Toward a Narrative of Truth and Freedom

Introduction

IN HIS ENCYCLICAL Fides et Ratio, Pope John Paul II has offered us the timely and profound warning that "truth and freedom either go together hand in hand or together they perish in misery" (no. 90). Properly understood, the Pope's message is not only a warning but, even more so, a confident proclamation of the fundamental Gospel message that Jesus Christ reveals to us, in his person, teaching, and saving actions, the fullness of truth through which the deepest human yearnings for freedom are satisfied beyond all expectations. Indeed, when once asked about his favorite text from the Bible, John Paul responded without hesitation "you will know the truth and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).

In light of the manifest contemporary danger that authentic human freedom might perish through a divorce from the truth, this essay offers both an analysis of some of the primary causes of this fateful separation, and some positive suggestions to promote a reconciliation. The essay proceeds through a four-step historical narrative, which is influenced by explicitly Christian, Catholic, and Thomistic presuppositions. Part I will highlight the authoritative biblical revelation regarding the fulfillment of human freedom in Christ. This provides us with the foundation upon which we can follow the traditional principle reemphasized by John Paul II in chapter 7 of the encyclical Fides et Ratio: namely, that the adequacy of theological reflection is judged according to its ability to articulate the realities revealed through the inspired texts. Part II sketches the development of a systematic articulation of Christian freedom, which culminates to a certain extent in the Thomistic synthesis. The third part indicates some of the key philosophical "shifts" that have contributed not only to the loss of the medieval harmony between God, man, and cosmos, but also to the contemporary crisis of freedom without truth. Finally, in the main part of this essay (IV), I will indicate some aspects of a contemporary recovery of the harmony between freedom and truth. I argue that this much-needed recovery will require a particular kind of appropriation of the Thomistic tradition such that it addresses the christological and biblical priorities of the new evangelization.

I.
The Biblical Revelation of True Freedom in Christ

"You will know the truth and the truth will set you free"

(John 8:32)

Truth and Freedom in the Old Testament

While the dependence of personal freedom upon the truth was not clearly articulated in the Old Testament, ¹ ancient Israel makes important contributions to later understandings of both truth and freedom. For example, the Hebrew root 'amin denotes what is firm, solid, or true. It refers to the reality of the divinely established order as expressed in God's words, deeds, and will. This divine order has moral implications that are binding upon all because God has created all human beings with the ability to perceive, at least partially, the divine order through their reflection on the created world (Wis. 13:1-9). Thus, the righteous and wise man conforms his conduct to this truth. For example, he has truth in his heart (Ps. 51:8), speaks the truth (Ps. 15:2), walks in God's truth (Pss. 25:5; 26:3; 86:11), and exercises true judgment between men (Ezek. 18:8). ² Jewish morality in the extra-biblical, rabbinic tradition retains this objective character as reflected in the Noachide Laws, which specify those aspects of the Mosaic Law that are universally binding. ³ Therefore, we can conclude that both the ancient biblical and subsequent Jewish traditions recognized an objective order of truth, accessible through both reason and biblical revelation, and integral to the proper moral behavior of all men and women.

Although the modern notion of personal freedom is foreign to the communal perspective of ancient Israel, the Old Testament image of salvation, rooted in God's act of...