Prayer Worship and Meditation IV: The Divine Word, the Logos within

 

Putting aside the literal trappings of religion, is it possible that the early teachers were talking about an internal subjective experience when they speak of Spirit? An audible spirit?

 

"Well has the all-gracious and Almighty God interposed as it were an intermediate Power between himself and them, even the Divine omnipotence of his only-begotten Word."

Schaff, P. 1997. The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers Second Series Vol. I. Eusebius: Church History, Life of Constantine the Great, and Oration in Praise of Constantine. Logos Research Systems: Oak Harbor

 

Philo’s writings also describe the Word as the true Savior.

 

"To His Word, His chief messenger, highest in age and honour, the Father of all has given the special prerogative, to stand on the border and separate the creature from the Creator. This same Word both pleads with the immortal as supplicant for afflicted mortality and acts as ambassador of the ruler to the subject. He glories in this prerogative and proudly describes it in these words "and I stood between the Lord and you" (Deut. v. 5), that is neither uncreated by God, nor created as you, but midway between the two extremes, a surety to both sides."

Philo, Quis rerum divinarum heres sit 205-206, as quoted in  The Gospel of the Memra: Jewish Binitarianism and the Prologue to John, by Daniel Boyarin, In the Harvard Theological Review, July, 2001

 

"This hallowed flock, He leads with right and law, setting over it His own true Logos, His first-born Son, who shall succeed unto the care of this sacred flock, as though he were some viceroy of a great king."

Philo, On Husbandry 12, Phill p. 135, TGHI, pl. 238 

 

An internal experience.

 

A Deceptive Purchase?

 

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

                                                Matthew (13:44)

 

Why did the man hide the treasure in the field? Was that honest? Should he have told the owner of the field? Was it fair to the owner to keep him or her ignorant of the treasure?

 

The man who found the treasure and hid it again appears to have bought the field at a price agreed to by the owner under the pretense that the field contained no treasure.  By giving this illustration as a positive example, is Jesus promoting questionable behavior?

 

Why did the man choose to deceive the owner? Perhaps the man knew that even by selling all he had, he would not be able to afford the true price of the treasure. No one can. Why did he have to have it? As for the owner, who was he? Perhaps the owner was not deceived at all.

 

Consider what may have been lost through the oral tradition in this rendition of Jesus’ parable.  Perhaps the original went a little something like this:  

 

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a man’s own fields.  The man had been away for so long he didn’t recognize his own home. Something inside the man brought him to this field and to the family treasure, his birthright, which the man, as a boy, had helped His father bury long ago. As soon as he uncovered the treasure he knew it was his, but did not understand why. So he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field from his father, whom he also didn’t recognize. His father was so happy to see his son’s return that he played along and sold him the field for trinkets. His father knew that his son was gradually remembering. One day his son realized that the field, the treasure and the father were all his to begin with. He ran through the fields up to the house he hadn’t seen in years. Now everything was clear, everything familiar. He ran into that house, his home, and embraced his father. All that mattered to his father was that day of reunion. This is what the kingdom of heaven is like.

 

Jesus’ parable has a simple allegorical explanation to today's Meditator:  The man found this treasure in the field within himself. He gladly paid his debts to those around him, finished his duties, left his old life,  and made his home that field, and the treasure the center of his new life.

Comments

[777]

Good piece
for those who appreciate the sweet treasure not hidden within but so long neglected

[Ruby]

GREETINGS TO ALL YOU DEAR FOLK. I thought it would be great to take a break from all your thinkie talk. Warmest wishes for a Happy, Peace Filled, Healthy, Simply Simple Holiday Season and New Year. Hope you enjoy the beautiful video below as much as I did. Love to all, Ruby

https://youtu.be/Q41ctPLDHvU

[Spence Tepper]

Hi Ruby
So beautiful...
Who can watch this without shedding tears?
Wonderful.

[Jen]

What a beautiful video.
If only we all sang in the One voice what a difference it would make in this crazy world of divisiveness.
Lovely smiling faces, sweet and happy energy, harmony... Thanks Ruby :)