I Say, You Say, Who Said?

                In this blog I will be discussing and comparing two intellectuals, Saint Augustine and J. Todd Billings, and their works, “On Christian Teaching” and “How to Read the Bible.” Both works deal with the Bible and how to interpret it. It is simple to note the main idea found in both works, which is, that society should do more than just read the bible. They should try to grasp and understand the historical context within the scriptures while also questioning certain interpretations. I believe that both intellectuals want religious believers to do more than just understand scriptures; they want them to be scrutinized. It’s one thing to read the bible but it is another to truly understand the meaning behind the scriptures and the meanings behind interpreting them.
                Saint Augustine, using the theme of numbers as signs, believes that people should not take any sign for what it is worth in society at the moment but to break it down and realize the meaning behind it. He believed that it was one thing to know what the number nine was but why is it nine or who created that and for what reason. I believe that he wanted society to really dive into the bible and realize that some interpretations of scriptures have been used as forms of manipulation while others have been used to define Christianity. Interpretation of the scriptures should be scrutinized but left to the individual to define for themselves.

                J. Todd Billings also believes that society should read scriptures and the bible. I do believe that he agrees with Saint Augustine in the sense that he believes that society should scrutinize interpretations of the bible but it seems as if Billings feels that interpretation of scriptures no longer mean anything. I think he believes that society has lost track of the Christian beliefs in the scriptures and have only used them and interpreted them for  certain aspects in life and not for its full worth, at least in the eyes of the creator. I believe that both intellectuals see the bible in a positive light, however they seem to be disappointed with how society has bended it to fit every aspect of life and not that of Christianity.