What are the Four Senses of Scripture in Catholic exegesis?
According to ancient Catholic tradition, Scripture can be understood according to four senses: 1) The Literal Sense: the meaning conveyed by the words discovered through historical-grammatical exegesis; and the Spiritual Sense, divided into three: 2) The Allegorical Sense: acquiring a deeper understanding by recognizing events as pointing to Christ (e.g., the crossing of the Red Sea prefigures Baptism); 3) The Moral Sense: events reported in Scripture that instruct us to act justly; and 4) The Anagogical Sense: viewing realities in terms of their eternal significance, leading us toward Heaven.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 115-119
- 1 Corinthians 10:1-11
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.