Should we take prophecy literally?

Sir,
In response to the article in last week’s Sunday Mail by Jean Christou ‘6/6/06 Mark of the beast or just another day?’ I would like to correct Mrs Christou’s statement that: “Any scholar will tell you that the bible should not be taken literally.”

Mrs Christou is perhaps unaware that up to the 2nd century BC the post-apostolic Fathers, e.g. Irenaeus (AD 120-202), Justin Martyr (AD110-165), Hyppolitus (AD170-236) all took prophesy to be interpreted literally. Saint John, the author of Revelation personally discipled Papius, Ignatius and Polycarp. Polycarp in turn discipled Irenaeus.

Clement of Alexandria, Origen and Julius Africanus (all connected with the heretical Alexandrian School, circa 200BC) spiritualised prophesy and scripture, to be interpreted non-literally. The Alexandrian school was in conflict with the School in Antioch, which disputed this way of interpreting scripture non-literally for almost 200 years. The battle was won for interpreting scripture literally, but it remained that prophesy was still to be interpreted non-literally.

This form of Gnostisism was standardised by Augustine in the 4th century BC, but it is not necessarily the correct way of interpreting prophesy.
During the 1600s, we saw a resurgence by some bible scholars to interpret prophesy literally, such as the Anabaptists.
Today, historical pre-millenialists (embracing the post-apostolic view) and dispensationalist pre-millenialists both interpret prophesy literally.

There is a difference in interpreting just symbols in prophesy, symbolically, as they are meant to be by the writer, and interpreting the whole of prophesy non-literally.
We have a severe warning in Revelation 22 verses 18-20, on the consequences of adding or removing words from the Book of Revelation of John.: “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.”
Name and address supplied, Limassol.

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