RE: [asa] Romans 1:20

To take it a different direction, though it's unstated in this snippet you
quoted, it seems that he's hinting at the fact that this "low style of
speaking", which causes some souls, "childish and weak", to extract from the
text certain meanings about the PROCESS, may not be what was intended or
what actually happened.

For instance, the scripture says God started and finished speaking, and when
he finished, "there existed what was commanded to exist". But in reality,
it may be that God started speaking things into existence (like Aslan's song
in Narnia), and his speech "Let there be..." is still going on. God's
creative force is continuous, not just a one-time event that terminated in
the creation of the visible universe. This is a different meaning extracted
from the text, which Augustine might say was a valid interpretation for
those who no longer needed to be "nursed" in the "low style of language"
used by Moses.

Am I reading too much into this, or does this seem to be part of Augustine's
meaning in the passage?

Jon Tandy

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of mrb22667@kansas.net
Sent: Friday, November 16, 2007 9:50 PM
To: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: [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

To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with "unsubscribe
asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.

To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
Received on Sat Nov 17 08:25:24 2007