Literal and symbolic readings of scripture

Abdu'l-Baha replied: -- "Divine things are too deep to be expressed by common words. The heavenly teachings are expressed in parable in order to be understood and preserved for ages to come. When the spiritually minded dive deeply into the ocean of their meaning they bring to the surface the pearls of their inner significance. There is no greater pleasure than to study God's Word with a spiritual mind."

The Holy Books have their special terminologies which must be known and understood. … In the scripture we read that Zion is dancing. It is evident that this has other than literal interpretation. The meaning is that the people of Zion shall rejoice. The Jews said Christ was not the Messiah but Antichrist, because one of the signs of the Messiah's coming was the dancing of Mount Zion, which had not yet come to pass. In reality, when Christ appeared, not only Mount Zion but all Palestine danced and rejoiced. Again in scriptures it is said, "The trees of the field shall clap their hands." This is symbolical. There are terms and expressions of usage in every language which cannot be taken literally.

As for the passages you extracted from the holy books - those that conform to true knowledge, reason and divine wisdom are according to their outward meaning, while other passages all have interpretations that conform to reason, knowledge and wisdom. God willing, you will discover this matter.

My hope is that through divine confirmation you will discover the interpretation of all these matters.

Such is the view that hath been expounded and considered sufficient in the literal interpretations. While confirming such interpretations, the people of truth, they who consider the hidden realities and inner significances, have carefully examined this blessed verse and unraveled therein other far-reaching meanings.

Among the binding counsels and explicit admonitions of the Most Great Name is this: that ye should close fast the gates of interpretation [ta'wil] and cleave unto the clear meaning of the Book, that is to say, unto the literal meaning current among the people...

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The delusions of interpretation cannot alter the clear and decisive text, and the winds of the desert cannot cut off from the horizons the fragrance of the rose-garden of the Kingdom.

"But as for those in whose hearts is perversity, they follow the part thereof that is ambiguous."

Take not from the Book that which is ambiguous therein, but take what God hath made firm, not deviating from the truth, and which hath been established by covenant.

Some of the servants make their own interpretations to justify certain things as lawful, without any evidence from God.

Thus the interpreters resorted to weak interpretations of this blessed verse to make it conform with those ancient principles accepted by the people, abandoning the clear meaning that matched reality with manifest proof.

There is yet a third method of acquiring knowledge, by revelation, or the Inspired Books; but the difficulty in this case is that every person's interpretation of the Book is colored by his own individuality. In the time of Jesus Christ, the Jews were prevented from accepting Him, by clinging to the literal interpretation of their Book.

Your likeness is as one who holdeth fast to a single letter, turning away from the Most Great Book wherein are revealed the mysteries of what hath been and what shall be.

Do not worship the Lantern—worship the light.

That which is contained in the Holy Books is full of mystery, full of meaning. Those who do not understand, take it in a literal way: I hope that you will investigate the reality of the meanings and understand. For example, Christ said: "I am the bread which came down from Heaven; whosoever partakes, will receive Everlasting Life." By the Bread of Heaven Christ meant the Heavenly Benediction.

The proof that it was not material food is this: The apostles upon many occasions partook of material food with His Highness Christ, yet the supper of that night became designated as the "Lord's Supper." From this designation it is plain and evident that they ate heavenly food at that supper.

Indeed, one of the chief reasons for irreligion among people is that the leaders of religion, such as the Catholic priests, take a little bread and wine, blow a breath over it and then say that the bread is the flesh of Christ and the wine is the blood of Christ.

For instance, if we look upon the Catholic religion we see that they believe that an important part is the transubstantiation; that is, the change of the bread and wine into the body of Christ. If we ponder a little we realize that this is a non-essential. It is imitation and the reverse of reality.

It is therefore clear that the assertion that the Son of man came down from heaven has a mystical rather than a literal meaning, and is a spiritual rather than a material event. … In the same manner, His resurrection from the bosom of the earth is a mystical matter and expresses a spiritual rather than a material condition. And His ascension to heaven, likewise, is spiritual and not material in nature.

The story about the dove is simply a metaphor. No dove came down.

This is true even of the Muslims, who formerly believed that the angel Gabriel literally possessed wings, but now understand that this symbol represents the holy power of revelation and descent. They have come to realize that its true meaning is exemplified in the verses, 'the Faithful Spirit [Gabriel] hath come down with it [the Qur'an] upon Thy [Muhammad's] heart', [Qur'an 26:193-194] and that all other interpretations are but idle fancies.

Voltaire understood this noble verse of the Gospel according to the terminology of the common people, and was ignorant of this truth: that what is meant by Satan is the world of human nature, which inciteth man unto base qualitiesâ€"among them the struggle for existence, savagery, corrupt morals, wickedness and wantonness, frivolities, lack of shame, and bloodthirstiness, like unto ravening beastsâ€"all of which proceed from the world of nature. That is to say, Satan signifieth the powers of nature, which in the realm of reality are expressed as the insistent self.

An unbeliever in the time of Jesus Christ once said that Jesus Christ was an ignorant man; that He did not know geography for He thought He could see all the world from the top of a mountain. If he had had this explained to him, he would, probably, have believed in Jesus Christ.

Note that if these words were taken literally, as imagined by the people of the Book, it would be sheer injustice and absolute predestination. If Adam sinned in approaching the forbidden tree, what then was the sin of glorious Abraham, the Friend of God, and the error of Moses, Who conversed with God? … Would divine justice have suffered these luminous Manifestations to endure, by reason of Adam's sin, the torment of hell until such time as Christ should come and by His sacrifice rescue them from the nethermost fire? Such a notion is beyond the pale of every rule and principle and no rational person can ever accept it.

Many who have not understood what Christ meant by baptism think if a child dies without passing through this ceremony its soul is lost! But this is not true, for the child has not sinned and goes from this world quite free from faults and defects!

As to the record in the Bible concerning Adam's entering paradise, His eating from the tree and His expulsion through the temptation of Satan: These are all symbols beneath which there are wonderful and divine meanings not to be calculated in years, dates and measurement of time. Likewise, the statement that God created the heaven and the earth in six days is symbolic. We will not explain this further today. The texts of the Holy Books are all symbolical, needing authoritative interpretation.

For instance, it is said in the Old Testament that certain things were created in the first day. The narrative shows that at that time the sun was not yet created. How could we conceive of a day if no sun existed in the heavens? For the day depends upon the light of the sun. Inasmuch as the sun had not been made, how could the first day be realized? Therefore, these statements have significances other than literal.

But the long lives mentioned in certain books and narratives have a different basis. For instance, it was a custom in former times to mention a dynasty or family by the name of one person only. However, the people in the following ages thought that the length of time that a family survived was the length of the life of that family's founder.

The ages of those ancient prophets as recorded in the old Testament is symbolic. It has a spiritual interpretation.

Moreover, most of the miracles attributed to the Prophets have an inner meaning. For instance, it is recorded in the Gospel that upon the martyrdom of Christ darkness fell, the earth shook, the veil of the Temple was rent in twain, and the dead arose from their graves. … But as these events have not been recorded in any history it is evident that they are not to be understood literally but according to their inner meaning. Our purpose is not to deny, but merely to say that these accounts do not constitute a decisive proof, and that they have an inner meaning—nothing more.

The Jewish scholars do not acknowledge the miracles of Christ, and likewise the Christian scholars do not acknowledge the miracles of the Prophet [Muhammad], and similarly the European philosophers and natural historians deny the miracles of Moses, and each raise various objections, especially the European philosophers who have published many works on this subject. Therefore, either all must be taken literally and decisive proof established for their occurrence and manifestation, or all must be interpreted allegorically.

The Egyptian history recorded even trifling events. Had such a wonderful thing happened as the parting of the physical sea, it would also have been recorded.

The miracles of Christ were spiritual teachings, not literal.

It is therefore clear and evident that these signs have inner meanings and should not be taken literally. These meanings have been fully explained in the Kitab-i-Iqan: Refer to it.

You are well aware that the verses relating to the Hour and its signs are all allegorical, and none knows their interpretation save God and those well-grounded in knowledge.

Should they say: "These words are indeed from God, and have no interpretation other than their outward meaning", then what objection can they raise against the unbelievers among the people of the Book? For when the latter saw the aforementioned passages in their Scriptures and heard the literal interpretations of their divines, they refused to recognize God in those who are the Manifestations of His unity, the Exponents of His singleness, and the Embodiments of His sanctity, and failed to believe in them and submit to their authority. The reason was that they did not see the sun darken, or the stars of heaven fall to the ground, or the angels visibly descend upon the earth, and hence they contended with the Prophets and Messengers of God.

Inasmuch as the Christian divines have failed to apprehend the meaning of these words, and did not recognize their object and purpose, and have clung to the literal interpretation of the words of Jesus, they therefore became deprived of the streaming grace of the Muhammadan Revelation and its showering bounties.

… And their conviction is such that were a person to be made manifest with all the promised signs and to promulgate that which is contrary to the letter of the law of the Gospel, they must assuredly renounce him, refuse to submit to his law, declare him an infidel, and laugh him to scorn.

The reason for this was that they said: "The Revelation of Christ, according to the clear text of the Torah, will be attested by certain signs, and so long as these signs have not appeared, whoso layeth claim to be a Messiah is an impostor. Among these signs is this, that the Messiah should come from an unknown place, yet we all know this man's house in Nazareth, and can any good thing come out of Nazareth? The second sign is that He shall rule with a rod of iron, that is, He must act with the sword, but this Messiah has not even a wooden staff.

… In like manner all the other signs have been made manifest, but the Jews did not understand. Although nearly twenty centuries have elapsed since Christ appeared with divine splendor, yet the Jews are still awaiting the coming of the Messiah and regard themselves as true and Christ as false.

"But His Holiness Jesus answered: 'These texts are symbolic. They have an inner meaning. I possess sovereignty, but it is of the eternal type. It is not an earthy empire. Mine is divine, heavenly, everlasting. And I conquer not by the sword. My conquests are by Love. I have a sword, but it is not of iron. My sword is My tongue, which divides Truth from falsehood.'

"Yet they persisted in rejecting Him. 'These are mere interpretations,' they said. 'We will not give up the letter for these.'

Secondly: The scepter must be of iron, i.e. he would appear with a sword, while His Holiness Christ did not possess even a wooden stick. This also is correct. The meaning of an iron scepter or the sword or the sword is the tongue of His Holiness which divided the truth from untruth, or truth from falsehood. But the Jews thought that the sword was to be of iron.

They set their expectations on the text of Isaiah---that the Messiah would come from the skies, an unknown place, and that, when He came, He would break the mountains apart and cause a mighty earthquake. In fact, these things did happen, but they did not understand the symbolism thereof. They failed to apprehend this allegory: that by "mountains" was not meant mountains of stone, but rather people who resembled mountains and were scattered apart, and that the intended meaning of "earthquake" pertained to the realm of human thoughts, not this world of dust.

Steeped in the literal interpretation and imitating the beliefs of fathers and ancestors, they failed to understand the fact that although the body of Jesus came from Nazareth, the reality of the Christ came from the unknown place of the divine Kingdom.

But since they took them literally, they turned away in pride, saying "This Promised One is not that Promised One." Thus did the Jews interpret these passages, and when Christ appeared, the Jewish scholars said, "This Christ is not that Christ, this is not the Promised One."

Now inasmuch as the Jews were submerged in the sea of ancestral imitations, they could not comprehend the meaning of these prophecies. All the words of the prophets were fulfilled, but because the Jews held tenaciously to hereditary interpretations, they did not understand the inner meanings of the Holy Bible; therefore, they denied Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The purpose of the prophetic words was not the outward or literal meaning, but the inner symbolical significance.

For instance, as for the statements of the previous books: When Jesus Christ was manifested, the Jews looked at the verses of the Old Testament literally, outwardly, and were hindered because they did not understand. The outward meaning of the verses was the cause of their hinderance.

Their meaning is not that of the literal signification of the words, yet this was the meaning accepted by the Israelites. They did not know the symbols.

Say: Unto what did the Jewish people cleave except the outer meanings of the verses of the Torah when they adorned the cross with the body of the Beloved, thus depriving themselves of the grace of the Messiah? They clung unto the literal text of the Torah while remaining veiled from Him Who was its Revealer. The Pharisees, who ranked among the most learned of that age and cycle, called Christ not Messiah [Masih] but a monster [Masikh].

The Jewish doctors have interpreted the Bible according to their own selfish desires, and not that they have discovered the Truth.

But as for those Jewish doctors, Christian priests and monks who read them - verily, they know only the letter, uttering the words like parrots, without understanding their inner meanings. They comprehend them not at all, because they are engrossed in worldly desires and their hearts are attached to its ornaments. Verily, are they not heedless of God, understanding nothing and finding not the right path?

The object of reading and reciting is to understand the inner significance of the verses and mysteries of the Book. Had reading sufficed, all the Jewish people should have acknowledged Christ but as they lacked understanding of the mysteries and the inner meanings, they were deprived of the bounty of believing in Him.

They interpreted the book in a literal or outward manner and did not find the appearance of Christ to conform to their traditions, imitations and the prevailing customs of their people, so they denied and rejected Him.

It is difficult to comprehend even the words of a philosopher; how much more difficult it is to understand the Words of God. The divine Words are not to be taken according to their outer sense. They are symbolical and contain realities of spiritual meaning.

… Most of the Jews had memorized the texts of the Old Testament and repeated them night and day, but inasmuch as they were ignorant of the meanings, they were deprived of the bounties of Christ.

But because the people who received these teachings from the first teachers were ignorant, they understood them literally."

The holy books are full of significance and must never be taken literally.

One of the greatest veils is literal interpretation of the prophecies.

"One of the veils is literal interpretation. To penetrate the inner significances a mighty effort is needed."

Through their ignorance of these meanings people have always remained veiled from the manifestations of the bounties of Him Who is the Causer of Causes. Although in the divine scriptures mention is made of a heaven and an earth other than the physical heaven and earth, yet they have interpreted these signs literally and have deprived themselves of spiritual worlds and divine knowledge.

There were explanations about how nations were veiled and clarification of the signs of the Day of Manifestation - that like the Jews, Christians too are afflicted with vain imaginings and imitations, such that they are still waiting for stars to fall from heaven, even though each star is many times larger than the earth.

The Orthodox Jews according to the literal interpretation of a number of passages in the Old Testament, of course are holding such a belief but the growing literary and intellectual party, having cast away the enthusiasm born out of ignorance, discredit the whole proposition as nothing else but a dream.

Now all the followers of the great religions of the world are veiled because they are looking at the old dawning places and are not watching for the coming of the Sun. Your lover must love you, not your house. If he really loves you he will recognize you in whatever house you may appear; but if he is attached to the house, he will not find you if you appear in a new house.

But if all had looked only at the dawning points, they would have remained veiled like the Jews when the Sun of Truth appeared from another place. Today the Baha'is look at the Sun of Truth and not at the dawning point.

Today it behoveth each one of the people of God to pass beyond the gulf of names, through divine strength and power, that they may find their way to the Most Great Ocean. Consider ye the peoples of former ages and centuries: certain souls who clung to names and who, night and day, occupied themselves with disputation and opposition, accounting themselves the most learned of all peoples and the most excellent of all nations.

How many servants and handmaidens there were who occupied themselves day and night with reciting divine books and heavenly scriptures, yet remained veiled from their Revealer when He appeared, and clinging to their own imaginings and holding fast to the Book, were deprived of its Revealer and remained veiled from the Mother Book. They passed by the Sweet Ocean and turned instead to the river of their own vain fancies.

They have seized upon the outer meanings of what was revealed in the Book and remained veiled from Him Who revealed it on the day of His most great manifestation with power and majesty, when He was established upon the throne with grandeur and glory.

But people did not listen and did not believe in this, so the blessed verse was revealed: "The likeness of those who were entrusted with the Torah and Gospel, then did not carry it, is like a donkey carrying books." For they argued based on the outer meanings of the sacred books, taking them according to their conventions and understanding, while denying the realities of its meanings which none knows except a near angel or a sent prophet, as it is reported from the People of the House, peace be upon them: "Our tradition is difficult, becoming more difficult; none can bear it except a near angel, a sent prophet, or a servant whose heart God has tested for faith."

In brief, all the veiled peoples clung to the literal meanings of their Books and remained deprived of the Lord of Lords. Beware, beware, O people of the Bayan, lest ye be deprived of the Divine Beauty through the Book and the Vahid of the Bayan.

They clung to vain imaginings and, through literal interpretation of the Book, were deprived of Him Who revealed the Book. And this although the Primal Point explicitly states that on the Day of His manifestation, none should be veiled by the Book and what was revealed therein, nor by the Letters of the Living and the Unity of the Bayan, of which His blessed Person was the nineteenth.

In short, praise be to God, the Exalted One---may my spirit be a sacrifice unto Him---left no veil remaining; He rent them all asunder. Yet this obstinate people are like the spider: whatever veil of theirs thou dost tear away, they straightway weave another; for this veiledness springeth from their very being. And when a thing pertaineth to the essential requirements of a reality, its separation therefrom is impossible.

The interpreters are those who discard the manifest and exalted Truth, and with the axe of conjecture carve out idols of fancy, then bow down before their own handiwork in worship and submission, all the while counting themselves among the worshippers of Truth and those detached unto God.

… Ye have become so heedless that ye worship and cling to mere names, continuously making mention of them while drawing the sword of malice against that by which the names subsist, and ye perceive it not.

Leave the people of allusions in their vain imaginings and take what hath been sent down unto thee of verses whereby the sincere ones shall soar unto a station that hath been praised in the name of God.

For a thousand years and more, imaginary creatures who deemed themselves the gems of existence were gazing toward and turned to an imaginary city, an unknown cellar, and a precinct of fancy. And from time to time mention was made of communications that would emerge from that precinct.

For one thousand two hundred years they disputed about the Qa'im, the Guardian, the Successor, the Chief, the Noble One, the Shaykhi, and so forth, and were occupied with denouncing one another as infidels. Now too the deniers cling to the same vain imaginings.

One said the glorious Law with its decisive texts is permanent in its ordinances and eternal in its application, while another said the Great Resurrection is conditional upon mighty events and occurrences.

Another faction took the signs and tokens of the Manifestation according to common interpretation and remained heedless of the true purpose of the Lord of mankind.

They say prayers have been taken from the scripture. Now in this leaf a prayer for hastening hath been written whose content and expressions exist in no prayer. The deceitful ones recite it though they understand it not.

They receive traditions while they themselves are but tales and images. They recite the Qur'an while being heedless of its proof. They pray night and day, but their prayer is naught but whistling and clapping, without any doubt or uncertainty.

That holy and eternal Being was the Herald of this glorious and divine Revelation, and now all besides God stand at one level and one station. Whosoever hath become assured and hath faced Him, upon him have shone the lights of the never-setting Sun, and he is mentioned as being of the people of God in all the Tablets, and besides this all are unmentioned and are and shall be consigned to the fire.

The middle ages were the ages of obscurity. Those who investigated, groped in the darkness of doubt and hesitation, the nations held blindly to traditions which were easily proved false.

The religionists of the world have forsaken the essence of the teaching and hold to the letter.

"Alas, alas! the world has not discovered the reality of religion hidden beneath the symbolic forms!"

You cannot always take the literal interpretation of first-century Syria or eighth-century Arabia and say in its application it is true now.'

In the divine verses, some matters were revealed according to the capacity of the questioner and beliefs of that time. For instance, in the Quran the matter of Dhul-Qarnayn and Gog and Magog - since the questioners conceived it thus, it was revealed allegorically according to their understanding.

Therefore, offer thanks to God that you have attained unto reality, have responded affirmatively to the Call of God, have given up dogmatic imitations and have become cognizant of the mystery of oneness.

[Then he spoke how the Jews expected the descent of Christ from heaven, while in reality there is no heaven:]

Praise be to God that your eyes are opened and you are witnessing the mysteries of God; your ears are unstopped and you are listening the divine call; consequently with these people whose eyes and ears are shut you must be gentle and patient.

When Christ came they denounced and slew Him, saying: 'This is not the One for whom we wait. Behold when the Messiah shall come, signs and wonders shall testify that He is in truth the Christ. We know the signs and conditions, and they have not appeared. The Messiah will arise out of an unknown city. He shall sit upon the throne of David, and behold, He shall come with a sword of steel, and with a sceptre of iron shall He rule! … According to the Jews, Jesus the Christ fulfilled none of these conditions, for their eyes were holden and they could not see.

Catalogue reference: ABU0473 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.