Shannon Costello

1)  I am determined to finish this book someday! 
2)  A nice math quote:  “And the verses are twenty-seven, which is the cube of three.  For three times three are nine; and nine itself, if tripled, so as to rise from the superficial square to the cube, comes to twenty-seven.” (page 629)
3)  Augustine spends [...]

I am interested in how one should go about deciding when a passage of scripture is to be taken literally.
Augustine talks about layers of interpretation:  “But just as, I think, they err greatly who are of opinion that none of the records of affairs in that kind of writings mean anything more than that they [...]

I know, I know, everyone was hoping I had finished, or forgotten, or something. Anything! But with the completion of Book Sixteenth I have only 299 pages left, so take heart!
Here is the most personally relevant quote: “Now every temptation is not blameworthy; it may even be praiseworthy, because it [...]

I remember arguing with Mr. Yettru in 9th grade English class about whether or not Robert Frost’s poems (such as “Mending Fences” and “The Road not Taken”) could be interpreted figuratively. He wasn’t able to convince me. Now I see that discussion as an example of the immaturity of the adolescent mind, but [...]

Augustine spends a lot of time on Adam’s sin in the garden.  From there he delves into why the act of procreation is shameful.  I leave you with the following quote:  
“There are persons who can move their ears, either one at a time, or both together.  There are some who, without moving the head, [...]

Guess what, everyone…I’m halfway through!  
This book focuses on what happens to the body and to the soul in the first death (here on earth) and the second death (eternal punishment).  
…this Latin word “moritur” [to die] cannot be declined by the grammarians according to the rule followed by similar words….But “mortuus”, though in form [...]

Sunday morning I felt really anxious.  I had a muscle twitching in my forehead (it looked really weird) and was suddenly afraid I was having eye problems — irrational fears that present real problems when I  try to deal with them.  
This is where Augustine can come in handy.  I get very caught up in [...]

“And if they were confronted with the authority of Scripture, they would maintain that something else must be meant by the words.”  
We have heard that before!  It plunges me into confusion just to think of it.  However, Augustine has his opponents down.  They ” are strangely deceived and rave in the incurable madness of impiety.” [...]