📘 Lexicon Entry: Analogical Reading

Short Definition
Hermeneutical approach that maintains transcendence-immanence tension in biblical interpretation, reading texts as both fully human documents and vehicles of divine revelation without collapsing either dimension.
Definition
Analogical Reading represents a hermeneutical approach that preserves the tension between transcendence and immanence in biblical interpretation. This method reads scriptural texts as simultaneously fully human documents, embedded in specific historical and cultural contexts, and vehicles of divine revelation that transcend their immediate circumstances. Rather than collapsing either the human or divine dimension, analogical reading maintains that Scripture operates through an analogical relationship between human language and divine truth, where texts bear genuine meaning without exhausting divine mystery. This approach provides a theological alternative to Primitive Biblicism by integrating critical scholarship with theological discernment, avoiding both literalist reduction and historical-critical reductionism. The method emphasizes christological interpretation as the analogical center while preserving textual diversity and community-based discernment in the interpretive process.
Category
Theological Alternative
Keywords
hermeneutics, biblical interpretation, analogical metaphysics, theological exegesis, christocentric reading, transcendence-immanence
Citation Guide
Geevarghese-Uffman, Craig. “Analogical Reading.” *Political Theology Lexicon*. https://www.commonlifepolitics.com/p/lexicon. Accessed [date].
Orthodox Alternatives
Scripture operates through analogical relationship between human language and divine revelation
Biblical interpretation requires both historical-critical engagement and theological discernment
Texts bear genuine meaning without exhausting divine mystery
Christological reading provides analogical center without eliminating textual diversity
Community interpretation balances individual insight with collective wisdom
Mutated Position
Literalist collapse that treats biblical language as univocal with divine reality
Historical-critical reductionism that eliminates theological dimension
Allegorical excess that disconnects interpretation from textual foundation
Fundamentalist certainty that claims direct access to divine meaning
Postmodern relativism that eliminates stable textual meaning
Key Characteristics
Integration of historical-critical and theological approaches
Christological center providing hermeneutical key without eliminating textual complexity
Community discernment balancing individual and collective interpretation
Attention to both literal sense and spiritual significance
Recognition of text’s capacity to bear meaning beyond authorial intention
Theological Foundations
Analogical Metaphysics as philosophical foundation for understanding divine-human relationship
Trinitarian understanding of divine revelation through incarnate Word
Pneumatological dimension recognizing Spirit’s role in interpretation
Ecclesiological emphasis on community as context for faithful interpretation
Christological center organizing interpretive framework
Biblical Foundation
Jesus’s parable interpretation demonstrating analogical relationship between earthly and heavenly realities (Matthew 13:1-23)
Paul’s typological reading of Hebrew scriptures through Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1-11)
Scripture’s self-testimony to divine inspiration while acknowledging human authorship (2 Timothy 3:16)
Jesus’s hermeneutical principle: "These are written that you may believe" (John 20:31)
Emmaus road interpretation demonstrating christological reading (Luke 24:13-35)
Contemporary Expression
Theological Interpretation Movement: Scholars reading scripture as both historical document and theological witness
Canonical Approaches: Reading individual texts within broader canonical context
Lectio Divina: Contemplative reading practices that integrate critical and spiritual dimensions
Contextual Hermeneutics: Reading scripture through particular cultural lenses while maintaining universal dimensions
Interfaith Dialogue: Engaging religious texts of other traditions with both respect and critical discernment
Academic Research
Contemporary theological interpretation movement demonstrates renewed interest in analogical approaches within critical biblical scholarship
Studies show how analogical reading enables both academic rigor and theological depth in seminary education
Research in canonical interpretation reveals how analogical methods preserve textual diversity while maintaining theological coherence
Interfaith hermeneutical studies demonstrate analogical reading’s capacity for respectful yet critical engagement with other traditions
Key Authors
Path Navigation
Related Primary Concepts: Analogical Metaphysics, Interindependence
Theological Alternatives: Being With, Relational Receptivity
Historical Context: Medieval four-fold sense, Reformation hermeneutics, contemporary theological interpretation movement
Last Updated
May 24, 2025
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*This entry is part of the Political Theology Lexicon, accessible exclusively to subscribers. View the complete lexicon to explore related concepts and the full theoretical framework.*
Historical Development
Patristic Development: Early church fathers developed typological and allegorical approaches maintaining both literal and spiritual senses
Medieval Systematization: Four-fold sense of scripture (literal, allegorical, moral, anagogical) as analogical framework
Reformation Clarification: Protestant emphasis on literal sense while maintaining christological center
Modern Critical Methods: Historical-critical approaches challenging traditional analogical reading
Contemporary Recovery: Theological interpretation movement recovering analogical approaches within critical scholarship
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