View video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpavoVNEC5g
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Peter Kreeft, teacher of philosophy at Boston College, has written numerous, what one might call 'philosophically soft', books, for the general public (at least those not afraid of the word philosophy). The fact that he makes philosophy fun and interesting does not make what he says any less true. This book came up on a different thread, and a request followed for a summation of it, and in what sense Jesus was a philosopher, thusly............ Kreeft says there four primary philosophical questions; (1) What is? What is real? Especially, what is most real? (2) How can we know what is real, and especially the most real? (3) Who are we, who want to know the real? "Know Thyself". (4) What should we be, how should we live, to be more real? These are questions about being, truth, self and goodness, called in philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophical anthropology and ethics. Kreeft says the logical order of the questions is: we must know something real before we can know how we know it; and we must first know who we are before we can know what is good for us. Our ethics is based on our metaphysics. For Kreeft, the answer to all these questions for Christians, is Christ, Jesus is God's philosophy. So what was the metaphysics of Jesus? (as a Jew) The universe had a beginning, created by God. This is very distinct from Hinduism where the universe eminates from God (Brahman), is part of the being of God, therefore, the world is less real. How do we know this? Judaism is a revealed religion, unknown God showing himself. God is unique, perfect, good, righteous, holy and just. Man can be less real, not conforming to the character of God, or more real, the meaning of life is to be holy, to be a saint, conforming to the character of God. Morality flows from metaphysics because goodness flows from God. God reveals himself perfectly in Jesus. His use of "I AM" directly connects himself with God who revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush, as I Am who I Am, or I will be who I will be. Jesus shows the perfect image, the fullness of what man was designed to be. We can choose the good because God has shown us who he is in Jesus, and who we can be in Jesus. But we cannot fulfill our destiny on our own. We must acquire a new set of DNA, so to speak, a new genetic structure. This is the new birth in Christ. Kreeft quotes the Christian philosopher Gabriel Marcel, "sanctity is the true introduction to ontology". We can be more real or less real. The most real human persons are saints, they are what we are all designed to be. Therefore, the study of sanctity is the key to the study of being. The study of sanctity is the key to metaphysics. This is only possible through Jesus Christ. Jesus puts the ball in our court by asking, "What do you want?", just as he did his first disciples. Only by answering this question, can Jesus answer. That's the answer to the first question, the first third of the book. Kreeft then moves on to the epistemology of Jesus. He starts with the question of Pilate: What is truth?, and what we must know. Quoting Pascal, Kreeft says there are two things we must know, who we are and who God is. The bad news is that God dwells in inaccessible light (also God's answer to Job). The good news is that: "The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has made Him known" (John 1:18). Kreeft says that Christ is the ultimate epistemological revelation of ultimate metaphysical reality, Christ is the key to epistemology. Watch how this unfolds in the Gospels, watch how Jesus works. He does much more than simply know the truth and teach it. Jesus is epistemology come alive.
Taken from:
http://community.beliefnet.com/go/thread/view/43851/26515305/The_Philosophy_of_Jesus,_Peter_Kreeft
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