Sir, - Patsy McGarry's piece "Many turned off by message of Jesus" (The Irish Times, June 12th) brilliantly captures the furore generated by one of Christ's metaphorical discourses originally recorded in Chapter 6 of St John's Gospel.
Challenging the narrow legalistic observances enjoined by Jewish religious leaders, Christ announced: "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth in me shall never thirst." Here the symbolism could not be clearer: coming to Him is described as eating and believing in Him as drinking, a symbolism He would further and more poignantly enact with His disciples during the Last Supper.
"I am the living bread which came down from heaven" (John 6:51): here again the meaning is that Christ is valuable, essential, a source of sustenance, of spiritual nutrition. Unless one realises that Christ is speaking metaphorically, one may end up believing that He was a piece of bread. In a later discourse, He likens Himself to the "true vine", with His disciples as its branches (John 15:18).
The advantage of the kind of figurative discourse found throughout the Bible (and other holy books) is that it safeguards against literalism and dogmatism: there is no one "correct" way of defining Christ's use of the bread and vine metaphors.
Metaphor - in which one object or reality is implicitly likened to another - also serves to test literalistic interpretations of Scripture and thereby distinguishes those who have eyes to see from those who blindly follow past traditions formulated and maintained by religious leaders.
Congratulations again to Mr McGarry on his fine piece. - Yours etc.,
Edwin McCloughan, High Road, Letterkenny, Co Donegal.