Isaiah 6:1 In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." Illustration from Figures de la Bible (1728) The Problem of Evil and Suffering in the Presence of an All-knowing, All-good, All-loving, and Allpowerful God (84): Job 38: God & Creation-30 (The true, the good, and the beautiful-9) 10/25/2012 1
Bible Doctrines Eschatology Thanatology Ecclesiology Israelology Dispensationalism Doxology Hodology Soteriology Hamartiology Natural Law Anthropology Angelology Pneumatology Christology Paterology Trinitarianism Cosmology Theology Proper Bibliology P.R. - 32 Epistemology Metaphysics -11d History-8 Reality Logic 32, Truth 32 Philosophical/Theological/Doctrinal/Spiritual Framework Stage 3 Stage 3 Christian metaphysician The believer who becomes a Christian metaphysician has a totally new mindset with regard to the nature of Ehyeh/Esse and all of reality. Only in metaphysics can a believer really understand the attributes of God. Stage 2 Christian doctrinal believer Through BD, this believer has gained a great deal of divine viewpoint in his soul regarding God and the spiritual life. However, he continues to have some pagan views about God s nature due to lack of metaphysical development. He is stable, but still very dependent on others for confidence. Proverbs 4:5 Acquire wisdom! Acquire Stage 2 understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 "Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you. 7 Stage 1 Christian baby "The beginning of wisdom is: All baby believers have a great deal of pagan Acquire wisdom; And with views of God due to the problem of pagan all your acquiring, get Stage 1 horizon of meaning. understanding. 8 "Prize her, All baby believers are tossed here and there and she will exalt you; She by the kosmos, Eph 4:14. will honor you if you embrace her. 9 "She will For baby believers it is all about pragmatism. place on your head a garland If it works, they think it must be true. of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty." 10/25/2012 2
The five transcendentals for objectivity PR 32 Philosophical Edifice for Objectivity Not only has the church lost demonstrable objectivity in Bible studies, it has lost objectivity in other key areas. Satan as effectively muted the church on many fronts. Absolute Truths Politics, Natural Law Economics, Capitalism Government, Justice, The True-Good-Beautiful, music, literature Esse, esses, etc. The modern mind is very Protagorean & fragmented. 5- Hermeneutics how do we understand that which is? 4- Linguistics how is that which is communicated? 3- Epistemology how do I know that which is? 2- Metaphysics what is that which is? (History of Metaphysics 8f, Science of Metaphysics 11e) 1- Reality that which Logic, is (Logic TruthdSISD 32, Truth 32) 10/25/2012 3
Foundations: Metaphysics (Science of Being as Being 11) History of Metaphysics 32 The Science of Metaphysics 32 It is metaphysics that enables the believer to enter the realm of Forms and Beauty by giving him the ability to grasp the concepts of the true, good, and beautiful in all of creation and the greatest beauty that every graced our planet, namely Jesus Christ, the Christ-form the Ultimate Beauty. The Christian is a new Form in creation designed to be transformed into a Christ-form (Gal. 4:19; 6:15; Eph. 2:10). It is seeing the Beauty of God and in Bible doctrine that makes all of the work in metaphysics worth it. The object of theology and philosophical realism is the same: Ultimate Being behind all existing things. 8-Plato.6 (more on Plato later) 7-Socrates (executed for commitment to Truth) 6- Monists vs. Pluralists the one & the many 5- Parmenides (515-450 BC) all is being Heraclitus (540-480 BC) all is flux 4- Anaximander (610-545 BC) - apeiron Anaximenes (580-500 BC) - air 3- Thales (624-545 BC) - water 2- Kant s Wall 1- Overview 11e The Transcendentals.5 8-10 Being-Becoming 7-Satan s attack on metaphysics 6-Integration of 4 causes 5-Act of existence = to be 4-Act and Potency/potential 3- Four causes still in progress 2-Being qua being 1-Introduction History of Metaphysics 8 Science of Metaphysics 11 10/25/2012 4
The Six Transcendentals of Beings 1-Thing/Essence Existence /essence (as an act of existence) Either something exists or it does not A being vs. non-being 2-One A being is undivided A being is a unit 3-Otherness 4- True All that bes is true/real All truth is s absolute Eternal truth vs. created truth 5- Good Suitability Desire is the effect Relationship of being with others; basis of law of non-contradiction. Relationship of conformity of being to the Intellect (falsity is lack of conformity). Relationship of desire ; All creatures tend towards a good, never evil as such. The good is God s good for creatures (teleology). Relationship of pleasure ; 6- Beautiful beautiful brings pleasure; however, not everything that Everything is beautiful in some brings pleasure is beautiful; sense according to its God-given this is beauty seen by form. Pleasure is the effect the intellect through tools (e.g., the retina, eardrum). 10/25/2012 5
God and Creation 30 TRUTH GOODNESS BEAUTY The transcendentals of truth, goodness, and beauty cannot be separated. This means that the loss of capacity to see the beauty of Forms leads to loss of capacity to see goodness and truth in creation, in God, and in Jesus Christ, and the spiritual life. This loss is due in no small part to loss of metaphysics. If beauty is a transcendental, then it must be derived from God Himself. Beauty is a road to God (e.g., God-consciousness). Consider how the attitudes would be different in society if this was well-known. 10/25/2012 6
Transcendental of Beauty the form. Is this beautiful? 10/25/2012 7
Transcendental of Beauty the form. Is this beautiful? 10/25/2012 8
Transcendental of Beauty form. Are these beautiful? 10/25/2012 9
Transcendental of Beauty the form. Are these beautiful? 10/25/2012 10
Transcendental of Beauty the form. Is this beautiful? 10/25/2012 11
Transcendental of Beauty the form. Is this beautiful? 10/25/2012 12
Transcendental of Beauty the form. Is this beautiful? 10/25/2012 13
Transcendental of Beauty the form. Is this beautiful? 10/25/2012 14
Transcendental of Beauty the form. Is this beautiful? 10/25/2012 15
Transcendental of Beauty the form. Is this beautiful? 10/25/2012 16
TRUTH GOODNESS BEAUTY Unity Harmony Proportion Wholeness Radiance 10/25/2012 17
Corruption of the Beautiful Lack of harmony Lack of proportion Lack of wholeness Lack of radiance 10/25/2012 18
1. Metaphysics enables the believer to grasp the true nature of God (Esse) and His relationship with creation (esses). Lack of metaphysics will result in superimposing one s own views on God or apply anthropomorphic descriptions to God (cf., Finis Dake). 10/25/2012 19
2. Metaphysics enables the believer to see the glory (beauty and goodness) of God in all of creation, Psalm 19:1-2; 27:4; Isaiah 6:3; Romans 1:20-23. As we will see, beauty is all about Form. This is true in literature, music, the visual arts, etc. Apart from metaphysics, a person is primarily oriented to matter and blandness of life and blind legalism. 3. Metaphysics keeps the believer from superimposing his own subjective views on God, creation, and what is true, good, and beautiful (kalokagathon). 10/25/2012 20
4. Metaphysics keeps the believer from thinking like an unbeliever/materialist who regularly views good and bad on the basis of the pain and pleasure principle rather than on metaphysics. 10/25/2012 21
5. The fact that God is Beautiful (Psalm 27:4) tells us right away that beauty is grasped by the intellect and not by the five senses. 6. God is the most beautiful of all beings. God s beauty is without change, without increase or decrease, and is not like any other beauty, which all have a particularized beauty. He is surpassingly beautiful. 10/25/2012 22
7. God gives beauty to all created beings, according to the property of each. God is the cause of all unison and clarity. Every unison, every harmony, every proportion, comes forth from divine beauty. 10/25/2012 23
8. God is the Author of all beauty and goodness. The beauty of all creatures is none other than a reflection of the divine Beauty shared among all things. 9. Metaphysically speaking, all beings are good (Gen 1-25). Goodness and being really the same, they are convertible. God is the source of all that bes. They all reflect His goodness. Something is good only insofar as it exists and succeeds in being in some way as God brings it about. 10/25/2012 24
God and Creation -30 10. Beauty is a transcendental that lifts the soul beyond matter and thus to a reality and glory beyond this world, Romans 1:20-23. 11. Hence, beauty is one of the many ways God uses to draw people to Himself, the ultimate True, Good, and Beautiful. 10/25/2012 25
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse The four human methods of seeing creation A priori thinking Rationalism cannot see God in creation. A posteriori thinking Empiricism cannot see God in creation. Kantian slicer (fideism) cannot see God in creation. Philosophical realism can see God and universals in creation. Paul declares all are without excuse who could not find the living God from evidence of the created world God and Creation -30 10/25/2012 26
God and Creation 30 1. Biblical data on the true, good, beautiful/glory (as well as the false, evil, ugly/dishonorable): Gen 1-3; Gen 3:24; 6:2; 12:11 Exod. 2:2; Exod. 25:8, 22; 29:43-46; 33:18-22; 40:34-38; Job 38-39; Psa. 19:1-2; 27:4; Psa. 32:1-11; 34:8; 145:8-17; Prov. 4:5-9; Isa. 3:18; 5:20-21; Isa 6:1-8; 2 Chron. 26; Isa 42:18-20; 48:4; 64:6; 53; Jer. 7:24-26; Matt. 5:8; 6:22-23; 13:13-14; 15:12-14; Matt. 27:36; Luke 1:78-79; 21:5; John 1:5, 10-11; 14-18; 3:16-19; 8:12, 31-36; John 12:35-41; 14:9; Acts 3:2; Rom. 1:20-23; 3:9-19; Rom 10:15; 1 Cor. 2:8-9; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:4, 6; Eph. 2:10; 5:25-32; Col. 2:9; Philip. 2:5-11; 3:10-14; 4:8; 1 Pet. 3:1-5; 2 Pet. 3:16; Heb. 1:1-3; James 1:11, 17; 1 John 3:2-3; Rev. 12:3, 7, 9; 21:1-22:5. The importance of having a solid, biblical, doctrinal, and philosophical base before moving into aesthetics of God, the Word of God, and creation. 10/25/2012 27
God and Creation 30 2. Summary of Isaiah 6. The issue of the glory of God juxtaposed with the blindness and deafness of man to divine Form in revelation (Matt. 13:13-23; John 12:35-50). The issue or object in seeing and hearing is all about form (metaphysics). 10/25/2012 28
God and Creation 30 3. Blindness and deafness to Truth-Goodness-Beauty are frightening realities for most people in human history, including believers, Isa. 6:9; 42:18-20; Jer. 7:26; Mat 13:14; 23:32-38; John 1:5, 10-11. To prefer subjective viewpoint (preconceived idea of what is true, good, and beautiful) over objective evidence is spiritual suicide. How can one be so blind to so much beauty? 10/25/2012 29