The two meanings of the
Bible
by Origen, c. 185-254
The reason why the divine power has give us the Scriptures is not solely
to present facts according t the literal interpretation of the narrative.
If one looks to the letter of the text, some of the facts have not actually
happened and would be irrational and illogical.
Granted , the facts that have happened in the literal sense are much
more numerous than the facts that have been added and have only a spiritual
meaning.
All the same, in the face of certain pages the reader feels embarrassed.
Without accurate research it is not possible to discover if a fact that
seems historical actually happened according to the literal sense of the
words or if it did not happen at all.
By keeping the commandment of the Lord to "search the Scriptures" (John
5:39), one ought to examine with care and attention where the literal meaning
is historical and where it is not.
In Scripture not everything is objectively historical in the literal
sense. Sometimes it is obvious that the result of taking it literally
is impossible. But the divine Scripture, taken as a whole, has a spiritual
meaning.