Allegorical interpretation of the Bible

Allegorical interpretation of the Bible is an interpretive method (exegesis) that assumes that the Bible has various levels of meaning and tends to focus on the spiritual[clarification needed] sense, which includes the allegorical sense, the moral (or tropological) sense, and the anagogical sense, as opposed to the literal sense. It is sometimes referred to as the quadriga, a reference to the Roman chariot that was drawn by four horses. In the Middle Ages, allegorical interpretation was used by Bible commentators of Christianity. Antiquity One of the earliest Christian theologians, the Pontian Marcion (c. 85 – c. 160) generally opposed allegorical interpretation. Origen (c. 185 – c. 253), in his Treatise on First Principles, recommends interpreting the Old and New Testaments allegorically at three levels, the "flesh", the "soul", and the "spirit". He states that many of the events recounted in the Scriptures, if interpreted in the literal, or fleshly, sense, are impossible or nonsensical. They must be interpreted allegorically to be understood. Some passages have parts that are literally true and parts that are literally impossible. Then, "the reader must endeavor to grasp the