Balancing Literal and Allegorical Interpretations in Biblical Hermeneutics

Biblical hermeneutics often involves navigating between literal and allegorical interpretations of scripture. An allegory is a figure of speech where one thing represents another, carrying a meaning beyond its immediate, historical sense ^[1]. This means an allegory has a twofold sense: the immediate or historical meaning conveyed by the words, and an ultimate meaning signified by those words ^[1].

The use of allegory has a long history in biblical interpretation. For instance, John Chrysostom, an influential Eastern Orthodox Father, is noted for his exegetical approach, which, due to a unique combination of circumstances, allowed him to avoid the extremes of both allegorizing and dogmatic tendencies prevalent in his time ^[11]. While he sometimes made use of verbal suggestions from the Greek Septuagint that lacked warrant in the Hebrew text due to his unfamiliarity with Hebrew, his New Testament commentaries demonstrate a balanced approach ^[12].

Parables, a specific type of allegory, are stories that typically draw an analogy between an everyday aspect of life and a spiritual truth ^[5]. To properly understand a parable, it is crucial to identify its central analogy and interpret it within its historical context and the broader context of the Gospel text ^[5]. This approach helps to grasp the central message without imposing speculative allegorical meanings on every detail that were not originally intended ^[5]. For example, the parables in Matthew 13:3-9, later interpreted in 13:18-23, address the largely negative reactions of the Jewish nation to Jesus and his message ^[5].

The Epistle to the Hebrews provides a rich example of how Old Testament texts can be reinterpreted in light of New Testament realities, often moving beyond a strictly literal reading to draw theological connections. Matthew Henry, a Nonconformist/Puritan commentator, notes that the first chapter of Hebrews establishes a twofold comparison: between the evangelical and legal dispensations, asserting the superiority of the gospel, and between Christ's glory and that of angels, demonstrating Christ's pre-eminence ^[8]. This involves understanding how Old Testament passages find their ultimate fulfillment or deeper meaning in Christ. For instance, Psalm 91:11, which speaks of angels guarding, is cross-referenced with Hebrews 1:14, where angels are described as ministering spirits ^[2]. Similarly, Psalm 45:7 is connected to Hebrews 1:9 ^[3], and Psalm 110:4, concerning the priesthood of Melchizedek, is linked to Hebrews 7:21 ^[4]. These connections highlight a hermeneutical approach that sees continuity and development from the Old Covenant to the New, where earlier texts foreshadow later realities.

The author of Hebrews, whose writing style differs from Paul's in certain aspects, such as the directness of his opening and the integration of practical exhortations within arguments, nonetheless engages deeply with Old Testament themes ^{[7, 10]}. The epistle's sophisticated Greek, similar to that found in Luke's writings, also suggests a careful literary composition ^{[6, 9]}. This careful composition supports the idea that the connections drawn between Old Testament texts and Christ are intentional and theologically significant, rather than arbitrary allegorizing. The aim is not to discard the historical sense but to reveal its deeper, Christological implications.

Sources

Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Allegory — a figure of speech, which has been defined by Bishop Marsh, in accordance with its etymology as, "a representation of one thing which is intended to excite the representation of another thing." ("A figurative representation containing a meaning other than and in addition to the literal." "A fable or parable; is a short allegory with one definite moral."--Encyc. Brit.) In every allegory there is a twofold sense--the immediate or historic, which is understood from the words, and the ultimate, which is concerned with the things signified by the words. The alle”
OpenBible.info “Cross-reference: Ps.91.11 → Heb.1.14 (confidence: 32 votes)”
OpenBible.info “Cross-reference: Ps.45.7 → Heb.1.9 (confidence: 30 votes)”
OpenBible.info “Cross-reference: Ps.110.4 → Heb.7.21 (confidence: 22 votes)”
Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 13:3: 13:3-9 This parable (interpreted in 13:18-23) addresses the mostly negative responses of the Jewish nation to Jesus and his message. • Parables (Greek parabolē) are stories that usually express an analogy between a common aspect of life and a spiritual truth. To understand a parable, it is necessary to locate the central analogy and understand it in its historical context and in the context of the Gospel text; then the central message can be understood. Speculative allegorical meanings that were not intended should not be found in every element of a parable.”
CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on John & Hebrews: particular words and constructions, as of the general cast, both of the phraseology and the structure of the sentences; but that this similarity arises, not from the identity of the writers, but from the fact that both wrote in somewhat better Greek than is found in the rest of the New Testament. The grammars of the New Testament Greek continually refer to the fact, that certain classical constructions are found only, or at least more frequently, in these writers than elsewhere. But this does not prove more than that the author of this Epistle, as m”
CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on John & Hebrews: or introductory thanksgiving,” by which St. Paul always takes pains to conciliate his readers, and of which there was especial need if he were writing to Hebrews disposed to prejudice against him. On the contrary, after the manner of St. Mark in his Gospel, the writer strikes directly into his subject, without any sort of preface. Another striking feature of difference is, that St. Paul always keeps close to his argument until it is complete, and then adds practical exhortations founded upon it, while in our Epistle each short division of the argume”
Hebrews (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Hebrews 1 (introduction): In this chapter we have a twofold comparison stated: I. Between the evangelical and legal dispensation; and the excellency of the gospel above that of the law is asserted and proved (Heb 1:1-3). II. Between the glory of Christ and that of the highest creatures, the angels; where the pre-eminence is justly given to the Lord Jesus Christ, and clearly demonstrated to belong to him (Heb 1:4 to the end).”
CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on John & Hebrews: of authorship. It has often been noticed that the number of words peculiar to any New Testament writer is an index of the number freely at his command. Peculiar words, it is true, are often required by peculiarity of subject, and may sometimes be what is called accidental. Still, when the number of them in any writer is unusually large, the fact has its value, and such words do abound in the writings of St. Luke and in the Epistle to the Hebrews above all others. 2656 2656 See Thayer ’s Grimm’s N.T. Lexicon , Appendix iv. pp. 698–710, for lists of w”
CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on John & Hebrews: and an explanation offered on the ground that the work has more the character of a treatise than of a personal epistle; but this explains too much, since these personal pronouns, though relatively infrequent, are still very common in our epistle. The author was not disposed to bring forward the personality of either himself or his hearers. St. Paul, on the contrary, used these pronouns more than twice as often as our author, and indeed far more frequently than any other New Testament writer. The case of the third person of the pronoun is peculiar, s”
CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew: I. The Place of Chrysostom in the History of Exegesis. The position held by Chrysostom in the history of exegesis is remarkable. Owing to a peculiar combination of circumstances he, more than any of the Fathers, was enabled to avoid the errors alike of the allegorizing and dogmatic tendencies. The former tendency was the prevalent one in the Christian Church in the Ante-Nicene period; the latter, especially in the West, became dominant during the Post-Nicene period, using for its own ends the earlier erroneous theory. Chrysostom represents the Antiochian r”
CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew: Owing to his ignorance of Hebrew, Chrysostom was not properly equipped for the work of expounding the Old Testament. He treats the LXX. as though it were of final authority, save in a few instances where the variations of other Greek versions have occasioned discussion. Frequently he makes use of verbal suggestions of the Greek that have no warrant in the Hebrew text. Yet, where he is not thus misled, his comments on the Old Testament present the same characteristics as those on the New. The most marked peculiarity of Chrysostom as an exegete is his compar”

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