Following in the footsteps of giants...

Yesterday I spent my first day studying in the Bodleian Library. I went to a place that I suspect will become a favorite - the Duke Humfrey's Reading Room. It was built in the 16th century and has wonderful painted wooden ceiling tiles, all bearing Oxford's coat of arms: dominus illuminatio mea (the Lord is my light!). The wooden shelves are covered with rows of centuries old volumes in thick leather binding, many of them from the earliest days of the printing press. In fact, I looked for a book published in 1588 that I needed for my history of research; not one library in Scotland had it, but Oxford has two copies! It is a humbling and inspiring thing to study where so many have preceded you. The coat of arms, though I'm sure not taken seriously by many these days, is a constant reminder to pray for the Lord's guidance and help; the cloud of academic witnesses tells me to labor hard before death overtakes. And a whisper tells me, in Samuel Johnson's piercing words, that the library is the greatest store of failed human hopes - here you must not trust.



On a lighter note, you may recognize the Duke Humfrey's reading room from its role as the Hogwart's Library!