When studying the second chapter of The Mainstream of Civilization which focuses on the Ancient Greek civilization one gains a better understanding of how much the Greeks have influenced the modern day western world. To hone in on this idea there are many attributes of the Greeks that can be ascribed directly to the American society such as democratic ideals. Yet, while these Greek qualities and understandings have influenced the western society as a whole this writer submits that at the heart of this passing down of ancient ways the Christian stands to gain even more.
Firstly, as stated before, one most certain Greek idea that has transcended many years and several cultures only to find its way into the center of the most independent nation on earth is democracy. We see from the textbook the construct of the polis. The polis is the city-state that, as the text says, “controlled the country around it, including… subordinate towns.”[1] While the polis in the earlier years was controlled by tyranny it later fell into the hands of the people themselves who became known as the lawgivers. This idea of the community being led by the people rather than tyrants is seen clearly in The Mainstream of Civilization where it states, “Now, changes in the law resulted from conscious decisions of the citizenry, because written law could be altered only by a formal, public act.”[2] Here can be seen a good example of what would become of the western world centuries later: a government for and by the people.
Secondly, while Greek concepts would offer much to the future of the world this writer believes that the Christian would gain the most. The Churches major advantage gleaned from Greek society is found in the form of philosophy. Philosophy can be defined as the study of the principles underlying conduct, thought, and the nature of the universe; furthermore, the very name finds its origins in the Greek language – philos meaning loving and sophos which means wise or knowledge. Therefore philosophy defined more simply would be the love of knowledge. Greek men like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle developed the basis for the study of knowledge. They achieved this by employing logic or correct reasoning, which is the cornerstone of philosophy. It is the view of this writer that reasoning and philosophy are companions of the Christian, rather than enemies as will be contended throughout the remainder of this assignment.
The earliest known Greek philosopher was Socrates whom the textbook describes as, “a harsh critic of the sophists who sought to define the duties of the citizen and who devised a method for searching out truth.”[3] The sophists were known for focusing on the technique of speech and debate rather than the content of the subject in which they debated. They were also known to be in opposition of Socrates and his idea that rhetoric, in and of itself, was useless without substance to back the eloquent ability to speak publicly. It is the opinion of this writer that both Socrates and Jesus agreed on at least one thing: substance is much more important than the ability to debate properly. Furthermore, both the Greek philosopher and the Son of God utilized the ability to reason when faced with such opponents as those who would use their seemingly apparent cunning in such faculties as rhetoric and debate. While Socrates’ opponents were found in the form of sophists, Jesus’ challengers were often found in the form of the Sadducees. The Sadducees were known for their ability to debate and speak with great skill. In fact, much like the sophists before them the Sadducees often relied on clever antics that would leave their audience in a state of awe due to their apparent learnedness. In twenty-second chapter of the gospel of Matthew Christ is confronted by a group of these quick-witted Sadducees who try to ensnare Him with an intellectual dispute concerning a woman who had been married to seven brothers. The Sadducees make the following argument:
“Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.” (Matt. 22: 24-28)[4]
J.P. Moreland makes the point in his book entitled, Love Your God With All Your Mind: The Role Of Reason In The Life Of The Soul, that Christ employed the use of intellect and reason to combat the Sadducees. Jesus answered the religious leaders in the following way:
“You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matt 22: 29-32)
Of Christ’s answer, Moreland says, “He (Jesus) intelligently answered the Sadducees’ question! First He addressed the surface issue by denying the necessary condition for the Sadducees’ argument to…that is, He denied that there is marriage in heaven. He then went for the deeper issue about the resurrection…He cites on the surface what appears to be a verse inadequately related to the issue of resurrection…”[5] Here Moreland is referring to Christ’s usage of Exodus 3:6 where God says, “I am the God of Isaac…” (emphasis added). Moreland goes on to explain how as a younger believer he would have thought the prophet Daniel’s foreseeing of the resurrection would have been a more adequate verse to quote. Moreland further states, “Jesus’ genius is revealed when we recognize that He had studied Sadducean theology and knew that they did not accept the full authority of the prophets, including Daniel.”[6] Thus, Jesus quotes a verse whereby God uses the word ‘am’ meaning that He is continuing to be the God of the presently dead patriarchs. Through this Jesus shows the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead or life after death, that even after departing from this world Abraham, Isaac and Jacob continue to exist. With this example one can grasp the depths in which reason and knowledge were used, by Christ, to undo the argument of an otherwise seemingly intelligent group of religious leaders who, like the sophists of Socrates time, held rhetoric and debate in much higher than logic and reason. Therefore, as Christ sets the example of attaining and using knowledge and reason for the Glory of God, so should the modern Christian follow in that example.
Likewise, one can see through the study of philosophy and logic that God has revealed Himself to the world in two major ways: divine revelation and general revelation. Divine (or special) revelation is the very Word of God or Scripture while general revelation (or natural law) is the moral law written on man’s heart. Scott B. Rae, author of Moral Choices: An Introduction to ETHICS, says that, “These concepts are logically independent of Scripture and are thus indirectly revealed by God in creation.”[7] Here again is seen the use of logic as stated by Rae. Furthermore, C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity speaks of this general revelation or as he calls it, ‘Laws of Nature,’ when he states, “nature is governed by certain laws…above and beyond the actual facts of human behavior.”[8] Therefore, through sound knowledge Lewis is logically deducing that God has revealed himself to man through the law written on his heart and, furthermore, by this same exploit of knowledge he too understands that divine revelation and general revelation are in fact revealed to mankind in two very different manners.
Thirdly, in discussing logic and knowledge and its connection to the Greeks uncovering of philosophy this writer would be remiss for not mentioning the fact that Christ is the Word of God as the first chapter of the Gospel of John states. The reason this is so important to this writers point is found in the original Greek translation of the word – Word. In Greek ‘Word’ is Logos, which also means Logic. So one could translate John chapter one verse one to say, ‘In the beginning was the Logic and the Logic was with God, and the Logic was God.’
In Conclusion, this writer submits that through the Greeks discovery and molding of both democracy and philosophy, the latter of which was formed by the likes of Socrates, Plato and Aristosle, the western world and more to the point the Christian of the western world has benefited greatly.
[1] Chodorow, Knox, Schirokauer, Strayer, Gatzke, The Mainstream of Civilization, (Harcourt Brace & Company, 1994) 42.
[2] Ibid. , 45.
[3] Ibid. , 57.
[4] Unless otherwise stated, the New King James Version will be used consistently throughout this paper.
[5] J.P. Moreland, Love Your God With All Your Mind: The Role Of Reason In The Life Of The Soul (NavPress, 1997) 50.
[6] Ibid. , 51.
[7] Scott B. Rae, Moral Choices: An Introduction to ETHICS (Zondervan Publishing House, 1995, 2000) 33.
[8] C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (HarperCollins, 1952, 2001) 21.
