Aristotle writes in Magna Moralia, “When we wish to see our own face, we do so by looking into the mirror, in the same way when we wish to know ourselves we can obtain that knowledge by looking at our friend. For the friend is, as we assert, a second self.” For Gilgamesh, the demigod-king of Uruk, knowledge of his intimate friend Enkidu, his second self, ultimately leads to knowledge […]
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Institutes of the Christian Religion: Faith and Works
The End of Spiritual Man Aristotle writes that the end of man is to think and act. If a man doesn’t think or act, he is not actually living nor fulfilling his telos; If a newborn baby doesn’t eat, grow and play around, something is terribly wrong. From a Calvinist perspective, man in his fallen state is spiritually dead. It is impossible for him to seek God or do any […]
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John Calvin, the Person and the Theologian
As a person, Calvin is studious and erudite. He is familiar with Greek, the writings of the Church Fathers, as well as the pagan Greek and Latin writers. He values his own intellect, learning and, more importantly, independence and freedom of thought. It is perhaps for this reason, more than anything else, that he treats the Catholic Church as a tyrannical institution. The Pope, he argues, usurps authority over the […]
Read more“Convivio” by Dante Alighieri
The Four Senses of a Text Writings can be understood and ought to be expounded principally in four senses. The first is called the literal, and this is the sense that does not go beyond the surface of the letter, as in the fables of the poets. The next is called the allegorical, and this is the one that is hidden beneath the cloak of these fables, and is a […]
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“The Works of Lucian of Samosata” by Lucian
Lucian, an Assyrian who lived during the Roman Empire and wrote in Greek, was known for his witty satires. A Pagan Perception of Christians Lucian’s depiction of Christians in antiquity is almost sympathetic by his standard, and perceptive as well: The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day — the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account. … The activity of these […]
Read moreInstitutes of the Christian Religion: Predestination
By predestination we mean the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation. …Not only in the case of single individuals, …but the future condition of each nation lives entirely at his disposal. — John Calvin “Institutes of the Christian […]
Read moreInstitutes of the Christian Religion: A Definition of Faith
The pagan philosopher Plutarch writes that, regarding beliefs in God, we should avoid two extremes: atheism and superstition. The former abandons all ideas of God, whereas the latter holds false ideas of a malevolent deity. In Book 3 Chapter 2 of the Institutes, Calvin provides a definition of the Christian faith, which is opposed to both atheism and superstition: Faith is a firm and sure knowledge of the divine favor […]
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