Odes of Solomon

From the 35th Ode of Solomon, it being my favourite:

The gentle showers of the Lord rinsed me with silence, and they caused a cloud of peace to rise over my head;
That it might guard me at all times. And it became salvation to me.
Everyone was disturbed and afraid, and there came from them smoke and judgment.
But I was tranquil in the Lord's legion; more than shade was He to me, and more than foundation.
And I was carried like a child by its mother; and He gave me milk, the dew of the Lord.
And I was enriched by His favor, and rested in His perfection.
And I spread out my hands in the ascent of myself, and I directed myself towards the Most High, and I was redeemed towards Him.

Most scholars date the Odes sometime around the middle of the 2d century, yet if they are heavily influenced by Jewish apocalyptic thought and especially the ideas in the Dead Sea Scrolls, a date long after 100 is unlikely. Henry Chadwick and many other scholars, remain convinced that they must not be labeled "gnostic," and therefore should not be dated to the late 2d century. The Odes remain one of my all-time favourite almost-canonical reads. Read them for yourself and decide whether some of the early Orthodox were not wise in thinking these sublime pieces of writing to be worthy of canonical inclusion.

Certainty and doubt

Is it possible to know and doubt simultaneously?

The vast number of men are caught somewhere between a consistent sceptical doubt and that which is certain. A few fortunate holy ones seem to attain to that level of 'comforting', undoubtable knowing. Most do not completely despair, but get caught somewhere above epistemological despondency; many of these learn to accept the knowledge of ethics, logic and aesthetics as ambiguious, as 'relative'. This notion comforts some men as it makes no one better or worse than another.

On the other side of the question are those who are comforted by thinking they know with certainty. Asked for a proof and they will reply with an appeal. But no appeal leads one to certainty. To be sure one requires a logical proof or a direct experience. Since all appeals are usually a pointer to one of these, the appeal is held by trust or belief; neither of which are undoubtable.

Again, regarding matters of tradition and faith, is it possible to know and doubt simultaneously?

Take the notion of friendship. My priest taught me that Christ's teaching on what it is to be a friend is a hard truth. At John 15:13, the full implications of friendship are made clear; a willingness to lay down one's life for another is the standard of friendship. Now I accept this as true. That is I know it to be so because I trust it is stated by Truth itself. Yet all of us who accept this idea of friendship can also entertain the idea that our trusted belief is capable of being doubted, even though we know it is the true doctrine of friendship.


Hence, I would suggest it is possible to know and doubt simultaneously. According to Hegel, that is what knowing in the fullest possible sense really is. How comforting is that? hehe.

Gregory and The Prophet; dancing

My priest's son in law is getting me set up with a good bike; I think I will upgrade to sram XO immediately. The Cannondale model I will buy is called 'The Prophet'. This summer I am going to train by riding around The Fort and Glen Valley; also I will do a few dry runs to work with Ramone once we obtain a bike rack for her Subaru Forester. As well as the bike and rack, I will need to acquire the cycling wear for riding during the fall and winter months; but this can wait, for I need only some biking shorts, a helmut and a jersey to get through the summer.

In other news, my daughter had her dance recital tonight. She danced well with a big smile on her face; yet I sure do miss the days when Hannah studied Irish! All this hip hop and rap doesn't bring me delight; it is one of those grin and bear the sound sort of things. Fortunately it was held at the Chief Seapass Theatre inside the Fort Langley Fine Arts School just a block from my home; accordingly after Hannah was done, I walked home and had a cold ale. A fine day it was weather-wise, as we had some unexpected and most welcome sunshine.

rainy

It has been rainy and very humid lately. More than I can recall ever at this time of year. I am reminded of Dante's descent into Hell and of the sign that reads, "Abandon hope all ye who enter." Well perhaps that is an exaggeration, but when it is rainy and muggy, the air is overbearing and too sweltering for a manly man; and one can even have trouble getting a good deep breath. Truly the rain itself is cool and renewing, but the humidity removes hope and drags a man.

Next September I am planning to ride my bicycle to work from the SFU campus at Surrey Central where Ramone, my money-lending wife, parks for her job. At the close of my day I will cycle back to rejoin Ramona. This will give me some consistent aerobic exercise; it will be a challenge for me to maintain 3x/week. I am going to start 'preparations' for this discipline after school gets out in two more weeks.

The petrol savings will be an added bonus, as will a slight loss in my stoutness:)