Inspiration: New Age Spirituality Dictionary on Inspiration

Inspiration

The belief that human actions of extraordinary insight, worth or power are due to inspiration - an inflow of psychic force, life-giving breath. The idea of inspiration in Christian theology may be traced to Hebrew prophecy and to Greek philosophy.

The most important theological problems of inspiration concern the subjects, the sources, the means and the criteria of true inspiration as distinguished from false, rather than the reality if inspiration itself.

The question of the proper subject of inspiration - whether a person, a community or a book may properly be said to be inspired - has been greatly confused in history by getting involved in the problem of church authority,. thus the doctrine of the inspiration of scriptures was largely developed to secure the Roman church against Protestantism when the Protestants made claims the inspiration for their special leaders.

The doctrine that ecumenical councils or popes are inspired when speaking on matters of faith and morals was developed partly to deal with the Protestants' rigid scriptural Òconst itutionalismÓ. The problem of the source of inspiration was raised in Hebrew thought by the appearance of false prophecy, and by the consequent question for monotheism in what sense such inspiration came from God. In Christian theology the questions were to what extent the inspiring principle in the Godhead was distinct from the creating and redeeming principle, in what sense it proceeded from one or both of these. The question about the means of inspiration has been dealt with indirectly and in confusion with the question of subject and criteria.

The orthodox Protestant and Catholic churches have emphasized the importance of Scriptures, of church discipline and instruction as the ordinary means through which inspiration comes.

Mystic and sectarian groups have shown a larger interest in other means - asceticism, the practice of silence, etc. In the Protestant doctrine of the Òtestimony ~ the Holy SpiritÓÓ which must accompany the reading of the word if there is to be true inspiration and in Roman as well as Eastern Catholic acceptance of monasticism the great churches have made some approach to the interests of the sects and mysticism.

Among the criteria employed by religious thought to distinguish true from false inspiration the most important are:

1)    the consistency of the product of inspiration not only in itself but also and primarily with accepted norms, i. e. , with the moral laws, the Òspirit of Jesus Christ,Ó the Scriptures, the common understanding of the community.

2)    the test of true inspiration is the truth of prediction. This test, which the basis of modern science, has been used apologetically rather than critically, to validate the inspiration of scriptures, as in the argument from prophecyÓ;

3)    disinterestedness, that is the extent to which personal interests and opinions are absent or negated in the ÒinspiredÓ utterance; in the extreme form,

4)    Intelligibility might be added as a fourth criterion of the validity of inspiration though not a test of its truth, since the unintelligible cannot be said to be true or false. Also, the Protestant doctrine that the Bible was written by the influence of God. It is, therefore, without error. It is accurate and authoritatively represents God's teachings. It is an illumination in that it shows us what we could not know apart from it. Believers know that the Bible is inspired, because it says so.

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For more articles related to Inspiration , see: Inspiration , New Age, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul.

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