Hannah Arendt, a non-Christian thinker with a strangely more accurate perception of Christianity than almost anyone, offers some thoughts on the problems with being good:
The one activity taught by Jesus in word and deed is the action of goodness, and goodness obviously harbors a tendency to hide from being seen or heard. Christian hostility toward the public realm, the tendency of at least the early Christians to lead a life as far removed from the public realm as possible, can also be understood as a self-evident consequence of devotion to good works independent of all beliefs and expectations. For it is manifest that the moment a good work becomes known and public, it loses its specific character of goodness, being done for nothing but goodness’ sake. When goodness appears openly, it is no longer goodness, though it may still be useful as organized charity or an act of solidarity. Therefore: ‘Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them.’ Goodness can exist only when it is not perceived, not even by its author; whoever sees himself performing a good work is no longer good, but at best a useful member of society or a dutiful member of a church. Therefore: ‘Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.’
It may be this curious negative quality of goodness, the lack of outward phenomenal manifestation, that makes Jesus of Nazareth’s appearance in history such a profoundly paradoxical event; and it certainly seems to be the reason that he thought and taught that no man could be good: ‘Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.’ The same conviction finds its expression in the talmudic story of the thirty-six righteous men, for the sake of whom God saves the world and who also are known to nobody, least of all to themselves. We are reminded of Socrates’ great insight that no man can be wise, out of which love for wisdom, or philo-sophy, was born; the whole life story of Jesus seems to testify how love for goodness arises out of the insight that no man can be good.
(The Human Condition, pp 74-75)
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9 responses to “The Impossibility of Knowing I’m Good”
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This quotation is extraordinary. It’s hard to imagine a more penetrating distillation of the message of Christ. A dazzling find, Will..
This is wonderful Will. Thank you!
Reminds me of this Gerhard Forde quote (from “Christian Spirituality: Five Views of Sanctification”)
“What is a truly good work, one that might qualify as the fruit of sanctification? One, I think, that is free, uncalculating, genuine, spontaneous. It would be like a mother who runs to pick up her child when it is hurt. There is no calculation, no wondering about progress, morality or virtue. There is just the doing of it, and then it is completely forgotten. The right hand doesn‟t know what the left is doing. Good works in God‟s eyes are quite likely to be all those things we have forgotten! True sanctification is God‟s secret.”
I second their emotions. This quote is incredible. Totally stealing it.
There is an unbridgeable gulf between what this fantastic quote recognizes about what Jesus taught and the way almost all churches and Christian “ministries” are actually run. The big givers get, and expect, the strokes. Successful ministers at successful churches know who the money people are and what they need to do to keep them more or less happy, without compromising their theology, of course.
I second all of the above…the “ramifications” (I don’t want to say “applications” :)) for the American church on this are staggering…
Yes, me too. Every time I read a quote from Hannah Arendt posted on Mbird, I’m again amazed at her keen perception and understanding of the teachings of Jesus (and St. Paul).
I wonder if Jesus was just being honest in his question to the rich ruler, “Why do you call me good?” Jesus’s perfect goodness actually makes him perfectly unaware of his goodness. Jesus can’t even fathom his own association with the goodness of God, and hence he actually is one with God. Catch-22.
Thanks Will. You got me thinking.
I love this. As an Econ grad student it seems you can’t swing a dead cat without someone presenting a study about how to maximize donations to charity. But the means never seem to justify the ends, in my opinion. Sure you might get more help by allowing people to brag or sending round pretty girls to collect donations, but in doing so we’ve transformed charity into a consumption good.
I would put it this way. No one is inherently good. Goodness must be chosen. Of course moms have an unthinking urge to help their children. Goodness really shines when you can love your enemies as Jesus taught. Jesus said for which good work do you want to kill me? Of course he knew he was doing good. Humans cannot prove goodness apart from doing it.