Monday, December 06, 2004
Upon the shrine at Delphi (where Plato argues he found true knowledge) only one phrase was inscribed: “know thyself”. These words, for Plato and ancient philosophers, became an all-important and all encompassing goal. That goal has echoed throughout history as great thinkers have searched for knowledge in explorations of the self, the Other, and the world that they inhabit as a means to achieve a more perfect existence. With the rise of Christianity, however, that goal seemed insufficient. Just as Christian tenets forced many to re-evaluate their morality, it also problematized the existing overriding goal of philosophy, in that, the ‘self’ was re-conceptualized to be, largely, meaningless.
Christianity, in Late Antiquity, had come stress three important concepts. The first is that of original sin (the idea that every person inherited a state of guilt from the first man). The second is the privileging of the spiritual over the physical. St. Julian wrote that any “desire of the flesh” pales in comparison to “the desire to be united with out Lord”. Finally, it argued that each believer should strive to live life as Christ (their savior) did. Each of these goals seem to indicate that knowledge of the self is meaningless (because it is inherently corrupt) and that the only way to gain perfection is to abandon the self (to be subsumed into God or to exist only as an emulation of Christ). It is at confrontation of these two intellectual trends that St. Augustine finds himself as he begins to write his Confessions.
Although Christianity clearly seems to privilege self-abandonment over self-knowledge, self-abandonment (In general) is a dangerous task to undertake. For example, St. Juian found, after intellectual reflection, that martyrdom was the only true way to escape to corrupt nature of the self (he cites Jesus as exemplary of this). Augustine finds himself at a similar conclusion near the beginning of his biography. He writes that if he were so allows he would “terrify by …sin…take flight…[and] live in solitude…but you [god] forbade me” (Augustine 70). So, it appears, that utter abandonment of the self is not an option either as it is forbidden by god both through commandments forbidding suicide and Augustine’s realization that “Christ died....so that those who live should …live …for him who died for them”(Augustine 70). Such a realization leave at least some space for the self to exist (as far as it is oriented toward Christ).
In an attempt to resolve the contradiction that he finds in his life concerning the value of self knowledge that he gained through philosophy and the Christian ideals that promote self-abandonment, Augustine finds a third way of being : a knowledge of self-humility takes pride in the self only insomuch as the self stands in relationship to God and a realization of his/her/its grace.
Augustine comes to accept this mode of being throughout his life. He begins with a recognition of God’s glory, which leads him to understand the worthlessness of the self as an end. He argues that “you [god] are radiant and give delight and are so an object of love and longing that I am ashamed of myself and reject myself” (Augustine 2). Augustine has, at this point, subsumed his idenity into that of God’s to the point that “you hear nothing from my lips which you have not first told me” (Augustine 2). Augstiine has rejected that which gives him the ability to act autonomously
Christianity, in Late Antiquity, had come stress three important concepts. The first is that of original sin (the idea that every person inherited a state of guilt from the first man). The second is the privileging of the spiritual over the physical. St. Julian wrote that any “desire of the flesh” pales in comparison to “the desire to be united with out Lord”. Finally, it argued that each believer should strive to live life as Christ (their savior) did. Each of these goals seem to indicate that knowledge of the self is meaningless (because it is inherently corrupt) and that the only way to gain perfection is to abandon the self (to be subsumed into God or to exist only as an emulation of Christ). It is at confrontation of these two intellectual trends that St. Augustine finds himself as he begins to write his Confessions.
Although Christianity clearly seems to privilege self-abandonment over self-knowledge, self-abandonment (In general) is a dangerous task to undertake. For example, St. Juian found, after intellectual reflection, that martyrdom was the only true way to escape to corrupt nature of the self (he cites Jesus as exemplary of this). Augustine finds himself at a similar conclusion near the beginning of his biography. He writes that if he were so allows he would “terrify by …sin…take flight…[and] live in solitude…but you [god] forbade me” (Augustine 70). So, it appears, that utter abandonment of the self is not an option either as it is forbidden by god both through commandments forbidding suicide and Augustine’s realization that “Christ died....so that those who live should …live …for him who died for them”(Augustine 70). Such a realization leave at least some space for the self to exist (as far as it is oriented toward Christ).
In an attempt to resolve the contradiction that he finds in his life concerning the value of self knowledge that he gained through philosophy and the Christian ideals that promote self-abandonment, Augustine finds a third way of being : a knowledge of self-humility takes pride in the self only insomuch as the self stands in relationship to God and a realization of his/her/its grace.
Augustine comes to accept this mode of being throughout his life. He begins with a recognition of God’s glory, which leads him to understand the worthlessness of the self as an end. He argues that “you [god] are radiant and give delight and are so an object of love and longing that I am ashamed of myself and reject myself” (Augustine 2). Augustine has, at this point, subsumed his idenity into that of God’s to the point that “you hear nothing from my lips which you have not first told me” (Augustine 2). Augstiine has rejected that which gives him the ability to act autonomously
