Wednesday, June 18
Re:Disaray of gods
I find this very interesting too. I am definitely learning a lot about the Roman cultuer and religious lives. It's pretty disturbing. This disaray also relates to a previous topic we discussed, about chaos adn order. To quote Augustine who was quoting that guy Varro in 7.17, "I can be more easily led to doubt the things which I have writen in the first book, than to attempt to reduce all the things I shall write in this one to any orderly system." Clearly, the religion of teh Romans and their "gods" was a complete disaray... no order was possible. This also relates to some of my thoughts on Book 7 about the mind...
The Mind in Book 7
Augustine begins Book 7 by saying that he will "eradicate depraved and ancient opinions hostile to the truth of piety," (preface). I find the claim interesting that the Romans reliled on opinions and not truth, preferring to be deceived than to know the actual nature of these gods, truth, etc. Some interesting passages I was reflecting on and relating:
".. they do not explain them, but rather involve them. They rush hither and thither, to this side or to that, according as they are driven by the impulse of erratic opinion; so that even Varro himself has chosen rather to doubt concverning all things, than to affirm anything." (17)
"...[Varro] was not only without the guidance of the truth of things, but was also pressed by the authority of tradition." (17)
this one is especially interesting: "as Xenophon of Colophon writes, I will state what I think, not what I am prepared to maintain; it is for man to think those things, for God to know them." (17)
and some more:
"Interpretation failed, reason blushed, speech was silent..."(26)
"We, however, seek for a mind which, trusting to true religion, does not adore the world as its god, but for the sake of God praises the world as a work of God, and, purified from mundance defilements, comes pure to God Himself who founded the world." (26)
"...we have mind and reason by which to seek after Him who made all these things..." (31)
I find the role of the mind in the Christian life particularly interesting. We are commanded to love God with our minds, yet for the Romans, they denied their minds, deined the ability to grasp truth, and were swayed by passions and pleasures instead, vile and wicked things, etc. In a time that I always think of being as particularly logical and philosophical, this was a bit shocking that they seem to abandon reason in religion. Any thoughts? Also, what do you guys think about the last quote I wrote from 17- can we know things as God knows, are our ideas only thoughts and not things we can maintain... my gut screams no, we can know things, God can tell us things, but, what is this balance for the Christian between "thought" and "knowledge"?
Re:MJ on Divisions
ok, I gotcha now. I had a feeling after posting my comments that we didn't actually disagree that much, but, that I just wasn't clear on your thoughts.
p.s- Book 8 is so great! Socrates! Plato! Greek Philosophy! hurrah! ;) I can't wait to discuss...!
