Entertainment / Literature / Fourfold Interpretation: In the twelfth century, fourfold interpretation was a model for reading biblical texts according to one of four possible levels of meaning. The idea had a profound influence on exegesis and theology, but its principles also influenced medieval literature and medieval writers. Dante (c. 1300), for instance, claimed that his writings can be interpreted according to four possible levels of meaning (The Divine Comedy being the classic example). The text can be read as (1) a literally or historically true and factual account of events (2) an allegorical text revealing spiritual or typological truths, (3) a tropological lesson that makes a moral point, or (4) an anagogical text predicting eschatological events in the last days or revealing truths about the afterlife. Often medieval interpreters saw a single passage or verse as operating on multiple levels simultaneously. For instance, consider the following Biblical excerpt: While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat, this is my body' [Matthew 26:26].
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Interpretation Adjective Synonyms: explanation, clarification, elucidation, simplification, decipherment, solution, working-out, unravelling, sorting out, decoding, definition, illustration, translation, paraphrasing
Interpretation Verb Synonyms: analysis, diagnosis, examination, exegesis, explication, reading, construal, inference, understanding
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Entertainment / Literature / Fourfold Meaning: Another term for fourfold interpretation, this word refers to the medieval idea that every passage in the Bible can be interpreted according to at least one of four possible levels of meaning. The tex MORE
Entertainment / Literature / Fourfold Interpretation: In the twelfth century, fourfold interpretation was a model for reading biblical texts according to one of four possible levels of meaning. The idea had a profound influence on exegesis and theology, MORE
Science / Astrology / Interpretation: See 'Report.' MORE