The fundamental sense of allegory occurs when, in
describing one thing, an author is actually referring us to
something else. Its root meaning is the Greek word allos
(other), which is to say this story is really telling "another
story". Allegory, then, is a different literary device from
irony where, in saying one thing, you actually intend your reader to
understand the opposite. In allegory, there is an assumption
of "a fit" between the object described and the more significant
subject of the allegory, the deeper spiritual and moral meaning that
is being allegorized. So, in an allegory, the literal sense of
the text is of far less interest than the actual subject of the
allegory itself.
Allegory is of very great significance for the
interpretation of Holy Scripture, since before the modern era the
two fundamental forms of edifying scriptural interpretation followed
the literary principles known as typology and allegory.
Typology is just a highfalutin way of referring to the conviction
that the Old Testament is full of prophecies, anticipations and
premonitions of the coming of the Messiah, who , in this "new
covenant", is the actual key to all Biblical stories and parables.
Surely, the most famous instance is the so-called "Sacrifice of
Isaac" (Genesis 22), treated by Christian readers as an
anticipation, as a "type", of the sacrifice of Jesus as God's "only
son".
But allegory is something else. Take, for
instance, the case of the two wives of Jacob, who through their
combined households provided Jacob with twelve sons, the founding
fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 30). These
founding fathers are, in due course, replaced by the twelve
Apostles, the "new" twelve sons, who become the foundation stones of
the new Jerusalem. According to Genesis, Leah is the older,
and less attractive, of the two wives and sisters, but Leah also
proves to be considerably more fecund. Rachel, on the other
hand, is mother to only two of the sons, and the last two at that:
Joseph and Benjamin. But Joseph also proves to be the most
significant and famous of the brothers, a Christ-like figure who
must also suffer heinous betrayal.
The Bible, then, sets up a contrast between the
older, the less attractive, but the more fecund sister Leah, and the
younger, more attractive and less fecund Rachel. This contrast
is enhanced in Genesis 29, where the weak eyes of Leah are set
against the sparkle in Rachel's eyes. Leah then easily becomes
an allegorical representation of the practical life, which is always
first, less attractive and more productive; the contemplative life
can only come second, that is, after the practical necessities have
been addressed. While Rachel remains infinitely more
attractive, she is considerably less productive. As you know,
this accords with the common prejudice that in contemplation we
enter the realms of what its detractors call "idle speculation".
This allegory suggests that the practical life is extremely short
sighted; only when we can see beyond the everyday concerns, can we
ascend to the vista of the mountain tops in contemplation and
prayer.
Martha and Mary of Bethany, the sisters of
Lazarus, are also understood allegorically. Martha is the
practical spirit, and the first to acknowledge the messianic power
of this "Son of God" (John 11). But the practical it
seems must inevitably yield to the spiritual, as the contemplative
life is both the more attractive, and the more far-sighted. So
in Luke, chapter 10 Martha's practicality, which consists in
preparing the meal, setting the table, and looking after the guests,
is characterized as being "distracted with much serving".
Martha expresses her irritation that Mary, the less productive soul,
is entirely engaged in learning her doctrine at Jesus' feet.
Take a look at Jesus' response: "Martha, Martha, you are anxious
and troubled about many things..." Through contemplation
and a life of prayer, we are enabled to return to the one thing
"needful".
