On Happiness

ON “HAPPINESS”

The Hebrew word for the English “happiness” is asher and occurs many times in the Hebrew scriptures. The Hebrew word for “Blessed” is barak and occurs many times more. The Greek word makarios is used to translate both Hebrew terms into Greek, and when the Greek is translated into English it is most often rendered as “Blessed” and only 6 times in the N.T. as “happy.”

What’s the difference? Psalm 128 summarizes the Hebrew concept of “happiness”:

“Happy are they all who fear the Lord, * and who follow his ways!

You shall eat the fruit of your labor; * happiness and prosperity shall be yours.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house,* your children shall be like olive shoots around about your table.”

Contrast this to Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are those who mourn…Blessed are you when you are persecuted…etc.”

The Gospel sets forth a version of “blessedness” that is much different from the ideal of domestic tranquility in the psalm. It also differs from the Aristotelian idea of a “golden mean”. The gospels present a radical ethic of non-violent love to be practiced in a discipleship community, not a comprehensive vision for the management of society.

In the early 4^th Century the church suddenly found itself legitimized by mainstream society and in a position to exercise great influence for good. The radical ethic of a discipleship community did not always provide practical guidance for Christians in positions of civil and social power. In these circumstances it is understandable that Christian leaders and theologians turned to what our instructors in Iona Initiative call the “classic tradition of western philosophy” to supplement their ethical and theological efforts. This approach to ethics drew from Greek philosophy, and sought to “baptize” the concept of “happiness” in the interest of a comprehensive Christian ethical system.

  As we will hear later in the course, the “classical tradition” was corrupted during the middle ages, largely discarded by the Protestant Reformation, and disregarded in the modern period. Our instructors will advocate for a reappraisal and reclaiming of the tradition in our own time, as we seem to be facing a challenge much like that of the 4^th century church, where established norms are disintegrating and the church seeks to connect with people of conscience everywhere while maintaining the uniqueness of Christian ethics.

This is a worthwhile enterprise, but it seems to me there is a tension between the ethics of radical discipleship and the ethics of an institutional church that functions as a normal part of society. As secular society becomes more and more hedonistic, violent, and polarized, the radical ethic of discipleship seems less like an “impossible ideal” and more like a “minimum requirement” if humanity is to survive.