Theology
Augustine's discussion of "use" and "enjoyment" is an interesting one because it is so easily applied to our daily life. When this concept is grasped, it can help us make decisions to become worthy of living in God's presence. His discussion helps us decide which things should be used and which should be enjoyed. Augustine defines "use" as "something to apply whatever it may be to the purpose of obtaining what you love-if indeed it is something that ought to be loved." The first part of this definition is relatively straightforward. It is the second part regarding whether something out to be loved or not that open much room for discussion and we will get in to that later. Augustine also says "To enjoy something is to hold fast to it in love for its own sake." Now our task is deciding that which we should use and that which we should enjoy. Augustine gives an example to help us understand the framework of this idea and the way it should be applied when making this decision. Imagine travelers who can only be happy in their homeland and, because they couldn't find happiness being away form home, they wished to return. Therefore they need some type of transport to bring them to their
Staniloae finds the use of images to be most conducive to achieve what he considers to be the goal of scripture. Short Answer, Question #4 For a number of reasons, Bonhoeffer believes that humanity is a symbol of God. The conclusion brings you from a conceptual understanding to a apophatic understanding. To better understand this point we can look to some images captured in scripture. One way is to speak of what he in not by using apophatic language. It is this full process that needs to happen before God can be fully understood. He strives to get a subjective and objective understanding of scripture through these images in hopes of achieving revelation. That's how God's image exists in humanity. No matter how much studying or reflection is done, one cannot reveal a single name that can suitably be called the name of God. The !later use is more important and worthy of being loved more than the former, the will of the Lord was served. A proper understanding of scripture comes from literal and figurative interpretations. If we were to use tree to build our homes but did not! plant more trees in the place of those we took, we would be acting in false dominion according to Bonhoeffer. " The objective understanding comes when we move away from the physical images and connect with the power of the Lord that is revealed through this description. When studying an image, how can we determine which is the subjective aspect and which is the objective? Staniloae states that if an aspect of an image depicts something spiritual, then that aspect is objective.
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