You ask, or rather you give a command with the confiding boldness of charity, that we should amuse ourselves in the field of Scripture without wounding each other…On such terms we might amuse ourselves without fear of offending each other in the field of Scripture, but I might well wonder if the amusement was not at my expense. For I confess to your Charity that I have learned to yield this respect and honor only to the canonical books of Scripture: of these alone do I most firmly believe that the authors were completely free from error...
As to all other writings, in reading them, however great the superiority of the authors to myself in
sanctity and learning, I do not accept their teaching as
true on the mere ground of the opinion being held by them; but only because they have succeeded in convincing my judgment of its
truth either by means of these canonical writings themselves, or by arguments addressed to my reason. I
believe, my brother, that this is your own opinion as well as mine. I do not need to say that I do not suppose you to wish your books to be read like those of
prophets or of
apostles, concerning which it would be wrong to
doubt that they are free from
error. Far be such arrogance from that
humblepiety and just estimate of yourself which I
knowyou to have, and without which assuredly you would not have said, Would that I could receive your embrace, and that by converse we might aid each other in learning!
(Letter 82).
