Philos phy
InLife
Paul M. Aijian, Ph.D. Prof, of Apologetics, Talbot Theological Jsminary
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W hile the ancient Greek philoso pher had profound metaphysical and ethical notions under consid eration, it was the impact of Christian thinking which united these two fields of systematic thought into a unity with distinctive practical implica tions. Of the three questions which have been suggested in this column, “Where do we come from?” ; “What do we do while we are here?” ; and “Where are we going?,” it is the last which has been elevated to a place, of tremendous importance through the influence of Christian doctrine. Because of the heavy emphasis upon eternal life a great deal of Christian thought became a matter of the prop er preparation for this immortality. Therefore the intensely practical as pect of the Christian point of view became prominent. For the Christian philosopher there will always be an existential and eschatological aspect in all of his thinking. Contemporary philosophy of religion in America has endeav ored to play down the importance of this preparation-for-heaven part of Christian thought in favor of the temporal-social implications of the Christian message. However, this es sential element of the doctrine can not be ignored without running into the danger of distorting the whole Christian program and system until it becomes something quite foreign to its original nature. It is interesting to note that in spite of much of the modem attempt to make the Christian view more this-world conscious that it is only in those areas where eschatology and what it implies is felt that the church is accomplishing very much even on a social level. This is just another way of saying that unless philosophy has some pretty fundamental answer to the question of “Where are we going?” its attempt to control and regulate the living of the rank and file of humanity will be weakened. In that masterpiece of historical philosophy, City of God, Augustine presented his answer to the question of human destiny. His work repre sented history as a conflict between the world and the church with the
final victory belonging to the ’ City of God. The clarity of the presenta tion and the enthusiasm with which the ideal of a triumphant theocracy was accepted aided in bringing the church to a position of authority and power in a crumbling fourth century world. For all practical purposes there was no significant destiny out side the theocratic kingdom. The glory of this ideal challenged the thinking minds of that day and de termined that without question the institution which controlled the keys to this kingdom would be the au thority for all men. The period of the Middle Ages which dawned with the fall of the Roman Empire served the world, philosophically speaking, in a rather unique manner. Because of the pe culiar Christian interest in human destiny the intellectual temper of the times was particularly fitted to weld three diverse elements of civili zation into a consistent whole. First, tnere was the Greek contribution' to the thought-life of the world. The main philosophical notions and the outline of the area are essentially Greek in origin. However, the Greeks failed in their ability to keep civiliza tion from disintegrating socially and politically. Secondly, there was the Roman genius for impressing upon the world the value of organization and stability. However, the emphasis upon society rendered the individual akin to a mere cog in a machine. In this Way the Empire could not furn ish any deeply compelling motive for growth and progress. Third, there was the freshness and vitality of the Teutonic barbarian as he invaded the decadent atmosphere of the Greco- Roman world. Possessed of a rugged ness of moral character and an over whelming sense of individuality the invader was like the raw material from which a new civilization was to be fashioned. Christianity had the capacity to lift the individual to a place of importance, to establish se curity and order within personality, and to revitalize the ancient philo sophical categories with new mean ings discovered in man’s response to revealed truth. END.
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