How literally should we interpret the Bible?

[Gabriel Anton]

2 Peter C1
19 Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
20 Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation,
21 for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God.

Quality of interpretation of the Holy Scriptures by the individual is based on how much that individual is subject to the Holy Spirit. Perfect union with the Spirit of God means perfect interpretation. Partial union with the Spirit of God means partial interpretation. Poor union with the Spirit of God means poor interpretation.

2Peter C3
15 And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, also wrote to you,
16 speaking of these things as he does in all his letters. In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures.

Interpret Scripture incorrectly and you perish.

 

[Archivist]

Thank you for your thoughts, Tucker. I say "holistically" because there are many things in the Bible that, taken in isolation, are inaccurate or reflect the era in which it was written. For instance, the Biblical value of pi is 3, reflecting knowledge at the time

The same could be said about the Biblical listing of bats as birds (Leviticus 11:19. At that time if an animal had wings and flew it was considered a bird.