"When impetuous young men are repelled by the vulgarity
of democracy, Plato can point out to them that energy, pride, and will
to rule can indeed establish the despotism of a spiritually corrupt
elite, but not a just government; and when democrats rave about freedom
and equality and forget that government requires spiritual training
and intellectual discipline, he can warn them that they are on the way
to tyranny."
"One of the important insights gained by philosophers,
as well as by the prophets of Israel and by the early Christians, is
the movement in reality toward a state beyond its present structure.
. . . The great experience and insight of Paul was the movement of reality
beyond its present structure of death into the imperishable state that
will succeed it through the grace of God . . . the state of aphtarsia
or imperishing."
". . . Thomas Aquinas was very much aware of the
problem. He knew that if Christ was to be the head of all mankind, He
had to be more than the head of the members of a Christian church. Hence,
Thomas formulated clearly that Christ indeed was the head of all men
from the creation of the world to its end. He was, one might say, a
true humanist who knew that Christ had come to every man, not only to
Christians, or perhaps only to theologians."