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Shawn Hughes wrote:

Hi, guys —

Lately, I have been studying the Gospel of John and have came across some questions. The study Bibles I have, mainly Catholic Bibles, all say that the Gospel of John has a lot of symbolism to it, but it does not clarify where the symbolism and where the actual truth is in his Gospel.

I know the Church puts a lot into the forgiveness of sins through others, e.g. confessing and about the Eucharist being the actual flesh and blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ . . . or is it just symbolism?

Also John's 21st chapter is said, even by Catholic scholars, to be added much later then the original ending of John 20. John 21 discusses about Jesus telling Peter to take care of His flock.

  • So how are we to go about telling what is symbolism and what is actual truth?

Thanks!

Shawn

  { How do we study and interpret the Gospel of John if we can't discern symbolism from actual truth? }

Paul replied:

Shawn,

Since your question is one that is general, I'll give you a general response.

Passages in the Gospel of John, as well as in many scriptures throughout the Bible, have multiple meanings. Things can be literally true and also be symbolically true in its pointing to something else. Particularly in John, the symbol is the sign of a greater meaning, as in:

  • being born again from above
  • Jesus saying He is the living water as He leans against Jacob's well, and
  • Jesus being the bread that came down from Heaven fulfilling the Old Testament type that occurred in the desert in the book of Exodus.

Paul

Shawn replied:

OK Paul,

  • But how do we discern what is symbolism and what is to be taken literally?

Shawn

Paul replied:

Shawn,

We discern correctly by following the letter and the Spirit of Catholic teaching and practice.

If we do that we will see, for example, that bread fills the stomach and the Word of God fills the soul; but the Word of God is Jesus, who became bread to be our spiritual nourishment.

The physical, intellectual, and spiritual components of being filled are spoken of.

Paul

John replied:

Shawn,

This is not something we can teach you how to do by e-mail.

I took several courses in Biblical exegesis and hermeneutics and I'm by no means an expert.
There are also several methods of doing exegesis. There is:

  1. the Historical Critical Method
  2. The Patristic Method, and
  3. the Canonical Method

just to name three of them.

All of them are tools which those of us who tackle the Scriptures use. As I said, we don't offer on-line courses at AskaCatholic.com. We can't, nor are we qualified to, offer such courses.

We answer questions that are, for the most part, apologetic in nature. You are asking us to train you in biblical scholarship. You need to find a Catholic seminary or college that is faithful to the Church for what you are asking.

John

Mary Ann replied:

Shawn —

The literal is what the author intended to say. To know that, you have to know the literary form.

The symbolic level can be of several sorts but the best thing to do is to read the Scripture and meditate on it, asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten you. He will, and your Catholic faith will guide your interpretation.

Mary Ann

Shawn replied:

Thanks John and Mary Ann.

I'm actually getting ready to graduate with a BA in Religion and start my Graduate school with
St. Joseph of Maine (Pastoral Theology) but your answers were both very sufficient; I never looked at it that way.

Thank you!

Shawn

John replied:

Shawn,

If you have specific questions as you continue your studies, we'd be happy to help. Be careful, most of these programs only stress the Historical Critical Method. It's a useful tool, but when it's used by itself, it can be dangerous.

I recommend you look into Scott Hahn's books on the subject. I don't have the names or titles of his books off hand. If I can remember them, I'll get back to you. A good study bible, such as the Navarre series or the Ignatius Study Bible, will be helpful.

I also recommend the Orthodox Study Bible. It's not Catholic, it has a larger canon and you need to watch out for some of the notes, but if you can read it critically, it will give you an entirely different perspective. The notes are Patristic, but the approach is Eastern. They ask different questions in the East because their perspective is different.

It's equally valid to our approach, with some obvious exceptions, but you will find it a good compliment to the Ignatius Study Bible.

John

Shawn replied:

Thank you.

I have several Scott Hahn books, he is one of my favorites. I will definitely keep you all in mind
if I have any further questions or concerns. 

You are correct, the majority of my classes have only used the Historical Critical Method.

Shawn

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