Paul.lesson.4.greek.part.2
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Paul.lesson.4.greek.part.2
- 1. Lesson 4 Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts – The Greek Influence Part 2 11/15/15 1© John R. Wible
- 2. • Ancient Greek colonies develop • Greek “religion” develops • Philosophy surpasses “religion” • Socrates • Plato • Aristotle • Aristotelian “Naturalism” in U.S. 11/15/15 2© John R. Wible Review
- 3. • Ancient Greek colonies develop • Greek “religion” develops • Philosophy surpasses “religion” • Socrates • Plato • Aristotle • Aristotelian “Naturalism” in U.S. 11/15/15 3© John R. Wible Review
- 4. 11/15/15 4© John R. Wible Removing the “Stickies”
- 5. 11/15/15 5© John R. Wible A Caveat and A Disclaimer
- 6. • Based in materialism • There is only matter, nothing more • Denigrated the “gods” • Dismisses Plato’s “World of Shadows” 11/15/15 6© John R. Wible Epicureanism – Epicurus (circa. 307 BC)
- 7. 11/15/15 7© John R. Wible
- 8. 11/15/15 8© John R. Wible Modern “Materialists” - Marx & Engels, Lenin
- 9. 11/15/15 9© John R. Wible Epicureanism – Moderns Iteration – George Lucas
- 10. • Pleasure the greatest good • Led to Hedonism – “do as you want” • Early challenger to Platonism • Later, main opponent of Stoicism 11/15/15 10© John R. Wible Epicureanism
- 11. 11/15/15 11© John R. Wible
- 12. Why do bad things happen to “good” people? 11/15/15 12© John R. Wible The Post-Modern Epicurean Question
- 13. In Roman times, the two contenders for people’s philosophical ideals were: • Epicureanism • Stoicism • Other ideas were minor 11/15/15 13© John R. Wible Two Contenders
- 14. 11/15/15 14© John R. Wible Skepticism - Pyrrho of Elis (365–275 BC)
- 15. 11/15/15 15© John R. Wible Alexander the Great
- 16. 11/15/15 16© John R. Wible Alexander the Great’s Empire (356-323 BC)
- 17. 11/15/15 17© John R. Wible Death of Alexander the Great
- 18. 11/15/15 18© John R. Wible After Alexander – Circa. 323 BC
- 19. • Probably most influential on Paul • Taught in Tarsus by Athenodorus, and • Athenodorus taught Caesar Augustus, thus it was adopted by Roman Empire • Rejected Plato's and Aristotle's “form” • Determinist, fatalist, practical, & ethical 11/15/15 19© John R. Wible Zeno and Stoicism - (334 – c. 262 BC)
- 20. • Probably most influential on Paul • Taught in Tarsus by Athenodorus, and • Athenodorus taught Caesar Augustus, thus it was adopted by Roman Empire • Rejected Plato's and Aristotle's “form” • Determinist, fatalist, practical, & ethical 11/15/15 20© John R. Wible Zeno and Stoicism - (334 – c. 262 BC)
- 21. 11/15/15 21© John R. Wible Modern View of Stoicism
- 22. • Stoics taught that the Λόγος logos created all things • It literally means, "word", discourse" or "reason” • Divine use prefigured in Psalm 33:6 • First used in NT by Luke in 1:1-2 • Used twice by John: 1:1 & 1 John 1:1 • Paul does not use the word in this sense 11/15/15 22© John R. Wible The Stoic Λόγος logos
- 23. • Stoics taught that the Λόγος logos created all things • It literally means, "word", discourse" or "reason” • Divine use prefigured in Psalm 33:6 • First used in NT by Luke in 1:1-2 • Used twice by John: 1:1 & 1 John 1:1 • Paul does not use the word in this sense 11/15/15 23© John R. Wible The Stoic Λόγος logos
- 24. • “Materialistic” vs God-centered • Monotheistic, but stoic god is the “Logos,” the creative force in the universe, ultimately “corporeal” • Both highly moral • Stoicism absolutely determinist while • Christianity has complex idea of God’s influence in events • Death is eventual end, not beginning 11/15/15 24© John R. Wible Stoicism vs Christianity
- 25. • Paul’s Mars Hill Speech quotes Stoic poet, Aratus of Soli in Cilicia (Note Cilicia) • See Acts 17:18 and 23 • Audience were Stoics and Epicureans • The “mockers” were Epicureans • Doctrines of creation, divine immanence, spirituality and fatherhood of God, would be familiar and acceptable to Stoics • Preaching on Christ, not so much 11/15/15 25© John R. Wible Paul and the Stoics
- 26. • Idea of “conscience” was Stoic – Romans 2:15 and 9:1. • “All things were created through Him and for Him” an echo of the “Logos” – Colossians 1:16-17 • However, it was Stoic technique not philosophy that Paul used – Rhetorical questions & “straw man” – Illustrations – athletics and building 11/15/15 26© John R. Wible Pauls’ Stoic References and Techniques
- 27. 11/15/15 27© John R. Wible Paul at Mars Hill
- 28. . . . But we preach Christ and Him crucified” 1 Corinthians 1:24 11/15/15 28© John R. Wible Paul’s “Gospel”
- 29. Let’s Pray About It 11/15/15 29© John R. Wible© John R. Wible
Editor's Notes
- The Good Life and Hard Times of the Apostle Paul. Lesson 4 Greeks Introduction. How “Little Saul,” the Pharisaic Jew became “The Apostle Paul,” the flaming Christian evangelist. Before there was a Paul, there was Greece. What were these guys thinking? Greek philosophy continues.
- Previously, we have looked at Paul’s Grecian background. Defined the time of “Ancient Greece” as 800 BC to 500 BC This period was characterized by the growth and development of the polis, small villages. The villages began to grow into independent city-states ruled by the rich and powerful forcing the outward migration of many Greeks to the whole Aegean region including the islands and into Asia Minor. This followed Abraham’s pattern in Genesis 13. By the end of the seventh century B.C., there were more than 1,500 colonial poleis. The Grecian people began to ask the same quests asked by all peoples: Who is God, who am I, Why am I separated from Him, and How do I fix this separation. In response, the developed local deities to whom they must pay appeasement in order to manipulate the deity to get their needs met. In the 3rd and 4th Centuries BC, we saw the beginning of the breakdown of the obeisance to the gods and the rise of the “sages” or Greek philosophers. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates – gave us the beginning of the “Socratic Method” and scientific thought. He was the first ethicist always searching for “the Good.”
- Plato gave us Platonic dualism, the idea that there are two “realities,” the perceivable world and the “World of Shadows,” the fore-runner of the idea of a spiritual real outside out perception. Since only the “world of Shadows” mattered, the perceptible body didn’t. Platonism thus led to asceticism and its opposite, Hedonism. Plato’s ideas live on in much modern thought even without our knowing it. Aristotle was the pupil of Plato and tutor of Alexander the Great. As such he had both the knowledge and resources to spread Greek thought throughout much of the world. He began to see god in nature – naturalism. There was a “god” but he was “Nature” itself. This idea lives on in the Enlightenment of the 1700s AD and entered American Colonial religious thought. While America is found arguably on the supremacy of “God,” one must question if this particular construct of “God” is Biblical or Aristotelian. An unintended consequence of Aristotle’s naturalism was the idea that people of color were destined by “Nature” to be slaves. This persisted into our time over Paul’s strong objections. See Philemon vv. 15-18, Galatians 3:27 and 28, and Galatians 4:6 and 7.
- As we said last week, we’re going through all this set up to see how God is unfolding history to accomplish His purposes using His ways. It’s a lot like the white board covered with sticky notes. God already has painted the picture on the board, now He is removing the notes one at a time to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways. Read Hebrews 1:1-2. 1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. Now read Revelation 15:2-4. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. 4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
- Let me be clear here on a point that I will reiterate again and again. God gave us His Gospel by progressive revelation. It was first, last and always God’s idea. To teach that Christian thought is an amalgamation of other preexisting philosophies, though appealing, is a rabbit trail that leads to a bad conclusion. If I may express a personal opinion. It may well be that God allowed other philosophies to pre-exist His revelation of his true Word, but if so this was God’s preparation of the soil for the planting of the truth – a method of giving men ideas onto which they could attach the true Gospel in a manner in which they could grasp and understand it.
- The Greek philosopher Epicurus, founded the school of thought known as Epicureanism around 307 BC. It is a system of thought based in materialism. The materialism of Epicurus caused him belittle the gods and not believe in superstition or divine intervention. Epicurus believed that "pleasure" was the greatest good. This, however should be distinguished from the logical extreme of Epicureanism, Hedonism which is basically license to act in any way one pleases. To Epicurus, the way to attain “pleasure” was to live modestly and to gain knowledge of the workings of the world thus limiting the need for one's desires. This leads to tranquility. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism, though later it became the main opponent of Stoicism. While some of the later Roman rulers were Stoic in their persona, i.e., Marcus Aurelius, most resorted to the abuse of Epicureanism – Hedonism. Julius Caesar is said to have had “Epicurean leanings.”
- Ancient definition of materialism: “all facts (including facts about the human mind and will and the course of human history) are causally dependent upon physical processes or even reducible to them.” Q: How do you react to this?
- Modern “Materialists” – Marx & Engels and Lenin and soviet ideology. Q: What happens when you remove the idea of there being a God or “greater power” from life? You get the Marxist theory (adopted as the official philosophy of the Soviet communists) that political and historical events result from the conflict of social forces and are interpretable as a series of contradictions and their solutions, “thesis, antithesis = synthesis. The conflict is believed to be caused by material needs.
- Modern “Materialists” – George Lucas. As much as I love the Star Wars saga, its author, George, raised in Northern California, the citadel of “new age” thought inserts ancient ideas into our culture. There is nothing “new” about “New Age” thought. It is Eastern mysticism dressed up in western clothes for the cinema.
- Epicurus believed that following the path of materialism as it was expressed in Epicureanism led one to attain a state of “tranquility” and freedom from fear. It also counteracted bodily pain. The combination of these two states was thought supposed to constitute “happiness” in its highest form. This philosophy is the Western expression of the more ancient Buddhist concept of Nirvana, or the final state of happiness in which in the Buddhist context, refers to the “imperturbable stillness of mind after the fires of desire, aversion, and delusion have been finally extinguished.”
- Epicurus’ Paradox: God either wants to eliminate bad things and cannot, or can but does not want to, or neither wishes to nor can, or both wants to and can. If he wants to and cannot, then he is weak – and this does not apply to god. If he can but does not want to, then he is spiteful – which is equally foreign to god's nature. If he neither wants to nor can, he is both weak and spiteful, and so not a god. If he wants to and can, which is the only thing fitting for a god, where then do bad things come from? Or why does he not eliminate them?
- Modern Epicureanism leads to the oft heard question above. What do you think is the answer? I submit that it depends on to whom you are talking. The Sunday school answer is that no one is “good,” and we live in a fallen world. I do not know the answer and may never know the answer, but God knows and I know God. I can thus be satisfied to leave the “whys” to Him. Does that answer work for you?
- In Roman times, the two contenders for people’s philosophical ideals were Epicureanism and Stoicism. Everything else was secondary. Most later Roman Caesars were of one school or the other and thus their people. Ironically, Epicureanism which draws on Platonism was originally a challenge to Platonism, though later it became the main opponent of Stoicism competing for the minds and hearts of Greeks and later Romans. While some of the later Roman rulers were Stoic in their leanings, i.e., Marcus Aurelius, most resorted to the abuse of Epicureanism – Hedonism. Julius Caesar is said to have had “Epicurean leanings.”
- A brief mention should be made of Skepticism because it is among the Grecian philosophies that competed for the young Paul’s attention and the mature Paul’s attacks. Pyrrho of Elis (365–275 BC) is usually credited with founding the school of skepticism. He traveled to India and studied with the "gymnosophists" (naked lovers of wisdom), which could have been any number of Indian sects. From there, he brought back the idea that nothing can be known for certain. They believed that the senses are easily fooled, and reason follows too easily our desires. Ancient and modern-day skeptics alike tend not to believe in anything because they believe that nothing can be known for sure – and they surely know this.
- Leaving philosophy behind us, politics and conquest ensue. Probably no one single person has had as much effect on the western world up until his time as Alexander the Great. (356 – 323 BC.) A bit of a philosopher, Alexander the Great’s greatest legacy is his conquering of the known world and inculcation of all the Greek ideas that had preceded him into the “warp and woof” of the societies of the conquered peoples. It is said that [Despite Brad Pitt’s pathetic portrayal of him in the movie,] Alexander's legacy includes the cultural diffusion his conquests engendered, such as Greco-Buddhism. He founded some twenty cities that bore his name, most notably Alexandria in Egypt. Alexander's settlement of Greek colonists and the resulting spread of Greek culture in the east resulted in a new Hellenistic civilization, aspects of which were still evident in the traditions of the Byzantine Empire in the mid-15th century and the presence of Greek speakers in central and far eastern Anatolia until the 1920s . . .
- He is often ranked among the world's most influential people of all time, along with his teacher Aristotle. See his Empire above. Note that the Empire stretched from Greece to India and from Libya and Egypt to ancient “Sogdiana,” modern day Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. After the death of Alexander, his Kingdom was divided among his generals. Note below the division. Note that the area of Paul’s interest was under the control of the several of the successors to him. Note, to that Paul’s Cilicia was not under direct Greek control by Paul’s time.
- After Alexander the Great died in Babylon in 323 BC, his corpse was taken to Egypt by Ptolemy I. A massive funeral cortege was created for the mummified body for transport to Egypt, taking nearly two years to finish. The body was reportedly accompanied by Alexander's half-brother, Arrhidaeus, who performed religious rites on the embalmed corpse. Alexandria was chosen by Alexander as his empire's capital and Ptolemy believed that his corpse would give the city great status. Ptolemy also wanted the body to be buried in Alexandria, in order to fulfill the prophecy of Aristander, Alexander's favorite soothsayer, who had predicted "that the country in which his body was buried would be the most prosperous in the world." By having the body lying in state, Ptolemy was given an air of prestige and legitimacy when promoting himself as the true heir of the empire. The kidnapping of Alexander's remains by Ptolemy led to a war amongst his successors, [his three generals.]
- After the death of Alexander, three of the generals wanted to divide the empire into separate kingdoms under their management. Seleucis, the oldest general, was governing Babylon. He was a powerful man and satrap of the entire eastern Persian Empire. In Egypt, Ptolemy I was the satrap and acting Regent before Alexander's death. Ruling from Memphis, he wanted total control of Egypt [and the entire Levant] for himself. Finally, in Thrace, Lysimachus was satrap, who ruled on the edges of Macedonia, endeavoring to take over the country. Note that Pauls’ Tarsus was not under direct Greek control by Paul’s time.
- Of the many philosophical schools of the time, Stoicism, [founded by Zeno (334 – c. 262 BC) of Citium in Cyprus who taught in Athens circa 300 BC,] was probably the most congenial to Paul. One or two of the great Stoics came from Tarsus, and Paul may have remembered something about their teachings from his youth. Some scholars have suggested that Paul's acquaintance with Stoic philosophy was closer than this. In 1910 Rudolf Bultmann pointed out that Paul's reasoning sometimes resembles the Stoics' arguments. Both use rhetorical questions, short disconnected statements, an imaginary opponent to raise questions, and frequent illustrations drawn from athletics, building, and life in general. It is even possible to find phrases in Paul's teaching which could be taken to support Stoic doctrine; for example the statement that "all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together " (Colossians 1:16-17)... Paul's letters also often reflect Stoic terminology - as when he describes morality in terms of what is "fitting" or "not fitting" (Colossians 3:18; Ephesians 5:3-4). No doubt Paul would know [about] and sympathize with many Stoic ideals.
- Zeno of Citium in Cyprus (335-263 BC,) taught a complete philosophical system which with certain modifications was to flourish throughout the Hellenistic period and to become the most popular philosophy during the first two centuries of the Roman Empire. It had several main tenets. The only good is in virtue, which means living in accordance with the will of god or nature - the two being more or less identified. One's knowledge of what that is depends on an understanding of reality, which (contrary to the views of the skeptics) can be acquired through the senses by a “perception conveying direct apprehension” (kataleptike phantasia), as the Stoic jargon described accepting the evidence of the senses. Such virtue is the only good: all else (if not positively evil) is indifferent. Stoic philosophy, it would appear, was embraced as the "popular philosophy" of the Roman Empire in Paul's day. It is easy to see how Paul, being taught Stoic fundamentals, used Stoicism in metaphorical language to get his audiences to understand his point. This approach would have been the one that would have made the most sense in the impartation of God's word. It is very easy to picture Paul intertwining Stoic philosophical techniques and ideas with the truths contained in the gospel, to assist Gentile audiences in their understanding of the word of God. Paul utilized his Grecian cultural and educational background as leverage in his efforts to convert and train Gentile hearers in the way of the Lord. Note the clenched fist inside the other, a stoic hand gesture representing being “firmly in the grasp of reason.”
- This is an over-simplification.
- They taught the active principle of reality with the Logos, Reason, or God. Λόγος logos, literally means, "word", "discourse" or "reason.“ Both Paul and John the Apostle deal with this idea of “the Word.” However its use is prefigured in Psalms. See Psalm 33:6. By the word (logos) of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath (pneuma) of his mouth all their host (dynamis) Dr. Luke, the Gospel writer and writer of the Acts was a learned Greek. He is the first to use the Λόγος logos in the New Testament. See Luke 1:1-2. Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first (arche) were eyewitnesses and servants of the word (logos.) The ESV translates verse 2, “... just as those who from the beginning (Greek arche) were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word (Greek logos) have delivered them to us.” Luke was probably written between AD 58-65 because it precedes Acts, though some scholars opt for a little later date.
- However, it is John, a Hebrew, not a Greek who really “nails” it in his “Hymn to the Word.” John 1:1 written between AD 90-100. θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος, literally "God was the Logos," or "God was the Word.") “In the beginning was the Word (λόγος) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He mentions it again in 1 John 1:1 written between AD 85-95, perhaps before the Book of John. Don’t let its placement in the New Testament fool you. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” In the Greek, he uses again λόγος, logos and arche for word” and “beginning” respectively. Interestingly, Paul never uses the word in this sense, though he doe perhaps use it in 2 Corinthians 10:10 in the sense of “reason.”
- Stoicism vs Christianity. While it differed from Christianity in fundamental ways, nonetheless Christianity defined itself in an intellectual environment pervaded by Stoic ideas of the logos. Furthermore, for much of modern Western history, Stoic ideas of moral virtue have been second to none in influence. Stoic ideas regarding the natural order of things and of each rational soul as a divine element provided one basis upon which later ideas of natural law were erected. “Materialistic” vs God-centered in that the “Logos,” the creative force in the universe is ultimately “corporeal.” To the stoic, each person had a “soul” that, likewise was “corporeal.” At death, the soul separates and goes back to the creator. Monotheistic, but the stoic god is the “Logos,” the creative force in the universe, which is ultimately “corporeal.” Both highly moral Stoicism absolutely determinist while Christianity has complex idea of God’s influence in events Death is eventual end, not beginning.
- When "certain.... of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered" Paul at Athens, and when, after the apostle had spoken on Mars' Hill, "some mocked; but others said, We will hear thee concerning this yet again" (Acts 17:18, 32), it is no improbable inference that the Epicureans mocked, while the Stoics desired to hear more. For they would find much in the apostle's teaching that harmonized with their own views. Paul's quotation from the classics in his Athenian speech was from the Stoic poet, Aratus of Soli in Cilicia: "For we are also his offspring." His doctrine of creation, of divine immanence, of the spirituality and fatherhood of God, would be familiar and acceptable to them. His preaching of Christ would not have been unwelcome to them, who were seeking for the ideal wise man. Paul's moral teaching as it appears in his Epistles reveals some resemblance to Stoic ethics. it is possible that Paul had learned much from the Stoic school at Tarsus. It is certain that subsequent Christian thought owed much to Stoicism. Its doctrine of the immanent Logos was combined with Philo's conception of the transcendent Logos, to form the Logos doctrine through which the Greek Fathers construed the person of Christ. And Stoic ethics was taken over almost bodily by the Christian church.
- Romans 2:15. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) Romans 9:1. I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— The idea of the “conscience” was a Stoic construct. “Conscience” was part of the human portion of “Logos.” However, by Paul’s time it was a general idea. Paul's reasoning sometimes resembles the Stoics' arguments. Both use rhetorical questions, short disconnected statements, an imaginary opponent to raise questions, and frequent illustrations drawn from athletics, building, and life in general. It is even possible to find phrases in Paul's teaching which could be taken to support Stoic doctrine; for example the statement that "all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together " (Colossians 1:16-17)....Paul's letters also often reflect Stoic terminology - as when he describes morality in terms of what is "fitting" or "not fitting" (Colossians 3:18; Ephesians 5:3-4).
- Acts 17: 16-32. 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. 24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[b] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[c] 29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” 32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”
- Ultimately, Paul, while influenced by his Greek culture and his Greek philosophical training had but one gospel: 1 Corinthians 1:20-25. 20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews an but we preach Christ crucified Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.