This passage from the Master Yahshua might suggest on the surface that He has commanded His disciples to actually hate their blood relations in an absolute sense, but this is not the case at all. On the contrary, we are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves, but especially to love our own flesh and blood. The term “hate” that is used by Yahshua in this context is only in a relative and relational sense (double meaning intended), and not in an absolute sense, otherwise we would be sinning and violating His Torah, and He does not contradict His own Torah or instruction to His disciples.

In like manner I am also using a relative comparison of Greek Dualism and Scriptural Trinism in the same parabolic or even, as you mention, hyperbolic manner just as my Master Yahshua has done here in this passage. He did not shrink from using such hyperbole to illustrate the extreme elevation of the Love of God above any human love. He did not in any way command that we should hate our relatives, but rather that we should love God so much that any human love would seem like hate in comparison. This is a common feature of Semitic narration.

Likewise, I am not dismissing Greek Dualistic Philosophy in any way, but rather I am illustrating its necessary limitations. Greek Dualism is far superior to our postmodern prevalent worldview of materialistic Monism that requires an unreasonable reductionism, and an excessive use of Ockham’s razor in an unwarranted attempt to remove formal but non-material things that by their very nature are inherently intelligible, substantial, and irreducible.

Let me emphasize that the study of Greek Dualistic Philosophy through Plato and Aristotle will always be a significant benefit for the serious student and seeker of Truth, and it has certainly been so for me. Especially in our modern and postmodern times where materialistic Monism has dominated our thinking, and such a postmodern worldview was constantly being reinforced and taught to us when we were younger. I was never introduced to the intellectual riches of Platonic Philosophy until much later in life because our postmodern culture dismisses it so much. You are correct to be so concerned about it being dismissed, and I share that concern too. I now feel that I have been intellectually robbed of this treasure in my High School and College years. I believe Philosophy should be just as much a required course as Arithmetic and Grammar are.

A Monistic worldview by its very nature does not support a logical or rational worldview, because logic is inherently DUALISTIC, and materialistic Monism assumes that all experience can be reduced to only ONE thing, Matter. Now Matter may also be considered to be random Chaos, without reason, logic or thought. Such Matter by itself being unintelligible, and is indeed random unintelligibility itself, whereas forms may be considered as pure thought and meaning.

Blessings and Shalom in your seeking for Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding.

Many medieval philosophers did in fact attempt to harmonise socratic philosophy with christian theology. Augustine and Aquinas were deeply influenced by Platonism and Aristotelianism repsectively, and they remain as two of the greatest theologians of their time.

Furthermore, the greeks were preoccupied with their own philosophical investigations. Their enterprise had its own focus and direction, before Christianity existed, and occured just as the old testament had finished being written. Try not to write off ancient Greece in such a flippant way. Hyperbolic pseudo-profundities do not assert very much at all. That last claim in ontologists post is completely unsubstantiated.

I am not a believer, however Christianity is a wonderful and powerful thing, as long as it is not utilised to write off the history of philosophy as plain wrong.

Peace and love.

Where’s your presentation? I am eager to see your presentation to convince all of us that ontologist is wrong. Otherwise you’re just a drive by!

Then you have either not read Plato’s Phaedo or you have read it badly.

Given your history of distortion and ignorance, it’s a toss-up either way.

As for explaining the “pre-existence of the Trinity,” Henry Morris wrote a book on apologetics, “Many Infallible Proofs,” some decades ago; it contains an excellent chapter on evidence for a TRIUNE God from natural examples! Mind-blowing!

Also – I love the quote, Imugi!

You see many stars in the sky at night, but not when the sun rises. Can you therefore say that there are no stars in the heavens during the day? Because you cannot find God in the days of your ignorance, say not that there is no God.
(-Sri Ramakrishna)