Still reading Cahill’s book and thought I would pass on some insights from the Greek. Two words in particular that Cahill provides some analysis of as they are significant in his analysis of Greek drama and its reflection of and impact on the emergence of Athenian democracy. The first word:
Basileus/Basileia – The word is used in the New Testament and is often translated as king and kingdom respectively. The word in translation is an interesting thing. It can seem deceptively simple and can often lead to simplistic interpretations. Cahill talks about basileus in the context of the Odyssey and Odysseus who is King of Ithaca. Cahill lends some depth to our understanding of basileus by helping us understand that the early word "had connotations of chieftain, captain, lord, leader, judge…but it was a decidedly hereditary position." The point is that Odysseus is basileus notbecause he took the role by force but because it is inherently his role by birthright and it comes with a broad set of roles. When we apply this to God we see that He is King for the same reasons – by His very nature…and the role is broad and extends itself into the nature of His kingdom, his basileia. Incidently we get our word Basilica from this Greek word – early churches (post-Constantine) were modelled after the basileus’ place of ruling and hence shared the name.
The second word:
Hamartia – this word was used by the writers of the New Testament and is most commonly translated into the english word sin. In our sermons we often here the word described as "missing the mark". Cahill references hamartia in the context of Oedipus Rex. If you have never read Oedipus Rex by the playright Sophocles you really ought to (
http://records.viu.ca/~Johnstoi/sophocles/oedipustheking.htm). When Cahill translates the word he does so as "
tragic flaw", the inescapable flaw that is essential to his character, in many ways this flaw drives other character attributes of Oedipus that we initially find compelling. Cahill says "he
is strong, courageous, self-possessed, taking charge and striding boldly where others fear to go – the very qualities that foretell his undoing."
Adding Cahill’s understanding of hamartia to our own provides us with perhaps a more approachable, accessible understanding of the concept we simply call sin. It is helpful to hear the understanding of hamartia as something deeply, inescapably flawed within each of us…surely what we mean when we speak of sin. Another reason I appreciate Cahill’s interpretation is that I believe we (the church) need to find a new way to speak of what we call sin (GASP). We may be completely content with sin – as a word – but our culture is rapidly losing an understanding of the word – to say sin to many today is to speak foolishness to the Greeks, so to speak. It makes no sense. Now before anyone posts a comment of rage or panic you should understand I am not advocating for a wholesale departure from what we have always meant by sin – rather a recognition that the word is archaic and does not communicate God’s truth effectively to our culture.
I appreciate much of what Cahill is saying in this volume of his series. As he writes on the emergence of drama from the pagan religious liturgy of the Greeks he speaks of its impact on the audience. The impact I think is something we need to pay attention to in the delivery of the gospel. Cahill paraphrases Aristotle’s review of Oedipus –
"We remember in the final moments of the drama…that this is not life, this is mimesis, a mimicking of life, an imitation. The actors leave the stage and the central doors are shut for the last time. It is as if we have been playing with dolls, imitation humans that we have now put back in their box. We leave the theatre warned by what we have witnessed but purged of negative emotions. We are pleasantly exhausted now, as if we had recently expelled a poison from our body. We are at peace, exhalted by our encounter with this pageant of truth, just as a medieval pilgrim would have felt after looking on a sequence of brightly coloured windows depicting the passion of Jesus. I am restored by this vicarious brush with destruction and death. I didn’t die – I am still alive and can face tomorrow with a certain placid wisdom."
When we come together as the body of Christ in communal worship we are doing something far more powerful then performing a drama. We come together and Christ is present and we are in the holy of holies bowed before the presence of God. That being said when I preach I want people to feel "exalted by our encounter with this pageant of truth" recognizing that in preaching the preacher is delivering God’s truth and having God’s truth delivered through them.
All that to say I am gleaning much from Cahill and will ruminate for a while.
Harnessing Chaos 