by SCIPIO ERUDITUS
In the sacred annals of Holy Scripture, there lies an eternal narrative, a cosmic struggle betwixt the City of God, i.e. the faith (pistis), and the City of Man, i.e. the polis — a ceaseless contention between the pastoral sanctity of the countryside and the constructed chaos of urbanity. While this mindset has certainly fallen out of vogue within much of Christendom, the Word of God is replete with agrarian imagery, symbolism, and thought processes (emphasis mine):
The biblical writers share that understanding of agriculture and of eating itself… To use contemporary religious language, they have a “theological ethic” that embraces those crucial areas of cultural activity. Precisely for that reason, their mind-set differs from that of most contemporary readers of the Bible, although there are a few noteworthy exceptions. …The Amish, many of whom earn their livelihood from farming, might constitute the fullest exception: As a community, they have retained a recognition, once widespread, of the ethical and theological significance of agriculture.
— Ellen F. Davis, Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture
As Mrs. Davis astutely observes, the Biblical writers espoused a theology that intimately connected agriculture with spiritual fidelity, a perspective largely alien to the modern mind.
This ethic, once pervasive amongst the faithful, recognized agriculture as an esteemed vocation, a sacred trust reflective of humankind’s stewardship over creation. There is a humbling aspect to such work, brought about by a total reliance upon God and upon His divine mercies (emphasis mine):
The care of plants forces people to realize that plants follow botanical laws and vulnerabilities that cannot be negotiated or wished away. ...To be an agrarian is to have one’s mind and imagination densely populated by other creatures. It is to unseat oneself as the center or focus of the universe.
— Norman Wirzba, Agrarian Spirit
It is within this context that we must examine the Scriptures, understanding the agrarian undertones that relentlessly critique the rise of an urbanized, homogenized civilization.
“What are kingdoms without justice?
They're just gangs of bandits.”
— Augustine of Hippo, City of God
The opening chapters of Genesis provides fertile ground for an exegetical exploration of this dichotomy.
Read full text: https://dfreality.substack.com/p/pistis-vs-polis?publication_id=1240700&utm_campaign=email-post-title&r=y7h5a&utm_medium=email
