Secular and Spiritual Knowledge
Priest Solomon Alemu
October 28, 2021
1. The Essence of Knowledge
The word knowledge means to understand and comprehend something and to be able to do something. It is the ability to solve a certain problem. In Greek terms the word Gnostic represents Knowledge. Gnosticism it a thought that has a tendency of considering knowledge as the key to everything and in Gnosticism, even eternal life would be attained through knowledge. On the other hand, those who were considered uneducated were called ignorant, or unenlightened one.
2. Means of Knowledge
Mankind has three means of knowing: the senses, the Brain or the intellect, and the mind. As a result, the Apostle Paul tells us about the three kinds of humans: the secular, the natural, and the spiritual man. A secular man can know and understand something using his five senses, which is what science calls emotional understanding. They know something following their fleshly desires; they lead their lives in an animalistic, immoral way of life. The natural man uses his natural instincts or brain, recognizes the good and the bad, and is guided by using this knowledge. Such a person does not do bad things not because of fear of God or losing of eternal life, rather thing of the hurtful effects of it, or accused of crime or fear of rejection and acceptance of the community he belong. A spiritual person, on the other hand, is a person who, in addition to using his natural mind, uses his mind as a means of knowing. He is a one who believed that God is the source and standard of knowledge and such a person is guided by the faith of his mind. God loves the spiritual man before he does something; He is a person who asks for God’s permission, walks in the thoughts of Almighty God, and directs his life in this way.
3. Sources of Knowledge
Knowledge may be obtained either from written or unwritten sources. The main source of knowledge is God. He created man in his image and likeness due to this nature man is able to know even beginning from the time of his conception. That is why when a child is born; he puts his hand into his mouth which may indicates a newly born baby could know how to eat. Man naturally is guided by the natural law written in his heart by his Creator, and then he is grown up being taught through the experience his family and community life and the passing of knowledge from generation to generation. According to the Orthodox teaching, the source of all good knowledge is God, and this is clearly stated in the Bible. God has given us knowledge that is good for our body and our soul, however, the source of evil knowledge is Satan. He is the one who emanated evil knowledge within himself and able to deceive the first man Adam.
4. Types of Knowledge
Knowledge in general can be divided into spiritual and secular, depending up on the subject matter. Knowledge of the Creator, his works, and his dealings is a spiritual one, not by physical examination, but by revelation and enlightenment from the Creator. Also, our understanding of the general condition of the subtle souls, of the heavenly condition, of the angels, and of all their movements after death is spiritual, we see this by faith. That is why Saint Paul said, “By this we shall know that the things which are seen are not of the things which are seen.” He told us that spiritual knowledge could not be obtained through physical research but could be revealed by God. When Jesus also confirmed this fact when He asked His Apostles, “Who am I?” and what they knew about him. After explaining about others who had misunderstood him, Saint Peter replied, “You are Christ, the Son of God.” Then Jesus said that Simon, son of Jonah, you did not tell it from flesh and blood but, He is my Father in heaven who reveled you. ”But, the Western world tried to know God by using the rational mined. Gnosticism was the first who introduced knowledge to the theology, then to Eunice who logical argue as He could know God as Himself, and then Augustine of Hippo also practiced Aristotelian rational thought in His theology. In the 10th century, Scholastic period in an attempt to justify Western theology by knowledge was introduced into theology and then to the theologians of the 20th century. At the Second Vatican Council of the Catholic Church, they announced their departure from biblical teaching. On the other hand, in the Eastern Orthodox, God’s essence cannot be understood, but God is only understood by His works. What we don’t know about God is more infinite than what we know. As a result of this fact, the Orthodox Church has followed the negative and mystical theology, of Dionysius of Aeropagaty, Gregory of Nyssa and others eastern fathers. It is believed that as we grow in spiritual holiness and become more likeness of God, Known as ‘theosis’ our understanding of him and the invisible spiritual world grows. (Father Doctor Josi Jacob Dogmatic Theology Course material , Memher Girma Batu Introduction to Theology , Viladmir Losky, Mystical Theology)
5. Useful and harmful Knowledge
We can classify knowledge as useful and harmful. That is why Adam becomes one among the Trinity; to know what is good and what is bad. The Bible teaches that man was created with knowledge of good, but after the fall, he also knew what was bad. Therefore, we must realize that from the beginning of human history to the present, all knowledge that is outside of God’s will is harmful and its source is devil. There are practices, and knowledge that offend and harm mankind in the face of civilization. Science and technology can make human life easier and more comfortable, and this knowledge may not be bad in itself, as long as we know how to use it properly. For example, it is useful knowledge when we use a nuclear bomb for power generation and the like. But when it is used to destroy people, it is called harmful knowledge. Such a technology is not harmful by itself, but by the harmful idea of murder initiated by Cain, the son of the Devil, can be called harmful knowledge.
6. Kinds of secular Knowledge
6.1. Traditional knowledge: – This type of knowledge is usually acquired through repetition and can vary from person to person. This kind of knowledge comes from family and older people.
6.2. Philosophical Knowledge:-It is a kind of knowledge a person acquired through requesting various philosophical questions of why something happened so often, when and where, who do that , and by whom, and how was it so happen etc. .
6.3. Scientific Knowledge
Scientific knowledge is the best knowledge available through research and study on a subject. This is the kind of knowledge that can be used to lead a physical life because it provides organized and proven knowledge.
6.4. Knowledge, Arts and Wisdom
As mentioned above, knowledge involves the ability to understand and comprehend a subject. Art on the other hand, in addition to knowledge, it involves a person’s ability to understand and act in a new and creative way, which can be developed through repetition. Wise is a person who, in addition to acquiring knowledge, is able to discern the strengths and weaknesses of that knowledge by examining it from different angles.
7. The Superiority of Spiritual Knowledge
A person who thinks only of the flesh, such as what he eats, what he drinks, what he wears, where he lives in, what he do for his car, what he do for a living, and so on, is considered foolish and ignorant. Because the Bible told as “Seek his righteousness and his kingdom; everything else will be added to you.” (Matthew 5: 37). That is why it is said that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, for it is foolish to think only of the life of this secular world. A person with spiritual knowledge is able to examine his physical body, but he is not known to examine his physical body. As a result, many of the Saints, seeking God, wandered in the wilderness and separated themselves from the worldly life and followed God alone. That is why people with worldly knowledge have been able to present and transmit the power of God to the next generation through their writings and research. Knowledge gained through research is temporary and can be disproved and replaced by other research. The knowledge that comes from God is eternal, and it is always true and useful. Thus, if a person can be guided by the knowledge of his Creator, who has given him life, he will be able to lead a successful holistic life, both physically and spiritually.