What Augustine read in the books of the Platonists; or, why metaphors don’t raise the dead.

In Book VII of the Confessions, Augustine tells us how he read “certain books of the Platonists, translated out of Greek into Latin.” (VII.ix)  “Therein I read”, he tells us, “that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  He discovered the truth of what we might call the immutable nature of God.  As well, his reading of philosophy lead him to see that these “Platonists” has grasped an important principle:  that God made the world, indeed there is something within God’s own self (Word) which makes creation possible.

“But that the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, did I not read there.” (VII.ix)  Drawing from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Augustine tells his readers other things he “did not read” in the books of the Platonists:  “that he made himself of no reputation, and was made in the likeness of men, and humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross, whereby God has highly exalted him…” (VII.ix)

This is the scandal for the Platonists, the Gnostics, and all the sects from then ‘til now who would have us believe that the Word was with God, but that he was not made flesh and dwelt among us.  There are those who think the former, without believing the latter.  To know Christ as the Word, without knowing Christ as the Incarnate Word, is an exercise in missing the point. 

They offer little comfort at the graveside:  metaphors don't raise the dead.

Augustine - the Lenten blog project series

Comments

[Anthony]

they do joe. every time we use words, they raise a complex set of contradictions, histories, and other voices. metaphors arwe a chorus of dead voices gathered. (in fact in appalchia argot, storytelling is called where the dead voices gather and nick tosches called his book about the history of race and america, in the person of emmet miller the same thing)

[joseph]

One of the places Augustine deals with death in the Confessions is IV.iv ff; where he recounts the death of a friend, and his own subsequent grief. His grief is heightened by his rejection of the idea of the continuation of the incarnate person, as incarnate. And it is this sort of raising from the dead which Augustine says, is at the heart of the two versions of the "Word". The Word as an abstract principle, as Wisdom, is but a part (though a true and necessary part). The movement to understanding the immutable God of the [neo] platonists as also Incarnate is what sets Christianity apart.

Contemporary (or ancient) language which reduces Christian resurrection to [mere] metaphor leaves one holding memories, re-viving ideas. I might say that metpahors resurrect, well, metaphors... Good and well, but not, I would submit, the final vision of God. Creation is good. The New Creation is very good.

And re our conversation about Matt 25; Christianity must always have 'incarnational bite'...

[Mrs. Falstaff]

So, what's the attraction of "think[ing] the former, without believing the latter"? That puzzles me.

Mrs. F.

[alex]

Mrs F.

I believe it reduces the challege from perfection to simply knowing the Word. In the case of some it becomes a cult of knowledge, or in modern times, a cult of morality.

Any other takers?

[joseph]

I suspect it also has to do with the pride Augustine noted in himself when he first read Cicero. The exhortation to philosophy left him "free to pursue wisdom", whatever it might be. This is very appealing to human pride: we can think that we are in a relationship with the Divine, without having to submit to those common, everyday drudgery sorts of things like obedience, which help keep the lesser sorts of folk in line. But we are "above" that sort of thing. We are autonomous. It also frees us from incarnational responsibility to actually do something practical for our neighbours.

[Mrs. Falstaff]

That reminds me of the uncle in CS Lewis' The Magician's Nephew. Remember what he told Digory? That rules were all well and good for little boys, but that he was above all that....

By the way, Fr. Joe, I've been meaning to ask, how do you put those thumbnails of book covers on your blog?

[joseph]

the thumbnails are part of the typepad features - just plug in the link to amazon and up they pop. but I'm sure there must be something equivalent for wordpress blogs. I'll see what I can find.