Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| Chapter XX.—In What Respect Philosophy Contributes to the Comprehension of Divine Truth.
PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP 
Chapter XX.—In What Respect Philosophy Contributes to the Comprehension of Divine Truth.
As many men drawing down the ship, cannot be
called many causes, but one cause consisting of many;—for each
individual by himself is not the cause of the ship being drawn, but along
with the rest;—so also philosophy, being the search for truth,
contributes to the comprehension of truth; not as being the cause of
comprehension, but a cause along with other things, and co-operator;
perhaps also a joint cause. And as the several virtues are causes of
the happiness of one individual; and as both the sun, and the fire,
and the bath, and clothing are of one getting warm: so while truth is
one, many things contribute to its investigation. But its discovery is
by the Son. If then we consider, virtue is, in power, one. But it is
the case, that when exhibited in some things, it is called prudence, in
others temperance, and in others manliness or righteousness. By the same
analogy, while truth is one, in geometry there is the truth of geometry;
in music, that of music; and in the right philosophy, there will be
Hellenic truth. But that is the only authentic truth, unassailable,
in which we are instructed by the Son of God. In the same way we say,
that the drachma being one and the same, when given to the shipmaster,
is called the fare; to the tax-gatherer, tax; to the landlord, rent;
to the teacher, fees; to the seller, an earnest. And each, whether it be
virtue or truth, called by the same name, is the cause of its own peculiar
effect alone; and from the blending of them arises a happy life. For
we are not made happy by names alone, when we say that a good life is
happiness, and that the man who is adorned in his soul with virtue is
happy. But if philosophy contributes remotely to the discovery of truth,
by reaching, by diverse essays, after the knowledge which touches close on
the truth, the knowledge possessed by us, it aids him who aims at grasping
it, in accordance with the Word, to apprehend knowledge. But the Hellenic
truth is distinct from that held by us (although it has got the same
name), both in respect of extent of knowledge, certainly of demonstration,
divine power, and the like. For we are taught of God, being instructed
in the truly “sacred letters”2025
| 2025 ίερἀ
γράυυατα (2 Tim. iii. 15),
translated in A. V. “sacred Scriptures:” also in
contradistinction to the so-called sacred letters of the Egyptians,
Chaldeans, etc. | by the Son of God. Whence those, to
whom we refer, influence souls not in the way we do, but by different
teaching. And if, for the sake of those who are fond of fault-finding,
we must draw a distinction, by saying that philosophy is a concurrent
and cooperating cause of true apprehension, being the search for truth,
then we shall avow it to be a preparatory training for the enlightened man
(τοῦ
γνωστικοῦ); not
assigning as the cause that which is but the joint-cause; nor as the
upholding cause, what is merely co-operative; nor giving to philosophy
the place of a sine quâ non. Since almost all of us, without
training in arts and sciences, and the Hellenic philosophy, and some
even without learning at all, through the influence of a philosophy
divine and barbarous, and by power, have through faith received the word
concerning God, trained by self-operating wisdom. But that which acts in
conjunction with something else, being of itself incapable of operating
by itself, we describe as co-operating and concausing, and say that it
becomes a cause only in virtue of its being a joint-cause, and receives
the name of cause only in respect of its concurring with something else,
but that it cannot by itself produce the right effect.
Although at one time philosophy justified the
Greeks,2026
not conducting them to that entire righteousness
to which it is ascertained to cooperate, as the first and second flight
of steps help you in your ascent to the upper room, and the grammarian
helps the philosopher. Not as if by its abstraction, the perfect Word
would be rendered incomplete, or truth perish; since also sight,
and hearing, and the voice contribute to truth, but it is the mind
which is the appropriate faculty for knowing it. But of those things
which co-operate, some contribute a greater amount of power; some,
a less. Perspicuity accordingly aids in the communication of truth,
and logic in preventing us from falling under the heresies by which
we are assailed. But the teaching, which is according to the Saviour,
is complete in itself and without defect, being “the power and
wisdom of God;”2027
and the Hellenic philosophy does not, by its
approach, make the truth more powerful; but rendering powerless the
assault of sophistry against it, and frustrating the treacherous plots
laid against the truth, is said to be the proper “fence and wall
of the vineyard.” And the truth which is according to faith is as
necessary for life as bread; while the preparatory discipline is like
sauce and sweetmeats. “At the end of the dinner, the dessert is
pleasant,” according to the Theban Pindar. And the Scripture has
expressly said, “The innocent will become wiser by understanding,
and the wise will receive knowledge.”2028
“And he that
speaketh of himself,” saith the Lord, “seeketh his
own glory; but He that seeketh His glory that sent Him is true, and
there is no unrighteousness in Him.”2029
On the other hand, therefore,
he who appropriates what belongs to the barbarians,
and vaunts it is his own, does wrong,
increasing his own glory, and falsifying the truth. It is such an one
that is by Scripture called a “thief.” It is therefore
said, “Son, be not a liar; for falsehood leads to theft.”
Nevertheless the thief possesses really, what he has possessed himself
of dishonestly,2030
| 2030 [This
ingenious statement explains the author’s constant assertion
that truth, and to some extent saving truth, was to be found in Greek
philosophy.] | whether it be gold, or silver, or speech, or
dogma. The ideas, then, which they have stolen, and which are partially
true, they know by conjecture and necessary logical deduction: on
becoming disciples, therefore, they will know them with intelligent
apprehension.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
