The Bible contains allegories, which are stories that teach important lessons through symbols. Examples include the two covenants and Nathan’s story. Allegories are also found in literature, often with political or social undertones. The Bible uses allegory to teach spiritual values, such as the story of Abraham’s two sons representing two covenants. Scholars seek allegory in simple imagery, such as bread and wine in Communion. Some stories are seen as real events, while others are fictional allegories. The Bible may be seen as an allegory for one’s spiritual journey.
The Holy Bible contains many allegories. These are little fairy tales that are meant to teach an important lesson. The characters and situations in the stories are thus symbols of general principles such as temptation, deliverance and spiritual faith. Examples of biblical allegory include the two covenants and Nathan’s poor man’s story. Some individuals also attribute allegorical value to singular symbols such as the lamb and the bread and wine in communion practices.
Allegories are found in many modes of artistic expression, particularly in literature. In some cases, an entire novel can serve as an allegory. This type of fictional story can be seen as a sustained metaphor, using literal objects and beings to make comparisons with a figurative idea or theme. Very often, allegories as a literary device have a political, social or religious undertone. For example, George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm – in which animals take over farmland – is seen by many as a veiled critique of Soviet Communism.
Various individuals in the Bible use allegory as a means of teaching spiritual values. The Apostle Paul, for example, referred to the story of Abraham and his two sons as an allegory. Since one of Abraham’s sons was born to a slave and another to a free woman, these two sons were thought to represent the two covenants — or agreements — God made with Israel: bondage and deliverance. In some interpretations, the old agreement would be represented through the son of the slave girl. The freeborn child would then represent the new covenant, which Christians might regard as the arrival of Jesus Christ and individuals of the Jewish faith might regard the arrival of a future Messiah.
Another biblical allegory is one used to make King David realize his sin. A man of God named Nathan visited the king and told a story of a wealthy man with a large herd of animals who takes the one lamb of a lower class man and uses it as a dinner plate. Partly because of this account, David repented because he, too, had taken something precious and loved by a poorer man—Uriah’s wife Bathsheba.
Scholars have thoroughly researched every passage of the Bible, and many seek biblical allegory even in simple imagery. Jesus Christ refers to himself as the living bread in the New Testament of the Bible, which is a symbol many worshipers have taken to Communion in modern times. During this ceremony believers consume bread and wine, symbols of the body and blood of Christ. Similarly, a lamb has come to represent spiritual renewal as a biblical allegory to many, due to the lambs that were sacrificed during the plague of Egypt.
While some stories in the Holy Bible are obviously symbolic, there remains a division regarding literal versus symbolic interpretations of other passages. For example, some see stories such as Noah building an ark after a great flood and Jonah being consumed by a whale as real events. Others believe these are fictional allegories meant to highlight themes such as spiritual virtue and spiritual imprisonment. Some individuals even see the entire Bible as an allegory for their own spiritual journey from darkness to salvation.
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