Bible Encyclopedias
Scriptural Tropology

The Catholic Encyclopedia

Search for…

Enter query below:

or

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Prev Entry
Scriptural Glosses

Next Entry
Scripture

Resource Toolbox

Print Article

The theory and practice of interpreting the figurative meaning of Holy Writ. The literal meaning, or God-intended meaning of the words of the Bible, may be either figurative or non-figurative; for instance, in Canticles, the inspired meaning is always figurative. The typical meaning is the inspired meaning of words referring to persons, things, and actions of the Old Testament which are inspired types of persons, things, and actions of the New (cf. EXEGESIS).