His = whose? Jefferson's?

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Context:

After the Declaration of Independence was signed, Virginia statesman John Page wrote to Thomas Jefferson, "We know the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong. Do you not think an angel rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm?" Much time has passed since Jefferson arrived for his inauguration. The years and changes accumulate, but the themes of this day he would know, "our nation's grand story of courage and its simple dream of dignity."

　　We are not this story's author, who fills time and eternity with His purpose. Yet His purpose is achieved in our duty, and our duty is fulfilled in service to one another. Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today; to make our country more just and generous; to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.

More:
http://news.sina.com.cn/pc/2009-01-20/326/1174.html

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Type: Question • Score: 1 • Views: 670 • Replies: 2

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If you are asking to whom does 'His' refer to in this section: "We are not this story's author, who fills time and eternity with His purpose. Yet His purpose is achieved in our duty" then the answer is "God", or more precisely "The Judaeo-Christian God".

The main clues are (1) the context: In Christian belief it is God who fills time and eternity, not any human, and (2) The spelling of "His" with a capital H. When writing about God, to show reverence, many (not all) religious people start personal pronouns e.g. He, Him, His with a capital letter.

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@contrex,

contrex wrote:

If you are asking to whom does 'His' refer to in this section: "We are not this story's author, who fills time and eternity with His purpose. Yet His purpose is achieved in our duty" then the answer is "God", or more precisely "The Judaeo-Christian God".

The main clues are (1) the context: In Christian belief it is God who fills time and eternity, not any human, and (2) The spelling of "His" with a capital H. When writing about God, to show reverence, many (not all) religious people start personal pronouns e.g. He, Him, His with a capital letter.

Thank you, Contrex.

It exactly reflects what I thought in the first place when I heard Bush's voice. But the official Chinese translation version says it's Jefferson's great ideal that travels through the time and space...blah blah blah. Hence the thread was born. Very Happy

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His = whose? Jefferson's?

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