Tarnas, R. (1991). The passion of the western mind: Understanding the ideas that have shaped our world view. New York: Ballantine Books.

I am trying to complete my summary of Tarnas’ section on the Christian World View. The following section outlines some apparent contradictions in the Christian faith, yet as a product of the Western philosophical tradition, I do not find these contradictions troublesome. It is, nevertheless, a significant part of Tarnas’ book. One cannot fully understand the Western character without understanding this part of world history. The impact of the Christian faith permeates much of the philosophical positions in later centuries.

Source of knowledge

While early Christianity seems to have some roots in Hellenistic philosophy, the focus is shifted. While Plato held reason to be of primary importance, Augustine focussed on faith as the primary means of understanding. Plato emphasized sensory perception and eternal Ideas while Augustine emphasized ideas that were inspired by God and knowing as revealed through biblical teaching (p. 107).

Values

The Greeks valued perfect Forms, ideals of beauty, strength, and intellect. Christianity, on the other hand, valued all—including the weak, strong, beautiful, and ugly (universality). The salvation of the individual became important (p. 116).

Contradictions or Complexities in the Early Church?

• Conversion was regarded a  private choice of the individual. The Church sometimes forced “religious conformity” (p. 118).
• Christ’s sacrifice was seen to reunite humans and God. The Church still viewed humans as alienated from God (p. 120).
• Nature was revered as perfect, a work of God. Nature is considered “corrupt and finite." Human kind must overcome biological instincts “to attain spiritual purity” (p. 140).

Law

To Paul, formerly a Pharisee, the law was of utmost importance as a method of guiding one’s spiritual life. After his dramatic conversion to Christianity, he declared that strict adherence to law or quantity of good works were not enough to achieve salvation; redemption required faith in Christ (p. 149). Yet, in the book of Matthew, “Law is made even more strict for Jesus’s followers—requiring purity of intention as well as act, love of the enemy as well as the friend, unceasing forgiveness, utter detachment from worldly things—and the demand for unconditional moral integrity” (p. 150).

Universality

Christianity appealed to the masses because of its universality. Yet, early Christians felt the need to differentiate themselves from followers of pagan religions. The Church moved towards less tolerance and greater dogmatism (p. 151).

Holy Spirit

The Bible records “unexpected healings and prophetic ecstasies” (p. 155).  Yet, as the Church grew more dogmatic, it feared “unorthodoxy” and revelations that did not fall within accepted guidelines (p. 156).

Augustine

I found Augustine to be a rather interesting character. He was raised in Carthage by a Christian mother and a “pagan” father. He apparently had an illegitimate child from a mistress. Like Paul, he too experienced conversion through divine grace (p. 143). His background may have helped him to understand human weakness, and more than likely it compelled him to become an acetic, striving to become closer to God. Augustine may have even inspired Decartes (“Je pense, donc je suis”):

It was Augustine who first wrote that he could doubt everything, but not the fact of the soul’s own experience of doubting, of knowing, willing, and existing—thereby affirming the certain existence of the human ego in the soul. (p. 144)

While early Christianity emphasized the personal nature of faith, Augustine felt that the Church was needed to protect man from his sinful nature. He believed that man has free will, and that evil arises from abuse of this freedom (p. 144-46). Augustine, a citizen of Carthage during the crumbling of Rome in the face of barbarian incursions, viewed the Church as salvation from the misery on Earth. Similar to the growth of the Hellenistic schools (see blog posting “Exiting the Classical Era”), it appeared that the Church strengthened “from the need to give human beings some stable belief system and inner peace in the face of a hostile and chaotic environment” (p. 76).