Friday, March 28, 2014

A Voice from the Past - Hilary of Poitiers

For he is the best student who does not read his thoughts into the book, but lets it reveal its own; who draws from it its sense, and does not import his own into it, nor force upon its words a meaning which he had determined was the right one before he opened its pages.

Hilary of Poitiers, 300-368; On the Trinity, Book 1, 18, (translated by Rev. E. W. Watson and Rev. L. Pullan, The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol IX; Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, T & T Clark and Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1997, p. 45)

How can we avoid reading in our meaning when interpreting Scripture? What steps should we take to guard against this?

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