Żydowskie korzenie alegorezy chrześcijańskiej

Abstract

Allegory has its roots in ancient Greece. Terms such as metaphor, hidden meaning, symbol, riddle, and allegory were used to reveal the secondary, figurative meaning of myths and poetry whose content was increasingly considered immoral and scandalous. Allegory was also present in the biblical world. An example is the Hebrew term māšāl. It was used to express the enigmatic content of proverbs, riddles, or Yahweh oracles. A classic example is the interpretation of the Song of Solomon, in which the Jews saw a picture of Jehovah‘s love for their nation. Likewise, the prophets, when preaching God‘s word, used Old Testament images and events of the past to express Yahweh‘s future action. The center of allegorical interpretation of biblical texts is found in Alexandria, especially in the activity of Philo. In his times, the allegorical reading of the Hebrew Bible was intensively used, extracting new meaning from it, often with psychological undertones. The Alexandrian community is also an important center for Christians. Church Fathers, such as Clement of Alexandria and Origen, will interpret the Holy Scriptures from the legacy of their predecessors. And the interpretative key will always be Christ.