Avoiding Confusion Between Primary and Secondary Truths in Illustrations
When using illustrations to explain theological concepts, it is important to distinguish between the primary truth being conveyed and secondary characteristics of the illustration itself. An illustration's effectiveness lies in its ability to illuminate a specific point, but not every detail of the illustration should be interpreted as carrying theological weight [1].
For example, when discussing the incarnation of Christ, the primary truth is that God the Son took on human nature, being "born of a woman" in the same manner as other human children [3]. This emphasizes his true humanity and kinship with humanity [3]. However, an illustration about human birth might include details about the mother's experience or the child's development that are not directly relevant to the theological point of the incarnation itself. Similarly, the sanctification of John the Baptist "from the womb" signifies God's power to sanctify whom he pleases, even before birth [8]. While this illustrates divine action, it does not mean every aspect of fetal development in the illustration holds theological significance [7].
Theological knowledge aims to systematize and reconcile facts, moving beyond a mere collection of undigested information [4]. In this process, illustrations serve as tools to aid understanding, but their limitations must be recognized. For instance, the brightness of the moon can illustrate a concept, but its solidity or other physical properties are not necessarily part of the intended analogy [1]. Similarly, images in a mirror appear to have continuous identity, but they are constantly renewed by new light rays, demonstrating that the image at one moment is not numerically the same as the image from the previous moment [1]. This highlights how an illustration's secondary characteristics can diverge from the primary point.
Theological understanding, particularly in faith, is founded on "First Truth" [2]. While faith extends to practical works, its core is speculative [2]. Therefore, illustrations should primarily support this foundational truth without introducing extraneous or misleading secondary implications. John Calvin, in his commentary on Isaiah, notes that it is inconsistent with God's nature to be represented by painting or any likeness, because no image can truly resemble God's infinite power [5]. This underscores the danger of allowing secondary aspects of an illustration to misrepresent the divine.
Augustine also distinguished between images formed by imagination based on sensory experience (like a face or a city) and things imagined to be so, which are not directly perceived [6]. This distinction is relevant to understanding how illustrations function: they can present an image that helps grasp a concept, but the image itself is not the concept. The Babylonian Talmud also acknowledges that while some distinctions are precise, others are not, and one must discern which distinctions are valid for drawing conclusions [9]. This principle applies to illustrations, where not all aspects carry equal weight or precision.
Sources
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 49: the brightness of the moon, he says, must be true also of its solidity, and of everything 218 else belonging to its substance. Again, images of things placed before a mirror seem to remain precisely the same, with a continuing perfect identity. But it is known to be otherwise. These images are constantly renewed by the impression and reflection of new rays of light. The image which exists this moment is not at all derived from the image which existed the last preceding moment. It is no more numerically the same, than if painted anew by an”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of the Gift of Knowledge, Art. 3: Article: Whether the gift of knowledge is practical knowledge? I answer that, As stated above (Question [9], Article [8]), the gift of knowledge, like the gift of understanding, is ordained to the certitude of faith. Now faith consists primarily and principally in speculation, in as much as it is founded on the First Truth. But since the First Truth is also the last end for the sake of which our works are done, hence it is that faith extends to works, according to Gal. 5:6: "Faith . ”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 126: substance of the Virgin Mary.” This is involved in the Scriptural statement that He was born of a woman, which can only mean that He was born in the sense in which other children of men are born of women. This is essential to his true humanity, and to that likeness to men which makes them his brethren, and which was se cured by his taking part in flesh and blood. ( Heb. ii. 14 .) The incarnation of the Son of God, his stooping to take into personal and perpetual union with Himself a nature infinitely lower than his own, was an act of uns”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, section 4: it cannot help endeavoring to systematize and reconcile the facts which it admits to be true. In no department of knowledge have men been satisfied with the possession of a mass of undigested facts. And the students of the Bible can as little be expected to be thus satisfied. There is a necessity, therefore, for the construction of systems of theology. Of this the history of the Church affords abundant proof. In all ages and among all denominations, such systems have been produced. Second, A much higher kind of knowledge is thus obtained, ”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Isaiah, Vol. 3, section 8.30: in guarding the Jews against distrust, at the same time condemns the superstitions of the Gentiles, and declares that it is inconsistent with the nature of God to be represented by painting or by any kind of likeness. This shews clearly that Paul’s doctrine fully agrees with it; for the Prophet, after having shewn that the power of God is infinite, since he holds all things in his fist, at length concludes, “To whom then will ye liken me? for no image that is formed will have any likeness or resemblance to me.” Or, what resemblance will you a”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 1: Augustine — Confessions, Letters — CHAP. II -- The mind is destitute of images presented by the imagination, so long as it has not been informed by the senses of external things. (part 2): imagination, or the faculty of reason. Examples of the first class are when the mind forms within itself and presents to me the image of your face, or of Carthage, or of our departed friend Verecundus, or of any other thing at present or formerly existing, which I have myself seen and perceived. Under the second class come. all things which we imagine to have been, or to be so and so: e.g. when,”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Sanctification of the Blessed Virgin, Art. 6: Article: Whether after Christ, it was proper to the Blessed Virgin to be sanctified in the womb? I answer that, Augustine (Ep. ad Dardan.) seems to speak dubiously of their (Jeremias' and John the Baptist's) sanctification in the womb. For the leaping of John in the womb "might," as he says, "signify the great truth," viz. that the woman was the mother of God, "which was to be made known to his elders, though as yet unknown to the infant. Hence in the Gospel it is written, not that the inf”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 98: They allege that, by the usual phraseology of Scripture, “from the womb,” has the same meaning as “from childhood.” But it is easy to see that the angel had a different meaning when he announced to Zacharias that the child not yet born would be filled with the Holy Spirit. Instead of attempting to give a law to God, let us hold that he sanctifies whom he pleases, in the way in which he sanctified John, seeing that his power is not impaired. 18. And, indeed, Christ was sanctified from earliest infancy, that he might sanctify his ele”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Zevachim 4b.1: And although two of these distinctions are not precise, the other two are in any event precise distinctions, based upon which a distinction can be drawn.”