Ayres and Kugel – Kevin, Sharon and Parr

Today we discussed the different specific interpretations of the Bible. Some people read the Bible in a historical manner. Others read deeper and view the stories as allegories. Viewing the stories as allegories was first done to make the Old Testament more universal, rather than a recount of random historical events from a place we did not live in.  We noted that there was a shift in 15th century Christians, from the historical reading to an allegorical one. This was due to intellectual advances in the sciences. Along with this, people started to read the Bible for themselves, rather than trusting in what was told to them.