“For it was appropriate that, just as death entered the human race through a man’s disobedience, so life should be restored through a man’s obedience; and that, just as the sin which was the cause of our damnation originated from a woman, similarly the originator of our justification and salvation should be born of a woman. Also that the devil, who defeated the man whom he beguiled through the taste of a tree, should himself similarly be defeated by a man through tree-induced suffering which he, the devil, inflicted. There are many other things, too, which, if carefully considered, display the indescribable beauty of the fact that our redemption was procured in this way.”
-St. Anselm of Cantebury
death
Satan vs. God
Satan is in no way the equal opposite of God. Satan is the opposite, yet he is in no way equal. Satan is a creature, God is the Creator. Satan is finite, God is infinite. Satan is subordinate to, weaker than, and less knowledgeable than God. Where God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, Satan is non of these things. God will defeat Satan in the end.
A Quote on War: William Tecumseh Sherman
“War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.”
-William Tecumseh Sherman
Jonathan Edwards’ Seventh Resolution
“7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.”
-Jonathan Edwards
At my school, Sequitur Classical Tutorial, we just finished reading Everyman, a mediaeval morality play. The main plot of the story follows: God summons Death to bring to him Everyman, the main character of the story. Upon meeting Death and realizing his intentions, Everyman begs Death to let him have more time, for he is not ready to give a reckoning of his life, but to no avail. Yet finally, Everyman persuades Death to let him try and bring others along with him on his journey to God. Everyman first goes to Fellowship, who promises to give his life for Everyman, yet recants when it comes down to it. Likewise, Cousin and Kin, and Goods (possesions) react similarly: they promise great things, yet change their minds ultimately. In the end, only Good Deeds and Knowledge accompany Everyman on his journey to give a reckoning.
The moral of the story is two-fold. First, it seems to be rather obvious that the underlying message of the play is that we ought to live a life that would be ready to give a reckoning to God at any moment, as Jonathan Edwards Seventh Resolution states. The second moral can be expressed in this stanza from the play’s script: “O all thing faileth, save God alone; Beauty, Strength, and Discretion; for when Death bloweth his blast, they all run from me fast.” (Everyman) God is the only constant thing we have, and he should be regarded above all else, for all else dwindles away in the end.
Lucas
Lucas Kelly 