A QUESTION OF AUTHORITY Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The nigh read book of tot constantlyy last(predicate)y time: the Bible. The most read teachers from within the Bible: rescuer Christ and the Apostle capital of Minnesota. The subject and reason behind in all of the Apostle capital of Minnesotas writings: deliveryman Christ. The most influential teacher whose look most closely preceded messiah life: Aristotle. both(prenominal) delivery boy and Aristotle spent their efforts trying to teach unitary how to think, and so how whiz ought to live. Aristotle, rescuer, and capital of Minnesota in addition hand over interesting opinions on where the control lies in sensations actions, and consequently where the control lies for the outcomes of these actions. How ar the teachings of Aristotle, deliverer, and the Apostle capital of Minnesota related? Do Jesus and capital of Minnesota, vilenessce they follow Aristotle, support and rotate on Aristotles teachings? Or rather, do Jesus and capital of Minnesota contradict, overrule if you go forth, Aristotles teachings? Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â First, let us examine how Aristotle, Paul, and Jesus advise us to live our lives, and how their philosophies differ. Aristotle tells us, Since, therefore, it is hard to hit the intercede super accurately, the second-best tack, as they say, is to take the lesser of the evils. We shall deliver the goods best in this by the method we describe (1109a, 33-36). Aristotle is persuading us to settle merely because it is hard to hit the intermediate extremely accurately. Well, let us look and see what Jesus teaches us about this: But you are to be perfect, veritable(a) as your Father in Heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48). there is no settling for the second-best tack when striving for perfection. Jesus does not tell us to settle and take the lesser of the evils, plainly by striving to be perfect, it is implied that we are neer to settle with any screen out of evil, whether it be lesser or greater. After all, Aristotle concedes that social functions may become hard, but he neer admits that things may become impossible. And by taking this second-best tack, we give succeed best. According to Jesus, succeeding best is not what we should ext fetch up to for, but we should rather strive to succeed in a perfect manner.
        Aristotle tells us Now death is most f adept of all, since it is a boundary, and when some 1 is on the spur of the moment cypher beyond it seems either good or stinking for him anymore (1115a, 27-29). Since when some iodin is dead nothing beyond it seems either good or bad for him anymore, death is a boundary, it is an end, and we should be scared of this end nation of being. The Apostle Paul could not more pissedly contradict this when he says, For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better (Philippians 1:21). Paul does not see death as an end to all, but rather just an end to living. Paul sees death as a privilege and a reward. And for dying to be even better, one must assume that things after death mountain still seem to be good.         Although Aristotle and the early Christian conceit of Jesus and Paul may contradict in appreciate to mortalal goals and the after-life, it is shocking to lay them side-by-side and observe the some hit similarities. Aristotle tells us It is not true, then, in the case of every meritoriousness that its active exercise is pleasant; it is pleasant save til now as we attain the end (1117b, 16-18). If we refer to the previous paragraph, we bequeath understand that Aristotle means that we depart achieve this pleasant end during our lives, just simply after a sequence of actions that are not necessarily pleasant. Paul realizes that we often need to tire out hardships and unpleasantries in order to achieve this pleasant end, the difference is that Paul sees the pleasant end most often occurring in our after-lives, finished our salvation. Paul tells us that You deal been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but to a fault the privilege of suffering for him (Philippians 1:29). And that What we suffer for now is nothing compared to the glory he imparting give us afterwards (Romans 8:18). Paul says that we need to endure trials and suffering with an upbeat and futuristic hope.
        Aristotle tells us that, The temperate person ascends no entertainment at all in the wrong things. He finds no intense fun in any [bodily pleasures], suffers no injure in their absence, and has no appetite for them, or only a moderate appetite, not to the wrong degree or at the wrong time or anything else at all of that sort (1119a, 13-17). Although Aristotle never gives us a list of what are the right things to find pleasure in and what are the wrong things, we good deal draw from his above statement the right things in which we should find pleasure in are issues of the melodic theme, and things that we shall not become, in a sense, addicted to. Jesus also tells us in what we should be seeking pleasure, and in where we should be investing. Dont investment company up treasures here on earth, where they tin be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your smell and thoughts will also be (Matthew 6:19-21). Jesus puts charge in the intangible things; things that one will not simply be able to throw over his or her articulatio humeri or toss into a U-Haul on their way up to heaven. Like Aristotle, Jesus tells us to be more refer with issues of the mind. I find that a lyric from the song try out Up, written by Dave Matthews, best summarizes this thought. I rely it is a lyric that both Aristotle and Jesus would strongly agree with. have a bun in the oven at me in my fancy car, and my bank account, oh, how I appetency I could take it all down into my grave, God knows Id save and savebut in the end, it all piles up to nothing, one big nothing at all.         Aristotle and Paul also advise us similarly on generosity and giving. Aristotle tells us: The generous personwill do this, [give], with pleasure (1120a, 28). Paul instructs us to not give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives with pleasure (2 Corinthians 9:7).
        When should one become angry? Aristotle instructs us that The person who is angry at the right things and toward the right people, and also in the right way, at the right time, and for the right distance of time, is praised (1125b, 32-34). Christian doctrine believes that Jesus Christ was a perfect being, unf lawfulnessed and without sin in every matter, and thus he was never wrong. Therefore, we can assume that Jesus would be right in everything, including all of the thoughts and actions listed by Aristotle above. In the Bible, we have one concrete and descriptive occurrence of an angry Jesus. Jesus enters Jerusalem, and he is appall at what is taking place in the tabernacle, the utmost holy place of worship. Rather than a place of sacred worship, the temple had become a place of greedy business. Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the stalls of those selling doves. He said, The Scriptures declare, My Temple will be called a place of prayer, but you have turned it into a retreat of thieves! (Matthew 21:12-13). Jesus gives us a wonderful deterrent example of being angry at the right things and toward the right people, and also in the right way, at the right time, and for the right length of time.         Having examined the similarities and differences in how Aristotle, Jesus, and Paul teach us to live our lives, let us examine who they believe ought to have the control of our actions and their outcomes. Aristotle says, For we are in control of actions from the beginning to the end, when we know the particulars (1114b, 31-32).
Paul urges us to live our lives in a different manner; let the Holy Spirit fill and control you (Ephesians 5:18). Aristotle says, And so acting, when is fine, is not up to us, not acting, when it is shameful, is also up to us; and if not acting, when it is fine, is up to us, then acting, when it is shameful, is also up to us (1113b, 9-11). Paul offers a different spin on decision-making and awkwardness; I usurpt understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I dont do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. But I cant help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things (Romans 7:15-17). This passage from Romans is specially difficult to understand, and remarkably easy to relate to. It doesnt confute what Aristotle says; Paul never says that it is not ultimately one who makes decisions for ones self, he is just explaining and acknowledging that there are strong outside forces influencing our actions. In the same way, he is encouraging one to allow a spiritual force to take over ones self and ones actions, mind you it is quite a different spiritual force. In Ephesians 5:18, Paul refers to this positively influencing force as the Holy Spirit, who, by Christian doctrine, is the third person of God.
        In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle is adamant in proving that one can achieve the greatest good of satisfaction for ones self. The things achievable by action have some end that we wish for because of itselfclearly, this end will be the good, that is to say, the best good (1094a, 18-19, 22-23) From a Biblical approach, due to the legitimate Sin that Adam and Eve brought into this world, no one can achieve gratification independently from God. Paul explains that, All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and Jesus tells us that Only God is good (Matthew 17:19). Aristotle believes that one can be happy by ones own efforts, but the Bible seems to disagree. Then how can we acquire this goodness of God?         Of all of the major religions of the world today, most have a type of leader who at one point lived as a human in this world. Of all of these leaders, Jesus Christ is the only one to have ever claimed to be God. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking to see him? Dont you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?Just believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me (John 14:9-11). Jesus also makes the claim, I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). By saying these things, Jesus is doing two principal(prenominal) things: inaugural, he is claiming his authority by saying that he in fact is God and that he is also the truth, second, he is claiming that he is the way to salvation. Jesus is the way to happiness; a happiness so much greater, wider, and deeper than the happiness achievable by self. Jesus is claiming authority over all that have lived before him, including Aristotle. Although many of Aristotles teachings undoubtedly foreshadow the teaching of Jesus and the teachings of the Apostle Paul (as he echoed the teachings of Jesus), at many times Jesus expands on them, and at many times he completely overrules them. When perusing Aristotle and Jesus, two of the greatest thinkers and teachers of all time, one must first decide for ones self the authority one will put in each figure. If one puts them on an equal level, reading each of their teachings with equal skepticism, that person will walk away confused, and with many unsettled thoughts. However, if one accepts what Jesus claims in John 14:9-11 and John 14:6, the answers will come through quite clearly.
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