Xian

[Keith P]

"The very thing which is now called the Christian religion existed among the ancients also, nor was is wanting from the inception of the human race until the coming of Christ in the flesh, at which point the true religion which was already in existence began to be called Christian."

-St. Augustine, Retractiones

[PETA]

Originally Posted by Keith P

"The very thing which is now called the Christian religion existed among the ancients also, nor was is wanting from the inception of the human race until the coming of Christ in the flesh, at which point the true religion which was already in existence began to be called Christian."

-St. Augustine, Retractiones

yeah - read the first few lines of Genesis and of the Gospel of John - he's paraphrasing (I presume) - God was is and always will be before during and after all things....

Originally Posted by Gospel of John

1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 1:2The same was in the beginning with God. 1:3All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.

Augustine is, according to one of my philosophy profs, probably the most intelligent person ever to walk the face of the earth... (and he adored the man he reffered to as The Einstein... so he held Augustine in higher esteem... I find Augustine challenging but fascinating - and I'm way to underread to discuss him any further than that )

[bfp]

yeah - read the first few lines of Genesis and of the Gospel of John - he's paraphrasing (I presume) - God was is and always will be before during and after all things....

That brings up my fav quote. God's statement to Moses: "Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."


I take that as we see the past events as they have happened, but we can't see the future, because God is the enternal [1], not to be understood as he is the one, and we are not, but he is us, as in the expression of existence. He made us in his image. We are the expression of God.

That's how I see it anyway.

[PETA]

Originally Posted by bfp

That brings up my fav quote. God's statement to Moses: "Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."


I take that as we see the past events as they have happened, but we can't see the future, because God is the enternal [1], not to be understood as he is the one, and we are not, but he is us, as in the expression of existence. He made us in his image. We are the expression of God.

That's how I see it anyway.

that suggests the theory of emanation in neoplatonic thought... everything eminates from the "one" - and like candle light - the further from the source, "the one", the closer to darkness and nothing one gets... we cannot know or describe "the one" - to do so gives it parts and is therefore not "one" blah blah blah - we are representations, facsimilies, shades of "the one" - blah blah blah

[bfp]

Originally Posted by xian

that suggests the theory of emanation in neoplatonic thought... everything eminates from the "one" - and like candle light - the further from the source, "the one", the closer to darkness and nothing one gets... we cannot know or describe "the one" - to do so gives it parts and is therefore not "one" blah blah blah - we are representations, facsimilies, shades of "the one" - blah blah blah

In Morpheus' deep voice: He's the one.

[PETA]

Originally Posted by bfp

In Morpheus' deep voice: He's the one.

yeah - its a universalist concept


Augusting actually piggy backed Plotinus and used his thought for his own explanation of the trinity