THE WISDOM OF GOD
Apostle Paul makes clear that the "wisdom of God," predated the age in which he/they lived , for he says that "wisdom" was ordained "ages" before the rulers of his world lived, so they did not know it, nor could have known of it , since they crucified its divine perfection , its earthly exemplar in the person, in the majesty of Jesus Christ.
1 Cor. 2:7-8
Conceiving ourselves as "souls that make use of bodies;" rather than as is more typically the case, human bodies that make use of souls, turns-- as does Origen in ON FIRST PRINCIPLES (2013), p. 373--totally inverts, the human epistemological paradigm from body-based to soul spirit-based, within our world.
In larger context, Origen wrote:
"This being so, we must outline what seems to us to be the marks of the true understanding of the scriptures. And in the first place we must point out that the aim of the Spirit who, by the providence of God through the Word who was 'in the beginning with God' (cf. Jn 1:1), enlightened the servants of the truth, that is , the prophets and apostles, was pre-eminently concerned with the unspeakable mysteries connected with the affairs of men--and by men I mean at the present moment souls that make use of bodies--his purpose being that the man who is capable of being taught might by 'searching out' and devoting himself to the 'deep things' (cf. 1 Cor 2:10) revealed in the spiritual meaning of the words become partaker of all the doctrines of the Spirit's counsel....
P.373-374.
"8. Now while these and similar subjects were in the mind of the Spirit who enlightened the souls of the holy servants of the truth, there was a second aim, pursued for the sake of those who were unable to endure the burden of investigating matters of such importance. This was to conceal the doctrine relating to the before-mentioned subjects in words forming a narrative that contained a record dealing with the visible creation, the formation of man and the successive descendants of the first human beings until the time when they became many; and also in other stories that recorded the acts of righteous men and the sins that these same men occasionally committed, seeing they were but human, and the deeds of wickedness, licentiousness and greed done by lawless and impious men.
"But the most wonderful thing is that by means of stories of wars and conquerors and the conquered certain secret truths are revealed to those who are capable of examining these narratives; and, even more marvelous, through a written system of law the laws of truth are prophetically indicated, all these having been recorded in a series with a power which is only appropriate to the wisdom of God. For the intention was to make even the most outer covering of the spiritual truths, I mean the bodily part of the scriptures, in many respects not unprofitable but capable of improving the multitude in so far as they receive it.
"But if the usefulness of the law and the sequence of case of the narrative were at first clearly discernible throughout, we should be unaware that there was anything beyond the obvious meaning for us to understand in the scriptures. Consequently the Word of God has arranged for certain stumbling blocks, as it were, and hindrances and impossibilities to be inserted in the midst of the law and the history, in order that we may not be completely drawn away by the sheer attractiveness of the language, and so either reject the true doctrines absolutely, on the ground that we learn from the scriptures nothing worthy of God or else by never moving away from the letter fail to learn anything of the more divine element.
"And we must also know this, that because the principle aim was to announce the connection that exists, those that have already happened and those that are yet to come to pass, whenever the Word found that things which had happened in history could be harmonized with these mystical events he used them, concealing from the multitude their deeper meaning. But wherever in the narrative the accomplishments of some particular deeds, which had been previously recorded for the sake of their more mystical meanings, did not correspond with the sequence of the intellectual truths, the scripture wove into the story something which did not happen, occasionally something which could not happen, and occasionally something which might have happened but in fact did not . Sometimes a few words are inserted which in the bodily sense are not true, and at other times a greater number.
"A similar method can be discerned also in the law, where it is often possible to find a precept that is useful for its own sake, and suitable to the time when the law was given. Sometimes, however, the precept does not appear to be useful . At other times even impossibilities are recorded in the law for the sake of the more skillful and inquiring readers, in order that these, by giving themselves to the toil of examining what is written, may gain a sound conviction of the necessity of seeking in such instances a meaning worthy of God.
"And not only did the Spirit supervise the writings which were previous to Christ, but because he is the same Spirit and proceeds from the one God he has dealt in like manner with the gospels and the writings of the apostles. For the history even of these is not everywhere pure, events being woven together in the bodily sense without having actually happened; nor do the law and the commandments contained therein entirely declare what is reasonable."
P.376-381
Amen !
Sunday, April 30, 2017
THE WISDOM OF GOD
THE WISDOM OF GOD
Apostle Paul makes clear that the "wisdom of God," predated the age in which he/they lived , for he says that "wisdom" was ordained "ages" before the rulers of his world lived, so they did not know it, nor could have known of it , since they crucified its divine perfection , its earthly exemplar in the person, in the majesty of Jesus Christ.
1 Cor. 2:7-8
Conceiving ourselves as "souls that make use of bodies;" rather than as is more typically the case, human bodies that make use of souls, turns-- as does Origen in ON FIRST PRINCIPLES (2013), p. 373--totally inverts, the human epistemological paradigm from body-based to soul spirit-based, within our world.
In larger context, Origen wrote:
"This being so, we must outline what seems to us to be the marks of the true understanding of the scriptures. And in the first place we must point out that the aim of the Spirit who, by the providence of God through the Word who was 'in the beginning with God' (cf. Jn 1:1), enlightened the servants of the truth, that is , the prophets and apostles, was pre-eminently concerned with the unspeakable mysteries connected with the affairs of men--and by men I mean at the present moment souls that make use of bodies--his purpose being that the man who is capable of being taught might by 'searching out' and devoting himself to the 'deep things' (cf. 1 Cor 2:10) revealed in the spiritual meaning of the words become partaker of all the doctrines of the Spirit's counsel....
P.373-374.
"8. Now while these and similar subjects were in the mind of the Spirit who enlightened the souls of the holy servants of the truth, there was a second aim, pursued for the sake of those who were unable to endure the burden of investigating matters of such importance. This was to conceal the doctrine relating to the before-mentioned subjects in words forming a narrative that contained a record dealing with the visible creation, the formation of man and the successive descendants of the first human beings until the time when they became many; and also in other stories that recorded the acts of righteous men and the sins that these same men occasionally committed, seeing they were but human, and the deeds of wickedness, licentiousness and greed done by lawless and impious men.
"But the most wonderful thing is that by means of stories of wars and conquerors and the conquered certain secret truths are revealed to those who are capable of examining these narratives; and, even more marvelous, through a written system of law the laws of truth are prophetically indicated, all these having been recorded in a series with a power which is only appropriate to the wisdom of God. For the intention was to make even the most outer covering of the spiritual truths, I mean the bodily part of the scriptures, in many respects not unprofitable but capable of improving the multitude in so far as they receive it.
"But if the usefulness of the law and the sequence of case of the narrative were at first clearly discernible throughout, we should be unaware that there was anything beyond the obvious meaning for us to understand in the scriptures. Consequently the Word of God has arranged for certain stumbling blocks, as it were, and hindrances and impossibilities to be inserted in the midst of the law and the history, in order that we may not be completely drawn away by the sheer attractiveness of the language, and so either reject the true doctrines absolutely, on the ground that we learn from the scriptures nothing worthy of God or else by never moving away from the letter fail to learn anything of the more divine element.
"And we must also know this, that because the principle aim was to announce the connection that exists, those that have already happened and those that are yet to come to pass, whenever the Word found that things which had happened in history could be harmonized with these mystical events he used them, concealing from the multitude their deeper meaning. But wherever in the narrative the accomplishments of some particular deeds, which had been previously recorded for the sake of their more mystical meanings, did not correspond with the sequence of the intellectual truths, the scripture wove into the story something which did not happen, occasionally something which could not happen, and occasionally something which might have happened but in fact did not . Sometimes a few words are inserted which in the bodily sense are not true, and at other times a greater number.
"A similar method can be discerned also in the law, where it is often possible to find a precept that is useful for its own sake, and suitable to the time when the law was given. Sometimes, however, the precept does not appear to be useful . At other times even impossibilities are recorded in the law for the sake of the more skillful and inquiring readers, in order that these, by giving themselves to the toil of examining what is written, may gain a sound conviction of the necessity of seeking in such instances a meaning worthy of God.
"And not only did the Spirit supervise the writings which were previous to Christ, but because he is the same Spirit and proceeds from the one God he has dealt in like manner with the gospels and the writings of the apostles. For the history even of these is not everywhere pure, events being woven together in the bodily sense without having actually happened; nor do the law and the commandments contained therein entirely declare what is reasonable."
P.376-381
Amen !