December 4, 2006
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Off Schedule, Perfect Timing
Officially, we are behind in school. Wedding preparations and other life events have crowded our schedule. But! In the glorious timing of our behindness we get to read Athanasius’s On the Incarnation during Advent. How awesome (a word I very seldom use) is that?
Athanasius is a great Trinitarian hero. I get tingly and throat-lumpy whenever I sing or hear this verse in O Come All Ye Faithful:
God of God, Light of Light;
Lo, he abhors not the Virgin’s womb:
Very God, begotten, not created;I usually whisper a quick prayer, “Thank you, Lord, for Athanasius.” If not for him, we would not sing that verse.
Short version of a great story: Athanasius Contra Mundum (Athanasius against the world) is a well known phrase from early church history. A controversy boiled over in the fourth century. A man named Arian had persuaded most of the bishops that Christ was just a man. Athanasius strove for the doctrine of the deity of Christ. Someone said to the Great A. “Athanasius, the whole world is against you.” His reply was, “Then Athanasius is against the world.”
A bonus is the Introduction by C.S. Lewis. Can I tempt you with some Lewis quotes?
There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by the professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books.~ ~ ~It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.
~ ~ ~The only palliative [for chronological blindness] is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books.
So what do you think of those quotes? Do you agree or disagree? Are you like me, who agrees in theory, but has not put it into practice?
We’re reading Athanasius – yessssssss!
Comments (6)
I agree in theory but often not in practice. I have been convicted that I would rather pick up abook about the Word than the Word itself and until I fall in love with the Word alone again, I have been picking up less other books. How does one find time to read and try to become the Prov 31 woman? I have all I can do to just try to keep the house picked up and school going. Someday I will have time to read again.
I remember first reading On the Incarnation about five/six years ago with my boys. I’m sure I got more out of it than they did. Lewis’ intro was great, too. One day, dh was home from work while we were reading and commented (to the boys) what a wonderful education and opportunity they were getting. Dh, who has his MDiv, wasn’t exposed to Athanasius until seminary.
What a glorious and rich history we have as we look back on those early church days. I wonder, if time continues for a while, if our distant posterity will be able to look back on these days of life in the church and be able to pick out those who stood against the world. I doubt many in Athanasius’ day saw how God was using him. Centuries certainly help up perspective, focus, and insight on events, don’t they?
Thanks for the connection to “O Come All Ye Faithful.” I hope to always thank God for Athansius, too, when he comes to mind while singing.
KC, there are different seasons of our lives. I tend to be unbalanced in the other direction – reading when I should be dustmopping my floor. 100 years ago many people only had a dozen books available to them; they read deep instead of wide.
Janie, you are so right. We can’t see our own situation as clearly. BTW, I’m working on (read: thinking about) a blog entry on my beloved Latin teacher. I also enlisted two other bloggers who were in our Latin class to write about our wonderful years with _____. We can’t decide what to call him in our blogs to protect identity and show proper respect. Even though he was a PhD, we called him Mr., so it might be Mr. F.
I am like you and KC – I totally agree in theory but I don’t do it!
RYC, I would have LOVED to have had you turn pages for me the other night. The music was not technically difficult and should have been a piece of cake, but because I had to spend so much time correlating the two editions – and had not received it sooner (no fault of our people here – they had no idea this was a “print on demand” item) – I was just not familiar enough with it. So it was a bit of a stress, but everything went very well and we were all pleased with ourselves and with each other. The audience gave a standing ovation and called the director back several times. And I have heard numerous compliments about it since then.
Now for Christmas Eve (3 services) and of course the intervening weekends. I have no idea what we are going to be doing the rest of this month!
Lewis’ quotes are always applicable to one degree or another. Mostly to the highest degree.
Do I do as he suggests? Not usually, but I do love old books.
The first one you listed, about the ‘professionals’ only reading old books…that applies to the whole of our society today. The pro’s are tho only ones to do the things we once did as a society…parlor music, replaced by cds and tv; sandlot baseball, or, gasp, A rousing game of ‘Workup’…long gone and replaced by organized sports for three year olds. Read a book?, No thanks, I’ll wait for the movie to come out… make my own dress? I would look like I was wearing a dress somebody’s mother made! How sad. We don’t participate in life to the fullest when we buy it done and acquire it.
Milk a goat? make cheese? Quilt? (that is very popular these days )…Spin my own wool? Change my own tire…no thanks, I call the tire shop guy for that ; )
I love that C.S. Lewis quote. You have inspired me to read Athanasius. I was familiar with Arian through Spielvogel’s Western Civ but didn’t remember Athanasius. I can’t say I put Lewis’theory into practice, either, but I am trying to read more challenging books. Even if they aren’t old, some books have challenged me for years. I’m finishing The Hobbit now and then on to LOTR. I don’t know why but fantasy has always been difficult for me to read. Too much right brain accountant??
When is the wedding?
Blessings,
Sandy