allegory

A method of reading scripture involving figurative and symbolic meaning. Greek philosophers, particularly Platonists, used allegorical interpretation to derive moral lessons from classical Greek epics that taken literally lacked moral substance. Philo(c. 20 B.C.–A.D. 50) Jewish philosopher and exegete who used an allegorical method to interpret the scriptures that was influential on ancient Chris... more of Alexandria, a Jewish Platonist philosopher at the time of ChristDerived from a Greek term meaning anointed and is equivalent to the word “messiah” from Hebrew roots. The anointing references the act of installi... more, applied this approach to reading the TorahThe foundation of Jewish beliefs that refers to the first five books of the Old Testament and is also referred to as the Law or the Pentateuch. In a b... more. This approach was widely adopted by early Christian theologians, particularly those from the Alexandria school of theology verses the AntiochA large and important city in Syria and the meeting point of the East and West. more school which stress a more literal interpretation of scripture. Allegory was inextricably tied with typologyComes from the Greek word typos that is often translated into English as “figure,” referring to an approach to reading scriptures where events, pe... more. This approach persisted throughout the middle ages, but is generally not favored by Protestants.