Summary: Fourfold Interpretation Of The Medieval Period

Fourfold Interpretation of the Medieval Period:

In the middle Ages, there is a multiplicity senses or meanings in interpreting the Scripture. Revelation was not only expressed in Scripture, but it also was hidden in Scripture.

Interpretation might be historical, allegorical, moral, or anagogical. Jerusalem, for the medieval interpreters might refer to the literal city in Palestine. Allegorically it could mean the church. Ethically it would refer to the human soul. Anagogically Jerusalem refers to the heavenly city. As Blackman points out, the literal is the plain, evident meaning; the moral sense tells men what to do; the allegorical sets forth what they are to believe; the anagogical centres in what Christians are to hope.

This does not

Such men as Augustine, Jerome, Ambrose, were cited. The text of Scripture was printed by hand. Comments were written in the margin and between the lines of the text. When books were copied by hand, this method insured the most material for the available space. The citations were not chosen at random but to reach a conclusion based upon all the opinions cited. This was the extent of creativity in the middle Ages. There was no fresh, creative thinking about the Scriptures themselves

4.6. St. Thomas Aquinas:

He was a theologian. He was a popular preacher in this time. His discourses were very simple. Usually, he did not preach more than ten minutes. His method of preaching was expository. St. Thomas also has a wonderful knowledge of the content of Scripture. His extensive knowledge probably gave birth to the story that he had memorized the whole Latin Bible. In theory St. Thomas, as Augustine before him, believed that theological reasoning must be based only on the literal sense of Scripture.

According to him, God is the Author of Holy Scripture. The Old Law is allegorically interpreted in the New Law, but the interpretation of matters affecting Christ and our obligation is tropological, and that which deals with the eternal glory. His preaching was addressed in an intellectual manner. He was lacking in imagination in

Monastic Preaching:

During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Monasticism was an important feature throughout the middle Ages. In these ages, monastic life had been renewed. Preaching became one of the important media in this time. The monasteries were important sources of culture and learning. Monks were prominent theologians and teachers, and monks produced most manuscripts of the Bible. This renewal was communicated through the main media of preaching. One of the most wanted things in monastic life was to follow Jesus Christ. So counsel was given to attain this life through the preaching.

St. Benedict rule of monastic life was one of the standard ones. A daily routine corporate prayer, work and meditation on the Bible, spiritual reading was performed to draw near to God. Spiritual readings of the scripture were given more important. Preaching was treated as a main tool to enhance the spiritual life. He preached twice in a day. His sermon took the form of homilies in which biblical passages were interpreted anagogically to apply to the spiritual