Reason, Faith and Logos Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Reason, Faith and Logos - Essay Example As part of discussing the arguments made by each author, this study will present some self-evidence and/or empirical evidences behind the claims or arguments of each author. Comparison between the Philosophical and Theoretical Views on the Nature of Logos Plato was one of the great Greek philosophers in our history. Inspired by the theories of Parmenides, Plato mentioned that the term â€Å"logos† is a Greek term which means both the spoken and unspoken thoughts and reasoning that are rational by principles (Hillar, 1998). Since the era of Heraclitus, Audi (1999) revealed that the philosophical view of logos eventually became the basic philosophical theory of order and knowledge. The study of theology is focused on analyzing issues related to religion. As an essential part of the 1st century Jewish religious beliefs (Boyarin, 2001), the nature of logos is very much focused on revealing the truths. Given that the â€Å"logos† of theology is based on religious concept, Pl atonic defined logos as the divine â€Å"soul of the man Jesus Christ† (Basic Theology, 2012). It means that theological â€Å"logos† is all about thinking and uttering the word of God. Unlike the philosophical point-of-views, the Greek term â€Å"logos† (when based on a theological perspective) is simply referring to the act of speaking God’s words (Brent, 1999). It means that the nature of logos under the theological point-of-views is based on theological reasoning rather than pure rational reasoning. Conclusion that Boyarin (2001) Aims to Establish Published under the Harvard Theological Review, Boyarin (2001) wrote the article entitled â€Å"The Gospel of the Memra: Jewish Binitarianism and the Prologue to John†. In this article, the author thoroughly discussed the nature and significance of logos based on the views of theology (i.e. Judaism and Christianity) and philosphy. Unlike in Christianity which considers Jesus Christ as the son of God, Boyarin (2001) mentioned that the Deity is considered as the ultimate form of god. Regardless of whether or not a specific religion considers a Deity or Christ as the creator of this world, it will remain a fact that the logos of theology will always be associated with the reasoning of God. On the contrary, the logos of philosophy is not based on religious concept but rather based on the reasoning that is currently being used to govern the world. In other word, the philosophy of logos is not purely based on the teachings of God but more on a set of rules that people are obliged to observe when living in a particular society. Conclusion that Hillar (1998) Aims to Establish Hillar (1998) wrote the article entitled â€Å"The Logos and its Function in the Writings of Philo of Alexandria: Greek Interpretation of the Hebrew Myth and Foundations of Christianity†. According to Hillar (1998), Philo’s concept of logos is not clear because of his religious and mystical point-of-v iews. Since Philo’s religious views is very strong, God is considered as the ultimate goal whereas logos is considered as the â€Å"wisdom of God† (Hillar). Referring to God’s chief messenger, logos serve as the link between the human creatures in this world and God. Within this context, it means that the divine logos will allow the human