The Purpose of Scholarship

I am re-reading one of my favorite writings from the early church, Irenaeus' Demonstration of the Apostolic Teaching. This manual of instruction produced toward the end of the second century is a window into the teaching of the church in its earliest phases. The post-apostolic era was one in which the teaching of the apostles was beginning to be formulated for wider expression, and was becoming gradually more "Gentile" as it spread. What I find intriguing in Irenaeus is his essential conservatism of doctrine. Unlike many early Christian writers, he is not primarily interested in speculative philosophy and making Christian doctrine fit into Greek thought, but in passing down what he believes to be the teachings of the apostles to his own generation.

The opening paragraphs of the Demonstration are a salutary reminder to all who engage in scholarship and study. We often at least act like we believe the purpose of study is the attainment of knowledge in the abstract. We speculate and suggest without the slightest consideration of how our thoughts influence our actions. In this way, error has sometimes crept into the church, as those who sought innovation and novelty worked in a vacuum that squeezed out the air of practice.

Irenaeus warns his friend Marcianus that it is necessary to keep both orthodoxy and orthopraxy together: "For what profit is it to know the truth in words, and to pollute the flesh and perform the works of evil? Or what profit can purity of the flesh bring, if truth be not in the soul?" (ch. 2) This warning is against two errors: that of seeking to comprehend the truth intellectually while failing to live it out, and that of living a life that appears to all as good while believing falsehood. Both are fatal to the soul.

Either of these errors lead one into hypocrisy. There are many who strive to keep up the appearance of being godly while not holding onto the truth of God's Word. This even includes some pastors; my son told me that one of the chape speakers at his very conservative Christian college told the students that he considered Genesis 1-11 just a "myth" and that there were other places in Scripture that were in error. He may have the admiration of some, but he has in his own mind begun to cut out truth in favor of what he wants to believe. The opposite error is to hold onto an intellectualized belief, but one which does not affect the life. Religious thought is treated as having no impact on reality; it's just there to make us feel better about ourselves when things go badly.

Striking a balance of faith and practice may not be natural for us as we wrestle with our old selves, but it is what make us whole. Integrity refers to having all parts of our life integrated. As we put our faith and our works together (as James constantly reminds us), we become people who not only can reflect godly integrity to our society, but we grow more like the people God created us to be.