Origen, who spoke of the different levels of Scripture: “The Scriptures were composed through the Spirit of God, and have both a meaning which is obvious, and another which is hidden from most readers. . . . The whole law is spiritual, but the inspired meaning is not recognized by all—only by those who are gifted with the grace of the Holy Spirit in the word of wisdom and knowledge.” Christian appeals to allegory infuriated pagan critics of the faith because their case depended on their taking the Old Testament at face value.
