On Anthropological Fear - Man's Forgotten Existential Condition

Written by Jeremy Livermore | 13 March 2010
Posted in Blogs - Jeremy Livermore

“Bent creatures are full of fears.” – C.S. Lewis Out of the Silent Planet

“For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7

Introduction

Could it be that our biggest problem is and has always been not knowing what our most important problem is?

Ever tried to fix a car without knowing where the problem is or that there was a problem at all? Often times, the misdiagnoses or a lack of one altogether, leads to further damage of a vehicles in an already impaired condition. Perhaps you have experienced this when getting the mind-boggling bill from the mechanic shop.

I once drove a Jeep Wrangler around for 3 years. . It was incredibly fun to drive but not fun to keep fixing. Little did I know that my misdiagnoses of a battery problem would lead to the engine catastrophe!

One weekend I performed some amateur mechanic upgrades to the entire electrical system of the vehicle. What I didn’t realize at the time was how aged the battery mount & straps had become. The main support for the car battery, already torn and weakening, did not receive the same treatment that I gave the electrical system. The structural support of the energy of the vehicle had not been reinforced, rebuilt, or replaced. I continued to drive like a mad man with a jeep without knowing that the battery became loose and the stems were now touching all of the new stereo wires, which I harnessed to the jeeps main engine power. After a few minutes of smelling burning wire rubber, I pulled over. I opened the hood to find the entire fuse box, wire harness, and many other combustible parts to be on fire!

There I was, helplessly watching my sweet baby jeep burn away to oblivion. The fire department showed up later to put the dying flames out. What a disappointment! It was my fault! All from missing the point! All this from simply looking over a necessary condition to the vehicles electrical system. What was also needed was a new battery mount and straps to re-secure the batteries.

The lack of the structural security of the system led to catastrophic failure of the entire vehicle. The energy meant to be transferred elsewhere somehow - during the bumpy drive - connected to combustible parts destroying the engine and thus keeping the vehicle from being operational.

Security itself was never a part of the diagnoses and therefore not a part of the restoration.

Similarly, when contemplating humankind, the story is the same. The structural system of our condition has been overlooked, misdiagnosed, and left forgotten. Now, umpteen-thousand years after Adam, the bumpy drive is yielding results unthinkable during the diagnoses: the human race in catastrophic absurdity.

Only after wrongly insulting the field of sociology over the last 10 years, has it become clear that most if not all people pretend to be professional sociologists, including myself. Educated and especially non-educated types tend to make up theories about this issue, that cause, and this resulting effect regarding our friends, family, and world. But us layman sociologists have perhaps at times done a better job as ‘voices crying out in the wilderness’ than the Politicians, Sociologists, and Economists. Overall, while mankind have laid done thousands of years of our socioeconomic theories, our political overtures, and our mega-doctrines of man from the East to the West, we have forgotten the most important part of the human condition, fear.

That said – there is no side stepping, this article makes no apologies; for while deliberating on the ‘existential’ condition of man, the powerful portrait of structural fear has rendered itself ridiculously vivid. While wearing the hat of sociologist, philosopher, and theologian simultaneously, this is an attempt to show how fear has been forgotten when considering man’s condition. Perhaps by re-diagnosing ourselves we can stop wasting our time with placebo exterior upgrades to our soul’s facade, when it needs a structural retrofit.

Much like the structural mount & straps secured the batter of my car, fearlessness, was the structural system that once empowered Adam and Eve to be secure in the manifest presence of Almighty God. That is, their security, the structural system of the soul was sound. This God given security enabled fearless existence. Security was the structural system of the entire system of the soul which failed in Adam and Eve’s fall. A building would cease to be a building without the structural system (beam, columns, foundations, etc.), so man ceases to be man without security. Which when security is lost, fear becomes our state of structureless existence, and our very essence is in shambles.

But for some reason this structural system of fearless existence, true security, is not thought to need rebuilding in humankind. Fear has secretly eaten up entire inward and outward lives. Fear drives mankind to a form of false reasoning that pales in comparison to that which God endowed. Fear, then, is the most important and still missing element of man’s condition which must be examined now more than ever to avoid catastrophic failure of the entire purpose of humanity.

In this article, the following questions are addressed:

1)       Does fear exist in man?

2)      What is the nature of fear in man?

3)      How does fear manifest itself?

4)     What is the consequence of our fear?

5)      Is there anything that can be done?

To the 1^st question we shall now turn.

Does fear exist in man?

Max Lucado is a very popular Christian author. He prolifically writes a chapter a day for the beloved & booming Evangelical genre of Christian Inspiration books. As much as these books are not intellectual masterpieces, they are spiritually and devotionally stimulating. The soul may be revived again  and again by Lucado’s work and his genre. Thus they are priceless aids to the faith much like hymnals were to our ancesters. His recent book Fearless, describes for us the following internal fears that many humans face, perhaps worldwide:

1)       Fear of not mattering

2)      Fear of disappointing God

3)      Fear of running out

4)     Fear of not protecting my kids

5)      Fear of overwhelming challenges

6)      Fear of worst-case scenarios

7)      Fear of violence

8)      Fear of the coming winter

9)     Fear of life’s final moments

10)   Fear of what’s next

11)    Fear that God is not real

12)   Fear of global calamity

13)   Fear of God getting out of my box

Lucado is very insightful here. He accurately describes the fears that plagues us. Perhaps we have conquered one fear on this list but are now plagued by another. Or several at one time. Without knowing, we often make decisions concerning practical matters and lifestyle manners by the guiding voice of fear in our subconscious. Due to this, our daily lives may be ordered in such a way that we redefine conservatism and cautiousness. Some of these subconscious fears even drive our overall life plans, emotions, finances, lifestyles, and worldview.

Max Lucado says that our deepest fear is failing God.

Dr. Calvin Ray Evans says that our biggest fear is unfounded fear. It is the internal fears based in unreality that the devil perpetuates and feeds.

Dr. John Piper says that the biggest fear of the evangelical Christians is being labeled. Whether its being called “politically incorrect”, “mindless followers of charismatic preachers”, or “radicals”, Piper says that this fear prevents us the most and is exactly what the enemy keeps us at home watching TV instead of being radicals.

Surely if these sorts of fears inhibit regenerate believers, they most likely also inhibit the unregenerate.

It is no wonder why. The current state of the world could be categorized as the technological age, media age, i-age. But our advances in technology and the securities of yesteryear have only caused perplexity when we consider all the following untamable powers hunting us all.

Apparently, global warming is the pinnacle threat of our current moment in history. Even the globally adopted International Building Code has been revised to require architects and engineers to design facilities and improve existing ones based principles of sustainability. This is a good thing actually but it is just the beginning of a new wave of laws that will mandate reduced energy consumption. As evident in the funny superbowl commercial, green police will eventually enforce a new global law that mandates public policy based on global energy consumption & supply. This is not a laughing manner but a mere prediction of the regulations that will change how we live. All in the name of global warming fear.

Threats of terrorism, not to mention nuclear and chemical war, is at an all time high at every corner of the world.

Wars, genocide, famines, earthquakes, floods, disease, malnutrition, starvation, are at an all time high.

The fallen economy only reveals the frailty and instability of our money. But our most trusted asset isn’t money, it’s the ground we live on. We need our very earth that we walk on to be stable and secure. But the earth itself is so unstable that in certain regions that at any moment, an entire country can be in shambles. The death-toll and damage in Haiti and Chile alone is eye-opening but many do not know that just earthquakes in the last century have killed at least 2 million people worldwide.

The world itself, our very planet we live on cannot be trusted. Our journey on this planet constantly spinning around the sun is marked by forces. One happens to be purely physical whereby a centrifugal force of our planetary rotation is resisted only by the force of gravity. Without which we are all looking for something to cling to lest we are thrown off the surface into the oblivion of space.

Not to mention the harsher, unlivable climates billions of us face daily, wrought with death traps, hooks, and snares caused by our blessed “mother nature.” Catastrophic hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, are becoming more frequent. Few would disagree with the notion that our planet is in peril, not just due to global warming (pending the evidence, etc.), but due to sheer naturalistic forces that we can do almost nothing about.

On top of all of that, may we mention the all time highs in perversity, abuse, dysfunction, depression, and ignorance our technologically sound & ethically advanced population endures daily. The global fears are only further exacerbated by our own interpersonal ‘relationship’ threats. Perhaps this is a point to expound upon another time, but again, not too many would argue that our interpersonal and family interactions are free from failure & neglect.

The human being is in peril due to naturalistic forces and the challenges brought upon us all by the imperfect human condition. There is no doubt that the last century or two can compete for the gold medal of the worst century in history. Never have we been closer to ultimate catastrophe on so many fronts. If there was any time to experience an eye opening diagnoses & prognosis of the human race it is now.

It is clear that fear exists globally and is manifested thoroughly as our world is full of internal and external threats that challenge our inward and collective security.

So to answer our 1^st question: Yes. Fear exists in man.

But what exactly do we mean when we say “exists in?” Is it merely a temporal state of anxiety and worry that can be remedied with Max Lucado books? Or is it something structural to the unregenerate soul? Or both?

Before we move forward to answer this question (What is the nature of fear in man?) and our next questions (How does fear manifest itself? & What is the consequence of our fear?), let us dig deeper in understanding the notion of ‘anthropological’ or perhaps ‘existential’ fear, let us consider first some preliminary items for clarity. Then we will be fit for a syntopical analysis into this forgotten state of man’s condition.

Preliminary Considerations

Within the vast field of apologetics, we ultimately would like to show that Christianity ought to be appropriated for each and every individual. Or, at best show why people ought to become Christians and at the least show how one’s current worldview, evidence, philosophy, etc is in need of improvement. In doing so, we need to be able to represent the need for a personal Savior. What the rich man held on to, Jesus demanded to be forfeited. Correspondingly, what we don’t think we need, we won’t require a sacrifice for. If humankind continues to direct himself with humanism (basically, the study of humankind’s progress by means of human effort), there will never be a need for a Savior because time and human ingenuity will allegedly yield progress. But if humankind recognizes frailty, instability, and impairing weaknesses in the inherited human condition, Christianity’s answer shines. Thus, the need for appropriate anthropology in apologetics.

Anthropology, within Systematic Theology, is the study of what man (humankind – see below) is with regard to his existence and state of being. It covers topics such as creation, the primitive holy state, human will, probation, and original sin. These subtopics are extremely deep and profound fields of study to which the most brilliant Christian theologians of the last 2 millennia have written volumes on. Human will alone kept Augustine busy for at least 3 decades when responding to Palagius and his followers. To be realistic, each subtopic may not deserve a lifetime of study but surely each deserves chapter after chapter for concepts to be explained and terms defined appropriately. The reader, than ought to consult very thoroughly a systematic theology text for a more appropriate background in these deeper subtopics.

Of the finest systematic theologians of the past 2 centuries, W.G.T Shedd (1820-1894) ranks possibly in the top 5. He is extremely long winded but thorough, philosophical yet devotional, and above all extremely knowledgeable. He defines Anthropology this way, “Anthropology comprises only what man is and becomes under the ordinary arrangements of the Creator: what he is by creation and what he makes himself by self-determination.”[1] This is a great definition and it sheds (no pun intended) light on our specific study.

Interestingly, some systematicians refer to Anthropology as “the doctrine of man.” Moreover, some would not include Hamartiology (the doctrine of sin) within anthropology as Shedd does. In this article, Hamartiology is included within Anthropology. However, our focus is to only investigate fear in man with respect to his fallen state of being – this is a subtopic to the subtopic of the fallen existential state within the broader umbrella of Anthropology.

Lastly, Shedd follows Augustine’s theology of the anthropological state of Adam before and after the fall (posse non mori and posse non peccare; non posse non mori and non posse non peccare). A view to which the author of this article also subscribes. Here, Shedd does not include Soteriology as that follows logically and historically from Christology. Keeping with Shedd, this article will follow the same categorizing. That is, we will only consider the remedy of man’s existential fearful condition after we can consider the condition first.

Concerning fear, Shedd states that “physical death as a mortal principle befell Adam immediately…The description of the consequences of apostasy discloses mental characteristics that belong to spiritual death, namely, terror and shame before God.”[2]

When considering fear, one usually thinks of a temporarily afraid state of existence. Such as hearing bear noises while camping in the woods, hearing the bear creep up on the camp site, running from the tent while being chased by the bear, etc. Or some Christians perhaps reference to the ancient Biblical proverb “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…”[3]

Mirriam-Webster’s dictionary provides us with the following: “1a: an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger; 1b (1): an instance of this emotion (2): a state marked by this emotion; 2: anxious concern : solicitude; 3: profound reverence and awe especially toward God; 4: reason for alarm : danger.” This article refers to definition 1.b.2.

Lucado defines the center of fear as “a perceived loss of control.”[4]

Fear can be thought of as the structural system of the entire system that failed in Adam and Eve. Fear is that state of structureless existence due to the absence of real and true safety and security. More or less, this article refers to fear as a condition of the human being in a pre-regenerate existential state of being for every individual human that has ever existed except Jesus. Again, the deeper notion of fear that is being conveyed in this article could be understood to be a global anthropological (existential) state of being.

Rather than repeat what has already been recently written, perhaps it would be more beneficial to refer the reader to previous articles written by this author on topics such courage, hope, existentialism, meaning, wonder to have more of a background in the word existentialism. Existentialism is such a broad and diverse topic in and of itself, pages would be necessary to define it, express it, and clarify it. In short, I have offered that already to give context to this existential fear of man such that fear as anthropological state of being could be more appropriately understood.

Lastly by way of disclaimer, for our purposes here, “man” is considered a term to refer to all of humanity; all entities within the category of humankind; men and women; homo sapiens. That is, man is that which is made in the image of God and is a bi-gender species, unlike angels, male and female as it is written in Genesis 1:27.

We are now looking to answer the following questions:

2)      What is the nature of fear in man?

3)      How does fear manifest itself?

4)     What is the consequence of our fear?

Let us now consider a few pertinent pieces of modern literature written during 1850 to 1950 as this important 100 years of Western history produced great works of literature on the post-Enlightenment nature of man and the anti-philosophy of existentialism. We will examine & analyze a range of views from varying significant figures of the time to help us answer our next few questions. The following important and influential author’s relevant works contribute greatly to our study: C.S. Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet – (Space Trilogy Book 1), Fyodor Dostoevsky’s (1821-1881) Notes from Underground (1864), Friedrich Nietzsche: some selected works, and C.S. Lewis’ Perelandra (Space Trilogy Book 2).

1. C.S. Lewis characters in Out of the Silent Planet espouse that the nature and manifestation of man’s anthropological fear is concerning the Annihilation of the Human Race
2. Fyodor Dostoevsky character in Notes from Underground espouses that the nature and manifestation of man’s anthropological fear is concerning the Attainment, Free Will, & Aliveness.
3. Friedrich Nietzsche in some selected works holds that the nature and manifestation of man’s anthropological fear is concerning the Individualism
4. C.S. Lewis characters in Perelandra espouses that the nature and manifestation of man’s anthropological fear is concerning The Original Image & The Lack of Provision

Now, the unfolding of our syntopical discussion. Let us begin.

Syntopical Discussion

Anthropological Fear: Annihilation of the Human Race

Among the many books by the brilliant thinker and author C.S. Lewis, the space trilogy is a must read. The fictional account of Dr. Ransom’s journey to other planets is ridiculously fascinating. Most are very familiar with Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series but miss out on being intrigued for life at the gripping detail and energizing richness in his portraits of Mars and Venus. But more importantly Lewis miraculously conveys truths deeper than anything analogized in The Chronicles of Narnia. Truths that punch the reader in the face with style, brilliance, and honesty. These deeper notions of reality are not limited to Perelandra (Venus) and Malcandra (Mars) but are our own. In that, Lewis adjusts the reader to life on another planet while still championing universals and objective reality.

On the other hand, the powers that be there are unlike the forces of earth, in that the planets are ruled by the Oyarsa of the planet. The Oyarsa are spiritual beings in which “light is instead of blood for them.” (page 118)[5] Although they are made of light, Oyarsa and Eldil are more real and visible to the un-“bent” eye than humans. Let us, listen in on the unprecedented but delayed meeting between Dr. Ransom and the Oyarsa Malecandra on Mars.

“What are you so afraid of, Ransom of Thulcandra?” it said.

“Of you, Oyarsa, because you are unlike me and I cannot see you.”

“Those are not great reasons,” said the voice. “You are also unlike me, and though I see you, I see you very faintly. But do not think we are utterly unlike. We are both copies of Maledil.”…

“Many thousands of thousands of years before this, when nothing yet lived on your world, the cold death was coming on my (planet). Then I was in deep trouble, not chiefly for the death of my (people) – Malelidil (God) does not make them long-livers – but for the things which the lord of your world, who was not yet bound, put into their minds. He would have made them as your people are now – wise enough to see the death of their kind approaching but not wise enough to endure it…but one thing we left behind on the planet: fear. And with fear, murder and rebellion. The weakest of my people do not fear death. It is the Bent One, the lord of your world, who wastes your lives and befouls them with flying from what you know will overtake you in the end. If you were subjects of Maledil (God) you would have peace.”

This brilliant exchange describes perfectly our fear not just in light of Ransom’s being in the presence of greatness, but the part of the core nature of Ransom and that of all of unregenerate humanity: fear. The Oyarsa points it out with accuracy and precision. Isn’t it incredible that Lewis would depict our condition this way – incredible because it is true. Poignantly, human fear is pervasive; peace and security are lacking. And the deepest type of fear is that of oblivion. That our entire human race, from the first human to the last, is obliterated from the history of the cosmos. The Annihilation, death with no afterlife, Lewis advocates, is our fear. At the end of the duration of human existence, nothing results. This end of our race, or end of our existence, is the inevitable conclusion we fight against rather than the fear of it.

Let us now turn to another anthropological fear.

Anthropological Fear: Attainment, Free Will, & Aliveness

“I invented adventures for myself and made up a life, so as at least to live in some way.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky’s (1821-1881) Notes from Underground (1864)

The themes and tones of the famous Russian fiction writer Fyodor Dostoevsky’s were echoed through the next century of existentialist writers. He wrote to combat the enlightenment project and rationalism that had stricken Europe and Russia with a profound strained protest. He emphasized individuality against the traditional Greek, Christian, and 18^th century secular dogmas of original sin, the good and the beautiful, scientism, humanism, and rationalism. Should man be forced to live under such a fine tuned rubric of logic and such technological advantages?

No, says Dostoevsky’s underground man who believes in a form of individuality & free will. For scientism, humanism, and rationalism twisted individuality & free will in the contrived schemes of man for colonial advantages. Ironically thought, the free will is foolish in itself and therefore it’s better than reason! He explains,

“Here I for instance, quite naturally want to live, in order to satisfy all my capacities for life and not simply my capacity for reasoning, that is, not simply one twentieth of my capacity for life…Reason only knows what it has succeeded in learning…and human nature acts as a whole…consciously or unconsciously, and, even if it goes wrong, it lives.”

For Dostoevsky’s character, if science can explain every choice, man will stop desiring and will cease to be human! That is, the implication of scientism is that life is calculated and the future known. But it would seem that the will is prior to reason when we consider the faculties of the soul. Free will is better than a mind drowning by science and rationalism. Free will leads to personality which leads to individuality. For science and rationalism lead to no advantage whatsoever – although humanity teaches it as the true teacher of man. The very notion of the lack of free will is absurd!  Free will must by necessity be original and triumphant because this is true life which is a better life even with heart-wrenching, back-breaking, mind-boggling blunders.

All and every man that has ever been is immoral. History is not rational for any human. In a perfect world of bliss and prosperity, man will still stink it up. He will still try to change it all with his own fatal fantasy because man needs to prove to himself that he is alive and he is not controlled. As everyone knows that being controlled is as good as death itself. Thus, man sins continually within his engineered control to avoid the very death that he has already thrust himself into. The underground man assures that “he will contrive destruction and chaos, will contrive sufferings of all sorts, only to gain his point!”

Man’s whole work, goal, and all of human drive is to prove that he is alive and not dead.

A later existentialist author, Albert Camus put it this way, “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart.”

Man maintains an innate drive to engineer but never finally attain and embrace. He is creative & predestined to engineer and build new roads to wherever - doesn’t matter where - just keep engineering. But civilizations come and go. Because man may attain the object he is building and as such destroys it only to start all over again.

“But man is a frivolous and incongruous creature, and perhaps, like a chess player, loves the process of the game, not the end of it. And who knows (there is no saying with certainty), perhaps the only goal on earth to which mankind is striving lies in this incessant process of attaining, in other words, in life itself, and not in the thing to be attained, which must always be expressed as a formula, as positive as twice two makes four, and such positiveness is not life, gentlemen, but the beginning of death.”

Thus, due to man’s fear of finding, engineering and development despair in destruction eventually. He says, “man has always been afraid of this mathematical certainty, he traverses oceans, sacrifices his life in the quest, but to succeed, really to find it, he dreads.” Man explores through science but dreads what he would find…thus, he loves attaining but fears attainment.

Why? Because there may in actuality be nothing left to attain…. “He feels that when he has found it there will be nothing for him to look for…Once you have mathematical certainty there is nothing left to do or understand.”

Idleness…the lack of aliveness. This is the fear of man.

Let us now turn to another anthropological fear.

Anthropological Fear: Individualism

Nietzsche influence upon the existential movement - as well as various other cultural thought patterns and social movements - cannot be understated. But rather than be considered an existentialist, he is more of a pre-thinker or father to the movement. What Aristotle is to Thomism, Nietzsche is to Existentialism. Nietzsche is famous for his style, prose, and incredible existential synopsis of how his present European Enlightened culture would inevitably lead to a society that “killed” God. He has often been misunderstood in light of the his famous quote, “God’s too decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.”[6] Many preachers and social reformers have misjudged and misinterpreted Nietzsche upon this quote as it fits within a broader story of a man who wakes up early one morning to scream in the town square that he seeks God. Upon getting laughed at and mocked he cries all the more. “Whither is God?...We have killed him – you and I…Who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves?”[7] The man in the story was a mere prophet – to which Nietzsche was trying to be for Europe – A mere messenger rather than the advocate of the “advent of Nihilism.”

For Nietzsche, Nihilism is the necessary implication of Europe’s values. It was the skepticism, relativism, and despair of truth caused by Kant’s moral philosophy - where society ends up with subjectivism as their guide as there is no way to decide between truth and appearances of truth. In that, the grounding of truth becomes uncertain and as a result, Kant’s views render life futile and meaningless. Thus, says Nietzsche, “Nihilism is the radical rejection of value, meaning, and desirability.”[8] It is the conclusion that all of the universe and the happenings wherein lack meaning. So Nihilism is the meaninglessness or nothingness of human existence – that which skepticism birthed.

Additional dangers of Kant’s view could lead to isolation, solitude, and loneliness for the philosopher and people. But it could lead to individualism. This is the goal of Nietzsche. To rise against the institutions, governments, society, and religion. But people fear this independence – according to Nietzsche – so they stick to convention and tradition. This is the comfortable life that Nietzsche despises. Nietzsche wants us to have “a firm grasp of the over-all picture of life and existence” that allows for the image of all life.[9] This is what constitutes a great philosophy as understood in the lines of Schopenhauer. Then, from this overarching worldview, learn the meaning of your own life. For striving for individual achievement, riches, honor, and degrees doesn’t raise the individual out of worthlessness of his existence or improve society. It merely maintains convention, tradition, and the status quo. So rather than encounter a great philosophy and “receive meaning” that can change the individual and thus his society, people remain subdued by their fear of independence and individualism. People move in herds and are slaves to society too are afraid to break out of the pack. They just follow what is expected of them by their peers.

Nietzsche’s remedy was a call to heroism, where the “uber”-man can “live dangerously” in his great individualism.[10] Where one stands up with dialiectical courage to die fighting for victory rather than living in cowardice. Dialectical courage – a ‘dialectical’ ability that operates in passionate tension. Man must act in courage. If man does exercise this, it is actually meaningless - but man ought to do it anyway. Because the only thing you have left is individuality. This also will be one that is meaningless and runs against reason because it is all futile and meaningless. Thus we need courage to be the individual uberman. So man must act against fate – against the blind impersonal forces of nature - and live by his own will and create his own meaning. The Nietzsche hero is kind of an anti-hero of society – it goes against conventional culture.[11]

Thus, Nietzsche’s characterizes society as people who ride along the convention for fear of their peers, fear of being oneself, and fear of standing up to the industrial machine.

Let us now turn to yet another anthropological fear.

Anthropological Fear: The Original Image & The Lack of Provision

In Perelandra, Lewis further elaborates on the existential condition of fear in man. The protagonist Dr. Ransom finds himself on Perelandra (Venus) which has 1 fixed land and the rest of the lands are floating on the water in such a way that they follow the contours of the waves. That is, the floating lands could be thought of as thin plastic sheets that surf the water but never are sunk. When Ransom tasted the delicious fruit of the floating lands he was incredibly satisfied – to the point where he never felt it necessary to eat more than the original amount provided….to choose the new good fruit over an old would render the old not good. But to be satisfied with the old and not need the new was to perpetuate the good indefinitely. There is not a need on Perelandra to take the fruit given today and try to store it for tomorrow. Nor is there a need to eat more than was necessary, even though it was possible to be a gluten.

In a similar day-to-day motif, the King described his and the Queen’s desire to maintain the living on the floating lands rather than on the 1 fixed land. He says,

“And why should I desire the Fixed except to make sure – to be able on one day to command where I should be the next and what should happen to me? It was to reject the wave-to draw my hands out of Maleldil’s, to say to Him, ‘Not thus, but thus’ – to put in our own power what times should roll towards us…as if you gathered fruits together  to-day for to-morrow’s eating instead of taking what came. That would have been cold love and feeble trust. And out of it how could we ever have climbed back into love and trust again.”

Here the King of Venus (like our Adam) explains that the waves and the fruits are daily norms that do not need regulating or rationing. He later says to Ransom, “Always one must throw oneself into the wave.” (page 210)

It seems that fear of tomorrow is the struggle that humans have had since Adam’s sin. In Perelandra, there was not an original sin and thus the purity and innocence of the King and Queen allowed them to live by Maleldil’s hand of daily provision. In our world, that is just not the case. In their world, there is no fear but perfect fiery love: “Pure, spiritual, intellectual love shot from their faces like barbed lightning. It was so unlike the love we experience that its expression could easily be mistaken for ferocity.”

The King was unfallen, untarnished, and unchanged. Lewis describes his face as the artistic brilliance of God’s self-portraiture. “It was that face which no man can say he does not know.” This is the designed and detailed image of every man. The image that we all once had and it embraced us with dignity and honor. It is this image that man has tried to swallow with engineering, philosophy, science, and time. Our original image is our self made enemy to which we all will by destiny encounter. It is this image that man fears.

Having discussed these notions of fear. Let us analyze & conclude on the state of man’s condition and his overall existence.

Analysis

Could we concur that what is discussed here is in fact appropriate when describing our unregenerate human race? These seem to be very reasonable and accurate descriptions of the forgotten element to our condition.

Let us summarize the aforementioned for clarity:

i.            Annihilation of the Human Race

ii.            Attainment, Free Will, Aliveness

iii.            Individualism

iv.            The Original Image & The Lack of Provision

It seems obvious that all of these characterizations of the phenomena are accurate. Common sense and everyday experience indicate that these characterizations are very reasonable indeed. As noted before, our world is in peril and our inner state of peace and security are constantly missing.

Regarding Lewis’s notion of anthropological fear: As we approach the end of our world as we know it, which will come as the Bible predicts, which will continue to be avoided by the non-Christians, will we continue to live in fear and try to stop it? Or will we embrace the facts – our time is almost up and we have lived frantically trying to avoid the inevitable conclusion.

As Lewis wrote, we are “wise enough to see the death of their kind approaching but not wise enough to endure it” so we waste our lives and befoul them with “flying from what you know will overtake you in the end. If you were subjects of Maledil you would have peace.” The human condition without God is bleak and grim. It is one of tragic fear. All who accept this notion know that annihilation results in meaninglessness. That not just one life is meaningless, but the entire existence of any conscious life is meaningless.

We happened to be creatures that are wise enough to know that death is all around us and is a certain future for every life. Now we understand that with global warming and with nuclear energy we can destroy ourselves faster than the forces of mother nature. But, Lewis shouts out, we aren’t that smart after all because we do everything to avoid the inevitable eschatological comings. Including ignoring the state of fear in us that is doing the screaming- a weakness that leads to one worthless pursuit and self-misdiagnoses further exacerbating the human condition inaugurating utter catastrophe.

Arrogantly, we strive ahead instead of embrace our future. Why? Because we know that after death there is either nothing or badness. And we have an overcoming spirit. Don’t we? We as humans are resilient creatures, resolute with hope…but could our green trends and techniques keep us alive forever? Could the US Green Building Council think of great ideas that will prolong the conclusion. Why not let global warming destroy us all. What is wrong with annihilation?

Annihilation is feared. Why? After the initial pain during the dying process. There is nothing. One ceases to exist. So if there is no experience, why do non-regenerate humans fear it?

Because man has a hard time understanding purpose in the here and now if there is no overarching purpose to man’s existence. Thus, the existential philosophers emerged to deliver the message to mankind that we can have a purpose in purposelessness and meaning in meaninglessness. Their idea, stemming from author’s like Dostoevsky and Nietzsche, is based on a categorical philosophical mistake: that the world is in fact from nowhere special and is heading nowhere special.

Regarding Dostoevsky’s notion of anthropological fear: While Dostoevsky is inspirational to read, his notion seems imbalanced. His emphasis is on purifying the free will of man from the contraptions and pull of the world. Yes man can be an engineer, scientist, and philosopher, but is it the best career for man? Yes there is a world to explore, expoit, and conquer, but is that what is honorable for man? Where then is the drive coming from when what is natural seems to be the embracing of the wild self.

Samuel  C. Florman in The Existential Pleasures of Engineering remarks,

“If most people are fooled into desiring things they do not really desire, tricked into thinking they are free when they are really enslaved, mesmerized into feeling happy when true happiness forever eludes them, then clearly we are in a sorry state” …But we are beginning to realize that for mankind there will never be a time to rest at the top of the mountain. There will be no arcadian age. There will always be burdens, new problems, new failures, new beginnings. And the (alleged) glory of man is to respond to his harsh fate with zest and ever-renewed effort.”

This is the truly the goal of the humanists and existentialists. To live a life of conquering fear by virture of development, human effort, and self-will. This has always been the answer by humans for the human condition since the tower of Babel. However, as history has shown, the forces of the human condition and the forces of nature, have not been harnessed, resisted, or changed.

Regarding Nietzsche’s notion of anthropological fear: Individualism. Nietzsche placed the root of Nihilism in interpretation of Christian morality and Christian truth. The end of Christianity was by this interpretation. Christian developments in intellectual history and the clutch of Christianity on culture, was being replaced. Truth “is nauseated by falseness” and “‘God is the truth’ is turns to ‘All is false.’”[12] The negative influences of religion, conventions, customs, are against the individual who wants to be free and advance to human greatness.

Even Nietzsche knew that his views were being misinterpreted at his time and tried to refute the misinterpretations. In his Ecce Homo he tried to clear up the “uber”-man word. But to know avail as later Hitler took Nietzsche’s works and distributed them to the Nazi’s. Scholars debate as to whether Hitler interpreted Nietzsche correctly. It is clear, that Nietzsche completely mischaracterizes Jesus, Christianity, and Christian morality. However, our point here is merely just to emphasize Nietzsche’s characterization of society as people who ride along the convention for fear of individualism: fear of their peers, fear of being oneself, and fear of standing up to the industrial machine.

Regarding Lewis’ notion of anthropological fear in Perelandra: To reclaim our original image, is that a worse goal for the human race? Or ought we to stick with humanism and engineer our existence into eternity? Would it not be best to renovate the within to yield the without rather than forcing function on a form. Surely ‘form follows function’ and that very architectural principle has shaped the development of great infrastructure and architecture in many civilizations. Contrarily, the soul is that which must be restored to its original likeness, a predetermined form which yields function. That is, our soul’s very form, set apart before the creation of the world in God’s original master planned and carefully architected universe, produces a functional life as He ordered it.

But what is more astounding is that our form was made like His form. Our personhood like His. This is the fearful thing…that once we see our true selves…the face of the man we cannot say we don’t know…we see unseen glory…the truest eternal form that time, nature, and utility has not altered…yet we fear. Fear the becoming of ourselves becoming ourselves... Fear the being and not the doing. Fear the form and not the function. Fear the longing for reality. Fear the destined meeting that fate cannot negotiate. Fear the man. Fear the humanity.

To summarize, the overarching anthem here is that we fear facing our anthropological fears in addition to our temporary fears. Of course FDR said “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” But what does that mean when considering the aforementioned? Is it that simple or easy?

Fear is the forgotten and defining element of not who we are but what we are. Due to Adam’s fall, man has become creatures of anthropological fear. It is his entire existential state of being. Worse, fear is in fact the most deceiving anthropological element of our entire human existence. As a result, the nature, manifestation, and consequence of it is mind-boggling to our history.

Implications

To our last question we shall now turn.

4)     Is there anything that can be done?

Yes. There is hope to regain the life lost due to fear.

It starts with learning more about fear.

Fear is illogical. It corrupts logic. It does not yield fruitful thoughts or thinking. It is obvious that to love God with all our minds when we are worried about “what tomorrow holds” is impossible. And how illogical can we be when we trust our own hand over God’s. In general, what is illogical is not of God, for Satan is the father of all lies and most often times is the author of confusion.

Moreover, confusion itself causes fear whereas fear itself fosters confusion while trying to avoid it. It is no wonder that we use words like “so-and-so” acted out of fear when they committed this crime or performed an unthinkable act. The racing brain mulls over past & future images, dreams, desires, etc. without considering consequences. The frantic desperate person is actually circling in unreality to find reality while striving to enforce reality on the unreal. Fear thrusts down the human brain into the slippery slope of nothingness. It propels the creation of a fantasy that is normalized culturally but regulated by anthropological brokenness.

Specifically, apologetics is impossible with fear.  Fear cannot yield objective results. Apologetics requires objective thinking to shield from cultural influences from without and to filter heretical or inconsistent tendencies from within. So the need for fearlessness in our thinking cannot be understated. Otherwise, we will easily make fear driven arguments and follow erroneous conclusions.

But interestingly, fear cannot be defeated without logic and reality articulated. A mind left to fight fear without fresh and clear thinking is like someone punching the air in the dark. Not even knowing where the opponent is. Ironically, fear comes from deception and fear continues deception until it has defeated the victim.

Fear then will always win when fighting a person unable to articulate truthful thoughts, discern reality, or choose an alternative future.

This is evident and obvious in our nightmares. Often times while sleeping, we find ourselves stuck in some ungodly situation and our only means of escape is waking up. The problem is that our dreams are describing to us a believable reality by painting a picture of a plausible scenario. So, we negotiate our way through our own subconscious processing (usually coming from unprocessed emotions) until we awake. Some of us who have these dreams often learn to force the wake up during the dream or even change the dream based on a cognitive direct choice.

In some of my own mild dreams I have learned to wake myself up by cognitively choosing to recognize that the reality in front of me is not in fact how it has to be. That is, the subconscious processing is not necessary to current actual reality or a plausible future reality. If I can realize this in the dream (which is not always the case), I can choose an alternative ending or at the least wake up in a frantic rage of wrestling with the blankets. The waking up part may only occur when I am able to open my mouth and say an actual word. By speaking out a forced word in the middle of a dream, I can stop sleeping.

Either way, when awake or when in control of the dream, fear is not able to haunt me like a demon. Thus, the ability to understand reality, truth, and whether a future scenario is necessary is the crucial to fighting fear.

Now again, the dream may be pointing to unprocessed emotions that needs to be dealt with. But it is better to deal with emotional pains and past trauma awake – when we are on the better battleground to think clearly and articulate – than in the deep unchartered waters of our subconscious. Being able to speak out emotions with friends and/or a counselor is crucial for fighting fear. we cannot fight wordless darkness. We must as humans pull back the curtains and bring light to our the darkness we are fighting. The noises in a silent house in the middle of the night maybe the same noises that occur in the silent house in the middle of the day but it’s just not as scary when we can see things.

This is exactly what the devil wants to do to us. He is the author of lies and uses his skills to deceive unbelievers and believers alike by not working against their direct cognitive abilities in day lit paths, but he comes in the dark places - along side our own weak fearful anthropological state of being and agrees with what we already are anxious about. He then ushers us down a darkening street with illogical semi-plausible street signs, tempting feel better philosophies of night walkers, and temporary satisfactions of the alley dumpster. Before we know it, we subconsciously have given over our major life decisions to an enemy we never knew was counseling us. Many of us have been left helpless and defeated in life due to the attacks of satanic influences on our anthropological fears. We have never truly fought the opponent who defeated us.

Furthermore, fear is also like anger, in that it awakens us to a deeper pain. It is not a sin to be fearful of something, but it can lead to sinful living when mismanaged. Lucado states “When fear shapes our lives, safety becomes our god. When safety becomes our god, we worship the risk-free life…the worship of safety emasculates greatness.” He elaborates further, “The fear-filled cannot love deeply. Love is risky…The fear filled cannot dream wildly.” It is truly a devastating thing to live a life full of fears as incapacitates us from our destiny.

Along these lines, back in Ancient Greece, Plato once wrote, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” – Plato

Recommendations

Without security found in God alone, we are structureless. Thus, fear becomes our structural system of survival. Much like a child shuts down to enter an out of touch imaginary world in a case of child abuse to protect himself from further harm, so the adult attaches a new system of security to cope with future harm. Systems of careers, children, finances, etc. The cycle of missing the point continues. We tend towards wasting our time, lives, and entire history.

Concerning our tendencies, Shedd enlightens, “The mere possibility of death for Adam was not the same as a tendency to death.” But because we inherited Adam’s nature after the fall, we do tend toward death, physically and spiritually. The negative tendencies we have we fear because we know their fruition is inevitable. The positive tendencies that we don’t have we fear because we know their attainment is marked with self-struggle. Unregenerate people fear the negative things that we all tend towards, like death and future pain. On the other hand, the unregenerate fear the positive things we don’t all tend towards like, integrity and objective truth. The unregenerate is stuck.

Get saved. The unregenerate must become regenerate. To face our anthropological state of fear we must only face ourselves in God’s light. Then, in peering in on our state of utter dreadfulness, we will be compelled cry out to Jesus who can show us our fearless whole self. 2^nd Timothy 1:7 says, “For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline.” The fear we inherited from Adam is not of God. God created us whole and fearless. We need a regenerated security system of fearlessness. We need our structural system back. Like a building, we cannot perform the functions that we were designed for without structural system. We must be willing see and reject our sinful fearful selves for God to regenerate our entire being.

We must die to our sinful fearful selves and take on the fearless self that he originally designed for us to have. We must follow Christ’s example in the Garden of Gethsemene. There he chose to tackle the fear that he was born to face. When the timing became right, he turned to face the oncoming opposition. He knew there could be no alternative ending. This future was necessary for him, not because he chose foreordained it before time began, but because he chose it. As Jesus turn to walk toward Judas and his religious thugs, Judas walked towards Jesus with the puckered lips of that every deceiving betrayer. Jesus took on the anxiety, dread, and fear when he turned to the Father in prayer. From that prayer, he went on to grave, fearlessly embracing the persecution, interrogating, beatings, and murdering.

The answer to our anthropological fearful condition is Jesus. He is the fearless champion of our man’s tragic state of being.

God enable those reading this who are not saved to accept your son’s act of fearless obedience so they may embrace their fearless original state of existence.

God stir up the Christian reading this to live fearlessly as he is already able.

Inspiration

Perhaps your anthropological fear has been forgotten or misunderstood. Perhaps you are going through a very fear filled time in life. We must use Scripture to help us begin a journey of an accurate thought life and fearless existence. Scripture is not silent on this. On the contrary, the Bible is full of powerful stories of God honoring Holy Spirit filled boldness, passion, and fearlessness. The book of Psalm is filled with fearless resolve in the midst of the battle and the face of tragedy. Job, despite his devastation and deceiving logic of his friends, turned to God, and overcame despair. Paul teaches us: “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:2, NIV) We are taught here to look to God to shed our fearfulness and adopt our fearlessness. Strikingly, while Scripture is actually teaching us to take our fears to God it also teaches us to fear God – the very one bring our fearful state to!

On this note, Max Lucado says “Nothing fosters fear like an ignorance of mercy.” We must adopt his mercy on our lives, however torn and bruised, let us reach for it in the midst of our fear. We must bring our fearful state to the only one we ought to fear. Our fear will then be transformed to courage! From courage, we can have true life and true love.

David shares his heart with us: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident….Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalm 27:1-3, 141)

Solomon teaches us: “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” (Proverbs 29:25, NIV) “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.”

John teaches us: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:13, KJV)

Lastly, Jesus teaches us: “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:5-8, NASB)

I pray that our only fear would be the fear of the LORD.

Unto the King,

Jeremy David Livermore

[1] W.G.T. Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, page 429

[2] W.G.T. Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, page 542

[3] Proverbs 1:7

[4] Max Lucado, Fearless

[5] Maledil (the being analogous to Jesus, who is the governor of the universe) has ordered that each planet has a governing lord of which it is also the character or god of that planet (think also greek gods).

[6] Friedrich Nietzsche The Gay Science

[7] Friedrich Nietzsche The Gay Science

[8] Friedrich Nietzsche The Will to Power Book 1

[9] Friedrich Nietzsche Schopenhauer as Educator

[10] Friedrich Nietzsche Ecce Homo

[11] R.C. Sproul Lecture: “The Consequence of Ideas”

[12] Friedrich Nietzsche The Will to Power

Augustine’s Philosophical Theology & Neoplatonism

Written by Jeremy Livermore | 12 December 2009
Posted in Blogs - Jeremy Livermore

Have you ever been curious as to how the great intellectual heritage of our faith came about? I often am. Studying how theology developed throughout history is a worthwhile pursuit for any and every Christian. Not to mention, it is incredibly fascinating. Upon the initial leg of a historical journey of the Christian faith, one can quickly notice that theology did not develop in a vacuum. On the contrary, throughout history theologians had to wrestle with the pressing demands of their day. In fact, one might say that theology was and is quite influenced by the powerful forces of culture, authority, war, discrimination, history, egos, and heresy. Let us cut a slice in history and investigate a case study in philosophical influences on theology.

Of the greatest philosophers and theologians of the church, Aurelius Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) is one of the most prominent. His voluminous writing is a testament to the monumental contributions to the development of Christian thought. This 4th century thinker gave all of Christendom a more systematic, articulate, and rigorous philosophical theology that could only be matched by the likes of Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin. But was his thought so orthodox that none of it is without controversy? Had Augustine developed essential Christian doctrines because of the prevailing Greek philosophical influences of the early church period or was his thought was purely based on the teaching of Scripture? Have the doctrines of Augustine left a positive impact in Christendom or should his Neoplatonistic thought be disregarded?

Upon evaluation of the life and writings of Augustine and influential thinkers of his time, we can easily see that Augustine’s philosophical theology of original sin, free will, and the nature of man was heavily influenced by Neo-Platonism. This can be shown by considering the following 3 items: his background & training in Greek philosophy & Neoplatonic thought, his interaction with and evaluation of Platonism & Neoplatonism to Christianity in his own writing, and the parallel between Neo-Platonic philosophy & his philosophical theology.

Preliminary Items

Before these considerations, it is important to understand some important preliminary items. First, at the time of Augustine’s life, the most influential Neoplatonistic thinkers had come and gone, but much of the thoughts of the Neoplatonists were still gaining traction in the intellectual Academies and broader culture. So Augustine’s interaction with their thought was very relevant to his era, but the full fledged impact of Neoplatonist upon the broader culture would not be realized until the Medieval and Reformation eras. This can be seen in the many other Christian thinkers including Boethius, John Scotus Eriugena, and Bonaventure, who could also easily be labeled Neoplatonist Christian thinkers.

Secondly, the terms “Neoplatonism” & “Neoplatonist” were not applied to the thinkers of modified Platonism till last few centuries of our modern era. Thus Augustine simply refers to them as Platonists. These philosophers are Philo of Alexandria (30 BCE – 50 CE), Ammonius Saccas of Alexandria (176-242), Plotinus (205-270), Porphyry (234–305 C.E.) disciple of Plotinus, Amelius disciple of Plotinus, Proclus, Iamblichus, and Apuleius.

Lastly, this article will not consider the thoughts of Neoplatonists that lived after Augustine as he would obviously not have been influenced by their views. Additionally, to focus this study to a reasonable volume, it is best to consider select views of only the notable Neoplatonists to which Augustine most plausibly could have been influenced by. Augustine lists these renowned Platonists[1] as “Plotinus, Iamblichus, and Porphyry, who were Greeks and the African Apuleius.”[2] But, this article considers only the possible influences of Plotinus, Porphyry, and correspondingly, Plato.

1^st Consideration: Augustine’s background & training includes the reading of Greek philosophy & Neoplatonic thought.

Early in his life, prior to his conversion, Augustine became a follower of the Eastern cult known as the Manicheans. He spent almost 10 years with them learning that powerful forces of good and evil persist throughout time. In their thought one’s soul is pure light in the physical world of darkness, where the soul can be liberated to join the perfect original light.  Although not NeoPlatonic, these themes become important in Augustine’s later writings.

Although not an expert, Augustine learned Greek in school and continued to learn it to study the Scriptures.[3] He writes, “But why did I so much hate the Greek, which I studied as a boy? I do not yet fully know…Difficulty, in truth, the difficulty of a foreign tongue, dashed, as it were, with gall all the sweetness of Grecian fable. For not one word of it did I understand, and to make me understand I was urged vehemently with cruel threats and punishments.”[4] Phillip Schaff, editor of a voluminous series of the early church fathers, writes, “Though Augustine never did attain any significant facility in Greek, he did work to improve his ability somewhat after his conversion, for the purpose of biblical studies…his knowledge of Greek literature was mostly derived from Latin translations. With the Greek language, as he himself frankly and modestly confesses, he had, in comparison with Jerome, but a superficial acquaintance.”[5] So although the Greek language was not mastered by Augustine, the respect for it is apparent.

At the age of 17, he was sent to Carthage for his education where he studied philosophy and religion there. He read Cicero’s Hortensius (a work no longer extant), which set him on his quest for higher truth. This knowledge & passion would prove helpful in his future works of philosophical theology. Schaff indicates, “From the writeup at the beginning of Confessions, he had received in the schools of Madaura and Carthage the usual philosophical and rhetorical preparation for the forum, which stood him in good stead also in theology.”[6] He later studied classical law & rhetoric and eventually taught rhetoric in Rome. This alludes to possible training in the dialogue method of Socrates, Plato, or other Greeks.

In 384 in Milan, while being influenced by Ambrose, he encountered many “books of the Platonists.”[7] Michael Mendleson, professor of philosophy at Lehigh University, adds that “the books of the Platonists provided him with a metaphysical framework of extraordinary depth and subtlety, a richly textured tableau upon which the human condition can be plotted…He credits the books of the Platonists with making it possible for him to conceive of a non-physical, spiritual reality”[8] Specifically, the German theologian Johannes Brachtendorf adds, “The Neoplatonists taught Augustine in Milan the metaphysical truths about God, namely that he is immutable, immaterial, highest unity, and highest good.”[9] This is very clear in Augustine’s later books which show an extensive knowledge of philosophy, literature, and theology of Plato and the NeoPlatonists.

From this background we can easily see that from a young age till 30 years old, Augustine’s intellectual growth and development was not Christian (other than the influences of his mother) but actually saturated with variety. This highly suggests a continuous life of diligent and fruitful learning. From the various philosophical worldviews of the ancient age to even cultic religious movements of his own, Augustine eventually championed a powerful Christianity through a broad and deep framework of culturally & internally pressing systems of thought.

2^nd Consideration: Augustine interacts and evaluates Platonism & Neoplatonism to Christianity in his on writing.

Augustine indubitably wanted to make a connection between Platonism and Christianity because he knew that besides the flesh and the internal debates within the Catholic Church the wisdom of the world was the most powerful & compelling force to fight against. He was perhaps divinely positioned through those years of rigorous intellectual preparation and internal struggles, ranging from concupiscence to intellectual doubt to cultic following, to discover that he could use their own terms & concepts against them. In his On Christian Doctrines treatise, Augustine writes, “If those who are called philosophers, and especially the Platonists, have said aught that is true and in harmony with our faith, we are not only not to shrink from it, but to claim it for our own use from those who have unlawful possession of it.”[10] This was one of Augustine’s and other early church fathers’ best doctrines – that truth was a byproduct of God’s general revelation to all of mankind and Christians have even more of a right to use logic, meaning, and truth than any other ancient thinker.[11] He writes, “Let every good and true Christian understand that wherever truth may be found, it belongs to his Master.”[12] This hijacking of classical thought & rhetoric, would prove the brilliance of Augustine and showed the world why Christianity was actually winning it over.

Moreover the relevance of Greek thought to Christian thought was not the only parallel connection Augustine delivered. He actually suggested that Plato could have been influenced by Old Testament Jewish tradition and religion. He went so far as to ponder that Plato could have even read the Pentateuch, as Plato’s conception of how the world began could just have been a strange take on Genesis 1:1 where “the Spirit of God moved over the waters.” Plato mentions the water, air, earth, and fire were mutually united at Creation. The air could have been the Spirit of God in Plato’s thought. Also, Plato understood God as a being who truly “is” - which directly corresponds to the name given to Moses by God in Exodus.[13]

Augustine, though seeing the connections, tried his best to distinguish and completely separate Christianity as a religion from the partial “foolishness” of Greco-Roman schools of thought, politics, and theology – which was also his own point of departure in life. He had to move onward, if nothing else, for the very fact that the Platonists and Plato himself “thought that sacred rites ought to be performed in honor of many gods.”[14] This outraged Augustine. Regarding his departure, Mendelson writes, “It is often helpful to view his thought as presenting a gradual movement away from a Greek intellectualism towards a voluntarism emphasizing the profound ignorance and difficulty of the human condition, as well as the need for divine aid to overcome the ignorance and difficulty.”[15] Additionally, Professor of Religion F.B.A. Asiedu states that “Augustine’s sympathies towards Neoplatonic thought is a fact that hardly needs comment. Against this background, his occasional departures from Neoplatonic thought is a subject that probably needs more comment than it often receives.”[16] Thus, Augustine’s efforts to show the failures of Greco-Roman thought by using Greco-Roman thought would prove to be a worthwhile task which he resolved to complete throughout the remainder of his life.

Augustine sets the stage by showing that Platonic philosophy is the best philosophy of the Greeks. When considering a worthwhile philosophy of the Greeks, he holds in low regard the philosophy of the “fabulous” theology, the civil theology, the Epicureans, and Stoics but gives high esteem to Plato.[17]All others must “give place.”[18]

Augustine shows a vast account of his breadth and depth of knowledge when he begins to teach the reader the 3 branches of Platonic philosophy, rational, moral, and natural. When comparing the philosophy of the Greeks, he says “It is evident that none come clearer to us (Christians) than the Platonists.”[19] Also, he states, “All philosophers, then, who have these thoughts concerning God, whether Platonists, or others, agree with us.”[20] Augustine understands that the Christian thinker may not have read the philosophy of the Greeks, as the Christian is warned in Scripture “beware that no one deceives you through philosophy…according to the elements of this world.”[21]Overall, for Augustine, although somewhat similar, the Christian philosophy is still higher than the Greeks.

In the following we can see how much interaction there is between Platonism and Neoplatonism with Christianity in Augustine.

The City of God – On the Soul

Most of the middle third of The City of God is an evaluation with the thought of Plato and other Neoplatonists. Regarding the soul of man, Augustine compares the platonic and Neoplatonic views and shows that Christianity has the only view offering the soul’s deliverance. He goes to great lengths to explain the philosophy of Plato and his followers even down to the last few chapters of this epic work.

Plato & other NeoPlatonists thought that the soul is an immaterial substance, part of the world of forms, separate from the body which continues to exist after physical death. Souls pre-exist the bodies that house them and exist after they die - as the Platonic soul is eternal. The soul is considered the animating part of the human. This is like an animal soul, but man also has a rational soul with rational faculties.

Augustine clarifies that “Plato said that souls could not exist eternally without bodies.”[22] For Plato, the soul is reincarnated but it may return in a beast rather than a man and a purified soul goes to the Elysian fields and the river Lethe, which is the oblivion of the past. However, it is the wise man’s soul that goes to a star of his choosing to stay till he has forgotten the miseries of life; only then will he seek to be embodied again.[23] In Meno, Plato teaches that the soul always retains the ability to recollect what it once grasped of the forms, when it was disembodied. Additionally, in Republic, Plato elaborates that the lives that we lead are to some extent a punishment or reward for choices we made in a previous existence. The body was the prison house of the soul, evil, and dragged the soul down. The goal was to be released from the body so the soul could go to be with the divine.

Plotinus felt that Plato needed to be interpreted. Expert on Plato and ancient Greek philosophy, Dr. Lloyd Gerson of the University of Toronto said that Plotinus is often called the founder of Neoplatonism and “is one of the most influential philosophers in antiquity after Plato and Aristotle.[24] Plotinus agreed with Plato for the most part but mentioned that the soul could not be spatially extended, since no spatially extended thing could account for the unity of the subject of sense perception.[25] Also, for Plotinus, the good soul returns to the Monad or the One, where “the One is the absolutely simple first principle of all. It is both ‘self-caused’ and the cause of being for everything else in the universe.”[26] In Plotinus, the cause or derivation of the many souls from the One “was understood in terms of atemporal ontological dependence.”[27]

Augustine quotes Porphyry in The City of God often and interacts with a book by Porphyry called De Regressu Animae. [28] Porphyry also thought that souls are reincarnated after death and that the purified soul returns and remains with the Father so that it is not in contact with evil any longer and “shall never return to the miseries of a corruptible body.”[29] Porphyry knew that there was a way that the soul could be delivered from the cycle but no such way has been discovered in any system of philosophy. For him, Christianity didn’t have an answer since all the Christians were being killed off for their views. Also, he denies a bodily resurrection of incorruptible bodies as the soul continues to live eternally in the Father.

Augustine compared these views and presented Christianity as the solution when he says that Christianity “is the religion which possesses the universal way for delivering the soul; for, except by this way, none can be delivered.”[30] He says also, “we (Christians) say that the separation of the soul from the body is to be held as part of man’s punishment. For they suppose that the blessedness of the soul then only is complete, when it is quite denuded of the body, and returns to God a pure and simple naked soul.”[31] Augustine challenges the view that the most blessed souls would be eternally bodiless despite their belief that gods, whose souls are most blessed, are eternally united to their immortal bodies because of the will of the Supreme. This view is illogical for Augustine, as the Greek notion that the blessedness of a human soul merging into the divine is contradictory with a blessed bodied god.

Whereas, Christianity, is similar but more reasonable when considering Adam and the Christian. If Adam didn’t sin he would have inhabited his body for eternity as a reward for his obedience, likewise, the Christians earthly body would be resurrected, changed, and inhabited for eternity.[32] Augustine also said that if Plato and Porphyry were to have collaborated their views together it would resemble the Christian doctrine of the resurrection of the saints when he states, “Let Porphyry then say with Plato, they shall return to the body; let Plato say with Porphyry, they shall not return to their old misery: and they will agree that they return to bodies in which they shall suffer no more.” Augustine continues, “For this, I presume, both of them would readily concede, that if the souls of the saints are to be reunited to bodies, it shall be to their own bodies, in which they have endured the miseries of this life.”[33] To this end, Augustine says that Plato and Porphyry, “might possibly have became Christians.”[34]

Confessions – On the Logos

Moreover, in similar ways, Augustine found that the “Principle” which the Neoplatonists were looking for is the person of Jesus Christ.[35] John Rist, Author of Augustine: Ancient Thought Baptized puts it this way, “The discovery of the importance of Christ as the only way drove Augustine beyond the Platonic books…while the Neoplatonists might speak the truth about God’s nature, they lack the means of access to it. Neoplatonism is incomplete; its underlying weakness is that it is theoretical, without the power to instigate right action.”[36]

In Confessions, Book 7 Chapter 9 to the end of the book, Augustine compares the doctrine of the NeoPlatonists concerning the Logos with the “much more excellent doctrine of Christianity.” He refutes the NeoPlatonists by showing Scripture after Scripture that Jesus was in fact divine and coeternal with the Father, the same substance. Schaff writes, “Another point of difference which appears in Augustine's review of Platonism above, is found in the Platonist's discarding the idea of the Logos becoming man. This the very genius of their philosophy forbade them to hold, since they looked on matter as impure.”[37] Brachtendorf  adds, “For Augustine, the Neoplatonists see the homeland from a distance but do not find the way there, which is Christ.”[38]

Letter to Hermogenianus & Anti-Palagian Writings

Moreover, in Augustine’s Letter to Hermogenianus we can see that there is more interaction with the NeoPlatonists. He writes:

“Instead of confuting them (Platonists/Academicians), which is beyond my power, I have rather imitated them to the best of my ability…But whatever be the value of those treatises [the books against the Academicians], what I most rejoice in is, not that I have vanquished the Academicians, as you express it (using the language rather of friendly partiality than of truth), but that I have broken and cast away from me the odious bonds by which I was kept back from the nourishing breasts of philosophy, through despair of attaining that truth which is the food of the soul.”[39]

And in Augustine’s lengthy Anti-Palagian Writings:

“For it is not as certain Platonists have thought, because every such infant is thus requited in his soul for what it did of its own willfulness previous to the present life, as having possessed previous to its present life, as having possessed previous to its present bodily state a free choice of living either well or ill; since the apostle Paul says most plainly, that before they were born they did neither good nor evil.”[40]

So here we have seen in Augustine the interaction and evaluation of Plato and the Neoplatonists. This gives indication that Augustine understands their view so much so that he works with it, laboriously at times, using it to highlight points of Christian doctrine. Without question there is more interaction with Plato and the Neoplatonists in his Confessions and The City of God than in any of his other works and within those works he interacts with Plato and the Neoplatonists view more than with any other ancient author or view. Brachtendorf concludes,

“It is true, Augustine often reproaches the Neoplatonists, who he held to be the philosophers par excellence, for their hubris, for not acknowledging the incarnation, and therefore for not directing their will unambiguously toward God as the highest good. He does not doubt, however, their metaphysical teaching of God, but rather learns from them about the truth of God and of the world in order to be able to finally overcome Manichaeism.”[41]

It is now the parallels in Augustine’s thought with Neoplatonism that we know shall turn.

3^rd Consideration: the parallel between Neo-Platonic philosophy & Augustine’s Philosophical Theology

While showing that some of the thought of Plato and the NeoPlatonists fails or is fulfilled by way of Christianity, Augustine also maintained some of the axioms of Plato and the NeoPlatonists.

Morality, Blessedness, & God

Plato thought that philosophy is directed at obtaining the blessed life. He thought that man is blessed by the enjoyment of the thing he loves – not by just loving. But not just enjoyment of anything, it has to be something worthwhile. Plato discussed the chief good – which is the highest aim to seek in order to be blessed. This highest good would leave nothing further to seek. Nothing else is required if man seeks and finds only this one thing. To seek it for its own sake and not for the sake of something else. This is also called the chief end, or final good. Plato knew that the true and highest good is God – which to him was the unchangeable, the immaterial, the creator who is uncreated, the purest being, the source of the truth, the ultimate rational, the light by which we know, the chief source of the good, and the blessed giver of blessing. For Plato, the final good is to live a life of virtue, “…to become like God, as far as this is possible; and to become like him is to become holy, just, and wise.”[42] This can only be done by knowing and imitating God which will lead to blessedness. To philosophize is to love God. The philosopher will become blessed when he enjoys the God he loves. He who loves God is blessed by the enjoyment of God.

Augustine discusses blessing with the love and want of a thing in his Confessions. But he wrestles with the desire for God as part of the soul’s devotion and design but is impossible without his irresistible grace. In a rather famous quote from the first few words of Confessions, Augustine writes, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.”  It is the desires for the things of this world and the temptations of this life that destroy the glory God intended man to have and reflect back to him. He writes, “See, You were within and I was without, and I sought You out there. Unlovely, I rushed heedlessly among the lovely things You have made. You were with me, but I was not with You. These things kept me far from you, even though they were not at all unless they were in You.” Our total depravity keeps us from glorifying God and enjoying him. John Rist adds, “In addition to thinking of God as being itself, the Neoplatonists, following Plato, also thought of him as the Good, since they identify being as the Good…Augustine thinks that in so far as a man is called good, that is because he partakes or shares in the unqualified goodness which is God.”[43] To this end, Augustine says that “no man ought to feel secure in this life. This whole of life is called an ordeal. It’s ordered so that the man who could be made better from having been worse may not also from having been better become worse. Our sole hope, our sole confidence, only assured promise, is your mercy.”[44] So for Augustine, rather than philosophy as in Plato, it is only by God’s grace and mercy that we can consider our God to be blessed. But like Plato, Augustine understands that a creature’s being and blessedness is derived from and fulfilled in “in Thee.”

Original Sin

In Platonism and Neoplatonism, evil and suffering in the world are due to an “estrangement from the absolute as the absolute, that is in the sense of falling apart…this falling apart of the one to multiplicity is the relationship of form to matter…returning to the One is a turning away from matter, as it is a turning away from multiplicity.”[45] For the Platonists, sin is a turning away from the true being of reality. We can easily see this parallel in Augustine, but let us turn to examine Plotinus first.

Plotinus deliberates in the Enneads how matter, evil, and the soul are related. Because souls are originally derived from form and the Good, they were essentially good. Moreover, according to Plotinus, evil is the absence or negation of good in the human soul. He argues that matter is the substratum that has no accidental “Quality” and is deprived of Form. Gerson says that for Plotinus, “The evil in bodies is the element in them that is not dominated by form…Matter is what accounts for the diminished reality of the sensible world, for all natural things are composed of forms in matter.”[46] For Plotinus matter is not in and of itself evil and is not the source of the evil of the human soul, though the soul’s falling into evil and its vices is due to the soul’s entering into matter. The soul must have matter for human existence and that entails a weakening of the soul. He states it this way, “not all the faculties of its being retain free play, for Matter hinders their manifestation; it encroaches upon the Soul’s territory and, as it were, crushed the Soul back; and it turns to evil all that it has stolen until the Soul finds strength to advance again. Thus, the cause, at once, of the weakness of Soul and of all its evil is matter.”[47] So for Plotinus, there is even a further corruption of the soul after entering into matter where “we become evil to the extent of our participation in it, where fallen from all our resemblance to the Divine, we lie in gloom and mud.”[48]

Plotinus concludes that vice or virtue in the soul is measured by the divergence that the soul is aligned with goodness and God. If one could aspire towards God, he can have lesser evil and engage in more good. He writes, “this demands only that the Soul dwell alone enshrined within that place of its choice, never lapsing towards the lower.”[49]

This must have affected Augustine’s view on the origin of evil, as his language is so similar and even builds structure according to such a NeoPlatonic hierarchy of greater and lesser beings. While Augustine does not condemn the body or matter to a lower substratum, he does participate in the categorization of reality in terms of hierarchy. In Confessions Book 7 Chapter 3, Augustine advocates that created matter formlessly existing independent of God is actually good. In this we can see that Augustine “breaks through the essentialism of antique metaphysics, which always thought being from essential.”[50]

Mendelson further explains, “His Neo-Platonic framework commits him to the view that the physical/sensible realm is an arena of temptation and moral danger, one wherein the human soul needs to be wary about becoming too attached to lower goods.”[51] This is seen in Augustine’s Confessions: “And I inquired what iniquity was, and ascertained it not to be a substance, but a perversion of the will, bent aside from Thee, O God, the Supreme Substance, towards these lower things, and casting out its bowels, and swelling outwardly.”[52] In Augustine, the concept of sin represents an estrangement and bending of the derived being, man, from the source being, God. Rist writes that “although Augustine follows the Stoics and Neoplatonists in distinguishing moral evils from others, he insists that the others are really evils…that the fallen world had indeed become a place of suffering.”[53] Due to the Adam’s sin, real suffering entered the world. This was a departure from the divine will for Creation in Augustine.

Augustine’s doctrine of sin begins with the fall of man. Augustine thought that if Adam did not sin, he would not have had to suffer any punishment of sin including death.[54] Thus, a sinless Adam, for Augustine, would have been immortal. Also, because God created Adam upright and uncorrupt, Adam and his offspring could have remained sinless. But because sin entered the world, through Adam, body and soul both die, where the death of the soul is the eternal 2^nd death when God forsakes the soul as the body forsakes the soul in the 1^st death. Since our souls were alive in Adam, we could not be born sinless but in sin and we also then deserve both deaths.

Overall, a complete balanced analysis of Augustine’s theology of sin would include his use of Pauline theology and the Old Testament – especially the Creation and the Fall. Sin is most assuredly thought in Augustine as a transgression of the Law. However the point here is that the notion of sin consists of a misalignment or disinclination of the will in Augustine. From Adam’s state of free perfection to a state of necessary imperfection, Augustine expresses Plotinus’ entering of evil of the soul. So as we have seen, he encompasses the Pauline doctrine, the Old Testament transgression and especially Neoplatonism. Mendelson adds, “The problem of evil received a rather different treatment in the non-Hellenic religious and scriptural traditions than in the Greek tradition, a contrast that was not completely lost on Augustine as he increased his familiarity with the former.”[55]

Free Will & The Nature of Man

Plato wrote that “all men are by nature equal, made all of the same earth by one Workman.”[56] Man’s being, for Plato, is derived from God, the source of being, but man is a “being in search of meaning.”[57] Men ought to choose the good to be blessed and participate in the Good. This would inevitably bring meaning. A being acts, behaves, or becomes in accordance with its true nature.

Much could be written on Augustine’s view of free will as he wrote extensively on this topic in the Anti-Palagian Writings. However, the purpose here is to understand the parallel in Augustinian thought to NeoPlatonic thought. Freedom of the will, for Augustine is radically free because it has nothing prior to it. The will is not coerced. When people sin, they exercise their will freely, that is, independent & autonomous from outside coercion. Augustine teaches the absence of completely “free” choice. That is, we do have free choice but it is governed by and limited to what we are by nature. God changes the free will of man by way of renewal of the nature. So that of his own free choice he chooses good and virtue. It is God’s irresistible grace that establishes such a freedom of the will toward the good. The more grace, the more the sanctification.[58]

This could be considered a type of NeoPlatonic ethics where man’s habits form character and he acts in accordance with his character. He only wants what his renewed will seeks habitually – that is his volition directs him towards the good because he is in a habit of doing that. Thus his nature freely chooses that which is good because he has become by nature a good man. Here again we see the parallel between Augustinian thought and Neoplatonic thought.

Conclusion

Thus, by examining Augustine’s background & training in Greek philosophy & Neoplatonic thought, his interaction with and evaluation of Platonism & Neoplatonism to Christianity in his own writing, and the parallel between Neo-Platonic philosophy & his philosophical theology, it is easy to conclude that his philosophical theology of original sin, free will, and the nature of man was influenced by Neoplatonism.

Augustine’s Neoplatonic influenced thoughts must not be disregarded as tainted or secular as most of his thought still aligns with Paul. In fact, in Paul was perhaps the greatest influence on Augustine to the point where Paul is the ultimate guide in comparison to anecdotal Neoplatonists. This can be easily seen in all of his writings and he himself would have thrown out a Neoplatonistic view if he thought it was detrimental to orthodox theology.

Overall, history has shown that the philosophical principles of Neoplatonism were not detrimental to Augustine positive impact upon the church. Augustine’s views on time, God’s relationship to time, God’s foreknowledge, God’s providence, predestination, and election (although not discussed here, these were influenced by the Neoplatonic themes and the doctrine of God’s immutability) greatly affected the thought of middle age thinkers such as John Dun Scotus, Boethius, William of Ockham and Molina.[59] Without Augustine paving the way and introducing his theology to history, these thinkers may not have produced the scholarly works they did.

Additionally, Augustine’s thought led to the development of the theology of the Reformed thinkers including John Calvin, who was heavily influenced by Augustine’s theology of total depravity and irresistible grace. Other reformers held high Augustine’s soteriological position on God’s direct revelation to mankind and the powerful psychological notion of the individual self. These themes would later captivate Protestantism and evangelical Christianity.

Thus, the implications of the doctrines of Augustine have left an overwhelmingly positive impact on the church - this cannot be understated. As seen in Confessions, the utterly desperate and devoted heart of Augustine after God’s truth and grace would set the tone of Western Christian worship and piety. This favorite quote from Confessions expresses his grateful and changed heart. I hope it encourages you to have a soft heart towards God’s gracious touch on your life.

“Belatedly I loved you, O Beauty so ancient and so new. See, You were within and I was without, and I sought You out there. Unlovely, I rushed heedlessly among the lovely things You have made. You were with me, but I was not with You. These things kept me far from you, even though they were not at all unless they were in You. You called and cried aloud, and forced open my deafness. You gleamed and shone, and chased away my blindness. You breathed fragrant odors and I drew in my breath, and now I pant for You. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst. You touched me, and I burned for Your peace.”

[1] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 8, Chapter 13; Platonists preferred this name over the Academics because of their love for their master teacher Plato.

[2] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God

[3] Phillip Schaff, Nicene & Port Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Edited by Phillip Schaff. Vol. 1. New York, New York: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886, see page 336.

[4] Aurelius Augustine, Confessions

[5] Phillip Schaff, Nicene & Port Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Edited by Phillip Schaff. Vol. 1. New York, New York: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886, see page 336.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Aurelius Augustine, Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 9, or Book 8, Chapter 2.

[8] Michael Mendelson, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2000. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/augustine/#2 (accessed November 12, 2009). – Confessions, Book 4, Chapter 15

[9] Johannes Brachtendorf, "Orthodoxy without Augustine," Ars Disputandi 6 (2006).

[10] Aurelius Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, Book 2, Chapter 60 & 61

[11] Paul wrote of this same general revelation in his writings, namely Romans chapter 1. Justin Martyr also wrote that “all truth is God’s.” Augustine primarily thought that the world as God made it was intellectual, thought, and desire –that God provides all knowledge to you- God is the necessary prerequisite to all knowledge- and secondarily sense driven. Augustine didn’t reject the senses, but just placed the senses secondary to that knowledge which God provides you.

[12] Aurelius Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, Book 2, Chapter 28.

[13] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 8, Chapter 11.

[14] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 8, Chapter 13.

[15] Michael Mendelson, “Augustine” in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2000. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/augustine/#2 (accessed November 12, 2009).

[16] F.B.A. Asiedu, "Augustine’s Christian–Platonist Account of Goodness: A Reconsideration." Heythrop Journal 43, no. 3 (July 2002): 328-343.

[17] Fabulous was a term that referred to the theatre.

[18] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 8, Chapter 5.

[19] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 8, Chapter 5.

[20] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 8, Chapter 10.

[21] Paul, Colossians 2:8

[22] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 22, Chapter 27.

[23] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 13, Chapter 19.

[24] Lloyd Gerson, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. September 5, 2008. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plotinus/#1 (accessed November 23, 2009).

[25] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 10, Chapter 30.

[26] Lloyd Gerson, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. September 5, 2008. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plotinus/#1 (accessed November 23, 2009).

[27] Ibid.

[28] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 10, Chapter 30.

[29] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 22, Chapter 27.

[30] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 10, Chapter 32.

[31] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 13, Chapter 16.

[32] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 13, Chapter 17.

[33] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 22, Chapter 27.

[34] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 22, Chapter 28.

[35] Aurelius Augustine, The City of God, Book 22, Chapter 27.

[36] John M. Rist, Augustine: Ancient Thought Baptized (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994), 3.

[37] Phillip Schaff, Nicene & Port Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Edited by Phillip Schaff. Vol. 1. New York, New York: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886, see page 336.

[38] Johannes Brachtendorf, “Orthodoxy without Augustine,” Ars Disputandi, No. 6 (2006).

[39] Aurelius Augustine, Letter to Hermogenianus

[40] Aurelius Augustine, Anti-Palagian Writings, Book 2, Chapter 36.

[41] Johannes Brachtendorf, “Orthodoxy without Augustine,” Ars Disputandi 6 (2006).

[42] Plato

[43] John M. Rist, Augustine: Ancient Thought Baptized (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994), 3.

[44] Aurelius Augustine, Confessions.

[45] Maarten Wisse, "Was Augustine a Barthian?," Ars Disputandi, Volume 7, (2007).

[46] Lloyd Gerson, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. September 5, 2008. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plotinus/#1 (accessed November 23, 2009).

[47] Plotinus, Enneads, Treatise 1, Section 11.

[48] Plotinus, Enneads, Treatise 1, Section 10.

[49] Plotinus, Enneads,, Treatise 1, Section 12.

[50] Johannes Brachtendorf, “Orthodoxy without Augustine,” Ars Disputandi, No. 6 (2006).

[51] Michael Mendelson, “Augustine” in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2000. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/augustine/#2 (accessed November 12, 2009). - Confessions Book 4, Chapter 15.

[52] Aurelius Augustine, Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 16.

[53] John M. Rist, Augustine: Ancient Thought Baptized (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994), 261.

[54] Iraneous first developed the doctrine in 185 AD in his book against heresies to Valentinus the Gnostic.

[55] Michael Mendelson, “Augustine” in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2000. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/augustine/#2 (accessed November 12, 2009).

[56] Plato

[57] Plato

[58] Allan Gomes, "Talbot Theological Seminary, Historical Theology Class Lecture." La Mirada, October 2004.

[59] If God cannot change and exists in a-temporal static time, than his knowledge of future contingent propositions is constant and is unaffected by the state of affairs which obtain in this world. Since God is “beyond time” he sees the entire world happening in the eternal “now.” God’s providence guides the world towards his goals which the elect contribute.

Bibliography

Asiedu, F.B.A. "Augustine’s Christian–Platonist Account of Goodness: A Reconsideration." Heythrop Journal 43, no. 3 (July 2002): 328-343.

Augustine. A Treatise on the Grace of Christ and On Original Sin.

Augustine, Aurelius. Confessions.

—. De Libero Arbitrio.

—. Letter to Hermogenianus.

—. On Christian Doctrines.

—. The City of God.

Brachtendorf, Johannes. "Orthodoxy without Augustine." Ars Disputandi 6 (2006).

Gerson, Lloyd. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. September 5, 2008. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plotinus/#1 (accessed November 23, 2009).

Gomes, Allan. "Talbot Theological Seminary, Historical Theology Class Lecture." La Mirada, October 2004.

Latourette, Kenneth Scott. A History of Christianity: Volume 1. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1975.

Mendelson, Michael. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2000. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/augustine/#2 (accessed November 12, 2009).

Plotinus. Enneads.

Rae, J.P. Moreland & Scott. Body & Soul. 2005.

Rist, John M. Augustine: Ancient Thought Baptized. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994.

Schaff, Phillip. Nicene & Port Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church. Edited by Phillip Schaff. Vol. 1. New York, New York: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.

—. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church. Edited by Phillip Schaff. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdman's Publishing Company, 1902.

Tillich, Paul. "The History of Christian Thought by Paul Tillich, Lecture 17-20." New York City: Union Theological Seminary, 1953.

Wisse, Maarten. "Was Augustine a Barthian?" Ars Disputandi Volume 7 (2007).

On Meaning and Life

Written by Jeremy Livermore | 28 September 2009
Posted in Blogs - Jeremy Livermore

On Meaning & Life

In recent years the concept of meaning has taken center stage. In 2002, Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Southern California, wrote a book that propelled him to instant fame. The Purpose Driven Life was an overnight success across Christian and non-Christian communities worldwide. In the past 7 years, the book has sold over 30 million copies. I had a vacation once in a remote village in the Bahamas. There I stumbled upon a 19^th century colonial church’s yard sign reading “40 Days of Purpose for January & February”. Even there, in a remote tourist destination, the book flourished and the local body of believers took to the corresponding program of the book. Why? What was the reason for the book’s success? How did it become the best selling non-fiction book of the past century?

My answer: Deep within, even beyond purpose (but interconnected to purpose – as we will see) the question of meaning dwells. People need to know that life is meaningful. And not just life in general, but their lives are meaningful. People need to know that the mundane & grinding activities of life are not useless & trivial pursuits.

If I may be honest with you, I am in the same boat. With all the life moments that seem meaningless, I need to know that meaning exists. For if the contrary is true, life would truly be absurd and nothing at all would matter in the end.

What would a life without meaning actually be like? Why would one live without a reason to? Those that do not experience meaning, either directly or indirectly, may find themselves in a meaningless existence and depression develops.

For many people in modern day America depression is common. Many millions experience depression in the form of mental illness, but most of our depressed people experience what psychologists would term “general anxiety.” Clients report that their unwillingness to work at a job, cook for their family, go to school, do chores around the house, etc., is due to the fact that they have lost the meaning in it. That they find no reason to do this or that and the “I am supposed to do it” reason just increases their depression…Clearly, for those in this state, this is not a good reason and truly points to the fact that no meaning exists in the activity.

Meaning is so vital to each and every life. We all must find meaning in life and embrace it. We all need to know our reason for being.

Have you ever wondered whether life is meaningful or meaningless?

While this is an ancient question, the answers still may not be obvious to everyone today. So what about you? When asked directly whether life is meaningful or meaningless, could you give an answer? Or how would you answer this question “Is my life meaningful?”

If it’s a quick answer but not a good answer, you may want to read on. If it’s good answer but it takes some time to explain it, you may want to read on. If you have no answer, you may need to read on.

For in this article, I will attempt to answer the questions “Is life meaningful or meaningless” and “If life is meaningful or meaningless, what would the result be?” I contend that life is meaningful and as a result, we can fulfill our destiny by actualizing our specific meaning if we choose to. This I will show by uncovering the nature of meaning through investigating the primary and secondary questions of life that we all ask ourselves. Also, I will investigate pertinent books of modern literature and the Bible to determine the competing alternative answers to the above questions and which answer is the most reasonable, attractive, and compelling.

But before we tackle these mega questions and answers, let us first consider some major life questions & the nature of meaning to help us understand the parameters of this issue and how the issue of meaning is applicable to our overall life.

Initial Framework: Life & the Nature of Meaning

The Meaning Questions of Life

Out of all the deep life questions and tough decisions that one could wrestle with throughout one’s life, the question of meaning takes center stage. Consider the following questions:

Who should I marry?

Where should I live?

Where should I go to college?

What do I want my retirement to look like?

How many kids should I have?

How much money to spend on this or that?

Well you may say, “but what about the people experiencing extreme poverty, war, genocide, rape? They would not ask these sorts of questions? They are just thinking about how to survive. I agree. So, the life question then becomes: How do I survive? This is just an obvious essential question – to which we shall now come to.

This above list of questions could be considered practical questions. Practical questions are those that are latent with meaning. That is, the practical questions are derived from meaning, not the other way around.

But the practical questions above could be more easily answered if one has answered the overarching and more essential questions of life. Here are some more essential meaning questions of life:

Where did I come from?

Why am I here?

Where am I going?

What is my purpose?

Was I made for something?

What should I do with myself?

Do I have particular talents or gifts?

Where the former set of questions spoke of actions, the latter set speak of direction. Where the former set referred to preference, the latter refer to value. Where the former imply interest, the latter imply aboutness. The former set, then, are the secondary questions, the latter are the primary questions. If one can answer the latter set, one can more easily answer the former set.

In either case, each practical and essential question infers meaning in 3 ways: direction, value, and aboutness.

First, they are questions of our lives and are not in & of themselves obviously related to meaning but they postulate a visible tangible action based on a hidden intangible direction. These questions steer our life one direction or another. Meaning is driving the question to get to a solution in a life situation. (I.e., the meaning is the horse that pulls the cart of the questions; the questions are not the horse that pulls the meaning.) A solution may be good or bad. The answers may make or break us.

Second, they are questions of value not desire. Desire is based on preference which changes as often as the tide. But value is like the root from which a plant sprouts, takes shape, and produces more life. For human beings, this deepest value is meaning. Meaning is the core value of a seed, i.e. what the plant becomes is according to its nature, according to that which it was meant to be. Its being has to do with meaning. A man’s being has to do with the root of meaning from which he comes. The questions grow from and are an indicator of this root.

Third, rather than interest, these are questions of aboutness. We all have a quality that philosophers call “aboutness”. Our lives, every one of us, is about something. There is no one born who is not about at least one thing. Aboutness is an essential “property” of the human soul. It is what sets us apart from animals. What your aboutness is, differs from the next persons. One man’s aboutness is another man’s disinterest. As we shall see, it is the aboutness that sheds light on the meaning of one’s life.

Overall and more importantly, if one understands his meaning to life, one can then understand his direction, value, and aboutness. Or vice versa, if one discovers one’s direction, value, and aboutness, one can discover one’s meaning in life. Each primary meaning question and answer yield fruit that connect the tree to the root, the energy to the generator, the life to the liver.

The Nature of Meaning

Let us now consider the meaning of meaning or the nature of meaning.

Webster’s New 20#039;; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">^th Century Dictionary (unabridged) states that meaning is “that which is intended to be, or in fact is, conveyed, denoted, signified, or understood by acts or language; the sense, signification, or import of words; significance; force. Sense, understanding, knowledge.”

Helpful, perhaps?…If not, try on another’s definition:

Dictionary.com defines meaning this way: 1. what is intended to be, or actually is, expressed or indicated; signification; import: the three meanings of a word. 2. the end, purpose, or significance of something.

Sounds good? In an attempt to clarify further, I will offer some of my own understanding of the nature of meaning:

Epistemologically: Meaning establishes truth, grounds knowledge, and designs existence.

Metaphysically: Meaning is a form of an object’s function, duration, and even essence. Meaning’s object is an object. Meaning is reality in a moment or an indefinite amount of time. Meaning can be willed and accepted.

Causally: Meaning follows words, fluctuates in words, and contextualizes words. Meaning brightens, defines, and realizes a quality. Meaning correctly adjusts the subject to the object. Meaning is proactive rather than reactive. Meaning is empowering and liberating. Meaning is not neutral, but divisive, decisive, and demanding. Meaning creates and destroys, surrounds and protects, but cannot be destroyed.

Ethically or Aesthetically: Meaning is healthy, life giving, and bountiful. Meaning corresponds to hope and at times hopelessness, whereas meaninglessness corresponds only to hopelessness.

Let us move forward with that. Now that we have some hard definitions of meaning in mind, let us attempt to understand meaning in by some influential authors. In our review of these authors we will also attempt to determine their conclusions as to whether life is meaningful or not?

Syntopical Discussion: Is Life Meaningful or Meaningless? What is the result?

To help us answer our questions “Is life meaningful or meaningless?” and “If life is meaningful or meaningless, what would the result be?” let us consult others who have written widely on such topics. As expected, when examining great authors of modern and ancient literature, answers to these questions range dramatically across the spectrum as follows:

1. Life is not meaningful and everything is meaningless;
2. Life is not meaningful but freedom can be found;
3. Life appears meaningless, but meaning exists only in appropriate contexts such as loving relationships;
4. Life is meaningful for those who choose to create meaning;
5. Life is meaningful (with or without God) because meaning just exists.
6. Life is meaningful because God exists and ordained life to show His meaning.
7. Life is meaningful because God exists and has created meaning for us.

These views seem to represent many of the views I have encountered in my study. Other views could exist but would fall somewhere within those breakpoints of the spectrum. While it would be difficult to address all of these views, I will attempt to examine what I think are the most important: 2, 3, 5 & 6.

Let us consider a few pertinent pieces of modern literature written during the existentialist movement & the Bible. We will examine & analyze the views of the following authors with their respective works which contribute to our discussion of our questions: Albert Camus’ view in The Stranger, Thornton Wilder’s view in The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Victor Frankl’s view in Man’s Search for Meaning, Solomon’s view in Ecclesiastes, & the views of others authors of the Bible.

• Albert Camus would say that life is not meaningful rather it is meaningless, thus there is no reason for my existence which gives more freedom.
• Thornton Wilder has a different take on it: Life appears meaningless, but meaning exists in the appropriate love of relationships. But Wilder’s character, Brother Junipero, has even a different take on it: Life is meaningful because God ordained it that way to show His meaning.
• Victor Frankl: Life is meaningful and one can choose to embrace his responsibility to live with meaning.
• Solomon: Without God, life is meaningless.
• Bible: Life is meaningful because God exists and has created meaning for us to fulfill.

Albert Camus in The Stranger

The Stranger is a book written by the existentialist atheist, novelist, and playwright, Albert Camus. The protagonist, Meursault, is at the dawn of his execution for murder. He is battling ideas with a jail chaplain who comes to discuss salvation with him.

“Nothing, nothing mattered, and I knew why. So did he. Throughout the whole absurd life I’d lived, a dark wind had been rising toward me from somewhere deep in my future, across years that were still to come, and as it passed, this wind leveled whatever was offered to me at the time…What did other people’s deaths or a mother’s love matter to me; what did his God or the lives people choose or the fate they think they elect matter to me when we’re all elected by the same fate, me and billions of privileged people like him who also called themselves my brothers? Couldn’t he see, couldn’t he see that? Everybody was privileged…The others would all be condemned, too.”

Finally, for the first time, at the end of the book, Meursault displays emotion, erupts with aggression even, when pressed that God and the Christian worldview is more certain than life and death – than his being alive at the moment and his coming death in the next moment.  Outraged he attacks the chaplain because God would also bring a concept of hope for the condemned. But hope could not change his outcome; hope could only bring more restlessness.

Although chance and will seem to be real, the only reality we know with certainty is that fate always wins. By the decisions we make, we seem to be the deciders of our destiny; however death is inevitable to all. Life continues for others after we die, but the machine of life is indifferent to the affairs of humans; the “imperturbable march of events”, leads to an end for all eventually. Therefore, our decisions don’t change the certain future; so nothing matters.

But this was not a despairing moment for Meursault, because at this point he was able to realize and embrace freedom. That early morning, before the sun rose, he emerged from his dark cell of inanimate stones a victor. Here he embraces hopelessness and indifference: “And I felt ready to live again too. As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with the signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world.” For Meursault, life is better & more attractive to live in light of that existential thought. There is more freedom to live without false hope or illusory meaning.

So for Camus (through the character Mersault): Life is not meaningful and this gives more freedom.

Thornton Wilder in The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Thornton Wilder wrote an excellent classic fiction novel that is apologetically relevant to the concept of meaning. The wildly acclaimed novel was one of Wilder’s first works which quickly launched him into worldwide fame. The honor & accolades he attained was well deserved as the he brilliantly described colonized Peru in the 18^th century.  You can’t help believing that he was there living and observing the people and events of the account first hand. (Apparently, this book was made into a film in 2004 starring Robert Di Niro and Kathy Bates. I have not seen it as of the time of this writing.)

The plot is basically that a lofty rope bridge spanning over a gorge collapsed and 5 people died. This so bewildered and troubled the people of Lima that they never forgot it.

Why those 5 on that particular day? What pattern or commonality seen in those 5 lives that could make sense and show some sort of meaning for such a meaningless tragedy? As Wilder puts it, “Some say that we shall never know and that to the gods we are like flies that the boys kill on a summer day, and some say, on the contrary, that the very sparrows do not lose a feather that has not been brushed away by the finger of God.” For Wilder, regardless of divine intention being ill or good, it is “either we live by accident and die by accident, or we live by plan and die by plan.”

But, it so happened that a Franciscan monk, Brother Junipero, coincidentally was there to witness the catastrophe.  He ventured to discover the meaning behind why the bridge which “seemed to be among the things that last forever…should break.” He set out to prove that God intended these 5 to go at that time and place according to God’s plan and demonstration of wisdom. That pain was inserted for their own good. This event would prove to converts God’s divine providence and direction as 5 lives were bound by 1 fate; that these 5 were “a perfect whole.” He had always wanted to show that theology is pertinent just as the other “exact sciences” so that man could know with certainty God’s meaning for life’s circumstances. For Junipero, “people were always looking for good sound proofs; doubt springs eternal in the human breast, even in countries where the Inquisition can read your very thoughts in your eyes.”

Junipero’s research led him to the conclusion that the good of the 5 were taken early to Heaven and the wicked were visited with destruction. In the collapse of the bridge, pride and wealth were exposed as sin and the virtue of humility was crowned. It appears that the meaning of the bridges collapse was connected to the exemplification of the unhealthy love as a preliminary form of perfect love in some of the characters. Thus, due to divine intention to end misery and honor the honorable based on this pattern found in the victims, the bridge collapsed.

However, this is not proven or provable. But, the view of Brother Junipero remained the same: Life is meaningful because God ordained it that way to show His meaning. Life without meaning is as meaningless as a bridge without a gorge. The bridge existed for the gorge and the ultimate purpose of the bridge’s collapse only becomes apparent in light of their lives and God’s intervention. Junipero was later burned at the stake as a heretic for this conclusion.

But the author Wilder draws his own conclusions. Correlation does not imply causation. But more importantly, divine intention as a conclusion from such induction ought not to be even considered more than speculation. So what was the meaning for the bridge’s collapse?

Wilder concurs that there was a central pattern in the lives of the victims, it was the central passion of love. The characters were shown to experience the longings and shortcomings of their imperfect and unhealthy love for others. He elaborates:

“…[they] had never realized any love save love as passion. Such love, though it  expends itself in generosity and thoughtfulness, though it give birth to visions and great poetry, remains among the sharpest expressions of self-interest…Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning.”

These lives had exterior circumstances that thwarted any purer love within, such that selfishness emerged stronger. Love was essential to their lives, but their love was uncontrolled and dangerous. Their love, Wilder gathers, is what they were remembered for and meant for. It gave their life meaning.

Other commentators on the book elaborate on Wilder this way: “Those who remain alive as well as those who die on the bridge suffer through the preliminary stages of love until they reach an enlightenment that brings the full knowledge and reward of love…We can never be assured of Divine Intention in every movement on earth, but the bridge of love that connects one another gives dignity and purpose to the lowliest of lives.”

With that said, we can conclude this coincidence of their love was not the reason for the bridges collapse. The bridges collapse seemed to show some divine connection but in reality no connection existed. So for Wilder, the cause of the collapse is unknown, however, the result of the collapse was 2 fold: that brother Junipero’s solution led to his death by the religious authority and that meaning becomes apparent and exists in appropriate loving relationships.

Victor Frankl in Man’s Search for Meaning

About 70 years ago a prominent Jewish psychiatrist, Victor Frankl, was imprisoned in Auschwitz, Germany. He endured the mental, emotional, and physical suffering of the concentration camp during the peak of the Holocaust and WWII. As he watched countless comrades and loved ones tortured, gassed, and humiliated like swine, he sought to understand the meaning of it all. His international groundbreaking book on logotherapy describes the disgustingly hellish conditions he survived through and his revolutionary psychological framework of meaning that developed out of it. The book is titled “Man’s Search for Meaning.”

In his book, Frankl develops the main points of his “logotherapy” from the observations he made in the camp. When “inmates” were about to suffer, he observed their attitude. He writes

“If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death…The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails…gives him ample opportunity to add deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, undignified and unselfish. In the bitter fight for self preservation he may forget his human dignity and become no more than an animal…And this decides whether he is worthy of his sufferings or not.”

Frankl goes on to describe how fellow inmates needed a future reason to live for. Someone or something outside of themselves to make it through the suffering for. It could have been a career, like speech pathology, or a daughter or son. Whatever it was, it was their “future goal.” He quotes Nietzsche who says “He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.” For those who could not find this future goal, he writes, “life for such people became meaningless.”

To try to explain or express Frankl’s words would be an injustice as he is so direct in his own teaching. So I will provide some quotes to simply show off his take on our meaning:

• “They must not lose hope but should keep their courage in the certainty that the hopelessness of our struggle did not detract from its dignity and its meaning.”
• “We were not hoping for happiness-it was not that which gave us courage and gave meaning to our suffering, our sacrifices and our dying. For us, the meaning of life embraced the wider cycles of life and death, of suffering and of dying.”
• “Logotherapy focuses rather on the future, that is to say, on the meanings to be fulfilled by the patient in his future.”
• “Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.”
• “When the impossibility of replacing a person is realized, it allows the responsibility which a man has for his existence and its continuance to appear in all its magnitudes. A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life.”
• “According to logotherapy, we can discover this meaning in life in 3 different ways, 1) by creating a work or doing a deed; 2) by experiencing something or encountering someone; 3) by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering.”
• “Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.”
• “We had to learn ourselves and furthermore, we had to teach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We need to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life-daily and hourly…”

What does “life expect from us?” In these passages, he is clear that there is a future purpose to which we are called to live for. Frankl urged his fellow inmates to live on in spite of the inhumane and grotesque treatment. Frankl is calling his readers to realize the existential vacuum, distress, and despair and fulfill a meaning, closing the “gap between what one is and what one should become.”

Why? Because person is needed in this world to do the thing and be the person that only they could do and be. Each and every one of us can fulfill the role only given to us. No one can live in my shoes and be the brother, friend, son, father, writer, thinker, creator, artist, player, evangelist, engineer, etc. Only I can do that and be that. No one can take my place. If I don’t do and be, it won’t get done and relationships would be left wanting.

So for Victor Frankl, life is meaningful and one can choose to embrace his responsibility to live with meaning.

Solomon in Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 1 is a powerful piece of ancient writing. It was scribed around 1000 B.C. by King Solomon of Israel. Known in his time, for his wisdom and favor from the Lord of Israel, Solomon governed Israel into its golden age. After many years of building, peace, and prosperity, Solomon penned 3 canonical books of the Old Testament, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Let us take a peak at Ecclesiastes chapter 1 to see just how this ancient mind arrived at his view.

“The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What profit hath man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun? One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever. The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to its place where it ariseth. The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it turneth about continually in its course, and the wind returneth again to its circuits. All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again. All things are full of weariness; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun…I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have gotten me great wisdom above all that were before me in Jerusalem; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a striving after wind. For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow…Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.”

In this passage Solomon is pretty aware that things aren’t as great as they seem. After living life with so much fame, fortune, education, blessing, and favorable relationships, Solomon laments here that its all vanity, meaningless, and worthless. To help explain Solomon, St. Augustine (a great theologian in church history) used this analogy: It is like God is the sun and when we run away from him we run into our own shadow. This is the perspective of Solomon, as he is not looking at things in the light of God. Thus, he sees things in darkness and concludes life is meaningless.

There have been many times where I have felt like Solomon. I have had to really search God out in my moments of meaninglessness – many times, I might add, to no avail. But answers in the hear and now are often times hard to come by, especially in times of immense emotional pain and sorrow. Perhaps the vanity of the pain is the worse part about the time going through it. But God is not scared of pain like we are. As C.S. Lewis ensures in The Problem of Pain, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” This is for sure. Pain is the ultimate wake up call. The questions are always, to what or to whom caused this and to where or to whom do we look for answers?

For Solomon, only bad answers can be found without God. For without God, every activity, pursuit, achievement, gain, advancement, and all of life is meaningless.

Bible

Throughout the Bible, the teaching is clear, that life is meaningful because God exists and has created a divine way for each life to embrace the meaning He gave. We are designed and created for a purpose. Even in what seems to be meaninglessness, there is meaning – which may never be discovered or may not be discovered till a later time. God created meaning. This world is full of meaning because God exists. There is meaning to my existence.

Let us examine briefly some passages that teach this.

• “For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.”  (Psalm 139:13-16)
• “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
• “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
• “Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit.” (John 15:16)

Rick Warren would sum up the Bible’s view on life this way Purpose #1: You Were Planned for God's Pleasure (Worship); Purpose #2: You Were Formed for God's Family (Fellowship); Purpose #3: You Were Created to Become Like Christ (Discipleship); Purpose #4: You Were Shaped for Serving God (Ministry); Purpose #5: You Were Made for a Mission (Mission).

Thus, for the other authors of the Bible, life is meaningful because God exists and has created a meaning for us to fulfill.

Evaluation & Implication:

Lets repeat for clarity the alternative views:

• Life is not meaningful rather it is meaningless, thus there is no reason for my existence which gives more freedom.
• Life appears meaningless, but meaning exists in the appropriate love of relationships. But Wilder’s character, Brother Junipero, has even a different take on it: Life is meaningful because God ordained it that way to show His meaning.
• Life is meaningful and one can choose to embrace his responsibility to live with meaning.
• Without God, life is meaningless.
• Life is meaningful because God exists and has created meaning for us to fulfill.

From these points of view it is possible to gather the following results:

• If life is meaningful, there is a reason for my existence.
• If life is meaningless, there is no reason for my existence.
• If meaning can be created in life, there is a reason for my existence.
• If meaning cannot be created in life, there is no reason for my existence.

Which implication is the most difficult to embrace? Which implication is the most absurd?

Obviously, the conclusion that “there is no reason for my existence” is absurd. Who can live like that and function in reality? There is no practical way one could live life with the conclusion that there is no reason for my existence. If you would disagree, I would respectfully dare you to try to live like there is no reason for your existence. Surely, this would quickly lead to depression or chaos.

Let’s think just how troublesome meaningless sounds. C.S. Lewis provides an enlightening example of chess in The Problem of Pain. Lewis describes a game with one player playing by the rules and another making them up as he goes. Every change of turn only breeds more randomness and chaos. Well, meaningless is like we are playing in the game of life but there are no rules. So, chaos is our sole reality and there is no way to win the game.

And if I considered meaninglessness, I could easily think of the endless sea of needy humanity in developing countries, there is a temptation to think that all the efforts of NGO’s, non-profits, ministries, and churches amount to just a drop in the ocean.  After looking at all of the horrible needs of this world, it would be only human to think “What can we do? How can we make a difference in a world of such massive and brutal injustice?”(Gary Haugen, Good News About Injustice) And in the end I could empathize with Solomon when he said that all was meaningless. Such a hopeless view.

So how mankind finds a sense of meaning in meaninglessness is amazing and bizarre. Let’s continue to consider the existential view at its best before moving on: Camus says elsewhere, “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart.” Mankind is ultimately negotiating his way through a complicated history towards a meaningful existence. Man wants more than the bare earth and sky. He wants to explore. So man tends to get creative and build. Societies, cultures, infrastructure, and development begins. Man is in control of his own fate. Man creates meaning for his being. But out of this nothingness and lostness, man creates something and goes somewhere. Existential hope emerges. There can be courage to live another day.

But I am not so sure that this struggle and progress is that fulfilling in and of itself. Rather it seems struggle and progress with a purpose would be preferable.

While the humanistic existential view is somewhat attractive, at its best, the issue comes down to this: who is the source of meaning? Man or God? For as Nancy Pearcy writes in Total Truth, “Every system of thought begins with some ultimate principle. If it does not begin with God, it will begin with some dimension of creation – the material, the spiritual, the biological, the empirical or whatever.” What we “find” as the source of meaning, determines how we view our meaning.

The Christian view contends that God, not man, is the source of the meaning, general and specific. God is the creator of general objective meaning, that is, the universal meaning. Also, God is the creator of specific meaning for each and every one of our lives.

The Christian view is preferable and makes the most sense when one considers the nature of the universal concept of meaning. I would refer the reader back to that section and contemplate meaning in light of man creating it. Perhaps you could see, as I have, the impossibility not in creating just specific meaning in a setting or culture or about a thing, but in creating the universal concept of meaning itself – the very concept, entity, notion of meaning itself. It seems only God could be the source of such a thing. This leads to the following lines of thought in the Christian view:

1. Man searches for meaning because he is a purpose driven creature.
2. Nothing exists on earth that can ultimately fulfill his search for meaning.
3. But man has not found the answer and continues to search and this points to a deeper meaning.
4. There exists something outside of space, time, and other creatures that can satisfy the deepest search of meaning.
5. That something is God.

In other words, the universal concept of meaning is grounded in God, and from there all meaning is rooted. That is, God is the source of all general meaning from which all specific meaning flows.

With this in mind, let us consider and compare Frankl’s view with the Biblical one. Frankl and the Bible both contend that there is a meaning to be fulfilled by each and every one of us, specific meaning. This is such an enlightening and hopeful view that highly encourages me. My efforts or lack thereof, my love or lack thereof, my passion or lack thereof, affect this world in positive or negative ways. What I do and who I am counts in this world. The decisions I make matter. The principles and priorities I have matter. Every day I am on a mission to do the things and become the person only I can be to the world.

Also, Frankl and the Bible agree in terms of the sufferings we endure in this life. There is a future purpose of our lives and all of time that we can all choose to embrace. This future experience will make sense of our meaningless sufferings in the here and now. For the Christian the suffering is permitted by God for the building and sharpening of our faith and character so that we can enter the afterlife bringing the most glory to God possible. God and His people, including ourselves, will marvel at the work He has done in our lives, showing off His endless grace and mercy toward us. For Frankl, life itself is the creator of meaning, rather than God. That is, meaning just exists in this world and we ourselves actualize our own specific meaning.

Frankl has a lot right and almost hit the nail on the head, except that his view that life is the source of the specific meaning of a life is incoherent and too abstract. How could life be the source of meaning? It would have to be pre-existing. Could life itself be the pre-existing source? Well if one deems this possible, I would recommend that he would encounter Aristotle. As this would lead to an infinite regress which ought to be rejected in light of Aristotle’s First Cause principle that every effect must have a cause. Thus, life as the source of meaning ought to be rejected. Unless, “life” itself was in fact an all-powerful, un-beginning, First Cause deity.

Alternatively, the Bible shows that God is the source of meaning. Man was created by God to fulfill a specific purpose and destiny he designed us and only us for. Now this is not to say that man cannot fulfill a different purpose and destiny. Man can choose any life path he wants. However, God created and designed us to do and be specific things and people. In the end, each and every one of us can contribute to His general purpose and plan for the entire Universe by choosing His specific purpose and plan for our lives.

Additionally, the Bible teaches that man is made in the image of God thus we can be creative with God. He can participate in the redeeming all of Creation back to God with the specific artistic talent, ingenuity, and care that He has instilled within us. We can design and create beautiful, purposeful, and meaningful things, places, and events just as He does. This includes past pains. Life can be restored to its original beauty, purpose, and meaning with God. It’s never too late with God, for “He has made everything beautiful in its time, He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Solomon in Ecclesiastes)

So, like Frankl, the biblical authors agree - that there is a meaning for each and every one of us to actualize - but the only difference is in Frankl’s view the source of meaning is mistakenly placed.

Conclusion

Overall, it seems clear from our investigations into the nature of meaning and the pertinent books of modern literature and the Bible that the most reasonable, attractive, and compelling view to hold is that life is meaningful and as a result, we can fulfill our destiny by actualizing our specific meaning if we choose to. Whereas the alternative worldviews advocate a lesser form of meaning or no meaning at all. Therefore, they are less reasonable, attractive, and compelling. So we are left with a very rational result: that there is reason for my existence. This implication, can easily be reached just by acknowledging that God exists.

Furthermore, life is so much more meaningful because God exists than in any other view. God’s being is the truest source of being to which we were made in the image of and from. For His existence is the pre-existing source of all existence. So, our meaning is derived from our being which is derived from His purest form. As Solomon later says, “To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness.”

In light of this, the Christian worldview seems the most favorable view to adopt because it makes sense of all of reality as a whole - bringing the most meaning to everything – including our nature. It seems to provide for our nature to align with the true nature of being as uncovered above. Based on that, the Christian worldview corresponds to the most meaningful existence one can have.

Recommendation & Inspiration

God has created you for a purpose and wants to fill your life with great joy in pursuing what he has designed you to do. So I invite you to lay your life down for His will, throw yourself into the divine destiny He has for you, and become the being He designed and created you to be.

Life may feel very meaningless right now for many Christians and non-Christians. Perhaps you the reader are in a place of meaninglessness and don’t have any sense of direction, value, and  aboutness. Maybe you are experiencing chaos and absurdity. My word for you echoes that of Brennan Manning in his heart touching book Abba’s Child, “With infinite patience He (will illuminate) the meaning of life and refreshed the weariness of (your) defeated days.”

May I invite you to refresh yourself in the spring of purpose. Jesus said “I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) First, by encountering our Creator himself we can begin to fulfill our purpose. Augustine sums it up well when he said that “you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” That would be the place to start. The second step I would offer is to adopt the famous Westminster Catechism (1647) which states that the chief end of man is “to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” I doubt you can go wrong with these steps.

With this passage in Ephesians 1:4-12 I leave you to actualize your meaning:

“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him, in love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.”

Identity, Archeology, and Israel

Written by Jeremy Livermore | 23 June 2009
Posted in Blogs - Jeremy Livermore

Perhaps it is somehow paradoxically true that anthropology comes before theology and theology comes before anthropology. That is, knowing ourselves comes before we can know God while knowing God comes before we can know ourselves. Perhaps this dilemma just recognizes that the 2 go hand in hand. They build and feed off of each other. My journey as a man seems to be marked with moments of knowing myself as a human being with human desires, emotions, weaknesses, etc and this helps me to know God a little bit better. My journey as a Christian seems to be marked with moments of knowing God by understanding his identity, power, emotions, etc and this helps me to know myself a little bit better. If man is made in the image of God, this makes sense. Overall, knowing myself and knowing God help me know God and know myself better…This sounds basic but how does one begin?

This is quite the epistemological question. But a very simple place to begin is to appropriately understand the past.

Consider this notion: "If you don’t know where you came from, it is harder to know the reason for being where you are." …Is this true for your life? Consider getting to know your family. Have you had talks with your grandparents or parents about why they moved to a certain region where you grew up? What brought them there? Why did you grow up the way you did? Why were you raised in this church or parish or whatever? I recently had a long talk with my father about these very points. It was very enlightening to me to learn that due to his frustration working as a warehouse forklift fetcher (a person who rides on the forks of the lift up and down to fetch boxes) in college, he decided to change majors from English to Accounting and move further from Los Angeles to raise a family. This ensured a better paying job upon graduation and safeguarded against a crappy job relapse. My father’s history is what led us to the city, local neighborhood, church, and lifestyle 1 hour’s drive east of Los Angeles. I would have never known why I lived where I lived if I never knew where I came from.

Or if you like: "If you don’t know where you came from, it’s harder to know why you live the way you live." For example, a friend of mine, who loves licorice and can eat it by the 1 lb package, recently traveled to Arizona to visit her father who was vacationing there. During her road trip there, she stopped to buy one of her token 1 lb licorice packages to consume as her breakfast on the journey. For her entire life she has had very little contact and interaction with her father. Upon arrival at the vacation home she noticed that he had the same 1 lb package of licorice sitting on the coffee table – half consumed. She came to understand that this knack or instinct, as well as other likes and dislikes, mannerisms, and of course physical features, resembled her father's. Although living distant from her father, the very source of her life in a genetic sense, she lived her life with similar characteristics of him. She would have never known why she lives the way she lives if she never knew where she came from.

In many ways, shapes, and forms, by knowing where we come from we can know why we are where we are and why we live the way we live.

In the case of my trip to Israel, this was the case in a most reorienting way. One can go to Israel and see the churches built over the sites of Jesus’ miracles and understand why we are where we are (spiritually speaking) and why we (as Christians) live the way we live. There is so much archeological and historical evidence that supports what the Biblical writers wrote. On my trip, for instance, it was easy for my faith to be built and strengthened when perusing around in the church of the Holy Sepulcher, cruising around Meggido where Josiah was slain by pharaoh Neco, and peering into the grottos of Nazareth. My Christian walk is tied to actual historical events and places.

At the same time, on the same trip, I actually felt disconnected from my Christian origins and I could not understand a bit how people could derive such Christianity and Catholicism - throughout the years of Christendom - from such an ancient culture. Christian life was hard then. But it was also simpler. But our modern churches, worship services, congregational dynamics, programs, non-profits, retreats, dress attire, monks, nuns, buildings, etc. are so complex. What a vast contrast. I can’t help to think that the modern Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox churches are missing the point in a very scary way. So, this disconnection – comparing a lifestyle of western Christianity with that which I learned had existed during the early church era – was disenchanting.

Overall, these 2 sides of the same coin describe my experience in Israel – bittersweet. I was able to get to know myself and God better as I was reoriented to the past. The present looks differently in the correcting light of the past. Not strange but just…different.
Additionally, the present nation of Israel is quite correcting.

Israel Today

Israel is such an interesting place in that, the place that gave birth to Christianity shows no upfront obvious indication of Christianity today. Out of a nation of 7 million, there are only 200,000 Christians in Israel today, where 50% are orthodox and 50% are catholic. There are virtually no Protestant believers. Except for the via delorosa, with almost hidden roman numerals on some walls in the "old city" Jerusalem, there are no signs indicating that this is where Jesus did this or that. Except for the tour buses and hard to find historical churches, the entire country seems virtually clueless to the places & life of Jesus.

I found myself thinking, "The Holy Land"? Really? Is that what this place is? What is Holy about this Land?" In my point of view there is nothing Holy about the land. But there is something indescribably raw about this place on planet earth called Israel. Tensions in the streets of Jerusalem are completely obvious. The preaching over the loud speaker at the nearby mosque can be heard by everyone within the few adjacent blocks - including the orthodox Jews as they get on and off city buses. Of course no one can miss these Jews, as their attire is striking. From the strange looks from young Arab teens as I cross the street to the passing of several casually armed chatty 18 year old girl soldiers, I can quickly see that these people are not only unique to me, but unequally passionate.

Passionate.

Passion is what describes the Israelis or Jewish people. Passion is what describes the Arab Muslim Isreali citizens and the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza. Passion is what described the first Apostles and the enraged crusaders!

Passion for what? Passion for God and passion for the land. The land of Palestine is the battle ground for God. It is the birthplace of the world’s monotheistic religions. So, the heirs of the land, sons and daughters of Abraham, all want it for themselves.

Why? This goes back to the original paradox of anthropology and theology mentioned above. The God of Abraham is the ultimate origin of why this place is the way it is and why the people live the way they live. All branches stem from him. The Ishmael lineage, the Isaac lineage, and the adopted-in Christian lineage all stem from Abraham’s God. To be the people of God - to get in touch with their history, to live there, to thrive there - is the ultimate way to capture their true destiny. By physically being there, where it all started and their history erupted, they can very easily embrace their history. This enables them to know their true identity and know their God. Have you ever been back to the place you grew up years later? The sights, sounds, and smells trigger the memory and one can almost go back in time, reliving an event. Many times emotions erupt again as if the painful or joyful event was happening at present. Thus, the passion.

Furthermore, the people of the land must defend the attacker to contend for the place that is God’s and thus maintain their inherent identity. The fighting, wars, occupations, and all invasions make sense in light of this.

As a result, the people of the land resemble their God. Passionate. I like how C.S. Lewis put it, "'Safe?' said Mr. Beaver...'Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.'" (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis). Our God is passionately good. Our God is not safe – He wants His ways by any means. Even and especially pain. "For He wounds but He also binds up…He injures but His hands also heal." (Job 5:17-18). We Christians often forget that the God we serve is a passionate, vengeful, and just God. We have a tendency of "nicing" the Old Testament with clever theories to reconcile a wayward conversation with a non-believer. He is unpredictably real and raw. The people of the land of Israel are unpredictably real and raw. They have been through a lot. But they resemble the real and raw God they came from. How well do I resemble the real and raw God I came from?

On the other hand, an unquestionable Christian resemblance, which is not quickly noticed to the naked eye, appears in Israel upon a deeper look. In order to find my connection in Israel - in order to find the source for the reason why I live how I live - I had to consider why God is not limited to a location on this planet. Because of Jesus, the floodgates of all of humanity - Jew, Muslim, Gentile, and Infidel - can know God anywhere on the planet. This is true across the pages of New Testament. Although I have no claim to the land or any passion for it as my inheritance, I have a passion infused by the Holy Spirit. Because of my adoption I am "joint heirs" (Romans 8:17) to a royal destiny and identity. Thus I am related to the Jew…(but not so much the Muslim). Thus, by embracing my heritage, I invigorate my passion and defend against the attacker of Christianity to contend for the place that is God’s – spiritually and intellectually.
Overall, Israel is intense to say the least.

At this point we will take a turn and move a different direction. No report on a trip to Israel would be adequate if it did not contain accounts of the archeological finds that validate the reality of the Jews that live there and Christians abroad.

Some Interesting apologetical items:

Byzantine church Mosaics

In the 4th century, after the conversion of the Roman emperor Constantine to Christianity, Helena, Constantine’s Mother, went to Israel to discover the sites that were important to the Christian faith. She designated holy places and venerated many particular sites where a significant New Testament miracle was performed, including where Jesus was born, died, and resurrected.

At many of these places, Helena ordered a church to be built. These Byzantine churches were usually small, perhaps the size of a modern house. On the floor a beautiful tile mosaic was usually laid depicting fish or something of historical relevance to the Christian site. Throughout the centuries of invasions, wars, and earthquakes, the original church was destroyed. But the ornate Byzantine mosaics still exist beneath the later crusader floor mosaic or later modern era mosaic which repeated the same design. Additionally, some churches were rebuilt in such a way that the new mosaic floor connected to the original Byzantine mosaic, interwoven to produce the same design. The only difference one could tell between the Byzantine mosaic and the later mosaic is the Byzantine mosaic is faded.

It was really amazing to be standing on the same floor that early Christians and church fathers stood on. You know that saying "Being there is everything", well it was true in this case. At many moments, with the help of our good tour guide, I felt like I traveled back in time and could picture what it was attend a church service at that ancient Byzantine basilica. These moments were not just limited to the Byzantine church ruins. I found that I could easily imagine what it would have been walk in Caesarea, Capernaum, Nazareth, Skythopolis, and Meggido. It is hard to describe but going back in time is somewhat close.

Continuing Archeological Finds:

During our trip, President Obama was visiting with the King of Saudi Arabia and making a speech in Cairo, Egypt. So we picked up some local magazines and newspapers to catch the local response to the Obama visit. While learning about the different political extremist views of the West Bank PLO, Gaza leadership, and Israeli left, we stumbled upon some articles of recent archeological discoveries in Israel. By the look of it, these were common entries in the local news. On any given day, there could be news of a different amazing artifacts dug up around Israel.

I knew Archeology has always been a major point of national pride for the modern nation. But I came to understand that there were significant continual efforts being made by the Israeli government, through many benefactors and the Hebrew University, to reclaim the history of Israel through archeology. In the last several years, there have been increased efforts and funding for more digs in regions and settlements in the West Bank recently annexed by the Israeli army. Last century, scholars in Israel and around the world have been mesmerized by monumental discoveries such as the dead sea scrolls and the walls of Jericho. Scholars are hoping that the discoveries of last century will pale in comparison to those of this century.

Some not so recent discovered archeological finds that we saw, such as the tunnels under the ancient Canaanite city of Jebus (Jerusalem), ancient high walls in Jericho, horse stables in Meggido, inscriptions of Pontius Pilate in Casearea, grottos in Nazareth, and many others, are still continual reminders to Israel and the world that the Christian faith is built on solid epistemically verifiable foundations. These and other frequent gem finds provide evidence that the description of places in the historical records of the Bible are in fact accurate. They show that the words on the pages of Scripture cannot be categorized in a myth genre. Rather these finds give readers and scholars alike continual confidence that the Bible represents historical literature that maps out historical places that actually existed in a space time reality. If the places existed, it is also highly likely that the people and events described in those places were real.

Compare the history written in the Old & New Testament to the book of Mormon. While reading Joseph Smith’s famous work last year, I was thoroughly convinced that this book, if not historically accurate, represents the greatest lie in the history of mankind. It would be infinitely more slimier in fictitious deception than the Da Vinci code, even more disgusting than any the modern suicide cults, because it is the life altering constitution of millions of good people. It is the Bible beyond the Bible of the called "Christian" Mormons. This ever growing population of brainwashed souls has been led astray by a book that speaks in a historical genre but is entirely fiction. Not one archeological find has ever been unearthed. Not one city wall, inscription in stone, temple, church, mosaic, painting, hand tool, pot, coin; nothing, nothing, nothing at all has been found that relates in any way shape or form to the places, peoples, and history described in the book of Mormon.

Thus, it is easy to conclude that if no archeological discovery has been made, the places described in the book of Mormon did not exist. If the places that people walked on and the places where events occurred did not exist, than the people and events described in the book of Mormon did not exist and were never real. It is absolutely sickening to read the book of Mormon, because it is clear that its sole purpose was to provide a believable history, written in the same genre as the historical books of the Old Testament, in order to deceive people away from true Christianity.

After reading the Old Testament for the last 20 years and knowing that there is archeological evidence that show the places written of do in fact exist, I can rest assured that my belief system is not founded on a myth or lie. Until an archeological discovery is made contradictory to Scripture, which there have not been any valid ones that I know of, I will continue to read the Old and New Testament as historically reliable documents.

Personal Application

In light of all of the above, I have 2 new points of growth in my own Christian walk.

First, acknowledging and learning archeology is very important.

Archeology is such an important component to our Christian apologetics. I hope that myself and other apologists dive into the realm of archeological discoveries and perhaps even participate in some digs. Roger, a fellow tourist in our group and graduate from Yale Divinity school, mentioned to me that archeological finds are a big part of the historical curriculum at Yale. Apparently most students from his Master program are required to participate in digs every summer to meet the degree requirements. I found that to be fascinating. While I would hate to be out digging in the Israeli desert all summer, it would definitely drive home the fact that an amazing and powerful history really did take place there. The dirt is waiting to give up more and more facts, it is waiting for us to learn more about our Christian heritage. So many keys of our past have been unlocked by digging in the ground. Thank God for archeology.

Secondly, learning the fascinating current and post-Christ history of the Jewish people is very important.

On this trip, I was definitely enlightened to new avenues of thought in Old Testament apologetics for my own personal Christian walk. Let me say this for the new Christian, because the word of God is alive, the reader of the Bible can be pierced to the core at the many hundreds of different types of foreshadows of Jesus that the Old Testament makes. Hopefully you know what I am talking about. If not, I beg you to begin to read the Bible.
But not only the Protestant Old Testament. What about the OT Apocrypha? Although this mainly concerns the history of the Jews, it is important for every Christian to know where the original branch has headed since Nehemiah. Why? Well in what little time I was there, I have found that as I learned to see the world and history from a Jewish perspective, I have been strengthened.

I hope that I continue to learn the history of the Israeli people by reading Josephus and the Old Testament Apocrypha. In Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus gives a parallel account of much of what is written in the OT, through the inter-testament period. Judas Maccabeus, a leader of the Jewish people around 300 B.C., was such an important figure, but I know nothing about him. This is partly due to the fact that the OT Apocrypha is non-canonical, so Protestant Bibles do not read the Apocryphal books. But it is also due to the fact that the pastor of my church growing up preached that there were no books written between the time of Nehemiah and Christ, thus the silent years. This was obviously not true as the Apocrypha as well as other books were written during that time.

This essentially is just getting to know myself in a different way by getting to know my Israeli half-siblings more. Interestingly, the same friend I mentioned above with the Dad/licorice encounter, had a similar encounter with her half sister that she had never met. One day, upon learning from her grandmother that she had a half sister, she quickly got in contact with her. When the half-sisters met, it was love at first sight. They were both around 20 years old and were ecstatic to experience almost a mirrored image of themselves. From cheeks, to eyes, to hands, to motions, to concerns, to passions, to the way they laugh, etc. The 2 were made similarly and had definitely come from a similar source. The 2 quickly became close friends. Throughout the last several years they have realized so much truth about themselves in getting to know each other.

In the same way, I hope I can meet and get to know today’s Jewish people – the Christian’s half-siblings. Because by getting to know our family, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and parents, and siblings we will see our lives in a different light. A light that makes sense of why we live the way we live.

So, I hope to seek out some American Jews and get to know them on a personal level. Although most Jews are completely in the dark about the evidence that Jesus was the Messiah, they are still the first children of God. They are, in a sense, our older estranged brothers and sisters. Perhaps we can teach them something new about Jesus and they can teach us something new about our Father.

"And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. For if thou wast cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and wast grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which are the natural branches , be grafted into their own olive tree?....

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen."(Romans 11:23-24; 33-36)

Unto the King,

Jeremy David Livermore, P.E.

Some additional items for the curious reader

Quick fun facts on modern Israel:

· The population of Israel is about 7 million. 6 million Jews and 1 million Arab Israelis. 90% of the Arab Israelis are Muslim.
· Water is the #1 problem in Israel. I found this hard to believe, not because of the how dry the climate is, but because there seems to be constant warfare, suicide bombers, and lurking enemies of the jews all around waiting to attack.
· $6.50 for a gallon of gas.
· 2% per year population increase. The average number of children per family is 3.
· School is 6 days per week.
· 90% of the water used is recycled/reclaimed water.
· The landscape, terrain, and climate is similar to central and southern California with deserts, irrigable valleys, and rolling hills.
· There is a great variety of fruits and vegetables, which are all produced from the Israeli farms. The Israelis enjoy salad and fruit with every meal. Perhaps it is still the land flowing with milk and honey.
· McDonalds and KFC are in all the major Israeli cities.
· The via Delarosa is now home to an Arab street market of vendors, clothing stores, butchers, and general markets.
Highlights of the trip:
· Because of the thick accent, little brother didn’t understand a word that the tour guide said. Ok well other than perhaps 1%, I found myself translating.
· Before we began our tour each day, we ate as much as we could pound into our stomachs. The mass quantities of Jewish dishes were pleasing to the body and soul. Although, strange and weird at times, the food satisfied.
· You can buy 2000 year old ancient Roman coins in most souvenir shops and sometimes street vendors.
· Apparently, from the history, tradition, and the massive Cathedrals built, Jesus grew up in a grotto in Nazareth and was born in a cave in Jerusalem…the reader can research this more and make up his or her own mind.

The breakdown of the sites toured:

- Jaffa – where Simon the Tanner lived.
- Caesarea – where Pontius Pilate lived most of the time he was procurator.
- Meggido – where about 20 cities were built on top of each other. Many, many, many wars were fought over this city including the battle between King Josiah and Pharaoh Necho.
- Yardenit – This is Hebrew for Jordan. The Jordan is the place that Jesus was baptized. There is some sort of touristy building on the south side of the sea of Galilee where tourists and pilgrims can be baptized. There are changing rooms, ticket counters, a series of concrete steps down into the river, and of course a gift shop. There are plenty of extremely large catfish that swim up to the baptismal entrance. On the walls of the baptismal compound the scripture of
- Sea of Galilee – The sea of Galilee is so peaceful. It is now a vacation resort area where people jet ski and ride water boats. It has a very calm and relaxing atmosphere with campgrounds and hotels galore in Tiberius which is a major city right on the lake. You would never have noticed the churches & historical places if you weren’t taken there by the tour guide. It looks like any other lake with hills surrounding it. Jesus cast many demons out, preached, and performed many miracles here, but you would never know it by the looks of things.
- Capernaum – where Jesus tought at the synagogue and stayed at Peter’s house.
- Caesarea Phillippi – where Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom and declared that upon this rock He will build His church. A temple to Caesar was built there next to the temple to the god pan, which was a roman deity.
- Golan Heights – an Israeli hideout fort on a hilltop with a panaromic view. Mount Hermon (+6000ft above sea level) and the Syrian border just is within view.
- Mount of Beatitudes – where Jesus gave the sermon on the mount.
- Beit Saida/Tabgha – where Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves of bread.
- Nazareth – where Jesus grew up. Currently, 35% of the population is Christian. This is 4 times more than any other city in Israel. It is a major metropolitan Israeli city. Interestingly, this birth city of Christ sits on a hill across the valley from the place where the famous last battle of Armegeddon is to be fought. It is a very busy city with lots of people. There is no sign of Jesus, no indication that he was here except for the big church built over the grottos where Jesus grew up. Over these grottos, early Christian basilicas were built. Presently, a monumental catholic church spans over the uncovered grottos.
- Cana – where Jesus performed his first miracle, turning water to wine.
- Valley of Hetin – in June of 1187, Solodin won a famous battle beating the crusaders. Crusaders were then forced out of the area to the coast.
- Beit She’an – an incredible Roman city, Skythopolis, was built here. Many telling ruins compel a reorienting of ones perspective on the impressiveness of the Roman empire. The city was destroyed in the great earthquake of the 8th century. The great Roman city was unearthed by archeologist last century. The the great Roman columns lay in the middle of streets and houses. Indicating the
- Dead Sea – the lowest point on earth (-1200 ft below sea level). When swimming, you float on the water. It is impossible to drown but there are lifeguards.
- Masada – where the last remnant of the Jewish zealots maintained a stand against the Roman army which crushed Jerusalem in AD 70. The stand was later
- Qumran Caves – where they found the famous dead sea scrolls.
- Jerusalem – you know the one.
- Eilat – where we rested and wake boarded at a beach resort town near the border of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.