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A Sagely Word
Coming to that point of the centre of our own being is like adjusting the aperture of a camera. When we have reduced ourself to that one-pointedness and when we are still, the light shines into us, into our hearts. That is the light of God, the light that enlightens and illumines our entire being. Once we have achieved that pointedness and stillness the light shines in our heart for all eternity. Don’t misunderstand me. To tread this path you do not require any special characteristics or special talents except the ordinary talent of knowing that we must go beyond self-importance and self-centredness. And it does not take much integrity to realize that. We must root ourselves not in self-love but in universal love. We become persons, not for ourselves, but for others, for all, for the all.
*John Main, Moment of Christ: The Path of Meditation, Founder of Christian Meditation, a 20th Century adaptation of varied forms of prayer within the contemplative tradition of the Christian Church
Commentary
St. Paul, addressing the Corinthian church, contrasts the written law with the Spirit. Notice, he is not contrasting the Jewish law with Christian Scripture. He says only one thing gives spiritual life: Spirit (pneuma). St. Paul speaks from personal experience. For though he had been a diligent follower of the legal teachings of Judaism, for he had been a Pharisee, he had not found peace or contentment through strict adherence to such. He had not found life.
4Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6who has made us competent (or, sufficient) to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (II Corinthians 3, ESV)
In the above passage, “letter” and “Spirit” are set in contrast, along with the corresponding effect. The “letter kills.” The “Spirit gives life.” The oppositional aspects and effects are clear, and Paul is writing from having experienced the two.
With his experience of the “letter” and the “Spirit,” St. Paul might be alarmed and concerned about some emphases placed on Scripture and doctrine in the Christian faith. That a Christian pastor might identify such as a concern of St. Paul might alarm some persons. However, I do not say that St. Paul would not have a rightful respect for the role of Scripture and doctrine. I refer, rather, to a concern pertaining to an attitude, or emphasis, on the aspect of “letter,” or grāmmā. This includes an over-devotion to Scripture as “letter” and replaces, thereby, the written, or lettered, Word with the Living Word, or Spirit.
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Once a man asked for directions to Rome. After receiving directions, he set out, following the directions. He, after many days, came upon a sign: “Welcome to the City of Rome.” He was very disappointed at Rome. On his way home, he came upon the man who had given him directions. The man asked, “Sir, how did you enjoy Rome? Is it not a wonderful place?” “Well,” replied the traveler, “it was quit disappointing to me. What could be wonderful about a sign?”
That Christianity would struggle with an over-reliance on the “letter” and often miss the “Spirit” was inevitable, to some extent. Emperor Constantine was a prime mover in getting the Church, in the fourth century, to have a finalized collection of sacred writings, called the canon. He offered money for the binding of a set number of official Bibles. Up to that time, different churches had diverse collections of sacred texts that had arisen from different places. Leaders of the Church proceeded, after the Emperor expressed expectation for the creation of what came to be called The Bible, to decide on the canon. This was a major move in seeking unity, like the unity the Emperor was seeking in the Holy Roman Empire. And this Bible could be an objective sign and symbol of and means toward unity in the faith supposedly espoused by the Emperor, though there is debate about his devotion to the Christian faith.
Constantine urged another move of vital importance to the shaping of a historic Christianity. He called a Council to decide the official doctrine of the Church. The Council of Nicea, convened, with the Emperor present, in what later came to be called Turkey. A universal creed was established and all bishops enforced to agree with it.
Therefore, the church came to have two major written documents: a canon, a creed. Both of these are “letter.” Both provide possibilities of being means of unity and division. Both will fail if they become an end; both will succeed if they provide a means of openness to Spirit.
Possibly, the transition to an official list of Scripture is, ironically, the one event in Christian history that has provided the most contrast between positive and negative consequences. And the attempt to create a one Christian Bible never fully succeeded, even to the present day. For example, the three main branches of the Church (i.e. Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Eastern Orthodox) do not have the same canon. The dream of one creed for the whole Church failed, also.
We have inherited a history in which not only have we disagreed on the books to form the canon. More so, we have inherited a history that, even when we agree on the books, we have utilized varied interpretive means and arrived, even when using the same interpretive means, had varying understandings of Scripture. Then, we have created factions and sects over these differing interpretations.
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