Opus 2025-034: Making Progress

Is Pilgrim’s Progress  an example of a modern version of the book of Job?

I was reading in Psalm 109.  I was struck by the poetic nature of the writing.  As I worked my way down, I told myself that there is very little in this Psalm that I would take as being literal.  It is poetic.  It is Figurative.  It is imaginative.  I would not be mining any scientific principles or understanding of history on what I read here.  I could get insights into the glory of God and His Majesty.

When we read scripture, we need to do so with discernment.  We need to understand that the authors of the different books, let alone, the Holy Spirit, are just as smart as we are.  In fact, they are smarter.  They may not have taken the courses in English literature that we did, but I listened enough to understand the concept of simile and metaphor and hyperbole and allegory.  They use all of those to communicate truth.

Which brings me to my original question in comparing the work of John Bunyan, and that of Job.  One of the questions people ask about the book of Job is, “Is this something that really happened or is this a product of creativity?”  Is this figurative or literal?  Is it history or parable?  I could ask the same question about the parables of Jesus, such as the good Samaritan.  Were these related by Jesus based on what He had seen or created to get across a point?

I think everyone who knows which foot to put the right shoe on would acknowledge that Bunyan was writing an allegory.  The literary form of allegory does not fit so well with the book of Job.  A better example for Job might be the dialogues of Socrates.  Did those discussions actually happen as listed?  Not being a scholar of ancient literature I don’t know how that response would break down, but I imagine you would find some people who would say that Plato was writing them as accurately as he could remember, possibly with perfect accuracy, and you would find others that would say that he pretty much made them up on the fly.

I would say it doesn’t really matter.  Both allegory and dialogue are presenting insights and argument, and teach a certain point or principle.  The same could be said about parables.  The value of either depends on the willingness of the learner to consider the truth that is being offered.  Don’t be like my grandson who refuses to taste anything that is not already on his list of approved foods.

Paying attention, spending time in consideration and discussing the results can make your day.  Make a few days and you transform your tomorrows.

homo unius libri