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To: Cronos

I affirm that Chrysostom exhorted hearing the word, and that can refer to communal hearing, but that his exhortation such as “get you at least the New Testament, the Apostolic Epistles, the Acts, the Gospels, for your constant teachers...” for “the reading of the Scriptures and that not to be done lightly, nor in any sort of way, but with much earnestness” is an exhortation to personal study.

Your rejection of this is predicated upon the the premise that
75% of the population was illiterate, and that they could hear enough scripture as to constitute study, in seeking exposure like monks, but whatever credence that has, he also is exhorting personal study for those who can.

And if hearing it communally can help make one literate in it, and if not knowing the Scriptures is the cause of all evils, and is akin to going into battle without arms, how much be able to read one’s own copy of the Scriptures, in addition to being instructed, would overall be to their advantage.


441 posted on 01/25/2011 10:36:09 AM PST by daniel1212 ( "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out," Acts 3:19)
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To: daniel1212
I'm not "rejecting" anything beside the contention in Schaff-Herzog that the 'reading' referred to by John Chrysostom is individual reading only. It could NOT have been for the reasons I outlined above.

What you say , how much be able to read one’s own copy of the Scriptures, in addition to being instructed, would overall be to their advantage. makes sense in a written world like ours where there are books, internet etc. available. But for a world before the invention of paper from wood (i.e. cheap books), it was not possible to teach people to read well enough to read the Bible -- and remember that a person can orally be very intelligent, but to read complex words and meanings and punctuation etc. can be difficult and if there is no other reading material, then this is not a viable option and was NOT a viable option especially in John Chrysostom's time.

The Patriarch would never exhort people who had no chance of learning to read to "go pick up a Bible and read it" -- instead he refers to HEARING, listening, READING aloud -- namely, if you are fortunate enough to know how to read, then help your fellow man, help your family learn scripture. Make them recite it and memorise it. That is what Chrysostom is saying.
443 posted on 01/25/2011 12:00:18 PM PST by Cronos
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