| | My Christianity for many years has not been very 'distinct' from the theism of Aristotle. Aristotle gave several arguments for the existence of God. Aristotle concluded that the best thing a man can do with his life is to contemplate the First Cause. I have much respect for Aristotle. He was a brilliant scientist, a brilliant logician, and a great metaphysician. Given nature, Aristotle is about as good as it gets. Type in Aristotle on wikipedia and read the list of all the subjects he wrote on and the sciences he was a frontier in. We still speak in many Aristotelian phrases. Aristotle has had a great influence on us as Western culture. Aristotle is truly brilliant but his brilliance is natural.
I have debated many times over the necessity for natural theology in reference to 1 Corinthians 1. Paul says that Jesus is a stumbling block to the Jew and folly to the Greek. Many people take this to mean that Aristotle is irrelevant and that natural theology is irrelevant. Today, I have a better understanding of why they would conclude that.¹ I have recently been reading about the mystery of Christ. Paul references Christ as a mystery at climatical times in his writing. In 1 Cor. 2:6 Paul calls this a secret and mysterious wisdom. Paul also quotes from Isaiah 19 in these passages. The Old Testament prophesied about the coming mystery that would confuse the wise. In Ephesians 3 Paul says that God has made plain to us the mystery of his will. 1 Corinthians 4:1 Paul calls apostles "stewards of the mysteries of God." One especially beautiful place that the mystery is mentioned is in Ephesian 5:32 where Paul explains the mystery of Christ and his church. This is in reference to Jesus as second Adam and the failure of Adam to step between Eve and the serpent in the Garden but Jesus facing the effects of sin in place of his bride, his Eve, his Church that comes forth from his side in blood and in water. I could give several other examples of the mysteries of Christ that Paul explains in contrast to the wisdom of the world, but this will suffice for now.
'What is the mystery' is the question? It is in contrast to Judaism and Aristotelianism. Judaism was great at keeping the law and at wanting an earthly kingdom and Aristotlelianism concluded that life was about contemplating the First Cause with logical precision. The mystery of Christ is different than making an earthly kingdom, a good set of rules, and contemplating the First Cause with logical precision? What then is it? Our understanding of God changes everything. The Jews understood God as supporting Israel and they were right but God was supporting Israel in order to bless the whole world. They saw the support in contrast to the rest of the world. Aristotle understood God as all powerful and worthy of praise and Aristotle was right but God's power is in his service, in his giving, in his selflessness. Aristotle saw God as 'a' First Cause. He didn't know the beauty of the selfless nature of God that is found in the Holy Trinity. The mystery of the cross is this reality that God doesn't come to rule an earthly kingdom by power but he comes to serve those that humble enough to accept his love and then participate in his suffering. The mystery is that the all powerful is apparently weak. The mystery is that God doesn't tell us to wash his feet or tell us to die for his sake but he washes our feet and dies for our sake. The mystery of the cross is the same mystery as the mystery of the Trinity: selflessness.
It bothered me much that many of the reformers killed each other over the debate about social systems but understanding the mystery of the cross, I understand the debate a lot better. When we strive to gain a Christian society of power, whether through numbers, weapons, or rhetoric (which Paul also specifically condemns in 1 Corinthinas 1) we have missed the mystery of the cross. We have degraded the cross to the First Cause of Aristotle or the ethnocentric God of the Jews. Christ did not come to rule by power but by love and wisdom. This was also part of the Davidic covenant. This is also the story of the Old Testament that we so often misunderstand. Where God was making a remnant that understood love and wisdom, we were still cheering for a kingdom. We saw the climax of Israel in the kingdom of Solomon but we fail to see the kingdom of God getting closer in the martyrdom of Daniel. The climax of the kingdom of God is found in Jesus. Jesus did not come to make a kingdom that forced people to worship or even ruled by power and might. Jesus came to pour out himself.
When persecuted Christians flew persecution they follow the God of Judaism and the God of Aristotle but not the God of the mysteries of Jesus. We are to rejoice in our sufferings because that is where we participate in the mystery. This is why Paul explains his filling up what is lacking in Jesus in Col. 1:24. We are stewards of the mystery, the mystery of power through selflessness, wisdom, and love. This is why Christianity has such a focus on love. Love is selflessness because God is love and God is Trinity. This is why Christianity does not force itself on people, that would not be anti-mystery. Force is exactly what Aristotle's student Alexander was fond of. Force is what Solomon had in mind when he started an army going against the Davidic covenant. Christ comes and dies at the hands of power that were forceful and he explained to Pilate that his kingdom was not natural, it was not of this world. This world is found in Alexander and Solomon, but Jesus is found in selflessness: agape love. This is why the early church considered it a joy to be killed for their faith, they understood the mystery. They understood the participation. On this July 4th, I am proud that I grew up in a place where I am free to seek the truth but at the same time I recognize my ancestor's misunderstanding of the mystery. Where there is persecution we are to rejoice like Paul did, not run. This is also why the Greek language had to pull the general term for love out of retirement. Their love for one another was not about controlling one another with force but with serving one another and dieing for one another. They understood the mystery and the Greek language had no active word to describe it. They weren't like us modern Americans that are concerned with comfort, they were more concerned if they experienced too much comfort because the mysterious God that they worshipped did not experience comfort. Joy comes with participation in God's suffering, though. We may not be bouncy happy but we will have peace. It was that very peace that caused some of those that martyered the early Christians to join them on their rafts as they were floating away burning and singing to the God they were imitating.
Lord,
I am humbled at the thought of your mysterious selflessness
You are not a God of force,
You are not a God that came to establish a kingdom with guns and rhetoric but a God that came to heel wounds and wash feet.
Lord, I have misunderstood you for so long.
I have wanted comfort in place of suffering.
I have sought an easy life rather than peace.
I pray for healing not suffering.
I ask to be unlike you while peace is found in being like you.
Lord, forgive me for being a steward of the Aristotelian anti-mysteries and make me a steward of the Divine Mysteries.
Lord, allow me to suffer. Lord, I beg you to send Divine Participation my way.
May your mysterious kingdom come, may your will be done,
In Jesus Name,
Amen.
James S. Sturgill
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| | Posted 7/5/2009 2:20 AM - 6 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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