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What Did the Philosophers Know and When Did They Know it? Part 2
Jesus told Pilate, “For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world – to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37). “Therefore see to it that the light in you is not darkness” – Jesus (Luke 11:35). While skimming a book I’d previously read entitled “The Great Philosophers: From Socrates to Foucault”, a quick summary of influential philosophers, I was sometimes struck by the darkness and futility of their ideas. Yet I was open to seeing truths that might be found within the shadows so to speak. I gleaned what truthful ideas I could from…
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The Golden Rule
We all know that “Two wrongs don’t make a right” and “A stitch in time saves nine.” These and other handy proverbs provide nutshell explanations of broader concepts. Even in first century Israel, people wanted short clarifications of complex things. In their pre-internet, pre-printing press era, Israelites exchanged information and got their educations by questioning Jewish Teachers, or Rabbis, in formal gatherings. As a Rabbi, Jesus constantly fielded questions, even from know-it-all religious leaders (Mt 22.34-36). The Israelites had numerous rules, Mosaic Law and Talmud, while Gentiles had little if any familiarity with the Old Testament, and neither knew what to do. So, when a crowd gathered on a…
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Love: Miles to Go Before I Sleep
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
