Ontario (photo from trekearth.com)
At Christmas season the terms peace, joy, love, happiness, and blessed are used frequently verbally and in print. It is beyond the scope of this blog to thoroughly examine all these words Biblically, but I wish to look at one usage of the term blessed and then briefly compare the related idea of happiness to secular ideas. I will non-exhaustively look at the use of the term blessed in Matthew 5 which is according to Strong’s (3107) makarios and is a prolonged form of the poetical makar which means the same. Strong (1986: 60). The term is defined as meaning extremely blessed and by extension fortunate, well off, blessed, happy. Strong (1986: 60). Bauer defines the word as meaning blessed, fortunate, happy, usually in the sense of privileged recipient of divine favour. Bauer (1979: 486). Bauer explains that in Matthew 5: 3ff the translated idea of happiness to or hail to persons is favoured by some scholars. Bauer (1979: 486). Bauer reasons that this idea may be correct for the Aramaic original, but scarcely exhausts the context for Greek speaking Christians where the state of being blessed is brought about by ascension into heaven. Bauer (1979: 486).
Kissinger quotes Soren Kierkegaard from his 1847 work, What we Learn from the Lilies of the Field and the Birds of the Air. Kierkegaard notes that persons are to seek first God’s Kingdom which is the name of eternal (I would use the term everlasting) happiness which is promised to persons and before which the beauty and peace of nature do not compare. God’s Kingdom is righteousness and is to be sought first and shall endure forever. Kierkegaard (1847: 236). Kissinger writes when discussing the work of C.H. Dodd that the ideal Jesus expressed in the Sermon on the Mount, (which includes Matthew 5) would never be completely realized by humanity in this present world. Kissinger (1975: 82). H.L. Ellison writes that Matthew 5 expresses Beatitudes that are addressed to those who live lives beyond what the laws of the Hebrew Bible asked for and now live in grace. Ellison (1986: 1124).
It can be seen through the works of Strong and Bauer that the correct definition can be found in Matthew 5 by understanding what the word means in New Testament Greek, but the word’s context in each individual usage must be sought after for better understanding. Therefore, Bauer points out that a definition of the word in Matthew 5: 3ff would properly express the idea of happiness, but the context of the verses are deeper as happiness is directly related to Christian participation in the culminated Kingdom of God. Kierkegaard picks up on this point as well, and although Christians are to work for this type of blessed happiness in our present reality, it will not happen in this present realm. The establishment of perfected blessed happiness and the end of the problem of evil, my MPhil and PhD dissertation topics, are both dependent on the culmination of the Kingdom of God, which belongs to those who are regenerated and moved by God to accept salvation in Christ through his atoning and resurrection work.
Secular happiness in our present realm can be synonymous with being blessed from Matthew 5 in that persons can be extremely fortunate and happy and yet this secular concept of being blessed is very importantly different as it is without a Biblical hope in God’s culminated Kingdom. Secular based happiness is fleeting as it philosophically terminates in death. Any life that permanently terminates in death is not ultimately blessed and happy and therefore the historically based gospel offers blessed happiness that is everlasting and philosophically superior to secular happiness.
BAUER, WALTER. (1979) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Translated by Eric H. Wahlstrom, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press.
ELLISON, H.L. (1986) ‘Genesis’, in F.F. Bruce (ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.
KIERKEGAARD, SOREN (1847) 'What we Learn from the Lilies of the Field and the Birds of the Air', in The Sermon on the Mount: A History of Interpretation and Bibliography, The Scarecrow Press, Inc, Metuchen, New Jersey.
KISSINGER, WARREN S. (1975) The Sermon on the Mount: A History of Interpretation and Bibliography, The Scarecrow Press, Inc, Metuchen, New Jersey.
STRONG, J. (1986) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Pickering, Ontario, Welch Publishing Company.
Thanks again for your comment.... Soon to be, Dr. thekingpin68........... By the way, awesome snow pics. ;)
ReplyDeleteTake care,
JME
Cheers, Jimmy.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the encouragement and I emailed my PhD Introduction into Wales this week. As for the pictures, there is something clean and refreshing about nice snow photos.
Russ:)
Good to hear your on your way to finishing up that Ph.D. "dissertation"..... The best to you!
ReplyDeleteTotally OT to this posting, but I'm curious to hear responses to this rant, "Women are not attracted to men", taken from "Best of CraigsList":
ReplyDeleteWomen are not actually attracted to men. There is a vague idea of what a man is physically, and some are better than others aesthetically speaking, but the purely physical appearance of a man is almost inconsequential unless he is horribly ugly or outrageously attractive.
Women are attracted to status, money, how much a man smiles and laughs, how many friends and resources a man has, how full a man's life is--how many "cool," "exciting" and prestigious things he is doing or connected to.
They are interested in how other people view him--how many people want to be around him, how other people interact with him and whether their interactions convey that he is special and amazing. They want him to be extremely outgoing and aggressive, they want him to demonstrate his status over other people by dominating them in various non-violent ways.
A woman's attraction to a man is a function of her jealousy at the thought of another woman having that man. She doesn't care who he actually is or EXACTLY what he looks like physically, she only cares about the VALUE of the life he has constructed around himself.
A woman basically is a greedy materialistic prostitute. Although that sounds vulgar, it's true. She trades her physical self to buy into the success a man has created for himself.
As a man, I fall in love with how a woman is physically. I fall in love with simple parts of a woman. Like the way her hair falls around her face, the line of her neck, her shoulders. They way her ears might peek from her hair. Her eyelashes. The size and shape of her hands, her fingernails. The way she walks, the way she looks when she is tired or annoyed, the sound she makes when she sneezes, coughs, or cries. The way she sits in a chair. The way she breathes while experiencing different emotions. The way her lips move. A million little things.
Sure, a huge part of my attraction is mental, but the powerful seed of love that builds within me and crystallizes is based greatly on visual things that set off torrents of emotion and need.
It seems to me that women almost cannot think for themselves. Their estimates of worth are based on other peoples' estimates of worth. They don't really find an object beautiful on their own. The object becomes beautiful when other people let her know that it is beautiful.
I'm completely unable to reconcile the differences between men and women. It seems like success with women is equal to spending half of your life working to create a giant illusion, something vastly tiring and annoying, while sacrificing your own true self and your own interests. We construct our lives around nest-building. We're like male birds building nests and showing them off to attract mates. It's pathetic. Everything we do is to get women. It is a &#$%!& deal.
Someone needs to invent a drug which has no hormonal imbalance side-effects but is able to erase a man's sex drive and attraction to women. It would increase productivity rates to incredible heights. I'd be free and happy. I'd feel complete. I'd be able to concentrate on my biochemistry studying.
Disclaimer: TheKingpin68 has given permission for this diversion; I am not hijacking as such.
ReplyDeleteAs far as my own view, I think it's obvious the guy that posted this has been hurt pretty badly, and disagree that all women behave as described, but I think that it is a temptation for many.
One more point...
ReplyDeleteThe CraigsList poster overly dehumanizes women by suggesting them to be incapable of appreciating a man just for who he is. Despite the darkness of our society, there are still many good long-lasting marriages where both partners have a deep emotional connection and appreciation for one another.
Thanks, Chucky.
ReplyDeleteA woman basically is a greedy materialistic prostitute.
That is of course an overstatement. Most women are not prostitutes. He is likely using the term figuratively, but even still it is overstated. On the other hand, many persons in our western society, including Christians seem overly concerned with the social status of themselves and others, rather than deeper spiritual qualities.
I can agree that many persons in our western society do not think for themselves very much, philosophically, and seem to be guided by rules which govern romantic relationships. The question for Christians is, do these rules square with Biblical teaching? I have had trouble meeting an adequate Christian young woman, and know of women at church that have had difficulty finding good Christian men. I also know there are women in 'Blogland' that do think for themselves quite a bit, including about the theology, and have trouble meeting good Christian men.
Minus the overstatements, the guy does make some points to consider, but I would guess that serious Christian women can make complaints about the worldliness of men in areas such as money and sex.
Very true, peace and happiness in this world is fleeting and very insecure. The "Blessed" Peace which Christ teaches and the Bible promises is everlasting, in this world and the next for believers!
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing to light the promises of Scripture of the true peace believers in Christ can have forever and in every moment.
By the way, excellent choice of photographs for this article, they seem heavenly and help portray your points with an illuminating clarity.
-Faith Ace-
Thanks for the compliments, Bobby. My last three photos have been snow related, and it is cold here presently even though the snow was replaced by rain.
ReplyDeleteI cannot blame persons in the secular world for seeking to be blessed in happiness, but I am pointing out that it is ultimately futile. I am not merely speculating theologically about a culminated Kingdom of God, but base this view on historical Scripture from actual scribes that documented the works of those such as Christ. If Christ is risen, then the Kingdom shall culminate. I have good reason to generally trust thousands of manuscripts that support a historical and not mythological resurrection and therefore trust that God's plans for everlasting blessed happiness for followers shall be completed.
I enjoyed the drive tonight out to Abbotsford, thanks.
The last photo reminds me of a Bob Ross painting...there. On YouTube there is a Bob Ross parody concerning tattoos...
ReplyDelete