Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware)
It has been noted, time and again, that a person can make the Bible say anything he (or she) wants it to say. Indeed, when left to their own devices, with little or no authentic spiritual guidance, individuals will inevitably base their own understanding of Scripture on personal likes and dislikes, social trends, the views of friends, of one or more political parties, even on the preaching of popular religious leaders. They can indeed, make the Bible say whatever they wish it to say, depending on their chosen instructors and sources of information. The humble of heart, however, will always seek out – first and foremost – divine guidance from Christ Himself, “the Teacher,” the Living Word of God.
Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of blessed memory, offers four principles for Orthodox Christians to keep in mind as they explore God’s Word, keys to understanding the Bible through the lens of Sacred Tradition. The following is an edited version of Ware’s thoughts, with simple additions made to enhance or clarify specific points.
A SPIRIT of OBEDIENCE:
His Beatitude states that when reading Scripture, we are to listen in a spirit of obedience. We should approach the Word, ready to be guided along a definite path. The Bible is God’s will, His divine teaching given in human language. As such, it should evoke within us a sense of wonder, of expectation and surprise, as well as an eagerness to pay attention.
Within Holy Scripture there is much depth, a great deal of wisdom and majesty to discover. To do so, however, requires us to perform a most difficult task according to the Apostle James (James 3:1-12). We have to stop talking so much, and keep our minds – at least momentarily – from running in a dozen different directions. We have to quiet everything down to hear what the Lord is telling us through the pages of the Bible, in the depths of our hearts. This state of being, remaining calm, is absolutely essential, emphasized especially during the Lenten season.
CONTINUITY and CONTEXT are IMPORTANT:
In addition, we are to interpret Scripture, through the Church and in the Church. It is the Body of Christ that gave Christians the Bible, that chose formally, 1700 years ago, which books would be included in a Canon of Scripture, and which would not, based on specific criteria. The Church has a centuries old understanding for each passage of the Bible, and She functions as a living guide for that understanding. Consider Acts, Chapter 8: coming upon an Ethiopian, as he read the Old Testament, Philip the Apostle asked him, "Do you understand what you are reading?" The Ethiopian answered, "How can I, unless someone should guide me?" Philip then, proceeded to offer the necessary instruction.
Spiritually, we are all in the position of the Ethiopian. The words of Scripture are not always self-explanatory; in part, that is why we see at least 30,000 variations of Christianity worldwide. God certainly speaks directly to the heart of each one of us as we read the Bible, no question. Scripture reading is a personal dialogue between each one of us and Christ. But we also need guidance, and our living, tangible guide is the 2000-year-old Sacred Tradition of the Church.
To be clear, we do make full use of our own personal understanding of Scripture, assisted by the Holy Spirit. We make full use as well, of the findings of modern Biblical research. But we always submit private opinion — whether our own or that of scholars — to the total experience of the Church throughout the ages.
When Christians speak of “spiritual security,” wanting assurances when it comes to knowledge and salvation, we would submit that the Orthodox Church’s approach to the Bible provides the utmost in certainty. Believers find great comfort in knowing that their understanding of God’s Word matches that of a St. Athanasius or a St. John Chrysostom, giants in Church history, that we have these venerable fathers and countless others over the past two millennia, as instructors in the Faith.
CHRIST CENTERED:
Scripture is approached as being Christ-centered. Salvation through the Messiah is the central topic, the unifying theme of all books of the Bible. The Person of Jesus is “a thread" as it were, that runs through the whole of Scripture, from the first sentence to the last, from Genesis to Revelation. Christ may be seen everywhere, foreshadowed on the pages of the Old Testament, just as He is spoken of directly in the New.
When approaching particularly the Old Testament, Orthodoxy assigns significance to the "typological" method of interpretation. "Types of Christ,” that is, signs and symbols of His work, are discerned throughout the Old Testament.
One notable example is the person of Melchizedek, the mysterious priest-king of Salem, who in Genesis, offered bread and wine to Abraham. Melchizedek is recognized as a type of Christ, not only by the Church Fathers, but even in the New Testament itself, specifically in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews. Christ is our Great High Priest, and also the King of Creation.
Melchizedek is referenced multiple times throughout the year, in liturgical celebrations. At Christmas, for instance, during the first entrance of the Liturgy, the clergy say: “Wisdom, let us attend: Thou (O Lord) art a Priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
SIGNIFICANCE of the BIBLE for ME:
And finally, Bishop Kallistos states that as Orthodox Christians we are to look everywhere in Scripture for a personal application. We are to ask not simply, "What does this mean?" but "What does this mean to me?" Scripture is a personal dialogue between the Savior and myself: Christ speaking to me, and me answering.
This is the fourth criterion for those reading the Bible. In fact, if I, as a Christian, do not apply this fourth criterion, then it might legitimately be asked, of what use are study and discussions, all of my prayers and the liturgical services that make abundant use of God’s Word? What good is all of that, if I am not directing it toward my inner self?
I am called to see all the stories in Scripture as part of my own personal story. In Genesis, for instance, who is Adam? Well, the name Adam means "man," means "human." And so, when he is described as being created in God’s Image, I take comfort knowing that I also bear the stamp of that gift, and all related possibilities.
But the account of Adam's fall is also a story about me, my sins and failings. Let us recall the story of Cain and Abel: when God asks Cain, "Where is your brother?" these words, are addressed to each of us. Who is Cain? It is I myself, and indeed, God asks the Cain in each of us, "Where is your brother?" to remind us that the way to God lies through our brothers and sisters in Christ, our neighbors. Love for other people is essential. There is no other path to the Kingdom. When I disown my brother, I then replace the image of God in me with the mark of Cain, and I end up denying – in some way, large or small – my own humanity.
CONCLUSION:
In a nutshell, these are the thoughts of Metropolitan Kallistos Ware. We are to approach Scripture with these basic principles in mind: read it in obedience; as members of the Church; finding Christ everywhere; while seeing everything as a part of our own personal stories.
Through this method, we will sense something of the variety and depth to be found in the Bible. At the same time, we will undoubtedly feel that we have only scratched the surface of understanding Scripture. According to His Beatitude, we will find ourselves to be always at the beginning, like someone launching out in a tiny boat across a limitless ocean. But we have to start, we have to take those initial steps of study and contemplation. We are to engage them as part of our own personal journey to growth and enlightenment in Christ.