Old Stuff

The Four Senses of Scripture

In Cradle of Redeeming Love: The Theology of the Christmas Mystery, John Saward presents an easily-remembered summary of the four senses of Scripture based on an article in Aquinas's Quaestiones de quolibet, in which the senses are defined as they relate to the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity:

• literal sense: the literal meaning of the words, as understood according to the genre of the text;
• allegorical sense: the Christological meaning of the text; what to hold by faith in the incarnate Word, Christ the Head of the Church Militant;
• moral or tropological sense: the meaning the text has in relation to the conduct of the members of Christ (that's us); how we are to act in charity;
• anagogical or eschatological sense: the meaning the text has in relation to Christ the Head of the Church Triumphant; what to look forward to in hope.

Further, the latter three senses, the spiritual senses of the text, can be understood as they apply to the members of Christ the Head; that is, human beings and the good angels. To quote an example given by Dr. Saward:

The literal sense of the Bible's many references to Jerusalem is the earthly city in Palestine. The allegorical sense is Christ's Church or Blessed Mother. The moral sense is the Jerusalem of the soul, whether beseiged by Satan in temptation or delivered by God in grace. The anagogical sense is the heavenly city, `Jerusalem the golden, with milk and honey blest'.

Dr. Saward quotes Saint Thomas on applying the senses of Scripture to the Gospels:

"What is said literally about Christ the Head can be set forth allegorically in reference to his Mystical Body, morally, in reference to our acts that have to be reformed according to [Christ]; and anagogically, inasmuch as the way of glory is shown to us in Christ."

Posted by billw at January 8, 2003 05:14 AM