Hebrews 11:10
“ … whose architect
and maker is God.”
The compass in this
13th century manuscript is a symbol of God’s act of
creation. God has created the universe using
geometric and harmonic principles.
Wisdom of Solomon
11:20
“But thou [God] hast
arranged all things by measure and number and
weight.”
Wisdom 13:5
“For from the greatness and beauty of created things
comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.”
CCC 299
“Because God creates
through wisdom, his creation is ordered ...”
And so, by the help
of His grace we can learn more about Him and His
plan for our salvation. And we can become united to
His mystical body, the Church, and ultimately be
with Him in Heaven.
So, the study of
order, natural law, and science fit perfectly within
the very essence of Judaic-Christian theology.
Therefore, Christians
were impelled to study this order, and this became
the foundation for science.
However, other
religions did not start with this advantage. Islam
and Luther for example despised reason. The pagans
believed their gods followed the whims of passion
and disorder.
So, even when these
cultures made great discoveries they were hindered
in continuation and in passing them down to future
generations. And this is why science flourished in
Christianity while in other societies despite the
significant advances they made only achieved what
Fr. Jaki terms as still births.
Christians believed
the world was created and governed by universal laws
that could be studied and learned. We see this
understanding in early Christian writing.
Saint Athanasius
about 367 AD writes :
Ҥ35. Creation a
revelation of God; especially in the order
and harmony pervading the whole. …
§40. The rationality
and order of the Universe proves that it is
the work of the Reason or Word of God. Who
then might this Maker be? ... our argument
has proved that the gods of the poets
[ the pagan gods ]
are no gods, and has convicted of error
those that deify creation, and in general
has shewn that the idolatry of the heathen
is godlessness and impiety …
3. For if the movement of creation were
irrational, and the universe were borne
along without plan, a man might fairly
disbelieve what we say. But if it subsist in
reason and wisdom and skill, and is
perfectly ordered throughout, it follows
that He that is over it and has ordered it
is none other than the [reason or] Word of
God. …
the God of the
Universe … Who while different from things
that are made, and from all Creation, is the
One own Word of the good Father, Who by His
own providence ordered and illumines this
Universe.
5. … the Good Father
He produced the order of all things, …
to one harmonious
order. …
§47. Necessity of a return to the Word if
our corrupt nature is to be restored. … His
very Brightness and very Life, and the Door,
and the Shepherd, … and Savior over all, and
Light, and Giver of Life, and Providence
over all.
Having then such a
Son begotten of Himself, good, and Creator,
the Father did not hide Him … but even day
by day reveals Him to all by means of the
organization and life of all things, which
is His work.
2 … both heaven and
earth and all that in them is being
dependent on Him, yet men
[ who reject the revelation given by the
Judaic-Christian covenants ]
in their folly have set aside the knowledge
and service of Him, and honored things that
are not instead of things that are: and
instead of the real and true God deified
things that were not, “serving the creature
rather than the Creator” thus involving
themselves in foolishness and impiety.”
Against the Heathen (Contra
Gentes) Part 3
The pagans and the
Hindus deified creation. They considered the whole
material world as being part of god.
And, this is why they
had female goddesses, and contrarily this is why the
God of Christianity, and to some extent Judaism, is
revealed as Father.
God the Father does
not mean He has a male body. God is pure spirit.
He has no body. At the Incarnation His Son takes a
male body.
It is important to
understand the implications and differences of a
masculine God-Head verses a female goddess.
Christian theology
vs. Pagan theology
Sexual Symbolism
To understand why we
pray “Our Father” and not “Our Mother” and why women
are not called to Ordained Priesthood consider:
Christianity does not
teach that God the Father is male, but rather that
He is pure spirit without sex. We refer to Him in
masculine terms because He was revealed to us by the
Son in that manner.
Besides that,
referring to the godhead in feminine terms is
consistent with pagan theology, but it does not fit
with Christianity. For example, Hindus believe that
all creation is part of god. They view the world as
being created out of the very substance of god.
The Latin derivation
for “mother” is “mater” (think of maternal
etc.) It means origin, source, or the substance
out of which something is made. Also see the
derivation for “matter.”
Both words
“mother” and “matter” come from the same word.
If we had a Mother god, as pagans do, then that
would imply that we are made out of the same
substance of that god. Hence we would be gods
ourselves.
However, Christians
have a God who is Father. His creation is something
outside of Himself. And the male and female
symbolism tell us something about God and who He is
and who we are.
Unlike pagans, God
transcends the universe. He is not part of it. And
Divine revelation tells us about our relationship
with God by describing Him as the Groom and the
Church as the bride.
It has been said that
Jesus is the most unoriginal person to have lived.
He only did what He saw the Father doing. John
5:19 His Mother is the holiest human being. (Jesus
is a Divine Being –Person). Yet, Jesus chose not to
ordain her or any other woman. And so the Church
has no choice but to follow Jesus’ example.
Gender is a lot more
than just a set of sex organs.
And this is why in
the above Saint Athanasius makes the following
contrasts of evil men with good men ( I consider
standard English much more inclusive then the so
called “inclusive language”)
So, he writes :
“ … those that deify
creation … God of the Universe … Who while
different from things that are made, and
from all Creation”
(paragraph §40)
and again
“yet men
[ who reject the revelation given by the
Judaic-Christian covenants ]
in their folly have set aside the knowledge
and service of Him, and honored things that
are not instead of things that are: and
instead of the real and true God deified
things that were not, “serving the creature
rather than the Creator” thus involving
themselves in foolishness and impiety.”
(paragraph §40. 2)
See related
information
Why Women Cannot be Ordained Priests,
by
Peter Kreeft.
Section 2 is especially good. See:
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