Archive | Doctors of the Church Doctores Ecclesiae: on the giants of the past.
One of the most pervasive features of the Greek translation of the Psalter is the translation of “to the director” (Heb. lamnassēªḥ) with “to the end” (Gr. eis to telos) in about a third of the Psalms.... Augustine makes a verbal link from the Psalter to Christ by means of the term telos found in Romans 10:4. This is clearly a Christological reading of a Psalm that features little in the way of messianic material.
"The principle value of precritical exegesis is that it is not modern exegesis; it is alien, strange, sometimes even, from our perspective, comic and fantastical. Precisely because it is strange, it provides a constant stimulus to interpreters, offering exegetical suggestions they would never think of or find in any modern book..."
Augustine of Hippo’s reading of Genesis 1 in City of God provides a fascinating example of pastorally sensitive theological exegesis. At a time when Christians-particularly Roman Christians-felt as if their once stable world was crumbling and receding into the twilight, Augustine put forth a message of hope.
By P. Egan, 31 March 2008
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