Antonio Damasio on Reason

Interesting thought from Antonio Damasio (a "renowned" neurologist):

"Nature appears to have built the apparatus of rationality not just on top of the apparatus of biological regulation, but also from it and with it. The mechanisms for behavior beyond drives and instincts use, I believe, both the upstairs and the downstairs: The neocortex becomes engaged along with the older brain core, and rationality results from their concerted activity." (Descartes' Error, page 128).

Upstairs=neocortex

Downstairs=subcortex

Bibliographical Information: Antonio Damasio, Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. New York: Penguin Books, 2005.

Life and Death Are in the Power of the Tongue

All of us have to watch  how we use our tongues (how we speak). We're imperfect and prone to "stumble many times" in word and deed (James 3:2). In fact, one proverb warns us that life and death are in the power of the tongue and those who love its fruit will eat the tongue's fruitage (Proverbs 18:21).

The ancients recognized this looming danger: hence, one writing states:

"The human tongue is not free, like some other members of the human body,  but is confined in the mouth, and moreover is constantly in moisture:  yet how many burns can it cause with its sharp edge and its fire. How  much worse then would it have been, were that dangerous member of the  human body possessed of more facilities."--Levit. Rabba 16.

James 3:6 (NAB)-"The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna."

Divine Hiddenness?

I've given little attention to the problem of divine hiddenness, but one treatment of the subject is by Peter van Inwagen. See his book, The Problem of Evil. I read the book some years ago and it covers the logical problem of evil in an interesting way, then discusses divine hiddenness toward the conclusion of the book. By LPE, I mean the supposedly contradictory set of propositions that 1) God is omnipotent; 2) God is omnibenevolent; 3) Evil exists.

Buut regarding the issue of hiddenness, I would say that God is hidden in one sense or Deus absconditus (Exodus 33:20; Isaiah 45:15; John 1:18; 1 John 4:20), but revealed in another sense (Deus revelatus). No one can see his face, yet he speaks face-to-face with Moses (Exodus 33:11). Merold Westphal says we are too ontologically inadequate to see God: having a glimpse of his brilliant doxa would overwhelm us, like looking directly at the sun (Ezekiel 43:2).

On the other hand, God's invisible qualities are clearly perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and divinity (Psalm 19:1-3; Romans 1:20). Paul said that God has not left himself without witness by the rains he provides and the crops that grow (Acts 14:17). Moreover, Jehovah directly communicated with some men, even supplying miraculous evidence that he exists. As someone pointed out earlier, critics might take issue with these accounts, but they illustrate the possibility that God is not completely hidden.

Besides, Peter van Inwagen rightly argues that God wants us to do more than believe in him: he wants humans to love and worship him. If Jehovah always provided visible evidence that he existed, it might conflict with the ultimate goal that he is trying to achieve. The inspired apostle likewise wrote that we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:8). One day, God will reveal himself in order that all may know he is Jehovah.

The Council of Nicea Ecclesiastically Changed Things (Studer)

"The council of Nicea may with good reason be regarded as signalling a new era of Church history. In fact, it marks the beginning of a close co-operation between the Churches of early Christianity and the Roman empire, which was to bring about unforeseeable consequences for all fields of ecclesiastical life.  As far as the more outward aspect is concerned, a structure was fashioned at that time which resembled a good deal that of the civil organization of the empire, out of which the five great patriarchates were to emerge" (Basil Studer, Trinity and Incarnation, 101).

This relationship affected "all fields of ecclesiastical life" including the liturgy, kerygma, spirituality and theology (102).

Reading Zechariah 12:10---How?

The operative Hebrew words in Zechariah 12:10 are ELAY ET ASERDAQARU ("They shall look upon me whom they have pierced"). S.R. Driver recommends the MT emendation ELAYW ("to him" instead of "upon me") and Driver insists that more than fifty instances in the Hebrew text buttress this reading (See Driver, The Minor Prophets, p. 266).

Even if one reads "upon" or "to me" rather than "to him," it is still possible to understand the text as a reference to the representative of YHWH, that is, His shepherd (compare Zech 11:12-13; 13:7).

Another friend of mine once noted:

"Et-asher [--> 'whom'] is chosen here, as in Jer. 38:9, in the place of the simple 'asher' [whom], to mark 'asher' more clearly as an accusative, since the simple 'asher' might also be rendered 'who pierced (me).'" -- (K-D, Volume 10, page 609.)

Thus, one possible function of ET in Zechariah 12:10 is to clarify and specify the referential significance of the personal object, the one whom is pierced.

Prepare Spiritually As the Fiery-Colored Horse Gallops Along (Modified Talk)

As the end of this system approaches, we can expect more civil unrest, war, and violence to occur. As Revelation 6:4 prophesies, the fiery-colored horse that represents war will continue galloping until Jesus steps in to destroy Satan's godless system of things (compare Zechariah 6:1-2).

Since we can expect more civil unrest in the future, it is imperative for us to be prepared, both spiritually and physically. How can we prepare in both ways?

To prepare spiritually, we should identify Bible principles and scriptural accounts that build our trust in Jehovah and his earthly organization. Moreover, we should strengthen our determination to be neutral regarding this world's political affairs. 1 Peter 4:7-8 likewise emphasizes the need to have intense love for one another, so it is important to build strong friendships within the Christian congregation.

We can prepare physically by having an effective plan to shelter in place and we need to have a reasonable amount of supplies to facilitate such preparation.

What if we have to leave our homes? In that case, we'll need a go bag, personal protective equipment and money, and we'll want to make sure that the elders know how to contact us. Furthermore, we need to know their contact details. Isaiah 32:1-2 reminds us that the elders are a source of protection within the congregation: they have our best interests at heart.

Watch the video

Ask the questions after watching the video

Conclude

Words of the Month (May 2024)

1) Magniloquent:
"speaking in or characterized by a high-flown often bombastic style or manner."

Its usage dates "back to 1650–60; back formation from Latin magniloquentia elevated language, equivalent to magniloqu ( us ) speaking grandly ( magni- magni- + loqu ( ī ) to speak + -us adj. suffix) + -entia -ence.

See https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/magniloquent-2019-03-24?pronunciation&lang=en_us&dir=m&file=magnil02

2) Schonheit (German)-"beauty, fineness, belle." See https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/german-english/schonheit

3) Vermissen (German)-"to miss, to be missing, to fail to see, to regret."

4) Χήρα (Greek)-primarily, a "widow" or a woman left without a husband. See https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=xh/ra

Language and the Mind (Richard Restak)

"Language allows us to convey our emotions, to share ideas, to create fresh forms of expression, and to communicate our most intimate thoughts. Without language the very notion of human civilization would be unthinkable. It is not only confirmation of the mind within us; the need to communicate with other humans through language seems as fundamental as the existence of the mind itself" (Richard Restak, The Mind, page 197).

Source: Richard Restak, The Mind. Bantam, NY: 1988.

Compare Psalm 139:14. 

Restak is a neurologist and neuropsychiatrist (born in 1942). 

Titus 2:12 (Divine Χάρις teaches "us")

Greek (WH): παιδεύουσα ἡμᾶς, ἵνα ἀρνησάμενοι τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ τὰς κοσμικὰς ἐπιθυμίας σωφρόνως καὶ δικαίως καὶ εὐσεβῶς ζήσωμεν ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι,

Our text begins with the present active participle nominative singular feminine form of the verb παιδεύω + the accusative plural first person of ἡμεῖς: translate "teaching us."

Raymond F. Collins points out that it is ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ that has appeared to instruct "us" (i.e., Christians); see Titus 2:11 and note the use of an explanatory γὰρ there. Collins writes:

"Now the Pastor makes reference to the saving beneficence of God. The 'beneficence' or 'grace' (he charis) about which he writes is not grace in the Pauline sense, that is, the grace of God that justifies; rather, the word is to be taken in its usual Hellenistic sense of 'favor' or 'beneficence.' In the Pastor’s world the granting of favors was often associated with royal 'appearances' ” (1-2 Timothy and Titus in the NTL Series, page 349).

I personally don't find Collins' take on Χάρις to be all that convincing. Granted, looking at ancient royal appearances or "divine" visits is fair game for trying to determine a word's semantic range, but the immediate literary context and normal usage of the word must have some influence on how we understand Χάρις. 

BDAG makes these comments about this particular use of Χάρις:

— χ. to denote beneficent dispensations of the emperor: OGI 669, 44 [I a.d.]; BGU 19 I, 21 [II a.d.] χάρ. τοῦ θεοῦ Αὐτοκράτορος; 1085 II, 4) and of Christ, who give (undeserved) gifts to people; God: δικαιούμενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι Ro 3:24. Cp. 5:15a, 20f; 6:1; 11:5 (ἐκλογή 1), 6abc; Gal 1:15 (διά A 3e); Eph 1:6f (KKuhn, NTS 7, ’61, 337 [reff. to Qumran lit.]); 2:5, 7, 8; cp. Pol 1:3; 2 Th 1:12; 2:16; 2 Ti 1:9; Tit 2:11 (ἡ χάρ. τοῦ θεοῦ σωτήριος; s. Dibelius, Hdb. exc. after Tit 2:14); 3:7; Hb 2:9 (χωρίς 2aα); 4:16a (DdeSilva, JBL 115, ’96, 100–103); 1 Cl 50:3; ISm 9:2; IPol 7:3. ἐν χάρ[ιτι θεοῦ] AcPl Ha 7, 23 (restoration uncertain). κατὰ χάριν as a favor, out of goodwill (cp. Pla., Leg. 740c; schol. on Soph., Oed. Col. 1751 p. 468 Papag.) Ro 4:4 (opp. κατὰ ὀφείλημα), 16.—The beneficence or favor of Christ: διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ πιστεύομεν σωθῆναι Ac 15:11. Cp. Ro 5:15b; 2 Cor 8:9; 1 Ti 1:14; IPhld 8:1. On Ac 2:47 in this sense s. TAnderson, NTS 34, ’88, 604–10.

Compare 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5-7. Note also the goal of divine instruction that occurs via Χάρις manifested through Christ: ἵνα ἀρνησάμενοι τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ τὰς κοσμικὰς ἐπιθυμίας σωφρόνως καὶ δικαίως καὶ εὐσεβῶς ζήσωμεν ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι.

Hebrews 7:16 (Rogers and Rogers Screenshot)

Greek: ὃς οὐ κατὰ νόμον ἐντολῆς σαρκίνης γέγονεν ἀλλὰ κατὰ δύναμιν ζωῆς ἀκαταλύτου: