Biblical and Theological Studies Faculty Publications

Τhe Meaning of ἀλληγορέω in Galatians 4.24 Revisited

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-3-2024

Journal Title

New Testament Studies

ISSN

1469-8145

Volume

70

Issue

2

First Page

174

Last Page

186

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1017/S0028688523000358

Abstract

The meaning of the verb ἀλληγορέω stands at the heart of the debate concerning Paul's hermeneutic in Galatians 4.21–31. If by using the term Paul means ‘I am interpreting these things allegorically’, then the question of Paul's interpretive procedure would be all but answered – he would likely be allegorising as the Greeks did before him and the early church fathers did after. However, if he does not mean this, then the question remains open. This article argues that the phrase ἅτινά ἐστιν ἀλληγορούμɛνα means ‘these things are symbolic’, which would indeed leave this question open. This rendering is best for two reasons: First, the majority of the uses of ἀλληγορέω available in the two hundred or so years surrounding the writing of Galatians mean ‘to speak symbolically’. Second, the contextual clues surrounding Paul's use of the term in Galatians itself, such as his call to hear the law in verse 21, strongly suggest such a reading. To prove this thesis, this article provides detailed exposition of the texts in which ἀλληγορέω occurred around the time Paul wrote Galatians before turning to Paul's own use of the term in Galatians 4.24.

Keywords

Allegory, Paul, hermeneutics, Old Testament interpretation, typology, literal sense

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