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JackSherrickFirstEssay 14 - 12 May 2021 - Main.JackSherrick
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| | | Jesus of Nazareth has been called many names: King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Immanuel, Son of God, the list goes on. I would like to introduce an additional title into the corpus of names held by Jesus: Coiner of Enigmatic Phrases. Luke 20 showcases Jesus the orator at his most clever and inscrutable. Jesus was approached by several ill intentioned questioners who sought to catch Jesus in a rhetorical trap. They nonchalantly asked whether or not it was right to pay taxes to Caesar. If Jesus had responded in the negative, he could have faced a premature execution at the hands of the Romans. If he had responded in the affirmative, he could have angered the Jews laboring under the yoke of Roman occupation who viewed Jesus as a liberator. Instead, Jesus gave a pregnant pause and asked for a denarius. After surveying the coin Jesus asked whose image was inscribed on the currency. "Caesar's." the would-be deceivers answered. Jesus then responded with "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." If Jesus hadn't been preoccupied with being the Messiah, he could have had a lucrative career as a lawyer. This clever response has become an oft-quoted maxim that encapsulates the relationship many believe Christians should have with the secular elements of society. | |
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< | Christian thinkers have wrestled with the distinction between what is Caesar's and what is God's for millennia. Augustine | >
> | Ever since Jesus ambiguously laid down the partition between the lay and divine, Christian thinkers have been debating over what ought to be rendered to Caesar and what to God. Puritans addressed the issue by merging Christian thinkers have wrestled with the distinction between what is Caesar's and what is God's for millennia. Augustine | | | John Donne questions the relationship between physical frailty and divine
In 1524, German peasants waged war against the aristocracy. The peasant demanded legal advantages that the aristocracy had deprived them. During the conflict, the peasants sought the support of the father of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther. Luther's opposition to the oppression of the Catholic Church suggested to the peasants that he would take a similar stance against the aristocracy's political oppression. However, rather than give the peasants his blessing, Luther penned a scathing letter condemning the peasant's plight and beseeching them to acquiesce to aristocratic rule. Luther agreed with many of the peasant's demands but nevertheless instructed the peasants to "suffer to the end, and leave the case to Him (God). " | | | | |
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< | Thoughts on how to improve this essay in the next draft | >
> | Thoughts on how to improve this essay in the next draft/Notes | | | My weakness is from nature, who hath but her measure; my strength is from God, who possesses and distributes infinitely (Meditation VI Donne) | |
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> | As therefore thy Son did look upon the coin, I look upon the king, and I ask whose image and whose inscription he hath, and he hath thine; and I give unto thee that which is thine; I recommend his happiness to thee in all my sacrifices of thanks, for that which he enjoys, and in all my prayers for the continuance and enlargement of them. (VIII Expostulation) | | | Linking psychological attitudes towards behavior, as Weber does in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
I could discuss Brown as a counterargument wherein religious belief motivates one to actively oppose secular jurisprudence rather than acquiesce to it. Someone mentioned on the pad that there seems to be a correlation between being an activist leader and having strong religious beliefs.(e.g. Brown, King, Malcolm X). I agree but believe this correlation is only present in activist leaders, not necessarily in the less ardent supporters of a movement. |
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