Today will be a pick up from yesterday and then the material Brueggemann uses next. To the extent to which Christianity cut itself off from its Jewish roots and adapted itself to the ancient world, it became a religion of redemption. It gave up eschatological hope and its apocalyptic alternative to 'this world' of violence and death, and merged into the Gnostic religion of redemption. Beginning with the church father Justin, the Greek philosopher Plato came to be revered as 'a Christian before Christ' - he had allegedly 'stolen' his good idea from Moses - and was extolled because of his sense of the divine transcendence and his feeling for the values of the ideal, spiritual world. This yearning for the next world now took the place of the messianic hope. God's Spirit was no longer viewed as 'the source of life'; it was now the Spirit who redeems the soul from the prison of the mortal body. In the same measure as redemption was spiritualized, the realm of 'the flesh' was reduced to the body and its earthly drives and baser needs. The Platonic dualism of body and soul and the Gnostic contempt for the body forced Christianity into the mould of a corresponding religion of redemption. It is true that the theologians of the patristic church fought against this tendency. They inserted the phrase 'the resurrection of the body' or 'the flesh' into the Apostles Creed, and called 'the flesh' 'the key to salvation' (Tertullian's phrase was caro cardo salutis). But in popular piety right down to the present day, the conflict between soul and body pushes out the conflict between this transitory world of death and the coming world of eternal life. Christian obituary notices also show that the Christian hope for the future of the coming God is continually supplanted by an eternity mysticism centered on a God in the world beyond. The redemption of the soul is conceived of in images of the butterfly that emerges from its chrysalis, or the angel that returns to its home in heaven.... I will only say a few words here. This is a good, brief historical overview. Plus, I wrote a whole bunch of stuff and it did not get saved!!! Enjoy. When we know a bit about the history of the church and the actions of responsible leaders in days of old, we can learn to make sure the way of Jesus is never allowed to be a journey out of this life - but rather a journey right within the ways and days at hand. Holy God of all of Time, you awaken us to the way of your glorious Reign that is alive now waiting for us to enter and live fully within your embrace. We give you thanks. Amen. |
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