section_path: Scriptures/Catholic interpretation
section_name: Catholic interpretation
paragraph_text: Catholic interpretation
  
  In antiquity, two schools of exegesis developed in Alexandria and Antioch. The Alexandrian interpretation, exemplified by Origen, tended to read Scripture allegorically, while the Antiochene interpretation adhered to the literal sense, holding that other meanings (called theoria) could only be accepted if based on the literal meaning.
  
  Catholic theology distinguishes two senses of scripture: the literal and the spiritual.
  
  The literal sense of understanding scripture is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture. The spiritual sense is further subdivided into:
  
  Regarding exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation, Catholic theology holds: