Various systems of scriptural interpretation have been developed by Christians over the centuries. Origen of Alexandria compared scripture to a human being, naming three levels of meaning associated with body, mind, and spirit. For Origen, the Bible is a microcosm of the human being. The levels of meaning found within them are one and the same. By studying the scriptures we are ultimately studying ourselves. As we begin to understand who we are, our capacity to receive the revelation of scripture increases.

Six centuries later, Eriugena taught a system of four levels, symbolically linked with the four elements – all of creation. Like Origen’s before him, Eriugena’s microcosm makes an explicit connection between the patterns of creation and the patterns of scripture. The Bible, cosmos, and human being are, in a symbolic sense, one and the same – built according to the same blueprint.

In the ancient world, the elements were categorised by weight with earth being the heaviest, then water, air, and fire. If you put soil and water into a jar, shake it up, and set it on the table, eventually the dirt will settle to the bottom, the water will be above it, and the air will be at the top of the jar. If you could somehow put fire in the mix, it would settle into place above air. 

This natural relationship between the four elements forms the basis of Eriugena’s levels of scriptural interpretation. The historical level (the text as it is written) is of the earth element and takes the lowest place. Moral interpretation (ethics and justice) is of the water element and so rests above earth. Natural interpretation (science and metaphysics) is of the air element above the water. Theology (contemplation) is of the fire element, residing above the rest. Perhaps one day we will develop a similar symbol, uniting contemporary cosmology with the ontology of scriptural interpretation. Eriugena described it as such:

“Sacred scripture is in a sense an intelligible world, consisting of its four parts, just as the sensible world is composed of the four elements. Its earth, which is at the mid-point, and at the lowest level, as if at the center of this intelligible world, is history. Around it and embracing it, as the waters circle the earth, is the deep of moral exegesis… Around history and ethics, as if around the two lower parts of the intelligible world, is the encircling air of the knowledge of nature: that which I call natural science… Outside and beyond all that is the ethereal and burning fire of the empyrean heaven, that is, the sublime contemplation of the divine nature which the Greeks call theology, beyond which no intelligence can penetrate.” (Trans by Davies)

The element of earth (the literal/historical reading of the text) is a symbol of our embodiment. Earth’s solid foundation and immediate presence represent the life of outward action in the world. The density of earth makes it readily accessible to our five senses. Its immediacy makes it the obvious place to begin. All subsequent levels of interpretation are derived from the words of scripture, coming home to them for sustenance and instruction, penetrating the depths of their inexhaustible wisdom. 

There is an unwavering honesty in the landscape, the soil speaks with integrity. A grounded and humble reading of the bible may lead one to conclude it shouldn’t be read literally, at least not all of it. However, one does not need to believe Adam and Eve were historical people to understand and appreciate the literal words of Genesis. The literal level of interpretation is not the same as a literalist reading.

An honest and sober evaluation of the bible reveals a remarkable diversity. There is no such thing as a plain and simple reading. Many scriptures are obscure. Just as many are in dynamic tension with one another. Rather than final and authoritative answers, we discover a dialogue between theologians, prophets, and storytellers living centuries apart from one another.

It is good to be aware of the original intention of a text like Ephesians 6, but in no way should we allow it to legitimate slavery or the oppression of women. At times we may understand the historical context and be critical of it – taking into account the transmission of the texts, how the canon was established, or the cultural frameworks they were written in. 

Standing on the firm ground of a literal reading, guided by the Holy Spirit, we open the treasure box of wisdom and peer into its infinite mysteries. From the depths of cold dark clay emerges an abundance of diverse life. The soil of historical interpretation is full of divine seeds waiting to reveal the hidden verdancy of their leaves, the vibrant colours of their flowers, and the charm of their gentle aromas.

The other three elements in Eriugena’s symbol mirror our spiritual journey through the Triple Way. Purification is about renouncing vice and establishing virtue, so it corresponds to the moral level represented by water. Illumination is the contemplation of nature, so it corresponds to the natural level represented by air. Union is the contemplation of God, so it corresponds to the theological level represented by fire.

Next weekend (Feb 22, 2025) I will be leading a contemplative liturgy online hosted by The Contemplative Society. The liturgy, interspersed with teaching and discussion, will take us through each of the three traditional stages of contemplative formation in Christianity known as the Triple Way or the Threefold Path. You can learn more by clicking HERE.

https://newedenministry.com/2025/02/16/elemental-hermeneutics/