In Season 9 we explored The Abolition of Man where Lewis argues for “The Tao”. That seemed like a perfect excuse to talk about something of a classic work in Eastern Christianity, Christ the Eternal Tao.
Show Notes
01. “Melkite Joe”
- Melkite Greek Catholic
- Christ the Eternal Tao
- Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile
- The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth
- David referred the story about envoys of Prince Vladimir of Kyiv whom he sent to investigate different religions in the late 10th century. Those who visited Hagia Sophia in Constantinople reportedly said: “We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth”. The fuller passage describes the church as so beautiful that they were unable to describe it adequately and says that they believed God dwelt there among men. It is part of the story explaining Vladimir’s eventual adoption of Byzantine Christianity and the Christianization of Rus in 988.
- Chester, Chesterfield
02. “Christ the Eternal Tao”
In the beginning was the Tao and the Tao was with God and the Tao was God.
The Tao was made flesh and dwelt among us.Christ the Eternal Tao rendition of John 1:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psalm 19:1
When I was an atheist I had to try to persuade myself that most of the human race have always been wrong about the question that mattered to them most; when I became a Christian I was able to take a more liberal view. But, of course, being a Christian does mean thinking that where Christianity differs from other religions, Christianity is right and they are wrong. As in arithmetic—there is only one right answer to a sum, and all other answers are wrong: but some of the wrong answers are much nearer being right than others.
C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Book II, Chapter 1)
03. “Reading”
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