Learning is Spiritual

From 2 Timothy 2 (King James Version):

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. … Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

In the Book of Deuteronomy, there are some commands regarding future Kings of Israel. Whether they were ever fully obeyed, nevertheless, there is one command that is quite interesting:

“Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.”

The theme of the Orthodox Christian Network for the month of August is back to school. I decided to complement that theme with a quote from the New Testament and from the Old Testament. We are inheritors of a culture that considered learning to be important. From the earliest times of Israel, the ability to read and write was considered to be an important ability. Notice that the king is required to be able to read and write, and to write so well that he can write an entire copy of the Torah.

As Judaism developed, the Bar Mitzvah ceremony developed. But, long before the development of the ceremony, one of the blessings allowed to those who attended the synagogue was the blessing of being called up to read the Torah. Eventually the Bar Mitzvah ceremony developed and required the 13-year-old to read the last part of the Torah, the maftir, and of the haftarah that came later. In other words, learning was important and necessary to be considered an adult male Jew.

There was no equivalent to the Bar Mitzvah in Early Christianity, though eventually Confirmation developed in the Western part of the Church. But, there is no doubt that many of the Early Church Fathers were not just able to read and write, but were trained in the oratorical techniques of the Ancient Mediterranean. There is a reason why Saint John was nicknamed Chrysostom, the golden mouthed or the Mouth of Gold. He had received the classical oratorical training.

In the West, the culture was destroyed in the Early Middle Ages. Multiple invading armies roamed through what is now Europe. Then in the 1300’s, 30 to 60% of the population of Europe was killed by the black plague. Much learning was lost. Yet for many centuries, the monks of the West preserved learning in their monasteries. Even so, it took an infusion of learning from Arabic Islamic culture to give a new jump-start to scholarship in the West. In the East, scholarship continued up until the fall of Constantinople. One need only think of Saint Gregory Palamas to realize how scholarship continued to be held in high esteem by the Christian inheritors of the heritage of Israel.

As Christians we have a heritage of learning. For 4,000 years, our God has encouraged learning. Reading and writing have been important parts of our heritage. But, it was not just simply reading and writing. From Saint Paul, who studied philosophy and theology under Gamaliel, through Saint John Chrysostom, who exemplified the oratorical training of the ancient world, through Saint Gregory Palamas, shortly before the fall of Constantinople, learning has been an important part of Christianity. Yes, there have been periods when the ideal has not been upheld. But, by and large, both Jews and Christians have a heritage of schooling, learning, and deep thought.

So, as you return to school, or as your children or grandchildren return to school, do not think of it as something optional that is related to the modern world. Learning is spiritual. Our God who is omniscient (knows all things) wants a people who are committed to knowing and learning more about Him and about His Creation. As more than one person has said, “All Truth is God’s Truth.”