In our last article, we saw that an important feature of the education Daniel and his three companions received in the school of the prophets is knowledge. They were “cunning in knowledge.” How did they explore the trustworthiness of the knowledge acquired?
Steps to validating Knowledge.
As we saw the word translated “knowledge” implies information acquired by thinking and application, by study, inquiry, and search. Modern today missionaries are faced with the crisis of the validity of Knowledge, questions like Is truth relative or absolute? Is there truth that is relative but still is truth? How do we distinguish absolute truth? Is Knowledge subjective or objective? Is there truth independent of human awareness? Etc. are being encountered by missionaries all over the world.
Much of the education received by missionaries was discussed in the previous article. We won’t have to go in that direction with more details, here we may perhaps handle the important question, what laid the foundation of such education in the school of prophets that made them giants in the validity of knowledge?
The first step in validating knowledge is clearing doubt.
In most cases, we may be told that which is veritably true like the essential truth of God; yet if we doubt it, and with all our energies bend so long to doubt, then most likely it will cease to be true in our lives. If we doubt it, we can never know it. This is because we shall not have any interest in the topic we doubt, we tend to ignore it hence hindering further knowledge, here we conclude that doubt is essentially and only the open door to ignorance. However, on the other hand, we may be told that which is altogether false, an outright lie; yet we believe it.
A good example would be the different religious beliefs some hold, some are a pure lie, but people believe them, a good example would be somebody who worships another human being as God. Others may believe an idol they have made can become a god and their protection! We see these practices all over the world, but we know these are pure lies.
Step two is understanding the essentials of knowledge.
Sometimes it is indeed impossible to know right from wrong. How then can we know right from wrong? There are just two things that are essential to knowing. These two things are truth and faith. Truth and faith are the two essentials to knowledge: and the first of these in order is truth. (Jones). This, for the reason already stated, that however implicitly we may believe that which is not so, we never can know it.
Therefore, since that which is believed must be true to be known, it follows that truth is the first essential to knowledge. And since even the sincerest truth, when told, cannot be known without our believing it, it follows that the second essential to knowledge is faith. Truth and faith, therefore, working together — the truth believed — is the way to knowledge. (Jones)
That means, in the school of the prophets, the right culture of genuine faith was taught, and the growth of such faith helped them to open doors for other forms of knowledge but with a high standard of test for the true and pure.
Step three is to culture a right faith in truth.
How did they instill this kind of faith in the students? Paul unlocks the mystery in Romans.
“ Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (KJV BIBLE)” In every verse, we see already some of the sources for knowledge being enlightened. Paul makes it clear true faith is founded in the word of God, taking the word of God as absolute truth. In other words, understanding that there is absolute truth helped the students then to know what wasn’t true. This is because it could not line with the absolute truth, so faith in the absolute truth made everything possible to tell between truth and lies. Then that gives us a fundamental question: what is the absolute truth? The word of God, John 17:17
Now we must understand the Word of God because it is the Word of God, it is essential, original, and the ultimate truth because this is what God is. That makes the Word of God an open and sure way to certitude knowledge.
“Knowledge” derived from guesses and hypotheses is not true knowledge; it is a guess and a hypothesis standing on human assumption but without foundation. For all that can ever be derived from a guess is a guess. “Knowledge” that is gathered from a “working hypothesis” is not genuine: it is not certainty.
All that can ever be evolved from a hypothesis, “working” or other, is just but a hypothesis. And even though upon the theory of probabilities the conclusion derived from a hypothesis may be considered as established to “a high degree of probability;” yet its essential nature is that of “probability” only, and not absolute certainty. With all such “knowledge” there goes a “painful uncertainty” and the consciousness of it, which puts it in a position it being questioned being real knowledge.
Everyone else who stands on such knowledge stands only to surely fall, for he has no foundation to stand upon, soon other theories may be formulated and his or her knowledge proved wrong, on the other hand, he who in the fear of God begins with the truth of God for his basis, by this very means begins with the certainty of knowledge.
As the Word and the works of God are thus studied, “the Holy Spirit flashes conviction into the mind., this is what is known as discernment, among the sources of knowledge, we call it intuition, It is not the conviction which logical reasoning produces; unless the mind has become too dark to know God, the eye too dim to see Him, the ear too dull to hear His voice, then a deeper meaning is not grasped.
That’s why health was essential in the school of the prophets, what they ate allowed them for a clearness of mind and a deep comprehension of the Holy Spirit’s voice and working, thus they were guided and knew how to tell right from wrong. This is the same kind of knowledge that our missionaries should have.
Step four: Understand the hierarchy of the sources of knowledge.
Unless we know how the hierarch of the true sources of education, we can be able to filter pure knowledge from the uncertainty of knowledge. We can be fooled by any kind of knowledge being true.
The hierarchy of Sources of Knowledge.
Having or obtaining knowledge is a task that involves almost all our energies, and the question would be asked, what are the sources of knowledge and how would we rank that knowledge? Which sources can we take supreme and superior to others? The scriptures give us some rays of these sources of knowledge, from here we can rank from highest to lowest.
“Pro 2:3-6 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. (KJV BIBLE)”
It’s important to note that before one even acquires knowledge there should be an earnest search for it, this is expressed in the words, “if thou criest after knowledge.” Then Verse 6 gives us the highest source of knowledge, God. This kind of knowledge comes to us through Revelation or inspiration. Thus, in the schools of the prophets, this was unquestionable knowledge.
Prov 2:6 He “teaches man knowledge.” The prophets who dwelt with the students in the school of the prophets were the main vessels through whom the lord would communicate, this was later written down in the form of scrolls and today we have it as Scripture, in addition to the scriptures, seventh-day Adventist missionaries have a higher advantage to even help them more in this age, for the Lord was pleased to give us a prophet who would throw light to us in our modern age, thus we are more privileged. For us, knowledge from revelation or inspiration includes the spirit of prophecy and the Bible.
At the beginning of the establishment of our missionary schools, we see the same principle was highly upheld, they had begun with a revival of going back to the foundations as used in the schools of the prophets. Revelation was the highest source of knowledge. Let’s move on to see other sources of knowledge.
Psa 94:8 Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? 9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see? 10 He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know? 11 The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
First, the question is put (Ps. 94:9), “He that planted the ear, shall He not hear?” Hearing is one of our senses. Next, the question is, “He that formed the eye, shall He not see?” The eye is a wonderful instrument, adapted to the light. Seeing is another sense. And finally, the question is, “He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not He know?” The mind of man is a wonderful creation, adapted to knowledge. This brings all other aspects like Reasoning thought and intuition. However, respected those who educated them were regarded as a higher authority.
Ellen G White gives a brief description of these instructors.
” Further provision was made for the instruction of the young, by the establishment of the schools of the prophets. If a youth desired to search deeper into the truths of the word of God, and to seek wisdom from above, that he might become a teacher in Israel, these schools were open to him. … The instructors were men not only well versed in divine truth, but those who had themselves enjoyed communion with God and had received the special endowment of his Spirit. They enjoyed the respect and confidence of the people, both for learning and for piety. {CE 61.1} (white, 1903)”
Back to our first question, what is the hierarchy of sources of knowledge? From the above, we can see the primary sources of knowledge. Revelation, The senses, Reason, Intuition, Authority. However, hierarchy was key in how these sources were considered, below is the order in how knowledge was classified and should be followed.
- Revelation
- The senses
- Reason
- Authority
How can this kind of education help missionaries apply the knowledge?
This kind of education and the hierarchy of the sources of knowledge probably were the secret behind all the success and intelligence of men who received such an education. But how does this kind of hierarchy apply to the situation? Today the hierarchy in modern Seventh-day Adventist schools would be Revelation, Authority, Reason, the senses, and lastly intuition. This kind of hierarchy does not leave much room for development. To understand this better let’s go back to what the knowledge meant for Daniel and his three companions.
Daniel.1:4. The word translated as "wisdom" signifies "knowledge, understanding, and intelligence (High reasoning)." It implies the faculty to discern (very high intuition) what is valuable knowledge, and the ability and capacity to acquire (Input of knowledge through the senses) such knowledge.
The word translated “knowledge” relates to “the mind or thought (again reasoning)” and implies knowledge acquired by thinking and application. The word translated “science” signifies “skill, dexterity, sagacity, shrewdness, ability to judge;(Intuition abilities)” and is well translated in our word “science,” which signifies “skillful in knowledge.” It implies a selected and systematized knowledge.
In other words, the students were trained to be able to confront the established authorities, hence the more efforts to the development of senses to enhance higher observation abilities, development of the mind for better reasoning abilities, and a clear connection with the Spirit of God for better intuition or discernment, they can affirm the truthfulness of the knowledge coming from the authorities or the disapproval of the knowledge if it doesn’t align with truth. Now if the scriptures (Bible) in the school of the prophet’s authority was regarded as second to revelation, then by all means Moses was ready to lead Israel out of bondage, notice what the Bible says about Moses.
“Act 7:22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds. (KJV BIBLE).”
Since Moses was learned in all the wisdom of Egypt, he was an authority not to be questioned. He was being prepared to take over a worldly empire since the world puts authority first, for this reason, he must be invested with all authority first, that his words, actions, and deeds are not to be questioned but obeyed, however, in the eyes of the Lord, Moses was not yet qualified, he must be re-educated the right way to lead a chosen and peculiar people. Ellen G White put it this way.
“Moses had been taught to expect flattery and praise because of his superior abilities, but now he was to learn a different lesson. As a shepherd of sheep, Moses was taught to care for the afflicted, to nurse the sick, to seek patiently after the straying, to bear long with the unruly, to supply with loving solicitude the wants of the young lambs and the necessities of the old and feeble. As these phases of his character were developed, he was drawn nearer to his Chief Shepherd. He became united to, submerged in, the Holy One of Israel. He believed in the great God. He held communion with the Father through humble prayer. He looked to the Highest for an education in spiritual things, and a knowledge of his duty as a faithful shepherd. His life became so closely linked with heaven that God talked with him face to face. {SpTEd 116.2} (WHITE)”
Simply what God did was to change the hierarchy of his sources of knowledge. The same is seen with Paul after the conversation, Paul before was invested with all kinds of authority and power. but he counted all this as dang, humbled himself, and taught of those who had been in the school of Christ for three 3 years.
Modern missionaries are to be trained for this purpose, for they will find themselves in places or in the hands of different authorities where they will have to defend the truth and disapprove authorities. What better tool could prepare them than the education received in the schools of the prophets?
No other way than this, it’s the best education you can give unto a Seventh-day Adventist missionary. This would prepare them to test truth according to the modern today tests of truth which are – the correspondence, coherence, and pragmatic theories.
The correspondence.
The correspondence theory states that truth is faithfulness to objective reality. It is verifying statements through empirical investigation. Science often uses this test of truth. The coherence theory compares a judgment with other judgments that have previously been accepted as truth. It checks for consistency of thought and harmony of the system. Pragmatic theory tests truth based on its utility, workability, or satisfactory results. In other words, truth is what works. (Knight, 1980) let’s see more directly how this education would prepare them.
How can we apply the correspondence theory in other fields of knowledge from a biblical perspective? The fact that in the school of the prophets they were taught absolute truth and absolute realities in divine things, then in common knowledge it was of superior application, notice what the Bible says of Daniel and His friends.
Dan 1:20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. (KJV BIBLE)”
In all other forms of wisdom, they were found ten times wise, none of the worldly scholars was next to them.
The Coherence Theory:
The coherence theory mainlycompares a judgment with other judgments that have previously been accepted as truth. We would say it reasons out with other sources of truth mainly the established authorities, we have discussed already above that the education received in the schools of the prophets prepared them mainly for this cause, the well-developed senses of observation, reasoning, and intuition (Judgement) was a great tool for them in this field.
Pragmatic theory:
The pragmatic theory mainly tests truth based on its utility, workability, or satisfactory results. Since education handed them clear facts and systematic ways to arrive at conclusions, they would produce results that would establish their beheld beliefs too. In our case study of Daniel and his three companions, they used this theory to establish freedom for their diet.
“Dan 1:11-14 Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.14 So he consented to them in this matter and proved them ten days. (KJV BIBLE)”
The words “as thou seest, deal with they servants” ‘ means after you have seen the results, then affirm with us that this is the most truthful diet for us. The education received in the schools of the prophets prepared them for the most excellent work out there. Then what about the last part of the contentment of philosophy, did the education received in the schools of the prophets enrich Axiology? This would be our next topic to explore, sign up for the coming articles.
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