Hegel's Lectures on the History of Philosophy: Volume 3 (of 3) — Georg Hegel — John Shaqi
Hegel's Lectures on the History of Philosophy: Volume 3 (of 3)
Georg Hegel · en
The Manichæans also express themselves to
the effect that God, the Good, goes forth, illumines, and thus produces
an intelligible world. What comes third is Spirit as turning round,
establishing the unity of the second and first, and experiencing feeling,
and this feeling is Love. This heresy fully recognizes the Idea, but
does away with the form of individual existence in which the Idea is
presented in the Christian religion. The crucifixion of Christ is
consequently taken as merely a semblance, as allegorical only, simply an
image. That merely phantom crucifixion of the non-suffering Jesus, the
fellow-suffering, only imaginary certainly, of the soul unmingled with
matter, shows forth the actual suffering of the captive soul. Thus as
the forces of Darkness could exercise no power over Christ, they must
also show themselves powerless over the soul allied thereto. With the
Manichæans originates the conception of a Jesus who is crucified in all
the world and in the soul; the crucifixion of Christ thus mystically
signifies only the wounds of our suffering souls. Through vegetation the
particles of light were held fast, and thus held fast they were brought
forth as plants. The earth becoming fruitful brings forth the suffering
(_patibilis_) Jesus, who is the life and salvation of men and is
crucified on every tree. The νοῦς which appeared in Jesus signifies all
things.[2] The Church has likewise made a principal point of asserting
the unity of the divine and human nature. But because this unity in the
Christian religion attained to conceiving consciousness, human nature was
in its actuality taken as ‘this,’ and not merely in an allegorical or
philosophic sense.