Biblical Interpretation: Metaphorical v Literal

This idea came from another thread. The question was how much of the Bible should be interpreted literally?

I recall as a child being disturbed at the intellectual flexibility of my Catholic teachers in deflecting Biblical criticism on the grounds that those passages under critique ought to be taken metaphorically.

With a lot more study, I begin to clearly see some passages are metaphors, such as protocol son while others, the chronology of Jesus' life is literal. What about forgiving 7 x 70? Still, it is a troubling question: how much of the Bible should be interpreted literally?

Recently, I read a post from a devoted Christian who referred to the story of Adam and Eve as a metaphor. I've always taken it to be more of an oversimplification than a metaphor. The commandments, literal. The moral stories? Is revelations literal or metaphorical?

Then we get into the question of how do you know? I'm afraid many will post some version of 'pray and it will be revealed to you' because many devoted Christians have been at odds with this. Hence, the many Christian denominations. For instance, the Catholic Church rests its foundation on a Biblical passage that is obviously not as highly valued by non-Catholics.

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Biblical Interpretation: Metaphorical v Literal