Earlier this summer Pope Benedict praised the ninth century Irishman John Scotus for his contribution to the Christian West's philosophy. Most of the pope's explanation was incomprehensible, something about St. Maximus Confessor and Dionysius the Areopagite. The pope also said that "censorship by the ecclesiastical authorities cast a shadow over his figure. Scotus represented a radical Platonism which at times seemed to approach a pantheistic view of life..."Next the pope seems to try on the robes of a Gnostic:
"The word of Holy Scripture purifies our somewhat-blind reason and helps us to return to the memory of what we, as the image of God, carry in our souls, marred, unfortunately, by sin”.
"This, the Pope went on, leads to “certain hermeneutic consequences which even today can show us the road to follow in order to interpret the Scriptures correctly. What is important is discovering the meaning hidden in the sacred text, and this requires a particular form of inner discipline thanks to which reason can open the sure way towards truth. This exercise consists in cultivating a constant readiness to conversion."
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