Biblicism – the guardian of tradition? The fight for traditional scriptural interpretation

Abstract

Currently, there are some evangelical Christians who advocate the belief that the world was created approximately 6000 years ago, in six days. Biblicism argues that this literal interpretation of the Bible remains true to the Christian exegesis pre 1800 and thus protects against modern-age manipulations that occur through scientific teachings and a historic-critical approach to the scripture. However, a brief overview of the almost 2000-year history of Bible exegesis reveals that the origin of allegorical interpretation can be traced back to the Alexandrian school 300 BC, maybe further. Thus, this refutes the claim of contemporary interpretations breaking with tradition. On the other hand, contemporary biblicism can be argued to follow the Catechetical School of Antioch or the practice of Hugh of Saint Victor in its literal interpretation. However, a closer look at these interpretative approaches reveals that all literal exegeses are tied to a particular paradigm. The literal interpretation of the Bible within the framework of today’s scientific paradigm is what characterises modern biblicism.