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Matthew, Chapter 5, Verse 9 reads as follows:
In His Image
The Book of Genesis tells us this about the creation of humankind:
God is the Creator; His name is "He brings into being all that exists." He is referred to as the Father or First Father in both ancient Jewish and Platonic writings. Moreover, the Biblical tradition is clear that humans are, in some sense, created in the image of God Himself-- an idea which we'll return to shortly.
Given that, it's impossible for any of us not to be children of God. So we don't suddenly become children of God by becoming peacemakers. What's going on here, then?
Dikaios and Diabolos
Remember what we said about Plato's concept of Justice a few entries back. In the Republic, Justice, or Dikaois, is that virtue by which each part of our soul attends to its own proper work and that alone, not interfering with the others. As he writes,
Now Justice in a kingdom is analogous to Justice within the soul-- each individual part does its own work, does not interfere with the others, and there is peace in the kingdom. The opposite of Justice, then, both in the soul and in the kingdom, is injustice-- division, conflict, and war.
Here it's worth noting that the word "Devil" comes from the Greek "Diabolos," which means "To Divide." The Devil is the divider and the source of division, conflict, and war.
God, as we know, is a unity-- THE Unity, the source of all unity.
To bring about Peace, either within oneself or the world, then, is to be God-like. Remember that, in the Platonic universe, which is the Magical universe, things don't ever resemble one another by happenstance. If one thing is like another, it is because they participate in the same underlying reality. To be God-like is to participate in the very being of God, and to manifest God upon the Earth. When we do the work of God, the part of us which is an Image of God becomes visible, and we are called "children of God."
Create Peace in your heart, and peace in the world, and you will manifest the Will of God upon the Earth, and you will become like God.
Create conflict, sew division, or participate in the group conflicts (tribal, racial, class, gender) which are the primary means of social control in our day, and you do the work of the Devil.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
The seventh Beatitude contains a powerful promise: They shall be called children of God. Let's talk about what this might mean, and then attend to the prescription. In His Image
The Book of Genesis tells us this about the creation of humankind:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
God is the Creator; His name is "He brings into being all that exists." He is referred to as the Father or First Father in both ancient Jewish and Platonic writings. Moreover, the Biblical tradition is clear that humans are, in some sense, created in the image of God Himself-- an idea which we'll return to shortly.
Given that, it's impossible for any of us not to be children of God. So we don't suddenly become children of God by becoming peacemakers. What's going on here, then?
Dikaios and Diabolos
Remember what we said about Plato's concept of Justice a few entries back. In the Republic, Justice, or Dikaois, is that virtue by which each part of our soul attends to its own proper work and that alone, not interfering with the others. As he writes,
the just man does not permit the several elements within him to interfere with one another, or any of them to do the work of others,—he sets in order his own inner life, and is his own master and his own law, and at peace with himself.
Now Justice in a kingdom is analogous to Justice within the soul-- each individual part does its own work, does not interfere with the others, and there is peace in the kingdom. The opposite of Justice, then, both in the soul and in the kingdom, is injustice-- division, conflict, and war.
Here it's worth noting that the word "Devil" comes from the Greek "Diabolos," which means "To Divide." The Devil is the divider and the source of division, conflict, and war.
God, as we know, is a unity-- THE Unity, the source of all unity.
To bring about Peace, either within oneself or the world, then, is to be God-like. Remember that, in the Platonic universe, which is the Magical universe, things don't ever resemble one another by happenstance. If one thing is like another, it is because they participate in the same underlying reality. To be God-like is to participate in the very being of God, and to manifest God upon the Earth. When we do the work of God, the part of us which is an Image of God becomes visible, and we are called "children of God."
Create Peace in your heart, and peace in the world, and you will manifest the Will of God upon the Earth, and you will become like God.
Create conflict, sew division, or participate in the group conflicts (tribal, racial, class, gender) which are the primary means of social control in our day, and you do the work of the Devil.
