The Name That is Above Every Name

I enjoy the series offered by The Teaching Company. I was fortunate enough to pick up Phillip Cary's "Philosophy and Religion in the West" for about $1.50 at a library sale. He brought up an interesting connection that I never made, or ever have heard anyone make, in Philippians 2:6-11.

In the NIV these verses are structured as though they were a poem; this is because, according to Cary, these verses were quoted by Paul from an early Christian hymn. Cary's focus is primarily on verse 9, "Therefore God exalted him (Jesus) to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name."

For a first century Jew, and well, anyone familiar with the Old Testament, this is a very bold claim. What is the name that is above every name? Cary points out (correctly?) that Jesus' name is being identified with God's covenant name, YHWH, from the Old Testament. Some of my favorite passages in the Bible are from the Gospel of John with the various "I am" statements by Christ: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life," "I am the good shepherd," "I am the vine," and "before Abraham was born, I am!" Christ's statements when connected with the specific name given in Exodus 3:14, "I am who I am," provide a rich context. The hymn in Philippians 2 is another example of this.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Living a Christian Life

Apparently and unfortunately, 20th Century German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer is often regarded as a disbeliever in the Resurrection of Christ, despite the many examples that would suggest the contrary. However, this post is not focused on whether or not one can consider him a Christian, since I am unaware of any serious objections to the fact. I would gladly welcome if anyone could point me in the direction of some primary source text, within its context.

Regardless, one may be thankful for the insight provided in Bonhoeffer's Ethics, the second section of "The Last Things and the Things Before the Last." Concerning the Christian's life, Bonhoeffer distinguishes between the ultimate and the penultimate; the former is the justification by grace and faith alone and the latter is the good works that follow from the ultimate.

How are these two related? One common approach is what Bonhoeffer calls "Radicalism." The radical only sees the ultimate; it disregards the penultimate. Radicalism hates what is established, such as creation (129). This is dangerous because it leads to bitterness, suspicion and contempt for men and the world (129); love is only extended to the "closed circle of the devout."

Bonhoeffer labels the other common approach a "Compromise." The compromise concentrates on the penultimate but ignores the ultimate. The way things are at the moment is what is of the most importance. "Compromise always springs from the hatred of the ultimate" (129). The world (creation) must "be protected against [the] encroachment on their territory" (129). Compromise hates the word, but Radicalism hates the real.

Neither of these approaches are correct but there is a solution and Bonhoeffer sees it in Christ. "In Jesus Christ there is neither radicalism nor compromise" (128). There are three reasons why Christ is the solution: 1) His Incarnation, 2) His Crucifixion, and 3) His Resurrection. The Incarnation shows us God's love for His creation, the Crucifixion shows us God's judgment on all flesh, and the Resurrection shows us God's will for a new world. As you can see, the Incarnation rejects radicalism and Christ's crucifixion and resurrection shows the error of a compromise. "There could be no greater error than to tear these three elements apart" (130), which Bonhoeffer thoroughly explains in more detail.

Being mindful of these three important aspects of Christ's life is a part of living one's life in God's will, where humanity's origin is recovered (34). Dante is right: " E'n la sua voluntade e nostra pace" (In His will is our peace) (Paradiso, Canto III, 85).

The page references are from this edition of Ethics.

Let Us Not Mock God With Metaphor

Head on over to this site to read John Updike's poem "Seven Stanzas At Easter." In 1960, Updike entered a religious art festival with this poem and won the first place prize of $100; he gave the money back to the congregation.

The first stanza echoes St. Paul's own words about the importance of the Resurrection. Overall, I appreciate Updike's insistence to not "water-down" what the gospel says and be "embarassed by the miracle."

Happy St. Patrick's Day

(Photo taken by me at the Glendalough monastic site near Dublin, Ireland)

This Celtic hymn, "The Deer's Cry," or also known as "St. Patrick's Breastplate" is traditionally attributed to St. Patrick. The name for the hymn comes from a legend where St. Patrick and his followers escaped a persecuting king by calling upon God; God then turned them into deer to evade the king. The connection of natural imagery with God would have been significant to a pagan culture that worshiped nature, which is the same thing the Celtic Cross tries to accomplish. Here is the hymn, translated by Cecil Alexander (1889):

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this today to me forever
By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river,
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of cherubim;
The sweet ‘Well done’ in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,
The Patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the star lit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave, the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
By Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.