Ad Fontes is a Latin phrase that means “back to the sources”. During the Renaissance period, many scholars sought primary sources in an effort to rediscover the language and thoughts of antiquity. The words of ancient texted breathed new life into society. They used these words to seek answers to newer problems.
Recently I was witness to an example of this return to the sources. Doctor Oliver Crisp came to Brigham Young University this past Thursday and gave a talk titled “Honoring Christ Understanding Christology”. It was a fascinating topic and he was an excellent speaker. What struck me the most, however, was how well the speech embodied the spirit of the Renaissance and Reformation.
He cited ancient documents, sometimes even quoting them in their original Greek or Latin. The authors of these original texts were debating very sensitive and important issues in the Catholic church. He dug deeply into who these writers believed Christ to be, how he was both human and divine. These debates themselves were new to that era as more and more people were able to become educated because of the printing press.
I’m glad to see that ad fonts never goes out of style. It was good to feel that intellectual excitement that came from hearing from those primary sources.
Image Credit: Image of Christ, Wikipedia public domain
