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I think two of the best and yet worse things that has happened over the years in terms of the Bible and early church writings is first the introduction of “Chapter and Verse” divisions of the Bible. It’s certainly a very good thing for referencing a particular passage(s) from the scriptures. On the other hand it’s led to the proliferation of people who simply quote memorized passages chapter and verse, but often do so outside the context in which those passages were written. This isn’t to say that you couldn’t quote passages before but in order to do so you often had to read the entire book, letter, or at least paragraph in order to find it. And in that process you obtained a better understanding of what was being discussed.
The second is the search tool, whether it be web or computer based. This probably more than anything has led to text being taken out of context. This is especially true when it comes to the writings of the early church fathers (ECF). I’ve seen more verses quoted out of context by individuals who without a doubt used a search engine to find a particular word within either scripture or the ECF. And rather than researching the history of the particular writing in order to understand why it was written, to whom it was written they simply pull a single sentence or paragraph from the writing as proof that that ECF believed in such and such non-Catholic teaching. Often times simply reading the preceding or following paragraph(s) will completely contradict what the person using the quote is trying to state.
When approaching both scripture and the ECF’s there are a few things to keep in mind while reading them.
Understand the context in which the writer was writing!!!
The context can be better understood by remembering these simple words; who, what, where, when, why, and how. A big part of this is understanding history. We can’t simply read a letter and expect to understand it fully without a good grasp of the history around it. To discard or simply ignore history and expect to really understand these great writings is simply foolishness.
So lets ask some questions:
Who was doing the writing? What was their background? What was their status and/or role (in the Church and the community)? What authority did they have and did they have it over those that are being addressed or not?
Who are they writing to (their target audience, who are they and what relevance does it play into what is being addressed)? Are they friends or colleagues? Are they someone in opposition to the writer? Are or were they under the authority of the writer? And what is the history of that target audience?
What is being discussed? Is a topic being covered in general or is a specific portion of it being discussed. What is the background of this topic? Is this pertinent to just the recipient(s) or is it also something that we can gain knowledge and insight from?
Where is this occurring? What region is the writer and recipient from? What events are occurring in that region? Do these play a part in why the person is writing what they are writing?
When is this occurring? What is the time period in which this is being written? Who are the leaders of the particular region? Was there animosity towards the writer and/or the recipients during that time and does this play a part in the writing? What were the major events taking place at that time and are they related in anyway to the writing?
Why are they writing what they are writing? The purpose being addressed. Is this to discuss a particular subject or a particular aspect of a subject? Don’t assume that since the writer covers a certain aspect of a topic, say the spiritual aspect, that it then negates the physical or literal aspect. Are they writing in a spiritual, literal, or mixture of both senses? What is the background of the topic being discussed and how does this effect both parties? Does the writer make assumptions about the topic(s), or portions thereof, being covered?
These are but a few questions that we need to ask ourselves when approaching both scripture and the ECF’s.
Michael
