Dr George John
The Latin saying goes, “Veritas vos liberabit” – the truth shall set you free. In seeking the truth behind the biblical prophecies, we have to find a deeper and more meaningful understanding of what exactly Christianity is and what it stands for.
In the quest to understand the divine and its manifestations in human history, few topics are as contentious as the fulfilment of biblical prophecies. It is nevertheless a sufficiently important subject to seek to explore the relevance of the often-misunderstood concept of prophecy within the Christian tradition, especially in relation to the idea of inerrancy of the Bible, and how these interpretations have shaped our understanding of the Christian faith itself. In order to do this, one needs to explore the uncomfortable areas of divergence between the official views of the majority of Christendom, including the adherents of the faith and tenants of the Roman Catholic, family of Eastern Orthodox and Anglican churches and contrast them with the views of American Evangelicals and Pentecostals. Central to this discussion is the German philosopher Edith Stein’s concept of Empathy, which provides a lens to view these differing interpretations not just as theological disagreements but also as deeply held human responses to the understanding of the divine.
Edith Stein was a Jewish-German nun, theologian, and philosopher of the late 19th and mid-20th Centuries. Stein, who was born into an observant Jewish family, later converted to Catholicism and became a Discalced Carmelite nun (religious name: Teresa Benedicta of the Cross). In the world of rational philosophy, Edith Stein is considered a realist phenomenologist. She became a Carmelite nun in 1933 and died at the hands of the Nazis in Auschwitz in 1942.
The concept of biblical prophecy is fraught with complexities. Historically, prophesies have been seen as the foretelling of future events, often carrying a divine seal of inevitability. However, this literal approach to prophesies has led to dangerous consequences. The Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches have long cautioned against such literalism, advocating for interpretations that evolve with the ethos of the times. This stance is in stark contrast to the literal inerrancy championed by American Evangelicals, Pentecostals and Charismatics, often leading to fundamentalism and extremism within Christianity.
Edith Stein’s concept of empathy is crucial in understanding these divergent views. Empathy, as Stein proposed, is not just a psychological phenomenon but a philosophical and spiritual one. It allows us to step into the shoes of others and understand their perspectives. Applying this to interpreting biblical prophesies, we begin to see these differing views not as mere theological positions but as expressions of deep-seated human prejudices, fears, hopes, and aspirations.
“It is essential to approach the literal interpretations
of biblical prophecies with caution, as it also
requires empathy and an understanding
of their historical and cultural context.”
The dangers of the literal interpretation of prophecies are evident in the history of Jewish violence and the obsession with the belief in their ‘chosen’ status, resulting in belief in exceptionalism, power and might. This obsession, rooted in a literal understanding of prophecies, has often led to a distortion of the core messages of Christianity. The emphasis on the symbolism of rituals and the replacement of idolatry with symbolisms further complicated the essence of the Christian faith, moving it away from its original simplicity and purity.
Jesus, portrayed in the Gospels, rejected the concept of a tribal warlord deity in favour of a loving, forgiving, self-emptying (Greek: Kenosis) God, often referred to as the “Heavenly Father”. Nowhere in the scriptures has Jesus referred to Jehovah. This shift away from the vengeful Jehovah of the Old Testament to the compassionate God of the New Testament marks a significant shift in the Christian understanding of the divine. This shift is often lost in the literal interpretations of prophecies, which tend to focus more on historical events than on the transformative message of love and forgiveness.
The Protestant tradition, particularly its Calvinist strand, has been instrumental in perpetuating a literal interpretation of biblical prophecies. This is similar to and allied with the theory of ‘predestination’. This approach often sees contemporary world events as direct fulfilments of biblical prophecies, leading to an unhealthy obsession with Jewish history and a skewed understanding of current events.
The mainstream Christian churches of the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox, including the Greeks and the Byzantines, and the Anglican traditions, on the other hand, emphasise the need to interpret scriptures in the context of their times. The Eastern churches, in particular, repeatedly warn of the dangers of possible terrorism that can arise from the literal interpretation of the Bible outside the living traditions of the church, the teachings of the early church fathers and the liturgical meanings and context of their doctrines.
The preoccupation with literal interpretations of its many times translated (sometimes mistranslated) original Greek and Hebrew texts may have given modern evangelical, Charismatic and Pentecostal Christianity a character vastly different from what Jesus, the reformer, might have intended.
Biblical experts opine that it is essential to approach the literal interpretations of biblical prophecies with caution, as it also requires empathy and an understanding of their historical and cultural context. They even go on to warn that many biblical prophecies should not be taken at face value as they are likely to be allegorical. As the Latin phrase, “Lux in tenebris lucet”, suggests, light shines in the darkness. It is through this light of understanding and empathy that we can truly grasp the essence of biblical prophecies and their place in the choreography of the Christian faith.
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