You know me, there are no simple answers to simple questions.
First, let me say this is actually a picture of Thomas Reid. He was a very famous philosopher of the 18th century. Some say he coined the phrase "common sense." One definition of common sense is "self-evident truths." Recognize that phrase? Jefferson went straight form Reid to the Declaration of Independence with it. You would think being that famous would make Reid more excited?
Reid didn't think about "self-evident truths" on his own however. He borrowed the idea from Aristotle several thousand years before him. Aristotle had another idea that made its way to Jefferson, "the pursuit of happiness." So, I'm thinking, this Aristotle guy must be worth studying. So I did. Its in these studies my excitement began.
There is way too much from this era of Greek philosophy (600-400 BC) to include here. However, being the word nerd I am, there are a handful of words from this period of Aristotle that merits attention. The words are
eudaemonia - happiness
nomos - natural law
teleos - the goal of a perfect life
dunamis - power, usually associated with the faculty of the will
exousia - the power of authority
Basically, Aristotle claimed that the perfect life (teleos) was found in the pursuit of happiness (eudaemonia), which was a life whose faculties of the will (dunamis) directed the person toward virtue as defined by natural law (nomos) which was the authority (exousia) for virtue. Aristotle had two caveats: you can never be sure and you can never fully arrive at perfection.
There are two reasons this little synopsis of Aristotle excites me. First, most, if not all, philosophy since 400 BC is some extension or variation of Aristotle. He especially influenced directly or indirectly the Declaration of Independence, arguably the most influential document of our time. Second, and more importantly, there was a 400 year silence when God is not recorded as speaking that matches the 400 year period from Aristotle to Jesus. This may be a coincidence but I argue differently. Why? and this is what is really exciting.
These five key words from Aristotle are explicitly addressed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. These passages from Matthew have been written about and preached on maybe more than any other. Its likely the most famous and well liked of all of Scripture. However, until I studied them within the context of Aristotle as the dominant thought leader for the past 2500 years, I didn't fully get what Jesus was saying or why He said what He did.
For sake of time (hopefully not 'short sheeting' your excitement), let me summarize.
1. Jesus contrasts 'eudaemonia' (happiness) with 'makarios' (blessed or fortunate) in the Beatitudes as He explains the joy guaranteed, not pursued, for the Kingdom dweller
2. Jesus claims He fully, 100% fulfills nomos (natural law), no more guessing
3. Jesus shares with us that our teleos (perfection) is exactly like our heavenly Father's because he gives us Himself
4. In the Lord's prayer Jesus says our power (dunamis) comes from Him
5. In the final verse of Matthew 7, we read that everyone was really excited because Jesus taught as the one with authority (exousia).
When I read how excited the disciples were to hear Jesus' kind of "in your face Aristotle" and understand the context of why He focuses on these five important concepts: happiness, law, perfection, power and authority, I GET EXCITED.
So, there, I said it, now its your turn to ponder it. You can take it or leave it, but if you leave it, you are likely to remain guessing along with Aristotle and all of his minions. I invite you to share in my excitement. It's the best way I know to love you.
Note: The journey to discovery of the core assumptions of Jesus is found in the course I wrote and our team produced and markets called b4worldview @ http://www.b4worldview.com/
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