The late philosopher, William Barrett, in his famous book on Existentialism entitled Irrational Man, writes on faith and reason,
“THOUGH strongly colored by Greek and Neo-Platonic influences, Christianity belongs to the Hebraist rather than to the Hellenist side of man’s nature because Christianity bases itself above all on faith and sets the man of faith above the man of reason. Again and again, at the beginning of Christianity, St. Paul tells us that the faith he preaches is foolishness to the Greeks, for they demand “wisdom”—which of course to the Greek meant rational philosophy and not religious faith. But the historical fact that Christianity arose in a world which already knew about reason through the Greeks distinguishes Christian faith from the Hebraic faith of the Old Testament.
“Ancient Biblical man knew the uncertainties and waverings of faith as a matter of personal experience, but he did not yet know the full conflict of faith with reason because reason itself did not come into historical existence until later, with the Greeks. Christian faith is therefore more intense than that of the Old Testament, and at the same time paradoxical: it is not only faith beyond reason but, if need be, against reason. This problem of the relation between faith and reason, stated by St. Paul, is not only the root problem for centuries of Christian philosophers to come, it is the root itself of later Christian civilization. The problem is still with us, in our modern civilization, though naturally it presents itself to us in a very different guise than it did to St. Paul. For what is faith?”
Nowhere does Barrett actually define wisdom, or how we can recognize it for certain. Is it the “wisdom” of Machiavelli, Robespierre, Vladimir Lenin, Adolph Hitler, Planned Parenthood?— or is it the Wisdom which, according to St. Paul, has revealed itself breathing in the life, teachings, and shocking death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
St. Paul and the Catholic Faith never rejected reason. Anyone who knows the scholastic philosophers of the medieval era or the best of Catholic philosophers today knows that. St. Paul only showed the limits of natural reason, and it’s abused, and that if the most all-encompassing cosmic Wisdom does not reveal itself to humankind beyond mathematics, computer “science,” nuclear physics and space exploration, then we are only left in endless debate and the most profound confusions, even if hedonistic sex is made to serve as a temporary biological narcotic to distract us from despair.
“For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” — 2 Peter 1:16
Heard, Seen, and Touched
St. John writes in his epistle,
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that [a]your joy may be full.”— 1 John 1:1-4
And St. Paul testifies,
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
For the [a]message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the [b]disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a [c]stumbling block and to the [d]Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
William Christopher Barrett (December 30, 1913 – September 8, 1992) was an American philosopher who was professor of philosophy at New York University from 1950 to 1979, and later at Pace University. Irrational Man was first published in 1958 by Doubleday & Company, Inc. Later editions include those published by Greenwood Press, Inc. in 1977 and Anchor Books in 1990.[6][7]
Artist Alberto Giacometti
Catholic Critique 