Deck 11: Epicureans, Stoics, and Skeptics: Happiness for the Many

Question 1

According to Jewish and Christian tradition,

A) the world is just a shadowy image of true reality.
B) humans were from the very first sinful and disobedient.
C) God helps those who help themselves.
D) God established a covenant with Abraham.

Answer 1

God established a covenant with Abraham.

Question 2

Jesus says,

A) "Take care for your soul, which is your pure and noble essence, that it remain undefiled."
B) "How hard it will be for those who are poor to enter into the kingdom of God."
C) "As you wish that men would do to you, do so to them."
D) "No one can serve two masters; indeed, serve no master at all if you would be free."

Answer 2

"As you wish that men would do to you, do so to them."

Question 3

Jesus says,

A) "There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."
B) "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."
C) "Resist those who are evil; be not contaminated by association with sinners."
D) "Be not angry with your brother, unless he brings you into judgment."

Answer 3

"There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."

Question 4

Christians believe that

A) humans can only be justified by observing all the precepts of the Law.
B) the very wisdom through which the world was made can be found in the life and character of Jesus.
C) our salvation will be accomplished through knowledge and education.
D) the Jewish Old Testament must be repudiated by believers in Jesus.

Question 5

St. Paul taught that

A) the soul is essentially good, and salvation consists in becoming aware of who you are.
B) Jesus and Socrates are much alike: Men of virtue whom it would be wise to imitate.
C) the will is in conflict with itself and we cannot save ourselves.
D) unless we live good lives, we cannot inherit the kingdom of Heaven.

Question 6

What is the "kingdom of God," according to the Christians? And what sort of love, according to Jesus, is its heart and center?

Question 7

"In the beginning was the Word . . . and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." What does this mean?

Question 8

What is wrong with humans, and how can that be corrected?

Question 9

What is sin? How do Christians think it can be dealt with?

Question 10

Relate some of the historical events, as Jews and Christians tell of them, in God's attempt to reestablish his kingdom among humans after they broke away in sinful disobedience.

Question 11

What sort of love do Christians recommend, and what is it modeled on? Give several examples.

Question 12

Augustine is a particularly "existential" thinker, concerned from first to last with the nature of human life and its problems. Beginning students often find Augustine a sympathetic figure and an accessible route into philosophical problems. Perhaps a contrast with his antithesis, Nietzsche (Chapter 20), would be especially stimulating.

Question 13

Students need to understand that "charity," as Augustine uses the term, is not simply a matter of giving to the needy. It is an orientation of the will that affects all of life.

Question 14

I have sometimes begun the discussion of Augustine's view of human corruption with a long list of evils taken from the daily papers and news programs. It is easy for students to help make such a list. After contemplating the list for a few minutes, I ask, ""What's wrong with us? Why is it so easy to make such a long list of evils?"