Further, Tracy contends that the Scripture of the Old and New Testament
“serve for the Christian as the classic judging and transforming all other classics.”^169
This is particularly important for this research since the Bible was the primary focus
of Ambrose’s writings. Tracy emphasizes another significant aspect of a classic text
in quoting Hans-Georg Gadamer’s famous assertion that there is an “excess of
meaning” in these texts.^170 A positive outcome of following Tracy’s emphasis upon
the classic text challenges readers to engage the primary texts and not blindly accept
the typical uneven perceptions of some secondary sources. There are four steps to
Tracy’s hermeneutical process: preunderstanding, provocation, dialogical
conversation, and the community of readers.^171 While these steps have a logical order
they are not necessarily sequential but dynamically reflect the hermeneutical circle.
The first step of preunderstanding recognizes that no one approaches a classic
text completely objectively. The accumulated history of effects surrounds the reader
with expectations, fears, and questions for the text. Many readers who have
approached the Puritans have not received them well. This negative perception
makes it difficult to be receptive to them in general and even more suspect to any idea
of contemplative piety. In reality this may be due to a selective reading of the
primary sources. These fears may also revolve around the themes of sexuality and
marriage and are related to the term ravishment that is often perceived by some as an
indicator of sexual repression or violence. Therefore, it is essential that readers listen
carefully to the text in context and not become sidetracked by critics.
(^169) Tracy, On Naming the Present (^) , 117.
(^170) Tracy, Analogical Imagination, 102. Tracy’s reference is to Gadamer, Truth and
Method, 253-8. However, those pages relate to the nature of a “classic text.” For
Gadamer on “excess of meaning” see (^171) Tracy, Analogical Imagination, 118Truth and Method- 2 1, cf. 130-1. , esp. 263-4, cf. 70.