alexandria and her schools-第15节

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　the　assertion　of　a　Divine　Teacher　of　man；　that　he　is　said　to　have　uttered　the　startling　saying：　　〃What　is　Plato　but　Moses　talking　Attic？〃　　Doubtless　Plato　is　not　that：　　but　the　expression　is　remarkable；　as　showing　the　tendency　of　the　age。　　He　too　looks　up　to　God　with　prayers　for　the　guidance　of　his　reason。　　He　too　enters　into　speculation　concerning　God　in　His　absoluteness；　and　in　His　connection　with　the　universe。　　〃The　Primary　God；〃　he　says；　〃must　be　free　from　works　and　a　King；　but　the　Demiurgus　must　exercise　government；　going　through　the　heavens。　　Through　Him　comes　this　our　condition；　through　Him　Reason　being　sent　down　in　efflux；　holds　communion　with　all　who　are　prepared　for　it：　　God　then　looking　down；　and　turning　Himself　to　each　of　us；　it　comes　to　pass　that　our　bodies　live　and　are　nourished；　receiving　strength　from　the　outer　rays　which　come　from　Him。　　But　when　God　turns　us　to　the　contemplation　of　Himself；　it　comes　to　pass　that　these　things　are　worn　out　and　consumed；　but　that　the　reason　lives；　being　partaker　of　a　blessed　life。〃

This　passage　is　exceedingly　interesting；　as　containing　both　the　marrow　of　old　Hebrew　metaphysic；　and　also　certain　notional　elements；　of　which　we　find　no　trace　in　the　Scripture；　and　which　may　leadas　we　shall　find　they　afterwards　did　leadto　confusing　the　moral　with　the　notional；　and　finally　the　notional　with　the　material；　in　plain　words；　to　Pantheism。

You　find　this　tendency；　in　short；　in　all　the　philosophers　who　flourished　between　the　age　of　Augustus　and　the　rise　of　Alexandrian　Neoplatonism。　Gibbon；　while　he　gives　an　approving　pat　on　the　back　to　his　pet　〃Philosophic　Emperor；〃　Marcus　Aurelius；　blinks　the　fact　that　Marcus's　philosophy；　like　that　of　Plutarch；　contains　as　an　integral　element；　a　belief　which　to　him　would　have　been；　I　fear；　simply　ludicrous；　from　its　strange　analogy　with　the　belief　of　John；　the　Christian　Apostle。　　What　is　Marcus　Aurelius's　cardinal　doctrine？　　That　there　is　a　God　within　him；　a　Word；　a　Logos；　which　〃has　hold　of　him；〃　and　who　is　his　teacher　and　guardian；　that　over　and　above　his　body　and　his　soul；　he　has　a　Reason　which　is　capable　of　〃hearing　that　Divine　Word；　and　obeying　the　monitions　of　that　God。〃　　What　is　Plutarch's　cardinal　doctrine？　　That　the　same　Word；　the　Daemon　who　spoke　to　the　heart　of　Socrates；　is　speaking　to　him　and　to　every　philosopher；　〃coming　into　contact；〃　he　says；　〃with　him　in　some　wonderful　manner；　addressing　the　reason　of　those　who；　like　Socrates；　keep　their　reason　pure；　not　under　the　dominion　of　passion；　nor　mixing　itself　greatly　with　the　body；　and　therefore　quick　and　sensitive　in　responding　to　that　which　encountered　it。

You　see　from　these　two　extracts　what　questions　were　arising　in　the　minds　of　men；　and　how　they　touched　on　ethical　and　theological　questions。　　I　say　arising　in　their　minds：　　I　believe　that　I　ought　to　say　rather；　stirred　up　in　their　minds　by　One　greater　than　they。　　At　all　events；　there　they　appeared；　utterly　independent　of　any　Christian　teaching。　　The　belief　in　this　Logos　or　Daemon　speaking　to　the　Reason　of　man；　was　one　which　neither　Plutarch　nor　Marcus；　neither　Numenius　nor　Ammonius；　as　far　as　we　can　see；　learnt　from　the　Christians；　it　was　the　common　ground　which　they　held　with　them；　the　common　battlefield　which　they　disputed　with　them。

Neither　have　we　any　reason　to　suppose　that　they　learnt　it　from　the　Hindoos。　　That　much　Hindoo　thought　mixed　with　Neoplatonist　speculation　we　cannot　doubt；　but　there　is　not　a　jot　more　evidence　to　prove　that　Alexandrians　borrowed　this　conception　from　the　Mahabharavata；　than　that　George　Fox　the　Quaker；　or　the　author　of　the　〃Deutsche　Theologie；〃　did　so。　　They　may　have　gone　to　Hindoo　philosophy；　or　rather；　to　second　and　third　hand　traditions　thereof；　for　corroborations　of　the　belief；　but　be　sure；　it　must　have　existed　in　their　own　hearts　first；　or　they　would　never　have　gone　thither。　　Believe　it；　be　sure　of　it。　　No　earnest　thinker　is　a　plagiarist　pure　and　simple。　　He　will　never　borrow　from　others　that　which　he　has　not　already；　more　or　less；　thought　out　for　himself。　　When　once　a　great　idea；　instinctive；　inductive　（for　the　two　expressions　are　nearer　akin　than　most　fancy）；　has　dawned　on　his　soul；　he　will　welcome　lovingly；　awfully；　any　corroboration　from　foreign　schools；　and　cry　with　joy：　　〃Behold；　this　is　not　altogether　a　dream：　　for　others　have　found　it　also。　　Surely　it　must　be　real；　universal；　eternal。〃　　No；　be　sure　there　is　far　more　originality　（in　the　common　sense　of　the　word）；　and　far　less　（in　the　true　sense　of　the　word）；　than　we　fancy；　and　that　it　is　a　paltry　and　shallow　doctrine　which　represents　each　succeeding　school　as　merely　the　puppets　and　dupes　of　the　preceding。　　More　originality；　because　each　earnest　man　seems　to　think　out　for　himself　the　deepest　grounds　of　his　creed。　　Less　originality；　because；　as　I　believe；　one　common　Logos；　Word；　Reason；　reveals　and　unveils　the　same　eternal　truth　to　all　who　seek　and　hunger　for　it。

Therefore　we　can；　as　the　Christian　philosophers　of　Alexandria　did；　rejoice　over　every　truth　which　their　heathen　adversaries　beheld；　and　attribute　them；　as　Clement　does；　to　the　highest　source；　to　the　inspiration　of　the　one　and　universal　Logos。　　With　Clement；　philosophy　is　only　hurtful　when　it　is　untrue　to　itself；　and　philosophy　falsely　so　called；　true　philosophy　is　an　image　of　the　truth；　a　divine　gift　bestowed　on　the　Greeks。　　The　Bible；　in　his　eyes；　asserts　that　all　forms　of　art　and　wisdom　are　from　God。　　The　wise　in　mind　have　no　doubt　some　peculiar　endowment　of　nature；　but　when　they　have　offered　themselves　for　their　work；　they　receive　a　spirit　of　perception　from　the　Highest　Wisdom；　giving　them　a　new　fitness　for　it。　　All　severe　study；　all　cultivation　of　sympathy；　are　exercises　of　this　spiritual　endowment。　　The　whole　intellectual　discipline　of　the　Greeks；　with　their　philosophy；　came　down　from　God　to　men。　　Philosophy；　he　concludes　in　one　place；　carries　on　〃an　inquiry　concerning　Truth　and　the　nature　of　Being；　and　this　Truth　is　that　concerning　which　the　Lord　Himself　said：　　'I　am　the　Truth。'　　And　when　the　initiated　find；　or　rather　receive；　the　true　philosophy；　they　have　it　from　the　Truth　itself；　that　is　from　Him　who　is　true。〃

While；　then；　these　two　schools　had　so　many　grounds　in　common；　where　was　their　point　of　divergence？　　We　shall　find　it；　I　believe；　fairly　expressed　in　the　dying　words　of　Plotinus；　the　great　father　of　Neoplatonism。　　〃I　am　striving　to　bring　the　God　which　is　in　us　into　harmony　with　the　God　which　is　in　the　universe。〃　　Whether　or　not　Plotinus　actually　so　spoke；　that　was　what　his　disciples　not　only　said　that　he　spoke；　but　what　they　would　have　wished　him　to　speak。　　That　one　sentence　expresses　the　whole　object　of　their　philosophy。

But　to　that　Pantaenus；　Origen；　Clement；　and　Augustine　would　have　answered：　　〃And　we；　on　the　other　hand；　assert　that　the　God　which　is　in　the　universe；　is　the　same　as　the　God　which　is　in　you；　and　is　striving　to　bring　you　into　harmony　with　Himself。〃　　There　is　the　experimentum　crucis。　There　is　the　vast　gulf　between　the　Christian　and　the　Heathen　schools；　which　when　any　man　had　overleaped；　the　whole　problem　of　the　universe　was　from　that　moment　inverted。　　With　Plotinus　and　his　school　man　is　seeking　for　God：　　with　Clement　and　his；　God　is　seeking　for　man。　　With　the　former；　God　is　passive；　and　man　active：　　with　the　latter；　God　is　active；　man　is　passivepassive；　that　is；　in　so　far　as　his　business　is　to　listen　when　he　is　spoken　to；　to　look　at　the　light　which　is　unveiled　to　him；　to　submit　himself　to　the　inward　laws　which　he　feels　reproving　and　checking　him　at　every　turn；　as　Socrates　was　reproved　and　checked　by　his　inward　Daemon。

Whether　of　these　two　theorems　gives　the　higher　conception　either　of　the　Divine　Being；　or　of　man；　I　leave　it　for　you　to　judge。　　To　those　old　Alexandrian　Christians；　a　being　who　was　not　seeking　after　every　single　creature；　and　trying　to　raise　him；　could　not　be　a　Being　of　absolute　Righteousness；　Power；　Love；　could　not　be　a　Being　worthy　of　respect　or　admiration；　even　of　philosophic　speculation。　　Human　righteousness　and　love　flows　forth　disinterestedly　to　all　around　it；　however　unconscious；　however　unworthy　they　may　be；　human　power　associated　with　goodness；　seeks　for　objects　which　it　may　raise　and　benefit　by　that　power。　　We　must　confess　this；　with　the　Christian　schools；　or；　with　the　Heathen　schools；　we　must　allow　another　theory；　which　brought　them　into　awful　depths；　which　may　bring　any　generation　which　holds　it　into　the　same　depths。

If　Clement　had　asked　the　Neoplatonists：　　〃You　believe；　Plotinus；　in　an　absolutely　Good　Being。　　Do　you　believe　that　it　desires　to　shed　forth　its　goodness　on　all？〃　　〃Of　course；〃　they　would　have　answered；　〃on　those　who　seek　for　it；　on　the　philosopher。〃

〃But　not；　it　seems；　Plotinus；　on　the　herd；　the　brutal；　ignorant　mass；　wallowing　in　those　foul　crimes　above　which　you　have　risen？〃　　And　at　that　question　there　would　have　been　not　a　little　hesitation。　　These　brutes　in　human　form；　these　souls　wallowing　in　earthly　mire；　could　hardly；　in　the　Neoplatonists'　eyes；　be　objects　of　the　Divine　desire。

〃Then　this　Absolute　Good；　you　say；　Plotinus；　has　no　relation　with　them；　no　care　to　raise　them。　　In　fact；　it　cannot　raise　them；　because　they　have　nothing　in　common　with　it。　　Is　that　your　notion？〃　　And　the　Neoplatonists　would　have；　on