</quote></para>
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<para>References to body parts of God are used by Latter-Day
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Saints to prove that God was once a man just as we are. Once they
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convince people of that, they go on to teach that we can become
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God just like He is! At a lecture he was giving, a group of
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Mormon elders challenged Walter Martin (author of
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<emphasis>Kingdom of the Cults</emphasis>) with an enumeration of
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verses like these. Dr. Martin then asked the Mormons to read one
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more scripture: Ps.91:4
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<quote>He will cover you with His feathers; And under His wings
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shalt thou trust</quote>. W.M. said,
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<quote>By the same rules of interpretation that you just proved
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God to be a man, you just proved that He is a bird</quote>. The
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Mormons had to laugh as they realised the ridiculousness of their
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<section id="h2-rules-parables">
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<title>Rule 5 - Understand the purpose of parables and the
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difference between a parable and an allegory</title>
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<para>An allegory is:
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<emphasis>A story where each element has a
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meaning.</emphasis></para>
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<para>Every parable is an allegory, true or false?</para>
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<para>Some parables are allegories, for instance, the parable of
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the sower is an allegory: the seed is the word of God, the thorns
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are worries and greed, etc. But most parables are not allegories
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but simply stories to illustrate one point. It's dangerous to get
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our doctrine from parables; they can be twisted to say all sorts of
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things. We need to get our doctrine from clear scriptures that lay
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it out; then if a parable illustrates that, fine.</para>
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<section id="h2-rules-parables-ex5a">
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<title>Example 5A</title>
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<para>The parable of the widow with the unrighteous judge in
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Lk.18:1-8. This story illustrates one lesson: boldness in prayer.
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If we draw it into an allegory, what do we have?</para>
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<para>All sorts of violence happens to the meanings: God is
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reluctant to protect the rights of widows, prayer "bothers" Him,
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<section id="h2-rules-parables-ex5b">
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<title>Example 5B</title>
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<para>The parable of the unrighteous steward in Lk.16:1-9. What
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is the point of the parable? Is it an allegory?</para>
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<para>The steward is commended for only one thing, his shrewdness
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in using what he had to prepare for a time when he wouldn't have
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it. But he is not commended for his unethical behavior in
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cheating his master.</para>
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docs/howto/en/docbook/howto-interpretation.docbook
