Subject: What does lamp and oil symbolize? |
Bible Note: Dear Mareva, One of the fundamental doctrines that we hold is sola Scriptura. (When anyone joins the forum they are promising to uphold this doctrine in their posts. Lockman, our gracious host, holds requires this for participation: see the Terms of Use.) The position you are taking is technically called the "Alexandrian School of Thought." It holds that there are layers of truth in any given passage. The converse position, behind sola Scriptura, is the "Antiochian School of Thought." You can look up these phrases someplace like Wikipedia to read more about them. Although we concur that truth is ultimately only revealed to men through the Holy Spirit, we would deny that we can "go deeper" (sic) in a passage as you suggest. In Him, Doc The following from the Chicago Statement of Biblical Hermeneutics, article VII: WE AFFIRM that the meaning expressed in each biblical text is single, definite and fixed. WE DENY that the recognition of this single meaning eliminates the variety of its application. The Affirmation here is directed at those who claim a "double" or "deeper" meaning to Scripture than that expressed by the authors. It stresses the unity and fixity of meaning as opposed to those who find multiple and pliable meanings. What a passage means is fixed by the author and is not subject to change by readers. This does not imply that further revelation on the subject cannot help one come to a fuller understanding, but simply that the meaning given in a text is not changed because additional truth is revealed subsequently. Meaning is also definite in that there are defined limits by virtue of the author's expressed meaning in the given linguistic form and cultural context. Meaning is determined by an author; it is discovered by the readers. The Denial adds the clarification that simply because Scripture has one meaning does not imply that its messages cannot be applied to a variety of individuals or situations. While the interpretation is one, the applications can be many. |