Avoid Oversimplified Ideologies: Seek the Truth in Error

Last updated on: April 26, 2017 at 11:30 am by Henry Karlson

Avoid Oversimplified Ideologies: Seek the Truth in Error 2017-04-26T11:30:09-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

It has become very typical to attack people, not merely for their own beliefs and practices, but the beliefs and practices of their friends, the people they have studied under, or the people they have taught. Of course, such relationships are important. Indeed, it is difficult to deny that a teacher can have an influence on their pupil, but it is an over-simplification to suggest that a student’s thoughts are going to be exactly the same as their mentor. Even though guilt by association is a fallacy, it is routinely used in rhetorical debates, and it appears to have a great deal of success because people do not know why such arguments are in error. Thus, it has become very common for some to call President Obama a socialist, and it is done along these lines of thought.[1]

If Christians took this line of argument seriously, we would find ourselves in a serious mess. The history of Christian thought would surprise many readers. Figures such as Evagrius Ponticus, who were to be condemned as heretics at ecumenical councils, were themselves authors who have had tremendous influence in the development of and defense of theological orthodoxy.[2] For the sake of example, however, we will stick with Evagrius and some of his associations.

Evagrius was elevated as a deacon by St Gregory the Theologian, and was active at I Constantinople — indeed, St Gregory the Theologian had nothing but praise for Evagrius. Through Nazianzus, he would become friends with, and even influenced by, St Gregory of Nyssa (who method of Scriptural interpretation clearly inspired Evagrius). As St Gregory the Theologian’s secretary, it appears he worked upon and edited St Gregory’s own writings while he was learning from and appreciating the wisdom of the Cappadocians. “Evagrius proved his worth in fighting at close quarters. As is evident from On the faith, Evagrius thoroughly assimilated the Cappadocian perspective on Nicene theology — so thoroughly, in fact, that he was all in probability involved in the drafting and editing of the great orations that earned for Gregory the sobriquet ‘the Theologian’ (an exceedingly rare honour among the Greek fathers).”[3] Although he would suffer a breakdown in the imperial city, causing him to flee the city and eventually renounce honors and become a monk of the desert, Evagrius remained an influential writer. His excursus in monastic theology was to become the systematic foundation for spiritual thought for years to come. His fore into the desert would itself lead to the first Origenist crisis. Soon Evagrius’ death, Theophilus would be forced to condemn Origenism and Origenist leaning monks who had lived with and learned from Evagrius, such as the Tall Brethren — these same Tall Brethren would then seek asylum by St John Chrysostom, and receive it. St John Chrysostom’s bitter battle and exile would come, in part, as a result of his defense of the Tall Brethren.

Evagrius was approved by greats, he was welcomed by greats, and he was read by greats. And yet, he was to be condemned because of his cosmologies, when the second Origenist crisis was seen as a problem by St Justinian. Evagrius, despite being declared a heretic, is recognized as being an important defender of Nicene orthodoxy, of being an important and influential figure in the development of monastic spiritual discipline, and indeed, in the development of moral theology with his development of the notion of the seven (or eight) deadly sins. One could trace Evagrius’ influence in orthodoxy and note that many of his works were often preserved because someone attributed them to orthodox writers like St Gregory of Nyssa (or they were preserved in Syriac, and in Syriac-speaking lands, Evagrius was not to be seen as unorthodox), so that his ideas continued to be reflected upon and treated by subsequent generations.

Now, if we took the typical rhetorical appeal used in politics and aimed it at the Cappadocians and St John Chrysostom, we would have to condemn them, and Nicene orthodoxy, for being heretical. For, if we followed such tactics, this is what we would have to ask and proclaim: Why were the Cappadocians so approving of Evagrius? Why did St John Chrysostom defend Evagrius’ heirs and fellow Origenists? Were they all secret Origenists? Didn’t St. Athanasius declare himself in agreement with Origen?[4] Didn’t St Gregory of Nyssa follow Origen’s universalism? Didn’t St Basil and St Gregory the Theologian make an abridged edition of the writings of Origen to help promote Origen’s thought? Is Nicene orthodoxy itself really an Origenist heresy?

It is clear that Origen and later Origenists like Evagrius were to be held in esteem, even if such esteem led to a critical examination of their thoughts and an adaptation of them when their speculations were seen as incompatible with Christian orthodox theology. By reading and learning from them, as by reading and learning from the philosophers, Christians certainly believed they were able to gain a better theological understanding. Certainly there is a real profound influence of Origen and Origenism on subsequent theology, but it would be wrong to therefore accuse the whole of theology and Nicene orthodoxy as being the same thing as Origenism. In the same way, those who study and adapt socialist thinkers are not necessarily going to be socialists themselves. Pope Benedict does not end up being a socialist because he writes of the endless fascination one can have with Marx and Marxist thought:

With great precision, albeit with a certain onesided bias, Marx described the situation of his time, and with great analytical skill he spelled out the paths leading to revolution—and not only theoretically: by means of the Communist Party that came into being from the Communist Manifesto of 1848, he set it in motion. His promise, owing to the acuteness of his analysis and his clear indication of the means for radical change, was and still remains an endless source of fascination.[5]

Benedict, after all, suggested that despite the genius and importance of Marx, he was in error, desiring a materialistic utopia without an explanation for how that would actually work:

Together with the victory of the revolution, though, Marx’s fundamental error also became evident. He showed precisely how to overthrow the existing order, but he did not say how matters should proceed thereafter. He simply presumed that with the expropriation of the ruling class, with the fall of political power and the socialization of means of production, the new Jerusalem would be realized. Then, indeed, all contradictions would be resolved, man and the world would finally sort themselves out. Then everything would be able to proceed by itself along the right path, because everything would belong to everyone and all would desire the best for one another. [6]

The point is not that Pope Benedict agrees with Marx, but that Pope Benedict supports an appreciation and understanding of Marx, evident not only in Spe Salvi but in his other analyses of the work of Marx. Benedict understood the truth contained in Marx is important and is not to be neglected. Truth is important, and it is to be found in the midst of error — indeed, as is often the case, error is really the incomplete, imperfect presentation of a truth, and what is needed is not the rejection of that truth, but its proper placement with those truths which were neglected by such error. This leads us back to the start of our piece. Ideologues think truth is simple, and easily ascertained. They are unwilling to learn from others, to seek out the truths contained in theories contrary to their own. They resort to over-simplifications because their own version of truth is such a simplification. When ad hominem labels are placed upon people based upon their studies and associations, we can know that it is not truth, but an ideology, which is being defended.

[1] Sometimes, he is denounced for direct associations with a “known socialist,” other times it is because of his association with someone who has praised an aspect of a socialist’s writing. Of course, one does not have to be a socialist to praise ideas created by socialists; indeed, it is important to understand that much good and truth is being proclaimed by socialists, as Pope Benedict has himself done in his examinations on Marx.

[2] There are many correspondences which we could bring up, where a teacher and their star pupil, or close friends who shared a common understanding, ended up being declared on opposite sides on the scale of orthodoxy, such as St Justin Martyr with Tatian, Tertullian with St Cyprian, Origen with St Gregory the Wonderworker, Apollinaris with St Athanasius, Dioscorus with St Cyril of Alexandria, Theodore of Mopsuestia with St John Chrysostom, et. al.

[3] A.M. Casiday, Evagrius Ponticus (London: Routledge, 2006), 8.

[4] See St Athanasius, De Decretis VI.27.

[5] Pope Benedict, Spe Salvi 20.

[6] ibid., 21.

Previous Post

May 3, 2010

Resolved:

Next Post

May 4, 2010 How To Deal With Terrorism

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2019 A Consistent Ethic of Life Aaron Weldon Abortion absurdity Abuse Scandal Academics Adoption Advent Africa agreement/disagreement with Church teaching Alexander Schmemann Alexham Alterity America Amnesty International Anarchism angels Anglicanism Animals Annual Statistics Anthony Anxietas Apocalyptic Apophatic Appalachia Aquinas Art Atheism Atonement Augustine Authority Baptism Beauty Bible biblical criticism biblical scholarship Bioethics Bishops Black Catholics Black Theology Blackadder Blogs Books Breastfeeding Brett Salkeld Buddhism Bush administration Byzantine Catholic Calvinism Canada Canon Law Capital Punishment Capitalism Caryll Houselander Catholic Blog Awards Catholic Blogging Catholic League Catholic Social Teaching Catholic Worker Movement Catholicity CFL Charity Children Chris West Christ and Culture Christian Democracy Christian Unity Christmas Christology Church Church Doctrine Church History Climate Change Cohabitation Colbert Collegiality Communion Communism Comparative Theology Competition Conferences conscience conscience rights Consequentialism Consistent Life Ethics Consumerism Contraception Contrition Conversion Converts Coptic COVID-19 Creation Critical Thinking Cross Cuba Culture Culture of Death Culture of Life Darfur David Cruz-Uribe David Wheeler-Reed Death Death Penalty Democracy Demons Desert Fathers Devil Dialogue dignity Disability Disarmament discernment Discipleship discrimination Dissent Distributism Division Doctrine Domestic Church Dorothy Day Double Effect Doubt Down syndrome Driving Early Church Easter Eastern Churches Ecclesiology Economics Economy Ecumenism Education El Salvador Election Election 2020 Ellul Embryonic Stem Cell Research Empire Energy Enlighenment Environmentalism Ephraim Radner Episcopal Church epistemology Equality Eschatology Ethics Eucharist Europe Euthanasia Evangelization Evil Evolution Excommunication F.X. Durrwell Facism Facts Fair Trade Faith Family Fashion Feddie Feminism Feminist theology Fertility Fetal Rights Fiction Film Finances First Things flags Folk Religion Food Foreign Affairs Forgiveness Frank Sheed Free Speech Freedom gay & lesbian persons Genocide George W. Bush George Weigel Gerald L. Campbell Girard/Mimetic Theory Global Warming Globalization Gnosticism Good Friday Grace Gratitude Greed Grey Cup 2009 Guadalupe Guest Post Guest Posts Gun Control Gustave Martelet Habitat for Humanity Hans Urs von Balthasar Harry Potter Hate Speech Health Health Care Healthcare Heather King Hebrew Bible Henri de Lubac Henry Karlson Herbert McCabe Heresy HHS Mandate Controversy History Holidays Holiness Holy Spirit Homiletics Homily Homosexuality Hope Hospitality How Far Can We Go? How Far Can We Go? Human Person Human Rights Humanae Vitae Humility Humor Hunger Hunting Identity Idolatry Ignacio Ellacuría Imagination Immigration In Memoriam Income Inequality Inculturation Indigenous People Individualism Inklings Intellect Interdependence Internet Interpretation Interviews Introduction Iraq War Islam Israel Jain James Alison James Martin Jazz Jesus Christ Jews Joe Biden Joe Hargrave Johann Baptist Metz John Allen John Henry Newman John Paul II John the Baptist John XXIII Jonathan Josef Pieper Joseph (the husband of Mary) Joseph Bernardin Joseph Ratzinger Josh Brumfield Journals Joy Judgment Just War Justice Kari Lundgren Karl Rahner Katerina Ivanovna Kenya Keynes Kingdom of God Kyle R. Cupp Labor Language Latin America Law Leanne Ogasawara Legion of Christ Leisure Lent Liberalism Liberation Theology Libertarianism Libya Lies Life life & dignity & responsibility of the human person Literature Little Way Liturgical music Liturgical Year Liturgy Living Simply Living Wage Local Church Lombard Lord of the Rings Louis Dupre Love M.Z. Magic Magisterium Mark DeFrancisis Mark Gordon Marriage Martin Luther Martin Luther King Jr. Martyrdom Marxism Mary Masculinity Matt Talbot Matthew Fish Matthew Levering McCain Media Memorial Day Mennonites Mental Illness mercy Michael Iafrate Middle East militarism Miroslav Volf Mitt Romney Modesty Moral Theology Morality Mormonism Morning's Minion Mother Teresa Music Muslims Natalie Nate Wildermuth Nationalism Native Americans Nature Nazis Neuhaus New Evangelization New York City News NFP nihilism Nonviolence Not Abortion Nova's Ordo Nuclear weapons Nuns Obama Occult Old Age Opus Dei Ordination ordination of women original sin Orthodoxy Oscar Romero Other Voices Pacifism Palestine Palin Papacy Papal Peace Messages Papal Social Encyclicals Particular Affections Partisanship Patriotism Paul Paul Ryan Paul VI Peace Pentimento persecution Personalism Phantastes Philosophy PKD Planned Parenthood Pluralism Poetry Policraticus Politcal Apathy Politics Poll Pope Benedict XVI Pope Francis Pope John Paul II Pope Leo XIV Population Postcolonialsim Poverty Power Prayer Preaching Predictions Predictions for 2012 President Barack Obama priestly formation & discernment Pro-Life Progress Prophetic Witness Proportionalism Public Diplomacy Public Policy Question Quotes Rachel Maddow Racism Radical Catholic Mom Radical Catholicism Raymund Schwager Real Catholic TV Real Presence Reconciliation Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange Religion religious freedom Responsibility Ressourcement Resurrection Rick Garnett Ridiculous Crap You Never Thought You'd See Robert Barron Roe v. Wade Roman Curia Rome Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation History Sam Harris Sam Rocha Same-sex Marriage Saskatchewan Roughriders Satire School of the Americas Science Scripture Seamless Garment Second Vatican Council Seeing Sex sexual violence Sexuality Sia Sin social justice Social Security Socialism Society of Jesus Sofia Loves Wisdom Solidarity Sophia soteriology Soutenus Spirituality Sports St. Dismas St. Joseph Stanley Hauerwas Statistics Stimulus Suffering Sunday Reflections Supernatural Supreme Court Symbolism Syria Taxing Technology Terrorism The State The Tea Party The Trump Administration Theological Anthropology Theology Theotokos Thomas Merton Throwaway Culture Tim Muldoon Tim Riley Tim Tebow Time Titian Tolkien Torture Toys Trade Traditionalism Transgender Transportation Transubstantiation Trinity Truth TV U.S. Affairs Uncategorized Unions unity among people who disagree US Catholicism USCCB Usury Utilitarianism Utopia Valentine's Day Vatican Vatican II Veterans Vicarious Suffering Video Violence Virgin Mary Vocations Voluntary Associations Voluntary Poverty Voting Vox Nova vox nova blog war War and Peace War Strategy Wealth Weirdness Welfare state Women Women Priests Work Woundedness Youth

Select a Month June 2026 May 2025 February 2025 January 2025 July 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 July 2023 March 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 November 2021 September 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch in his epistle.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE