What happens in that event is that the interpreter obtains the possibility to see things in a different way and thereby to orient him or herself in other ways in the world. As the text reveals the world in a new perspective, the interpreter achieves a new capability for knowing him or herself (Ricoeur, 1995, p186). .
According to Ricoeur (1995, p186) we do not understand anything new until we understand it in a way that dramatically changes our perspective. A new perspective is .
The Council: 3.
impossible unless we are able and willing to abandon our positions and risk our assumptions. That presupposes that we can distance ourselves from our pre-understanding (distanciation) in order to perceive new meaning (appropriation). These two concepts stand in a dialectical relation to one another and culminate in understanding (Ricoeur, 1995, p83). The key is to use the explanations the text provides the reader with. To apply hermeneutics of suspicion to the Council of Nieca, the Catholic Church, and the Trinity a brief history of the happenings of the time and a definition of the Trinity are in order.
There was a division in the Christian church, which was due a war between Constantine and Licinius. Constantine was the ruler of the Roman Empire in the west and Licinius, the ruler of the Roman Empire in the East. War broke out between the two men. Licinius' forces fought under a Christian banner, just as Constantine did. This was due to Licinius's acceptance of Constantine as the senior Augustus and his subsequent acceptance of Constantine's championship of Christianity (Shelly, 1990 p23). In 316 AD, Constantine defeated Licinius and the Empire was split in two. The empire remained at peace, but relations between the two courts soon began to break down again. The main cause for the friction was Constantine's .
The Council: 4.
policy toward the Christians. He introduced several measures in the Christian's favor and Licinius increasingly began to disagree (Shelly, 1990, p24).
