[lotharbot]

I recommend reading ancient Christian texts. Start with http://www.ccel.org/fathers.html . You'll find a large number of references to parts of scripture as figurative. You might especially enjoy Augustine's "On The Literal Interpretation of Genesis".

Counterchallenge: find me ANY citation older than ~1870 AD that states that all of scripture should be read literally.

I must admit, my studies have not been completely exhaustive. But I'm quite confident in claiming that "some of scripture is figurative" is by far the majority view in Christian history.

[socceroos]

I think I may be confusing things by conflating disparate ideas. And this is the basis of my interpretation of your statement - which I still see as slightly ambiguous.

Biblical hermeneutics is a separate concern from biblical inerrancy. They're similar because they're both concerned with the ultimate interpretation of scripture, but separate in their scope and effect.

What I was referring to in my original statement was the interpretation of decidedly hermeneutically-literal passages as figurative due to their apparent improbability. These include miracles that Jesus performed, historical events, and even extends down to the account of creation.

I do not disagree that some parts of scripture are designed and meant to be read figuratively - much of Revelations comes to mind as a basic example.