Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 189

Chap.

Ill]

§ 49.

TWO KINDS OF SCIENCE

entire scieiitilic interest

the

first

must relinquish

place in our estimate of

its

165

claim to occupy

Jesus never wrote

life.

Summa like Thomas Aquinas, nor a Kritik der reinen Vernunft like Kant, but even in the circles of the naturalists his holy name sounds high above the names of all these a

coryphiei of science.

There

is

thus something else to

make

this lies outside of science in its concrete

There

is

a

human development and

a

man

great,

and technical

expression of

life

and

sense.

which

does not operate within the domain of science, but which,

much

There is an adoration God, a love and a self-denial before our fellow-men, a growth in what is pure and heroic and formative of character, which far excels all beauty of science. Bound as it is to the consciousness-forms of our present existence, it is highly improbable that science will be of profit to us in our eternal existence but this we know, that as certainly as there is a spark of holy love aglow in our hearts, this spark cannot be extinguished, and the nevertheless, stands

and

higher.

a self-abasement before

;

breath of eternity alone can kindle

And

flame.

it

into the brightest

experience teaches that the

springs from palingenesis,

is

much more

new

life

inclined to

which

move

in

this nobler direction

than to thirst after science. This ma}' become a defect, and has often degenerated into such, and thus has resulted in a dislike or disdain for science. The history of Mysticism has

comes

its

But

tales to relate,

and Methodism

as long as there is

no disdain of but merely a choice of the nobler interest, it is but natural that the life of palingenesis should prefer to seek its greatness in that which exalts so highly the name in for its share.

science,

of Jesus, and feels itself less attracted to the things which brought Kant and Darwin their world-wide fame. Add to this fact that for most people the life of science depends

upon the possibility of obtaining a professorship or a lectureship, and that in Europe they who have these positions to dispose of are, as a rule, inclined to exclude the

palingenesis from such appointments, and

how

relatively

sons of

you see at once small the number among them must have

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