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| Difference Between the True Religion and Philosophy. PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP
Chapter
V.—Difference Between the True Religion and
Philosophy.
And our father began to say: “Do not
suppose, my dearest Peter, that I am not thinking of the doctrines
preached by you. I was thinking of them. But during the
past night, when Clement urged me earnestly to give in my adhesion to
the truth preached by you, I at last answered, ‘Why should I? for
what new commandment can any one give more than what the ancients urged
us to obey?’ And he, with a gentle smile, said,
‘There is a great difference, father, between the doctrines of
the true religion and those of philosophy;1229
1229 [Compare the
fuller statement in Recognitions, viii. 61; also
Recognitions, x. 48–51.—R.] |
for the true religion receives its proof from prophecy, while
philosophy, furnishing
us with beautiful sentences, seems to present its proofs from
conjecture.’ On saying this, he took an instance, and set
before us the doctrine of philanthropy,1230
which you had explained to him,1231 which
rather appeared to me to be very unjust, and I shall tell you
how. He alleged that it was right to present to him who strikes
you on the one cheek the other1232
1232 Matt. v. 39–41; Luke vi.
29. The writer of
the Homilies changes the word χιτῶνα,
“tunic,” of the New Testament into μαφόριον,
which Suicer describes “a covering for the head, neck, and
shoulders, used by women.” Wieseler is in doubt whether the
writer of the Homilies uses μαφόριον as
equivalent to χιτῶνα, or whether he
intentionally changed the word, for the person who lost both cloak and
tunic would be naked altogether; and this, the writer may have
imagined, Christ would not have commanded. | also, and to
give to him who takes away your cloak your tunic also, and to go two
miles with him who compels you to go one, and such
like.”1233
1233 [The larger
part of the discussion in chaps. 5–11 is peculiar to the
Homilies. There is little matter in it found in the longer
arguments of Recognitions.—R.] |
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