Music for Holy Week: English

Fernando Ortega, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross". Difficulty to beat Isaac Watts.

Links for Noting

* Zac Alstin reviews Ian Ker's biography of Chesterton.

* Lisa Herzog has an article on Markets at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

* Tristan Haze on the truth-functional account of indicative conditionals

* David Bressan on Newton's Alchemy and Early Geochemistry

* An inventor in Malawi; quite awesome -- this is the spirit that makes one proud to be human.

* Pakistanis still remember Shahbaz Bhatti.

* Skholiast on quality, relation, sign.

* Juan Gomez on the relation between Joseph Butler's Analogy and experimental philosophy.

* A Sinner had two interesting posts a while back on papal succession:

Notes on the Count of Popes
Regnal Numbers

* A good theological discussion on the knowledge of Christ

* I meant to comment on T. J. Logan's discussion of Johann Georg Hamann, but never had the time to get around to it. Hamann, the Magus of the North, as he is sometimes called, is an interesting philosopher who deserves to be more broadly discussed. He's also the only fideist I've ever come across who is really worth taking seriously.

* Ayn Rand's marginalia on C. S. Lewis's Abolition of Man. What strikes me most about it is that she actually read the whole book through.

Lent XXXVIII

Think then, what position can be more brilliant than that of the holy Apostles? or what more attractive of attention than their friendship with God? A man who is of little account in life would not be likely to experience this passion: for it always avoids one who possesses nothing that others can envy and nothing that is inaccessible to those whose lot is of no consequence in the world; for how could such a one possibly exhibit vainglory on any subject whatever? But pride is a feeling dear to a man when he is in an enviable position, and when for this reason he thinks himself better than his neighbour; foolishly supposing that he differs very greatly from the rest of mankind, as having achieved some special and surpassing degree of excellence, or as having followed a path of policy unfamiliar to and untrodden by the rest of the world. Since therefore it has come to be regularly characteristic of all who hold brilliant positions to be liable to attacks of the infirmity of pride, it was surely needful for the holy Apostles to find in Christ a Pattern of a modest temper; so that, having the Lord of all as their model and standard, they themselves also might mould their own hearts according to the Divine will. In no other way therefore (as it seems) could He rid them from the infirmity, except by teaching them clearly that each one should regard himself as inferior in honour to the rest, even so far as to feel bound to undertake the part of a servant, without shrinking from discharging even the lowest of menial offices; [and this He taught them] by both washing the feet of the brethren and girding on a towel in order to perform the act. For consider what utterly menial behaviour it is, I mean according to the world's way of thinking and outward practice. Therefore Christ has become a Pattern of a modest and unassuming temper to all living men, for we must not suppose the teaching was meant for the disciples alone. Accordingly the inspired Paul also, taking Christ as a standard, exhorts to this end, saying: Let each one of you have this mind in himself, which was also in Christ Jesus. And again: In lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself. For in a lowly temper there is established a settled habit of love and of yielding to the will of others.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book IX

Music for Holy Week: Cajun French

Les Amies Louisianaises, "La Grace du Ciel".

Cardinal Virtues

It has been a crazy-busy week! In my intro course am currently teaching medieval accounts of goodness, virtue, law, and happiness (mostly focusing on Aquinas), before moving on to early modern philosophy, so I've been thinking a lot recently of the cardinal virtues. They're found in Plato, they're found in Aristotle, and they're also found here, a source that's often forgotten, but that has been an important influence on accounts of them for centuries:

NAB: If riches are desirable in life, what is richer than Wisdom, who produces all things? And if prudence is at work, who in the world is a better artisan than she? Or if one loves righteousness, whose works are virtues, She teaches moderation and prudence, righteousness and fortitude, and nothing in life is more useful than these.

KJV: If riches be a possession to be desired in this life; what is richer than wisdom, that worketh all things? And if prudence work; who of all that are is a more cunning workman than she? And if a man love righteousness her labours are virtues: for she teacheth temperance and prudence, justice and fortitude: which are such things, as men can have nothing more profitable in their life.

Lent XXXVII

You know what happens when a portrait that has been painted on a panel becomes obliterated through external stains. The artist does not throw away the panel, but the subject of the portrait has to come and sit for it again, and then the likeness is re-drawn on the same material. Even so was it with the All-holy Son of God. He, the Image of the Father, came and dwelt in our midst, in order that He might renew mankind made after Himself, and seek out His lost sheep, even as He says in the Gospel: "I came to seek and to save that which was lost. This also explains His saying to the Jews: "Except a man be born anew . . ." He was not referring to a man's natural birth from his mother, as they thought, but to the re-birth and re-creation of the soul in the Image of God.

St. Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation of the Word, Chapter III

Music for Holy Week: Japanese

"Kinasai-omoniwo-oumono". A famous arrangement of Matthew 11:28-30 by Saburo Takada. He was a lay choir director. after the Second Vatican Council, he began composing Catholic hymns and Masses in the Japanese language, and some of them are stunningly beautiful. It was he who composed the standard Japanese version of the Ave Maria.