Defending Philosophy Biblically—part 1

Defending Philosophy Biblically—part 1

Philosophy is generally understood to be the pursuit of wisdom which is realized through logical reasoning. It is employed to critically analyze one’s fundamental *presuppositions and beliefs about some area of life.  Philosophy investigates the nature, value, principles, knowledge, and causes of that discipline.  After logically and critically analyzing one’s systematic beliefs, hopefully a unified field of wisely developed knowledge is established that becomes a system of values and beliefs by which one operates within that discipline.  To the Christian this pursuit is always deeply grounded in Bible principles.

It seems only logical to not only find out what the word philosophy means but also if it is ever mentioned in the Bible, before one attempts to write a book about music philosophy. The English word philosophy is only used once in the AV in St. Paul’s first epistle to the Colossians where he warns in chapter two, verse eight, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy (philosophia 5385) and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”  The word philosophia is derived from philosophos (5386) which is a word that comes from the two Greek words philos (5384) and sophos (4680) which mean one who is fond of wise things i.e. loves wisdom.