[asa] Romans 1:20

More thoughts on our various approaches to the importance of Scripture:

I'm finally at the end of Augustine's "Confessions" where things are starting to
get interesting. Here is an excerpt I ran across that has bearing.

beginning p. 312 (book 12);
For just as a spring that rises in a small place is more fertile and with its
various rivulets supplies a flow of water to a wider area than any one of those
rivulets which, however far they flow, can be traced back to the one source, so
the tale told by your appointed Dispenser [Moses], destined as it was to benefit
so many later commentators takes what meaning he is capable of forming in these
matters, some one meaning, some another, extracting it through various
complicated twists of language. Some, when they read or hear these words, think
that God is like a man, or like some physical object endowed with immense power;
and that he formed the sudden and unprecedented resolution to make two great
physical objects, heaven and earth, one higher, one lower. These objects were
to be outside himself and, so to speak, at some spatial distance from himself;
and that within them all things were to be contained. And when they hear the
words, God said, Let there be... this or that, they think that his words had
beginning and ending, that they were pronounced over a period of time and then
passed away; and that immediately after their passing away there existed what
was commanded to exist, and so on in this vein, in accordance with the things
familiar to us in our fleshly life. While such souls are still childish and
weak, they are nursed at the bosom of this low style of speaking as at their
mother's breast. Their faith is built up in the healthiest way, enabling them
to have a sure and fixed belief that it was God who made all the living things
their senses can behold as they look about themselves, in all their wondrous
variety. But should some soul disdain what it sees as the low style of Moses's
words, and in pride and weakness reach out beyond the cradle in which it was
nursed, then, poor soul! a sad tumble it will have. Then, Lord God, have
mercy, and let not them that pass by (Lam. 1:12) trample on that unfledged
chick, but let it live, till it can fly.

<end excerpt>

Here, I think is the sensitivity so beautifully expressed that we should have to
others in their various, probably faulty, approaches to the perfect Word. And
our own (my own) is also subjected to this judgment. Not that Augustine
promotes an "anything goes" approach to interpretation. It's obvious he
despises falsehood and adores Truth. But he can show such patience for those
who cling to simplistic faith! Enough for now... gotta run.

--Merv

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Received on Fri Nov 16 22:51:15 2007