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Jesus in Greece - Jamie Peters

     Alright, there was a LOT that happened in this reading assignment, and since we are most likely writing papers on this soon, I will focus in on one part of this book. If Plato's Republic isn't about Jesus, I'm gonna slap someone. The entirety of the cave analogy is exactly what it is like to receive Jesus, learn more about him, and then go back out into a dying world to bring the healing we have been given. More specifically, the picture painted by Plato is what it is like to go to the University of Mobile. We attend here because we want to be here; we learn about subjects outside of the standard course of study. We are not here to "...prolong [our] education endlessly... [becoming] incapable of action" (7.519c). We are being trained to go, to be ready to lead in the world, not just in terms of intellectual excellence, but in a Christian capacity. Much like the philosophers of Plato's day, Christians make up a small percentage of the world, but our light shines brighter than all others. We are much despised even though we have the truth, and we are considered in terms of those who bring Christians a bad name. It brings me joy to see God's hand in everything, even in philosophy such as this. 

There is so much more to be said about this book, from the blatant terror that comes from reading chapter eight to the different type of terror that comes from actually considering an aristocracy as a good form of government. I want to hear your thoughts about Jesus in this, though. What do you guys think?


I commented on Haylee Lynd's and Isabelle's posts.

Comments

  1. Rachael GregsonOctober 5, 2020 at 3:25 PM

    Jamie, I really love how you brought attention to this! Your blog reminds me of the Bible verse Matthew 5:14: "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden." Both the Republic and the Gospel urge us to spread the word and raise awareness about something. For the Republic, it's education. For the Gospel, it's Christ.

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  2. Lily CaswellOctober 5, 2020 at 8:44 PM

    I complete agree, Jamie! (Plus, I really don’t want to get slapped by you.) Even throughout the past few books of The Republic, Socrates didn’t talk directly about there being one God, but man did he come close. You also reminded me of Matthew 5:10 where it says “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” We’re not here on earth to just sit on the sidelines and watch the world go down; we’re here because God put us on this earth at this time for our individual purpose.

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