“vertical,” concerned with the relation of the soul to higher things, as
opposed to the “horizontal” or historical connections with which typology is
concerned. Early Christian use of allegory was sometimes extravagant, but
seldom pure: The ¿ gure of Christ keeps intruding. This “impure” allegory
often mixes with typology, as can be seen in Origen’s writings.
Allegory was useful as a way of interpreting dif¿ cult passages or laws
which Christians did not observe. For instance, why do animals ¿ t for food
need to be cloven-footed and chew the cud? The wars and massacres of
ancient Israel were taken to be spiritual warfare against demons or one’s
own sins and vices. The wrath of God did not mean that he got upset but
that he punished sin. Most notoriously, Origen developed the “criterion of
absurdity”: Where the literal sense of the scriptures is impossible, immoral,
or absurd, a spiritual reading is required. Ŷ
Martyr, “Dialog with Trypho” in Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1.
O’Keefe and Reno, Sancti¿ ed Vision.
Origen, “On First Principles: Book 4” in Origen, edited by Greer.
———, “Prologue to the Commentary on Song of Songs” in Origen, edited
by Greer.
- Why did early Christians not regard a purely literal reading of scripture
as adequate? - Why did early Christians think that allegory was a legitimate form
of reading?
Suggested Reading
Questions to Consider