Giving sight to the blind


"THERE runs a strange law through the length of human history — that men are continually tending to undervalue their environment, to undervalue their happiness, to undervalue themselves. The great sin of mankind, the sin typified by the fall of Adam, is the tendency, not towards pride, but towards this weird and horrible humility.

This is the great fall, the fall by which the fish forgets the sea, the ox forgets the meadow, the clerk forgets the city, every man forgets his environment and, in the fullest and most literal sense, forgets himself. This is the real fall of Adam, and it is a spiritual fall. It is a strange thing that many truly spiritual men, such as General Gordon, have actually spent some hours in speculating upon the precise location of the Garden of Eden. Most probably we are in Eden still. It is only our eyes that have changed."

~GKC: 'The Defendant.'

The following observation by philosopher Peter Kreeft on the Transfiguration (Mt. 17:1-8) helps explain GK's meaning about our eyes having changed. We only see what "appears" rather than "what is":

“The first thing to get clear about this “transfiguration” is that is was not a transfiguration of Jesus’ reality but of the disciples’ vision. Jesus did not change and become brighter than light. He always was and is brighter than light. (He is not a little bit like light; light is a little bit like Him.) It was the disciples’ eyes that were changed. God enabled them to see what is instead of just what appears. He lifted the curtain.”

Artwork: Transfiguration, by Fra Angelico. Fresco (Cell 6), 1440-42, Convento di San Marco, Florence.
Source GK on FB

3 comments:

Cassandra said...

While I'm willing to give a pass to Chesterton in how he expressing "changing eyes", I cannot do so for Kreeft.

I'm becoming more and more skeptical of Kreeft. In this case he is venturing into gnosticism. e.g, "If we were just a little more enlightened, then we'd see things as they are." He's verging on denying that Jesus had a real physical, human presence on earth rather than merely a human facade.

Anonymous said...

The gods used Christainity as temptation to repel people away from themselves, the pentagram being the holy symbol of the gods, and of their Chosen One's teachings, the Second Coming, Lucifer.
Don't forget::::It is not a house of Jesus.
Christianity is evil. It is responsible for slavery of Africans.
There is a major difference between how Europe and the rest of the world were inflicted with xtianity:::Push vs. pull strategy. As a result, expect the "1000 years with Jesus on Earth" may be reserved for the Europeans and few others who were forced into this wicked religion:::The god's management of culpability defines the level of compensation evryone receives.
The god's primary goal with this Situation was the minimization of culpability arising from the 20th century and liberal counter-culture. Everything I have taught is true. Now that this Situation is complete you people have been taught. The gods are no longer/minimally responsible from this point forward, pitiful compensation for ruining your Planet Earth. Their empty promise "We'll make it up to him." has been met with similar inadequate compensation, and the gods will find a way to wash their hands of this obligation to me as well.
Morality doesn't matter. If they were honest how little they ultimately intended to grant me my sacrifice would have ended long ago, but they used this lie "We'll make it up to him." to further my misery, just as they do with all of you, adhereing stricktly to positioning, with absolution of obligation on the agenda for the future.

Badger Catholic said...

Casandra, this is the same way the Transfiguration has been described by traditional priests I know. Are you saying that Jesus glory changed? It isn't "enlightenment" that allows us to see God's glory but holiness.