Crawling Out of the Cave: Evangelical Identity in Reading the Beautitudes

February 11, 2014

This lecture traces some of the ways in which Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa, and Leo the Great challenge our self-understanding as evangelicals. These early theologians insist on biblical exegesis that is mystical in orientation ('mountainous reading'), open to a variety of readings ('multiplicity of meaning'), and inviting us into the very life of God ('moral virtue'). Participation in God's happiness is the aim both of the interpretation of Scripture and of the Christian life.