By Karen A. Bellenir
A Coronal Mass Ejection Erupts on the Sun; NASA/GSFC/SDO Image #e001661; August 31, 2012.
There are folks who argue that there is only one way to understand biblical text. They insist that each word must be defined exclusively in a literal manner in strict accordance with one concrete definition. For example, Genesis 1:3 tells about the creation of light. Literal-minded readers may insist that this refers specifically and only to daylight or sunlight. By contrast, literate readers may discern a broader range of meaning. For just a few examples: Light may mean any type of electromagnetic radiation that falls within the portion of the spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Or, light can encompass the entire electromagnetic spectrum, including portions invisible to unaided human eyes, such as infrared and ultraviolet. Or light could refer to an object that creates the conditions necessary for human vision or insight (please turn on the light; let’s shed some light on this situation). Or it could function as an abstract reference to spiritual illumination (I see the light.)
Literate readers bring all these possible meanings (and many more) to the text. It isn’t necessary to select one and only one. In fact, various meanings may have more significance at different times. The text’s genre often gives indications regarding the appropriate amount of flexibility to be used in interpreting images and allusions, understanding metaphors or similes, or responding to repetitions or other literary devices. Although such indications can serve as general guides, the process of discovering a more profound personal revelation embedded within a text often results from a spiritual whisper that expands upon the shallow, surface reading of a word or phrase.
Excerpted from “About Genesis,” Soundings, Fall 2019.