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Shawn
Hughes
wrote:
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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
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{
How
do we study and interpret the Gospel of John
if we can't discern symbolism from actual truth? }
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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
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Shawn
replied:
OK Paul,
- But how do we discern what is symbolism
and what is to be taken literally?
Shawn
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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
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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:
- the Historical Critical Method
- The Patristic Method, and
- 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
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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
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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
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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
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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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