How the Classics Have Formed My Worldview: On Human Nature

Over the next few days I want to do some posts quoting the classics and showing how classical literature has formed my worldview, formed Western society, and confirmed the formation of Christian doctrine. I am now in my fourth year of officially studying the classics, and I am thriving on it. Hopefully I will be posting 3 quotes or so for 3-5 days, depending on how many quotes I dig out of my files. Some people lately have been questioning my classic-reading, and some of my worldview as well, so here I present you with something of an explanation, including Bible references to back myself up. :) The Bible is my basis for all these things, but I want to show how reading the classics is beneficial to the Christian. Some things I can guarantee you you will wholeheartedly agree with, and others you will strongly disagree with, but here I go anyway. Today's topic: Human nature.

Classical quotation: "You wish to be called righteous, rather than to act right." -Aeschylus
Scriptural evidence: ¹ Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ² "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat." ³He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?" -Matthew 15:1-3
My interpretation: The Pharisees are known to Christians for their hypocrisy. Yet, in some passages, Jesus actually compares any human to a Pharisee. We all want to be called righteous people. Everybody, whether admittedly or not, wants to be reverenced. But we kind of want to be the bad guy, too. This is sin in our lives. Aeschylus had it exactly right: we all want to be known as the good guy, but secretly, we don't want to bother with actually being the good guy.

Classical quotation:
"The soul, which is created apt for love,
The moment pleasure wakes it into act,
To any pleasant thing is swift to move.


Your apprehension draws from some real fact
An inward image, which it shows to you,
And by that image doth the soul attract;


And if the soul, attracted, yearns thereto,
That yearning's love; 'tis nature doth secure,
Her band in you, which pleasure knits anew.


And as fire mounts, urged upward by the pure
Impulsion of its form, which must aspire
Toward its own matter, where 'twill best endure,


So the enamoured soul falls to desire-
A motion spiritual- nor rest can find
Till its loved object it enjoy entire.


Now canst thou see how wholly those are blind
To truth, who think all love is laudable
Just in itself, no matter of what kind."
-Dante

Scriptural evidence: "but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful." -Mark 4:19
My interpretation: Go back to Genesis 1. Read it. In the beginning, whenever God created anything, he called it "good." Then read 1 John 4. You'll discover that God is love. While you're at, skip back to Genesis 3. Then read Mark 4. Read the whole chapter. If you want to know the end of the story, read the book of Romans. But for now let's focus on man's sin problem. See, we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1), and we have been declared good by God. This God is love (1 John 4), which means that if we are created in his image we have a love capacity as well. But we have a sin problem (Genesis 3), and so we are left broken, and no longer good. We are all born that way. We are marred by sin. Still, God in his goodness has left us with pieces of himself, because he loves us still. So, we go after anything resembling love. Sometimes we get it. Other times, we miss. More often than not, we get a generic replica of the real thing. Many times, it turns out to be worse than that: it is folly, sin. Satan messes with us. Read The Screwtape Letters if you want to know how. Dante was right: we are blind, and completely hopeless. We need a Savior (book of Romans) to take our sin and desperation completely away.

Classical quotation:
"My sin was all the more incurable because I imagined that I was not a sinner." -St. Augustine
Scriptural evidence: "³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. ⁴In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants^[a] for Jesus’ sake."
-2 Corinthians 4:3-5
My interpretation: the Gospel that is veiled proclaims that men are sinners. This is a secret kept by the world that Satan would have no man know, but the work of Christ prevents him from having his way.   At some point or other, whether here on earth in finding salvation through Christ, or at the judgement day when all men who are not already proclaiming Christ as king shall be condemned, all men shall have to see their sin for what it is. Still, man's nature will reign for a little while in every human (except for Jesus, of course). Thus, we are like Augustine. We do not understand our own sin until God's revelation touches us.

Today I talked a lot about sin. There is hope though! I love this hymn, and I hope it penetrates you as deeply when you are reading this as it penetrates me now.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound;
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear;
And Grace my fears relieved!
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come.
'Twas Grace that brought me safe thus far,
And Grace will lead me home.

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun;
We've no less days to sing God's praise,
Than when we've first begun.

In Awe of Him,
Meridian