The Academy
Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” John 18:38a NASB
Truth – Plato is in many respects the founder of Western civilization. His teacher, Socrates, and his pupil, Aristotle, completed a trinity of minds that literally shaped our conception of the world, God and Man. A product of wealthy and aristocratic Athenians, Plato’s ideas have influenced our education, politics, theology, science and mathematics. Perhaps the greatest legacy of Plato is to be found in our concept of truth. Plato employed the Greek term alethia, deriving from its etymology the concept that truth is already present in final form in the realm of the pre-existent soul. When a man is born into this world, he must remember what he knew in his pre-existent state; a must recapture by mental effort those truths that exist eternally in the realm of the spirit. You can appreciate the implications of such an idea in relation to the eternal nature of the soul, the existence of Truth (with a capital T) as a body of knowledge independent of human beings and the separation of the particulars of this world from the universal of the spiritual world. But perhaps you have not recognized the enormous impact that this idea of truth has on the way that we think of the diversity of peoples and culture. Jonathan Sacks comments:
. . . a certain paradigm that has dominated Western thought, religious and secular, since the day of Plato is mistaken and deeply dangerous. It is the idea that, as we search for truth or ultimate reality we progress from the particular to the universal. Particularities are imperfections, sources of error, parochialism and prejudice. Truth, by contrast, is abstract, timeless, universal, the same everywhere for everyone. Particularities breed war; truth begets peace, for when everyone understands the truth, conflict dissolves. How could it be otherwise? Is not tribalism but another name for particularities? And has not tribalism been the source of conflict through the ages?
There is something seductive about this idea and it has held many minds captive. Alfred North Whitehead once said that Western philosophy was ‘a series of footnotes to Plato’. He might have put it more strongly: Not just philosophy but Western religion has been haunted by Plato’s ghost. The result is inevitable and tragic. If all truth—religious as well as scientific—is the same for everyone at all times, then if I am right, you are wrong. If I care about truth I must convert you to my point of view, and if you refuse to be converted, beware. From this flowed some of the greatest crimes of history and much human blood.[1]
When Pilate asked, “What is truth?” he was not being sarcastic. This question is fundamental to our place in the world and the meaning we attach to our lives. If truth is one, as so commonly asserted in the West, then only those who agree with the “proper” statements can be correct. All others are either heretics or simpletons. And the mission of those who have the “truth” is to convert, by whatever means necessary, those who do not have the “truth.” Here lies the seed of infinite divisions among men. Fifty-two thousand denominations. The Crusades. The Inquisition. Endless translations and doctrines of separation. Breaking fellowship over “ideas.” A rejection of all that is not comfortable and traditional. A world where every man is his own priest and has his own version of God.
Should tzitzit be worn on belt loops? Should women wear tzitzit? Should we follow the new moon calendar? What day should we begin Passover? Can my child practice sports on Shabbat? Can I drive to a Shabbat service? Must I wear a beard? Can I wear jewelry? And what about cheeseburgers? The list is endless as long as truth is what we believe and error is what they believe.
Is there only one way to God? Must I believe in the Trinity to be saved? Is Jesus the universal, timeless Savior or a particular Jewish Messiah?
What is fellowship in a world where there is but one truth? It is conformity! Exclusion! Separation to ourselves! Is this what Paul had in mind?
Pilate asked. You must answer. But be careful how you answer. Plato’s ghost is a virulent disease.
Topical Index: truth, alethia, Plato, Western civilization, John 18:38, fellowship
[1] Jonathan Sacks, The Dignity of Difference, p. 19.
The question determines the answer. If I have the question wrong, then the answer will likewise be wrong. In fact, if the question is accurately framed, the answer will be found contained within it. The answers, I think Skip has said in the past, are all around us. We hit each other over the head with them all the time. Its the questions that are the problem. Until we get the question right, the answer is not going to fit. We establish our own parameters, and I think our own paradigm is created by the QUESTIONS we allow, not by the answers. I am defined by what I seek, not by what I find, for what I find is just a derivative of what I seek. Science keeps stubbing its toe on this one, too, in its own quixotic search for ‘truth’, and the frustration is beginning to mount, as the arrogance begins to box itself in. In our pride, we all line up behind Pilate, as we attempt to force truth with the question: “what is truth?”. We are likewise limited by the question. Pilate was looking directly at the Man Who had made the statement “I am the Truth”. Now, if you were to get the question to that Answer right, how would it go? Hmm. A second grader ought to get this one. Pilate was getting hit over the head with the Answer, but because his question was wrong, that Answer could do him no good. Now, if he had asked “WHO is Truth?”……
Great comment. Thanks.
When I decided to re-evaluate my religious belief more than three years ago, I did so by pre-empting everything that I believed and started from “scratch.” I was prepared to let the quest lead where it may and read anything and everything, most of it interesting, some profound, a few were rubbish. I did not restrict it in any way and it was very wide ranging. Of course it had to include Plato and Socrates but it also included Thomas Merton and Walker Percy who were converts to the religion in which I was raised. It also included other religions such as Buddhism and Taoism and Judaism but I made sure to include the more abstract such as native North American understandings of the Great Spirit and Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, and Jean Vanier’s Becoming Human in which he wrote “we cannot grow spiritually if we ignore our humanness just as we cannot become fully human if we ignore spirituality.” Amongst all this was Stephen Hawking, Darwin, Shakespeare, Greek mythology, just about anything interesting.
The result of all this questing was this conclusion. There is no wall with the name Truth attached to it where I could put a nail and hang my hat but along the way I was fortunate enough to find Skip and this web site and I read and enjoy it and get what I need from it every day. In particular though I discovered that the quest itself is the Truth and I can be happy with Matt. 22:37-40 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind ….. and you shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole law and the prophets.” Hillel said much the same and added “everything else is commentary. Now go and study the Torah.”
So I do and I try and it works for me and the quest is neverending.
Skip
This is exactly my struggle! What I have been searching for is Truth and to worship in it. I have left friends leaving the Christian church system only to find more of the same but worse. Those who are brave enough to leave a system are those who think, act and live independently. They are the rebels in a way. So now I watch as the groups of fellwoship have those drop off who don’t agree with the very things you mentioned. I simply want fellowship with those who will teach me and learn with me. Those who will grow and allow their minds to accept or at least investigate new insights and revelations. I too find most of what I learn here from you or at you conferences. But We need a group. Those we can journey with and we have been taught that you can only do that with like minded people who know whats “right”. This is very timely for my family thank you.
OK… i’ve been reading of the generalized “evils of Platonism” for the last three years in a wide variety of books & articles. This article by Skip is stoking the fires of desire again b/c my Westernized brain is just craving a complete, simple, bullet-point list of ALL the Platonist thoughts that have adversely affected the Judeo-Christian belief system thru the ages. THAT would be a super-helpful start to help me categorize the many “evils” of which to be alert, to which i’m sure i’ve already fallen prey:).
When I was going to school we were taught the concept of “frame” or “frame of reference.” Skip refers to this as paradigm. I think your “frame” or “paradigm” usually determines both the questions and answers you will seek and find. In contrast, when Yeshua was asked a “what” question he usually answered with a “who.” Therein lies the great gift of the Torah. Both Yeshua and Torah give us a glimpse of YHWH’s frame or paradigm. The Torah lets you know who you are responsible to, even more so than what you are responsible for. Of course, any description of YHWH’s “paradigm” is inadequate. And that is one of the reasons the resurrection is so crucial. Without the resurrection modern man could view Torah as just another philosophy or religion. I know people try to “depersonalize” Torah into rules, etc. But any honest study of the resurrection will drive you to examine the “who.”
No matter how I interpret what is truth for someone else there will always be a but in the answer because as Laurita Hayes noted it will depend on what, how, for whom you are looking for or asking for. If it is for God; God Himself is true.
This is strange. I’ve been walking around the house, room to room, trying to discover the origin of an electronic beep! I can’t seem to locate it. My wife is totally deaf in her right ear, so she is no help as she cannot determine direction of sound with only one good ear.
As I have been in frustration moving about to find the sound source, it dawns on me this truth issue is similar. It seems no matter what room I station myself in waiting for the random sound to occur, when it does, it always sounds like it is somewhere else. Projected outward in time, I see myself camping out in just about every square foot of my house in effort to pinpoint the origin of my mysterious sound. Plus I have to wait in each spot until the random sound occurs again. This sets an indeterminate time required to find my solution
There is no repeatable pattern to the sound. It is sporadic and elusive. I’ve tried to locate where it is not and then proceed outward from there, but to no avail. Once in another location it truly seems to originate where I thought it was not.
It seems very similar to my search for understanding truth.
Maybe I should be asking ‘who’ is this sound coming from! (Just kidding.) But, alas, I shall keep searching. For both a fuller grasp of truth and for the source of my mysterious electronic beep.
“Nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself.” — Wittgenstein
Wanting to be deceived must run a close second.
This was excellent Skip! if all of us TRUTH seekers saw the truth in what you wrote today there would be
a growing people connecting together in one body, soul, and spirit coming together to explore and search
out the TRUTH revealer YHVH with out divisions but a digging until His perfect Truth is revealed. I believe He desires this and will complete this very thing. It will lead us to FATHER /YESHUA/RUACH haKODESH all one, as Cheryl and so many of us desire.
Reaching a point in my search for Truth and only desiring what HE wanted me to know in order to start changing into His likeness was basically taking this statement captive “Particularities breed war; truth begets peace, for when everyone understands the truth, conflict dissolves.” “and finally realizing the existence of Truth (with a capital T) as a body of knowledge independent of human beings and the separation of the particulars of this world from the universal of the spiritual world. But perhaps you have not recognized the enormous impact that this idea of truth has on the way that we think of the diversity of peoples and culture.” YHVH has been faithful in bringing that Shalom into my life and step by step digging and separating false doctrines set up and manipulated by the enemy from the beginning of time written in
History and yes even changed in our very own Bibles to cause such a huge deception, dis-functional
division of YHVH’s Truth and people that has kept us in such conflict with one another. We must got
back to the beginning in order to understand the future. The release of the DDS and writings that have
been forgotten and hidden from us… ever asked why??? Let’s dig together and see where Father
leads us.
I recently heard a sermon where Galileo was once again pitted against ‘the church’. This particular pastor was emphasizing the dangers of a “far too literal” interpretation of scripture. In college, I often heard this example as a swipe that the idea of using religious authority over scientific methodology. So I did a little research…
….lo and behold the foundation of the conflict between Galileo and others, was a PRE-established division between those embracing Aristotle’s understandings of physics and those of Archimedes. Galileo and his opponents first argued about the concept of buoyancy,… and the argument spilled over into modeling the solar system.
Galileo’s story is not one of religion vs. science (“Truth” for many), or biblical literalism vs. Truth,… it is yet another shining example of the Grecian/Roman beast living on.
After reading Phyllis Tickle’s “The Great Emergence” and Brian McLaren’s “A Generous Orthodoxy”, my next book was to learn more about the Greek/Roman philosophic influence on Judeo/Christian religious thought. I can’t get enough, it’s fascinating to me.
Gabe, I was interested in your comment on Phyllis Tickle, I have never seen her mentioned here before. Several years ago, I was given her biography by one of my daughters. I read it with great interest, because I am exactly one year older than her. So naturally I wanted to see her account of her life. After I had completed it, my friend and neighbor across the St. was an interior designer from New Orleans, and her husband was a Presbyterian Pastor, retired, trained in a Methodist Seminary. My friend was very bitter because of her husband’s attitude toward her; as she did not cater to his every whim. She and I both loved decorating homes, yards, helping others, Our children were grown and gone, not around us in this new location we “accidentally” moved to because of our husbands. Her husband wanted to go on a long trip with his family and she refused to go. So the stage is set for fire; and when he went ahead and left without her; I had to find a way to help her get through it. She had read a few books that I had loaned her, and went often to the library. So I took Phyllis Tickle’s auto biography to her. She read it without stopping, and reread it, got over her anger, And began a new quest that greatly changed her attitude. Thanks for reminding me of her!
Today, I got on line and looked up to see what I could find that was current on Phyllis Tickle. Was sad to see her husband, like mine, was deceased, but glad to see that she was continuing on with writing, and now had been given a short few months to live because of a cough that became seriously more, recently. However; her Dr. had said when the testing was done, that most people could only have six months to live, but he would say that with her great attitude about death, that it would not surprise him if she lived much longer! She wants to write about facing death as a Spirit Filled Christian. Her attitude indeed reflected that she walked, breathed and lives knowing God,s Holy Spirit is within her being!
Thank you so much for reminding me of Phyllis Tickle and looking up this information and see her facing death with such zest! LaVaye Billings
OK Plato’s ghost might be scary, but have you been visited by that demon Dogmatism?
Atheists, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and ancient Torah-observant Israelites (to a lessor degree) shed the blood of others found guilty of theological thought crimes or ethnicity on account of some claimed truth. I believe God is truth (Jer 10:10) . Whatever criteria we use for discovering truth (God) should apply to the whole of reality; all beliefs and books including the Torah. However, it seems dogma resists moving forward and I often wonder if we are at a point in history where its time to reexamine whether we’re possessed by this demon as so many before us. Do we dare question “God” in a book when we come across what Iron Age men wrote in the Torah?:
“The woman must be taken to the door of her father’s home, and there the men of the town must stone her to death, for she has committed a disgraceful crime in Israel by being promiscuous while living in her parents’ home. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.” (Duet 22.21)
Does the above remedy represent the highest possible moral truth (God) or what Iron Age cultures understood to be the highest good? Perhaps the test is to ask ourselves TRUTHFULLY – are we prepared to allow a mob of men to drag our own daughter who has engaged in pre-marital sex onto our doorstep to stone her? Does this bring to mind an image of the Taliban to anyone else? How many Torah observant believers are prepared to endorse this ruling for their nieces, friends and neighbors daughters?
I’m not suggesting truth (God) changes. I am not suggesting we’re wiser than our forefathers. What’s changing rather rapidly is human perception and this seems to be happening with non-religious and religious people no doubt thanks to technology. I’m not suggesting some new-agey designer god, but do see what looks like significant shifts going on. I am wondering if anyone who has honestly excused themselves from the above commandment is willing to walk away from dogma and go with the truth (God) wherever it takes them? Trusting God alone, not a book…
But Keith, are you not ignoring Yeshua’s more current response in the same book with the timeless truth, let he who is without sin cast the first stone………, followed closely by, ……… your sins are forgiven, go and sin no more?
George,
If Jesus came with a new teaching contrary to Torah, then that would make Jesus a false prophet according to the Torah (Deut 13:1-5). I don’t believe Jesus / Yeshua is in the same company as Mohammed, Joseph Smith, etc..
On another note, many believe the adulterous woman in John is a scribal addition. It’s a nice story, but not anything Jesus actually said so we would need to set that one aside. In reality, as far as we know Jesus wrote none of his teachings down and neither did his disciples (the gospels do not purport to be eyewitness first person accounts – that’s Catholic tradition). Regardless, its a safe bet if Jesus did speak for God, then his teachings were from the TNK and without contradiction.
I think most of us would agree truth is defined as “consistency” and its empirical. If God is truth (Jer 10:10), then God is consistent; God does not change (Mal 3:6). Truth does not change. However, our perception of truth definitely changes so we can’t exempt God from this phenomenon if He is truth. And if He is truth, then He is open to our discovery. We don’t go to Iron Age men for answers to cosmology or medical science. Is there any reason other than dogmatic resistance to go retrograde and settle with Iron Age peceptions of God (truth)?
Our truthful answers reveal alot about ourselves. I point back to my original question re: Duet 22.21. Perhaps that was the most appropriate way to apply God’s truth in ancient Israel’s culture, but only the most extreme member of ISIS and Taliban would uphold such barbarism today. Given the choice of seeing a Harvard MD with your skin infection or consulting a Levite priest, who would you schedule your appointment with today? If you answered a doctor, what does that say about your own measure of truth and is it consistent when you examine God?
Keith, Very good information, I want to add to one comment you wrote: ” But only the most extreme member of ISIS or Taliban would uphold such barbarism today.” I have for about forty years read lots of the good books on ISLAM, and lived in one of their countries, and think that we as a Western Culture are making a huge mistake in thinking that there is a vast difference between the extremes and non-extremes of the same people. The reason I strongly suggest we do not count them on our side is that those who are not extremes, know what would happen to them, if they do not stand with the extremes 100 percent of the time,
Compare what you know about World War 2 , the Nazis in Germany, we have found out personally from one of our friends here, that was a young teen, sent to Youth Camp, taught the mottos, etc. Would he have defied them? No way, he knew he would not live! And he is one of many that later lived to tell their real thoughts during the War. And thank God, Hitler’s Army lost.
LaVaye,
Thanks for your correction. My use of “extreme” was a poorly worded way of saying the brutality of ISIS and Taliban are examples of extreme religious observance. We are in agreement Islam is a brutal religion. There are more than enough violent injunctions in the Koran and hadiths to incite even the nominal muslim to quietly support of the worst atrocities. Polls of “moderate” Islamic countries report support for suicide bombing at 40%-80% and killing of “apostates” at 80+%. My father in law was a Nazi brown shirt in WWII and I understand very well how the silent majority can be cowed into not rocking the boat…
But George, What about all those thousands of years with the Israelites before Jesus the Christ came to the earth? Recall those women were at the mercy of men who knew nothing of Yeshua. I can not agree with all that has been taught about the Old Testament by Skip for current living. The O.T. is indeed full of things that are too much like Islam, we lived in a country that was 95% Muslim once). But Jesus came to bring us more. He brought me more light, peace, joy-unspeakable, and blessed contentment with people after I was forty years of age, than I had in all they years prior. Now I am an old lady 82 years, and I could never leave the N.T. out of my life! And I still study and use the Old T., too. What is truth? For me, this is the Truth I have been so blessed to find, and keep. God is still on His Throne, and we are still on the earth. I give Him so much Praise for His Mercy and Goodness.
From the time I was born, I was nurtured by my family and a church family. I can not remember when I was not in studies of both the Old and New Covenants with very well educated qualified teachers of both Covenants. I accepted them willingly, and no one was mistreating me or forcing me to accept anything, not even my parents, family or friends. When I became older and saw doctrines being abused, we (my husband and I listened carefully) and if they apparently were harmful, we studied the situation carefully, and if it was obvious that it was not to be discussed, we left that congregation or teacher, without making a scene of any kind.
I still gladly give thanks to Skip for allowing people to write, as his is the only one I have written on. I have never written on any of those things like Facebook, etc. etc. etc.! I got a wedding dinner invitation on line today, and when I carefully got on the web, to accept, I was bombarded with adds of all kinds, even offering to give me free business cards, if I would pay the postages and cost. I was tempted, but then I remembered, there are No free gifts in adds! So I did not give them any more information. Blessings to all who read! LaVaye Billings
Thanks, I do not have the intellect or resources as those who visit this site; however, you have summarized the why(s), what(s) when(s), and how(s). I was thinking, how did we get to the religion and life experiences we know, practice, and believe today. I am aware and exposed to the body of knowledge mentioned; but to bring the body of knowledge into the format provided by Skip is a gift.
In my search for truth, I find religion to provide some guidelines for life. What has given me some anchor, is reading the Bible as a textbook (I tried reading the Koran, Mormon Bible, and other religious texts , they did not satisfy my need to understand religious doctrine ). My study and research led me to this site. The disciplined learner is conditioned to seek a comfort zone and usually afraid to stray.
Christianity has not unified its followers to peace, loving-kindness, agape. The big three, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity have not managed to unify for humanity. I understand the method to this madness of division and irreconcilable differences.
Education is the key; however, education is not provided to the masses.
Going forward, how can we give people and especially children hope for the future. We are on a course of self-destruction.
Thank you Skip and followers. I visit many websites, but this one is very enlightening.
Welcome aboard. Please stick with us as we journey together. There is a lot to learn. And along the way you may even decide to assist.
EM, Yes, a heartfelt welcome to our heady cyber community where together we learn: to learn, to laugh, to confess, to cry, to pray, to be human; to wrestle with words, ideas and errors; purge our paradigms; satiate our souls; seek His glory, honor and will. Glad you found us or YHWH let you find us! Become involved in your own resurrection..ask questions. Remember there are no dumb questions…only dumb answers (which I am atop the leader board).
(Poor) Pilate the Perturbed Purblind Politician
~ Christ [our Savior] is the end [sum, culmination, goal] of the Law to everyone who believes ~ (Romans 10.4)
With “Truth Incarnate” standing right in front of his eyes, Pilate asked, “What is Truth?”
(John 18.38)
It has been said, and I certainly find this to be true in my own experience, — the best place to hide something from a man is “right in front of him.”
Should the Messiah have answered Pilate, “Here am I?” [Heneni]. He certainly could have and with no stretch of the imagination either. In the everlasting words of our Redeemer, the gospel [good news] which Pilate apparently never had heard of, “I AM the Way -the Truth- and the Life!” No man, [no, not one] comes to the Father, but by Me! (John 14.6)
“Fifty-two thousand denominations.”; how did the Southern Baptist have a stronghold on influencing the politics of the southern part of the US.
EM, Well as one of the oldest former Southern Baptist, and I am still a friend to many in that denomination, may I say that there are several reasons they became so large: these I am glad to say are positive things: The early leaders of that denomination were honest, sincere, well educated MEN. There have been fewer scandals in the entire group than any other well known large group, they basically taught people in small SS groups, with organization within that group. Women ministered to women,=& children, men to men in SS, they followed through in helping one another. Marriage & family were taught from the Bible. Worship included praise songs with themes of God’s Holy entire Word, both Covenants. And Honest, sincere compassionate Leaders.
So therefore they grew, believing in work and education, caused them to prosper, and those things attract other people. Then, just as in the OT, when the people became prosperous, and brought in people that stayed on the fringes of God’s Word, not truly grasping hold of it, not truly seeking with all their hearts and souls, minds for Yahweh, in His complete ID, they began to decline and you have with the Southern Baptist the last forty years, a big turn to the thoughts and lifestyles of the world’s:riches, ignoring & not even knowing a large percentage of what God’s Word teaches . –Well, I do not want to bring doom to them as when we study the books of the O.T. I study those dear books written for our edification, and pray and weep over the lack of concern of many the Southern Baptist members.
Some SB publications that come from my area the past two years , show a renewal and return to their basic beginnings. One article recently told of how one of the major Seminary’s had been teaching the Good News in prisons, ready to graduate their first class ( many have done that previously) but this was one that was allowed to continue training in the College & Seminary courses, were trained to be used in the denominational work of teaching other prisoners.
Repentance, is a great way for anyone to start renewing a walk with the Lord God, Creator of the Universe, and renewal of your walk with Him, so it appears the Southern Baptist are beginning in small ways, just like the people in this group, starting to “seek, search, with all your heart, soul, mind–” three different places in the Bible for this verse, look them up, write them down, remember and recall them, share with others seeking or beginning to seek.
EM it seems to me from your written blogs above, you are well on your path to a great search, and God promises “You Will Find Him” — a life long search but worth ALL–” the Pearl of Great Price!” LaVaye Billings
EM, and may I add, the Southern Baptist I have known were not legalistic in churches, schools, colleges, Universities.
Bound by no Creed, But firm on their beliefs: Bible — God’s Word written by divinely inspired men, and therefore God is ultimately the author of Scripture. The local church is autonomous, but cooperates with other like churches. Government is congregational
I write this because there are dozens of types of Baptist denominations, and some are far removed from what the Southern Baptist, the largest group were when they started out. In fact, I have a quote that I like to speak when speaking of Baptist in general: ” Are you aware that there are more Baptist than people?” It usually will get a smile at least as they figure out the question, if they know anything at all about Baptist people. L.B.