Epiphany

Theology Today, Jan 2004 by Jenson, Robert W

They knew a lot, those savants from the East,

And much of it was wrong.

In hindsight we can see that very clearly.

And we too know a lot, and much of it

Must likewise in its turn prove wrong.

So what to do?

Our finite knowledge cuts two ways:

Can hold us frozen in suspicion

Or give one clue sufficient for the venture.

The easterners were wise because they took their chance

And won.

Robert W. Jenson is Senior Scholar for Research at the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, NJ.