In this episode of In with the Old, host Tim Howe talks with Dr. Patrick Schreiner, professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, about his book The Four Senses of Scripture: Learning from Ancient Ways of Reading the Bible. They explore why Scripture should be read differently from other books, how divine authorship shapes interpretation, and why the church has historically recognized multiple senses of meaning in the Bible. The conversation focuses on the relationship between the literal sense and spiritual interpretation, with attention to Old Testament examples, New Testament usage, and the risks of subjective readings. It is especially useful for readers who want a more canonical, Christ-centered way of reading Scripture without abandoning historical context. You can purchase the book at https://www.amazon.com/Four-Senses-Scripture-Learning-Ancient/dp/1540968790. Key topics Why the Bible is unlike any other book because it has both human authors and a divine authorInspiration, inerrancy, and why dual authorship matters for interpretationHow the grammatical-historical method compares with the older fourfold sense of ScriptureThe quadriga (four senses): literal (grammatical-historical), allegorical (Christological), tropological (moral), and anagogical (eschatological)Examples including John’s signs, Jesus turning water into wine, the feeding of the five thousand, and circumcision of the heartHow Scripture often teaches readers how to read ScriptureHow modern readers can recognize spiritual meaning without claiming inspiration themselvesCanon, rereading, and whether the Old Testament should be approached differently after Christ has been revealedThe dangers of spiritual readings that dismiss the literal or ethical force of the textGuardrails for spiritual interpretation: do not contradict the literal sense, look for correspondence, read for canonical volume, and trace escalation Timestamps 0:00 — Welcome and Introduction 0:33 — Introducing The Four Senses of Scripture 1:08 — Divine and Human Authorship of Scripture 5:13 — What Is the Fourfold Sense? 13:00 — Can We Read Scripture Spiritually Today? 16:21 — The Old Testament’s Use of the Old Testament 19:34 — Moving from Literal Meaning to Spiritual Meaning 25:17 — Christ, Canon, and the Meaning of Words 29:32 — First Readings, Rereadings, and Progressive Revelation 35:50 — Why Spiritual Reading Must Not Dismiss the Literal Sense 43:13 — When Symbols Help—and When a Tree Is Just a Tree 46:30 — Holding Canonical Reading and Historical Development Together 51:23 — John’s Gospel and the Depth of Biblical Symbolism 53:46 — Four Guardrails for Reading the Spiritual Sense 56:04 — Confidence, Certainty, and Canonical Interpretation 61:05 — Final Reflections 63:16 — Closing and Farewell
