Anti-Climacus

THREE THINGS I'VE BEEN THINKING OF A LOT LATELY: All the moreso after Dr. Feaver's talk on Friday night:

A. "A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none, a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one."

-Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christian

B. The Dutch Ten Commandments to Foil the Nazis:

"1. Thou shalt resist the evil one with all power; thou shalt be courageous, intelligent, and stubborn.

2. Thou shalt not spread false rumour, nor accept empty phrases, but shalt speak the truth.

3. Thou shalt not extinguish thine anger, but shall master it, that thy conscience may not be blunted by adjustment to wrong causes.

4. Thou shalt renew the life of thy soul, that civilisation may find thee ready after the fires of war.

5. Thou shalt aid in building a community that offers all of good-will a fair chance, justice, peace, and truth.

6. Thou shalt not withhold thyself from common suffering, but shalt live here with a warm heart and judge thine enemy in justice.

7. Thou shalt not be passive only, but shalt turn thy soul to the permanent risk of life.

8. Thou shalt not safeguard the purity of thy soul in pernickety ways, but shalt follow thy destiny in the great order of the world, and not withhold alliance in the fulfilment thereof.

9. Thou shalt pursue light even in the darkness, for light remains light.

10. Thou shalt realise that the basis of thy life is not "must" but "may", not "law" but "mercy"; this is thy consolation, thy creed , and thy power as a Christian Netherlander."

C. From my file of various thoughts I've collected (so I can make no assertions about the correctness of the citation):

'It is not thy part to finish the task, yet thou art not at liberty to neglect it either'.
-Rabbi Tarfon, (Talmud, Pirkei Avot 2:16)