Explaining Parables

Sensus autem sanus, et qui sine periculo est, et religiosus, et amans verum, quae quidem dedit in hominum potestatem Deus, et subdidit, nostrae scientia, haec prompte meditatbitur, et in ipsis proficiet, diuturno studio facilem scientiam eorum efficiens. Sunt autem haec, quae ante oculos nostros occurrunt, et quaecunque aperte et sine ambiguo ipsis dictionibus postia sunt in Scripturis. Et ideo parabolae debent non ambiguis adaptari, sic enim et qui absolvit, sine periculo absolvit, et parabolae ab omnibus similitier absolutionem accipient; et a veritate corpus integrum, et simili aptatione membrorum, et sine concussione perseverat. Sed quae non aperte dicta sunt, neque ante oculos posita, copulare absolutionibus parabolarum, quas unusquisque prout vult adinvenit. Sic enim apud nullum erit regula veritatis; sed quanti fuerint, qui absolvent parabolas, tantae videbuntur veritates pugnantes semet invicem, et contraria sibimet dogmata statuentes, sicut et gentilium philosophorum quaestiones. Itaque secundum hanc rationem, homo quidem semper inquiret, nunquam autem inveniet, eo quod ipsam inventionis abjecerit disciplinam. Et cum venerit sponsus, is qui imparatam habet lampadem, nulla manifesti luminis claritate fulgentem, recurrit ad eos qui absolutiones parabolarum in tenebris distrahunt, relinquens eum qui per, manifestam praedicationem gratis donat ad eum ingressum, et exluditur a thalamo ejus. Sanctus Ireneaus Lugdunensis, Adversus Haereses, Liber II, Caput XXVII Source: Migne PG 7.802b-803a

A sound mind, which is far from peril, being pious and a lover of truth, will eagerly meditate upon those things which God has given to be within the ability of man and has subjected to our knowledge, and he will advance in them, and by daily study he will render the knowledge of them easy. They are such things which come before our eyes, and are set forth openly and without ambiguity in the words of Scripture. And therefore the parables should not be shaped to ambiguous expressions, so that he who explains them will do so without danger, and the parables will receive a similar explanation by all, and the body of truth will remain entire, with a common adaptation of its members, and without any harm. But to join obscure speech and things which are not evident to explanations of the parables, leads to every man finding what he likes. Whence no one will possess the rule of truth, but as many as they are who explain the parables, so will appear many 'truths' fighting against one another, and setting forth contrary teachings to one another, as even with the disputes of the pagan philosophers. According to such a system a man will ever be enquiring and never finding because he has rejected the very order of finding. And when the bridegroom comes, he who has not prepared his lamp and has it not burning with the brightness of a clear light, he shall run back to those who explained the parables by dragging them about in obscurities, thus abandoning him who by plain declarations freely gives to him who comes to him, and he shall be shut out of the marriage chamber. 1 Saint Ireneaus of Lyons, Against Heresies, Book 2, Chapter 27 1 Mt 25.1-12