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Allegorical interpretation, biblical, a hermeneutical (interpretive) method used to uncover hidden or symbolic meanings of a biblical text, Rooted in the techniques developed by Greek thinkers who attempted to overcome the problems posed by literal interpretations of ancient Greek myths, the allegorical method was further developed by Jewish scholars, such as Philo of Alexandria in the 1st century AD, and Christian thinkers, such as Clement and Origen of Alexandria in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Though other methods of biblical interpretation were often used, the allegorical method was dominant until late medieval times. The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century rejected, for the most part, the allegorical method and returned to the more literal interpretation of the Bible.
The allegorical method attempts to overcome the difficulties of morally perplexing biblical passages and to harmonize them with certain traditions and accepted teachings of the synagogue or the church. By assigning to each feature of a text a hidden, symbolic, or mystical meaning beyond the primary meaning that the words convey in their literal sense, the allegorical interpretation seeks to make that text more comprehensible, acceptable, and relevant to the present.
Thus, the erotic love language between a lover and his loved one in the Song of Solomon in the Old Testament was interpreted allegorically by Jews to symbolize the love between God and Israel and by Christians the love between Christ and his church. The parable of the 10 maidens (Matt. 25:1—13), five wise and five foolish, has been interpreted allegorically that the five wise maidens stood for the orthodox Christians and the five foolish maidens the unorthodox or heretical believers; the main point of the parable—i.e., that one should be prepared for the coming of the Kingdom of God—was thus blunted,
Though there are explicit allegories in the Bible, such as the allegory of old age in Eccles. 12:1—7 and the parable of the sower in Mark
4: 1—9, the allegorical method as it was developed in post-biblical times allowed an interpreter great latitude for subjective speculation without providing means for critical evaluation of the postulated meanings of the text.
