Anachronism: Beauty & The ArtsSample

What is Beauty

In our passage from Exodus today, God reiterates the importance of Beauty. He instructs Moses that the priestly garments of Aaron have a twofold purpose: glory and beauty. It’s easy to appreciate that the glorification of God is a critical aspect of any garments worn by those who come before Him with sacrifice. However, it is much less obvious that a man-made object could have a central purpose that includes simply being beautiful. 

So, what is Beauty? There is a vast collected wisdom from many societies and times that considers this question. Many of them share what was once an uncontroversial conclusion: that Beauty and Truth are absolutes that are inextricably interwoven. From as early as Socrates (through Plato) and the students of Pythagoras, Beauty and Truth could be found, and affirmed objectively through the application of reason and artistic skill. Things could be said to be beautiful on an objective basis in the same way that they may be said to be true on an objective basis. 

It seems to me that whatever else is beautiful apart from absolute beauty is beautiful because it partakes of that absolute beauty, and for no other reason. Plato

Beauty, as a transcendental peer of Truth, must be an Absolute as surely as Truth. Why? Because just as ultimate Truth is inextricably bound up with the thoughts and purposes of God, so is Beauty inextricably bound up with the quality of His works (e.g. the ‘very good’ of Creation). For Beauty to be deemed ‘very good’ is to presuppose that there are levels of Beauty that range from ‘very good’ to ‘not so good’ in the mind of God. As He is the ultimate arbiter of all value judgments, we must assume that Beauty exists on an absolute scale in the same manner as propositional statements exist on a continuum of accuracy from true to falsehood. 

Prayer: Father, in a world that would ask with Pilate—What is Truth?—let me know the surety of truth in you and to perceive that truth through the beauty of Your works as well as the beauty of the works of men through the arts.

Music: Agitation

Exodus 16:1-26

This piece of music is filled with a bubbling cauldron of impatience, anger, and outbursts. The piano and strings engage in a vibrant interplay of melody and texture throughout. The Lord is patient and understanding even when we fail to trust in His goodness and provision.