Eccl 7:7: Raving Madness or Shining Light? T.F. Torrance and the approach to our word studies revisited
[Reading Time: 10 minutes]
Quotations: 8 minutes]
Part I. One Example
We will begin with one half of one verse so as to offer an example of the double realities of the kingdom of light and darkness inherent in each word study.
Ecclesiastes 7
7a Surely oppression (עֹשֶׁק, oseq) makes a wise man mad (יְהוֹלֵל, halal)
The word for “mad” in Hebrew (הָלַל: halal) has a dual meaning. On one level, it can indeed mean mad (as in David, out of fear, feigning himself mad before Achish [I Sam 21:14]); yet, it more literally means “to shine forth with light” (as in Job 31:26), coming later to mean “to bring forth praise”, encapsulated in the “Halal/Hallel Psalms” of Ps 113-118 and Ps 146-150, which begin with the words, “Hālal Yâh” (as in our English word Hallelujah, which means “Praise the Lord.”
That is to say, oppression (עֹשֶׁק: oshek) has the ability to open us up to a kind of light that makes us raving mad if we are wise in the ways of This Fallen Age; yet, at the same time, for those who are truly wise in the humility of the Kingdom of Christ the experience of oppression can become the very means by which the divine light of JHWH shines forth in us in a way that nothing else can. In a world of darkness and horror, the worst that oppression can do to us can become the very thing that makes us “shine forth with light” in paradoxical witness to the gracious glory of Jesus (Mt 5:14-16-> II Cor 4:3-6).
As noted in Clarke’s Commentary,
The chief difference here is in the word יהולל (yeholel), which, from the root הלל (halal), signifies “to glister, irradiate” as well as “to move briskly, to be mad, furious, in a rage;” and certainly the former meaning suits this place best. We cannot think that the wise man—he that is truly religious (for this is its meaning in the language of Solomon)—can be made mad by any kind of oppression; but as he trusts in God, so in patience he possesses his soul.
Part II. Four Further Scriptural Examples
Halal as applied in the false age of this world:
Though we present of the 165 occurrences of halal in the OT only two examples of each, the emphasis which determines the meaning should quickly become clear. As we see in the the former cases of Ps 49 and Ps 10, the men of this fallen age are those who reject the praise of JHWH, turning ultimately inwards as they trust in their wealth and pursue the desires of their heart to their own destruction.
For the righteous, on the other hand, their “boast” is in the Lord and the wisdom of the fear of the Lord breaks them out of the prison of self, opening their heart to the glorious praise and life-giving satisfaction of a life lived in Christ.
Ps 49
1 Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.
5 Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
->
6 Those who trust in their wealth
And boast (hālal) in the multitude of their riches,
7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor give to God a ransom for him—
8 For the redemption of their souls is costly,
And it shall cease forever—
9 That he should continue to live eternally,
And not see Destruction (הַשָּׁחַת [šhakḥath]).
Ps 10
1 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble?
2 The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;
Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
->
3 For the wicked boasts (hālal) of his heart’s desire;
He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.
4 The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God;
God is not in all of his thoughts (Or all his thoughts are that there is no God).
5 His ways are always prospering;
Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;
As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.
6 He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
I shall never be in adversity.”
7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression;
Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity…
All to say, the wicked, who may prosper in this life and never be in adversity, are those who boast themselves in their riches with their material prosperity fueling an ever growing pride that drives “cursing, deceit and oppression,” finally cutting them off from a life in God
Now, however, for the other side of hālal, beginning with the Messianic Psalm of Christ’s death.
In the Kingdom of God:
Psalm 22
15 You have brought Me to the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
17 I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
18 They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.
19 But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me;
O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
20 Deliver Me from the sword,
My precious life from the power of the dog.
21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth
And from the horns of the wild oxen!
->
You have answered Me.
22 I will declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise (hālal) You.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise (hālal) Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from Him;
But when He cried to Him, He heard.
And finally, we close with a Psalm of praise wherein those who trust in JHWH are enabled to bless the LORD at all times and praise Him continually; for He ever hears them and works to transform darkness into light.
Ps 34
1 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast (hālal) in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them…
Part III. Thomas F. Torrance’s 7 Particular Epistemological Principles (School of Faith).
With that introduction, we transition into an extended series of quotations by T.F. Torrance on the nature of understanding. We have featured Torrance on our site here yet we mention him in this word study for three reasons:
On a biographical note, Torrance had a phenomenal linguistic capability in Hebrew, Latin and Greek combined with a theological acumen second to none. He completed his PhD under Karl Barth at the University of Basel (ultimately turning down Barth’s offer to take over his chair of theology so as to move back to Scotland as a pastor). His work on The Trinitarian Faith: The Evangelical Theology of the Ancient Catholic Church (1988) has been hailed the “one book that explains the faith that unites the world’s more than 2 billion Christians – Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox” more than any other work that could be “recommended.”
He was not, however, only a theologian but he was also a student of science, in general, and physics, in particular. In such works as Theological Science (1969) and Space, Time & Incarnation (the 1978 Templeton Prize winner), he traces the theological implications of the paradigmatic shifts that occurred in the West from the 16th-20th centuries in the transition from Newtonian mechanics to Einsteinium relativity. Through his own research and writing he ultimately came to be a close friend, confidant and finally, literally executor of the estate of Michael Polanyi (whom we feature here and about whom Mars Hill Audio offers a fascinating documentary here). Polanyi, a Nobel Prize level physical chemist turned philosopher of science, developed such concepts as intuition, tacit knowledge and the role of personal participation in true scientific advance, all of which continue to be foundational for any true endeavor in science and medicine.
And finally, the particular set of quotations below demonstrate Torrance’s foundational “Particular Epistemological Principles” (the full set of which are featured here), which come from his groundbreaking 1959 work, The School of Faith: The Catechisms of the Reformed Church.
And with that introduction we present to you his fifth “particular epistemological principle” which unveils the importance of conversion—metanoia—on the part of the learner for true understanding to take place.
From there we move back to his second and third principles on the essential nature of the Incarnation in the pursuit of knowledge, which must be received not only individually but within a community of faith, then the necessity of self-denial and self-criticism in response to the self-revelation of the Truth.
We close with his fourth principle on the necessity of reconciliation with the Truth not only on the level of God and man but also between man and his his fellow-man. In this section, he presents the reality that there is a cosmic battle occurring in This Age because “two contrary images in mankind, the image of God and the image of the Serpent” coexist.
This coexistence becomes evident in the way Biblical words are presented in both the OT and NT. Hence, the reason for revisiting the approach to the word studies.
As always, more could be said but we leave you with that and offer these sections below from Torrance without any further commentary.
Enjoy!
(v) Christian instruction requires renewal on the part of the learner; conversion as total transformation of being and mind (complete metanoia)
If Christian Truth is Truth in the form of Personal Being in Jesus Christ, then knowing the Truth must involve a relation in being to it as well as a relation in cognition. Thus corresponding to the oneness of Truth and Being in Christ there must be a oneness of knowing and becoming on the part of the believer. Knowing the Truth and being recreated in the Truth are inseparable.. “Except a man be born again,” said Jesus to Nicodemus, “he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” In no other sphere of knowledge does knowledge of the truth affect so decisively the being of the knower, but here knowledge of the Truth involves a radical change in being or a conversion. In some respects this also can be looked on as Christian adaptation of the general scientific principle that rational knowledge of an object requires adaptation of behavior in accordance with its nature.
Because in Christ Truth and Being are one, adaptation to such Truth on the part of the knower requires of him in the very act of knowing a radical reorientation in which knowing and being mutually involve one another. In the language used at an earlier point, this will involve a reconciliation between idea and image, of truth and action, and a renunciation of the radical dichotomy between a realm of ideas and a realm of events.
Reconciliation with the Truth must be allowed to penetrate throughout the whole life and being of the believer, so that reconciliation becomes an internal truth of his own being and mind. It is only out of the wholeness of person and being that true knowing of the Truth can be actualized.
And earlier:
(ii) The Historical Fact of the Incarnation as the Basis and requirement for Knowledge of the Truth (the importance of community in the communication of the Truth)
Kierkegaard has also reminded us that in the Incarnation the Absolute Fact has become a historical Fact, so that knowledge of it must be analogous to its historical nature. The Truth with which we are concerned is identical with the historical Jesus Christ. and therefore it is Truth that can be communicated only historically (that is not of course to deny that it must be communicated spiritually).
The Truth is a historical Person, and must be communicated personally and historically. That is to say, the Truth must be communicated to us by other persons in time. It is not something that we can tell to ourselves, or to which we can relate ourselves timelessly. The truth comes to us and addresses us in history, using personal and temporal means, so that in order to learn the Truth we must allow others to tell it to us and to instruct us.
Biblical Example:
We have a striking illustration of this in the OT account of the child Samuel, to whom the Word of God came several times vertically from above, as it were, in the Temple at Shiloh, but who was unable to apprehend it or understand it except through the help of Eli. By himself Samuel could only interpret it as the voice of a man, and so could only misinterpret it.
The Word of God required the agency of personal and historical communication, that is, to be conveyed horizontally, as it were, from one human person to another, before it was really received. Is that not the true communication of the Word since the Incarnation?
Application:
Christian instruction requires as its medium a historical community of persons in fellowship with one another in Christ, if it is fully to achieve its end.
From here we come to the next principle:
(iii) The necessity of self-denial and self-criticism in response to the Truth; willing, personal conformation to the Truth as a scientific prerequisite for an understanding of it.
True Christian instruction requires on the part of the learner or receiver a response of self-denial and self-criticism. To a certain extent this must be understood as an adaptation of the general principle requiring communication and learning to ask the right questions.
In scientific activity it is the nature of the object that teaches us the right questions to put to it through which it is made to disclose itself to us—but normally “disclose itself” is too personal a way of putting it. Here, however, where we are concerned with Truth in the from of Personal Being, and with Truth as our Creator and Lord, the Truth does disclose Himself to us, and actively puts questions to us. Here our scientific questions are directed not so much to the object, Christ Himself, but are by Him directed back upon us, for we discover we are at the bar, and are being questioned by Him.
The appropriate response to that questioning is one of self-questioning and self-criticism, for what hinders our knowledge is not Christ who communicates Himself to us, but we who are the knowers, the subjects to whom He reveals Himself. And therefore when the Truth encounters us He comes with the demand for self-denial on our part—we cannot otherwise follow Him and be obedient to the Truth.
In other words, when we encounter the Truth in Christ, we discover that we are at variance with the Truth, in a state of rebellion and enmity toward it, so that the way of knowledge is the way of surrender and acknowledgement through self-denial and repentance.
We bring to the knowledge of the Truth our own preconceptions and our own desires and seek to mould the Truth to our own ways and to subdue it to our own satisfactions, but the Truth stands in our way and blocks us. He offends us, and there is only one way in which communication can take place, through yielding ourselves in repentant obedience to the Truth.
Now this is in no sense a sacrificium intellectus—it is the only scientific and rational thing we can do, for if we are to know the Truth objectively, we cannot but adapt our rational activity to the mode of His encounter, and the mode of His self-revelation. To surrender ourselves in obedience to the Truth, to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to Him, is the part of rational worship. Since that is the only way in which Christian instruction can achieve its end, the communication of Truth cannot be divorced from the call of personal decision and obedience, involving repentance and self-denial on the part of the disciple if he is to follow Christ. its reception requires on the part of the learner a decision against himself.
And finally,
(iv) Instruction in Christian Truth involves reconciliation with the Truth, primarily between man and God and secondarily, between man and his fellow-man.
The man is existentially severed from the Truth, as Kierkegaard once put it, and needs to be reconciled to the Truth. Revelation and reconciliation are inseparable, and communication and healing cannot be divorced from each other. Christian instruction has to reckon with the problem of evil, indeed with original sin. As John Craig pit it, it is not that in the Fall we lost our minds and will, but “we have lost a right mind and a right will”; or as he put it even more sharply, there are “two contrary images in mankind, the image of God and the image of the Serpent” and between them there is a “continual battle.”
We are opposed to the Truth, and the Truth is opposed to our untruth. Therefore reconciliation and healing have to take place if real communication is to be achieved. This is a two-fold reconciliation, between man and God and between man and his fellow-man. Here we return to the fact that it is only within the community of God’s people that communication can take place, but now we see that this is the community of the reconciled where reconciliation between man and God and man and his fellow is actualized.
It is in the community of reconciliation that the learner receives the required disposition toward the Truth, and himself enters into reconciliation with the Truth.
(Which then brings us to the principle v, above).