study break

here I sit, in the Briercrest library, long into the evening, STUDYING.  I took the photo above for proof, those are the actual books in my carol.  If I lived in Caronport, I could rent a carol and make it my own, with personal trinkets and pictures.. but I live at Flatlanders and did that to the whole office instead.  Anyway, I digress.  Here is the quote I wanted to share.. I am reading Thomas Aquinas' commentary on Ephesians.  He is a cool guy, that Thomas.  (Or the little I know about him so far...)

Listen to this description of him...written by Matthew Lamb...

'Saint Thomas Aquinas is a paradox... a mystic and a rigorously scientific theologian.  His commitment to Judaeo-Christianity was enough for him to appreciate and appropriate pagan truths.  An Aristotelian, he never ceased utilizing Platonic insights.  In him, a deep reverence for the Church Fathers was coupled with an astonishing zest for novelty"

.... He was neither or both on lots of topics.... he defies categorization.  Was he postmodern before we knew that it was called that?! Or maybe he was 'emerging/emergent/energetic' or whatever.  But probably not, seeing as he was born in the 1200's, a little old for that label, I guess.

Here is the part I would have highlighted and underlined if this wasn't a library book...

"(St. Thomas did not advocate Sola Scriptura) - he could not abstract the Book from its living environment within ecclesial tradition.  The generations of Christians stretching from Apostolic times down to their own were not viewed by the medieval mind as seperating them from the integral Christian message but far more as uniting them to it.  The Church Fathers were incomparable guides in this positive task of assimilating Christ and His meaning.  They could never be rejected in and authentically Christian hermeneutic." (emphasis mine)

huh.  good thoughts about the casserole called "orthodoxy AND orthopraxy", I think. 

I read this quote and then glanced over at this text from my stack of books ...

now, I know I'm not supposed to judge a book by its cover...

... and I admit that i haven't cracked it open yet... but I do admit that this is quite disturbing imagery of Scripture.  I wonder if anyone would have ever imagined Sola Scriptura would end up pictured like this?!