The True, Good and Beautiful

What is meant by the True, Good, and Beautiful in Biblical Classical Education? How is it connected to knowing God and making God known? What does the Biblical Classical Approach to knowing God and making God known look like?

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Classical Education elevates the True, Good, and Beautiful concept for cultivating wisdom and virtue in students. The questions are:

• Who or what is the source of wisdom and what defines virtue?
• How do students learn to discern what is wise and virtuous?

Greek-Rooted Premises

Greek-rooted Classical Education highlights writings by Socrates, Plato and other Greek philosophers. They could identify that there are such things as Truth, Goodness, and Beauty because they were made in God’s image. However, Greek philosophers weren’t believers. Therefore, their reasoning of those three aspects weren’t rooted in a Biblical worldview.

Plato on The True

Plato believed that truth began in the mind and could correspond between a statement and reality. Also, he believed it could be discovered through the Socratic or Dialectical Process. That is to say, he believed eternal truth existed in the realm of ideas and could be discovered by reasoning from within oneself.

Plato on The Good

Plato held to the thought that the “Form of the Good” is the source of the ultimate, perfect, unchanging concept of goodness. He believed it was outside of space and time. He believed it existed in the realm of ideas which are beyond our senses and only attained via reason. Also, he believed that all “good” physical things participate in the “Form of the Good.” Along with those thoughts, Plato believed that it was mysterious and difficult to fully grasp. It should be noted that he didn’t recognize God as the source of good.

Plato on The Beautiful

The Greek concept of what is Beautiful is based on external qualities: They determined Beauty according to:

• harmony
• proportion
• order
• unity

The Greek philosophers looked primarily on the external arrangements of parts within a whole. They believed it reflected an ideal “Form of Beauty” that existed beyond the physical world.

Furthermore, Plato believed that encountering the Beauty drew individuals to it because it reminded them of the perfect “Form of Beauty.” Sadly, he didn’t believe the reason was because God is beautiful.

Greek Thought in Summary

In summary, Greek philosophers reasoned from within themselves instead of turning to the source of absolute Truth—God’s Word. The concept of the True, Good, and Beautiful is ascribed to Greek thought and the ideals of Plato. This is common in Greek-rooted Classical Education.

Unlike Greek Philosophers, Biblical Classical students learn how to discern the True, Good, and Beautiful by turning to the ultimate Authority. And that ultimate Authority— on all three aspects— is God’s Holy Word.

Biblical-Rooted Premises

Biblical Classical Education defines the True, Good, and Beautiful with Biblical worldview definitions. The definitions are derived from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary because these are rooted in the Bible. Additionally, we turn to the Bible for principles about these aspects. Both of these tools aid students in learning from wisdom and growing in virtue.

Biblical Thought in Summary

The Biblical view of the True, Good, and Beautiful acknowledges that external and internal qualities of beauty are related. God is the source of what is True, Good, and Beautiful. Creator God is True, Good and Beautiful. Therefore, His creation mirrors those attributes.

Biblical Classical Education acknowledges that God’s design and purposes are the highest form of all three fundamental aspects of reality. The higher view of what is True, Good, and Beautiful are founded upon the Bible.

Believers see The True, Good, and Beautiful through the Gospel. We acknowledge that human striving is in vain. Anything that is True, Good, or Beautiful is because of Jesus Christ. As a result, this concept draws us closer toward our Creator God. Biblical reasoning is how we come to know God. Evangelism, discipleship, and application of His Word to life are how we make Him known.