ON LOVE; PART MCDXLI
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FIRST IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).
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WHAT THEN IS LOVE? In a general sense love is benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men. While this IS from an older definition of Charity, which IS rendered in the King James Bible from the same Greek word agape which IS generally rendered as Love, we should amend our own definition here to include the idea that in the reality of Love a man will accord to ALL men ALL things that he would accord to himself and to say that Love IS our thoughts and attitude of the equality of ALL men regardless of their outward nature or appearance…that ALL ARE equally children of Our One God.
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PLUS THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).
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We ended the last essay with the Way to “the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21) which Paul reveals to us and we should understand here that this Way IS the same as Peter shows us as becoming “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Achieving these goals IS accomplished in our Repentance, Transformation and Redemption as these ARE outlined for us in the New Testament and expanded upon in our posts. Understanding these ‘stages’ of spiritual Life IS the function of our realizations of the Truth and we should try to see here that these realizations ARE our revelations of “the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations” (Colossians 1:27). We should understand here that these ARE NOT mysteries because we ARE NOT to KNOW the Truth but rather because the Truth must be revealed by the Soul as part of that Transformation which Paul admonishes us to undergo saying “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2). Paul IS writing these words to “all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints” (Romans 1:7) and we should try to see the idea behind the Greek word hagios which IS rendered here as saints. This IS NOT an idle word as it IS understood by much of Christianity; this word shows us what the lexicon calls a most holy thing2a and which Thayer’s defines as: reverend, worthy of veneration9; ALL words that ARE to be understood spiritually and NOT carnally. For us this idea of saint IS equivalent to the idea of disciple and apostle; neither of which IS properly understood by the church but allotted to mere men who claim themselves to be disciples, apostles and saints without understanding the criteria for such an appellation. Jesus shows us twice what it means to be His disciple; He tells us first, from a negative perspective, that “whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33) and second that “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). While both these saying are clearly spoken and written, they ARE ignored by much of the church as so much of His words have been for 2000 years. So then when Paul IS writing to those “called to be saints” he IS NOT writing to the everyday reader but to those that have some sort of commitment to the work necessary to become a saint, a disciple and an apostle. Vincent explains this idea of “called to be saints” saying: Called to be saints [κλητοις αγιοις]. Or, saints by way of call. See on called to be an apostle, ver. 1. It is asserted that they are what they are called4 and this IS the logic that we use regarding ALL of these appellations of spirituality.
When we can see the idea of the saint as Vincent explains this calling, we can then better understand that the words of the apostles ARE NOT merely affirmations of Christianity based in the doctrinal views of men but ARE rather addressed to those that are what they are called….saints and those striving to be such. The idea of saint IS NOT used by the Master and IS ONLY found once in the gospels in Matthew’s reference to those holy ones about whom he writes that “the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose” (Matthew 27:52). We DO NOT KNOW Matthew’s intent in writing this as the very idea of the dead rising from their graves IS a not only a disturbing one but IS also phantasmal. Strong’s tells us that the Greek word mnemeion which IS rendered as grave is a remembrance9a and it IS this idea that can perhaps show us his intent. Our point his that there IS NO reference to a saint by the Master who uses the idea of disciple to designate His True followers, those that have Repented and ARE Transformed or Transforming their lives. Similarly the word apostle IS NOT used by Jesus in the New Testament; it IS only used in commentary by the writers in such verses as Luke’s “And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles” (Luke 6:13). Perhaps the word apostle should be understood as the disciple who was ‘chosen’ to be among the twelve that were closest to the Master and received direct instruction from Him; perhaps we should try to see that the apostle IS an advanced disciple, one that carries on the Master’s work through His words. We then have combined these ideas into a single understanding where the saint IS the disciple and apostle and, from the Master’s words we DO KNOW what the disciple Truly IS. We KNOW that he must “continue in my word” and that he must forsake “all that he hath“; we KNOW also that in so DOING, in being His True disciple, that we have revelation of the mysteries according to His words saying “it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given” (Matthew 13:11). In such words as these and in the teaching that His disciples receive directly we should be able to see the reality of discipleship but this message has NOT been understood by the church from the beginning and His words on this stage of spirituality have been demoted to include ALL those of whom Jesus says that “to them it is not given“. Luke frames this differently telling us that Jesus says to His disciples “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand” (Luke 8:10) and in this we should be able to see the deception that James shows us. James tells us “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22); this too IS NOT understood by the church that DOES NOT see its own deception as most ALL pursue doctrinal avenues that DO NOT include keeping His words.
In the end the whole idea of spirituality can be summed up in Jesus words which, while used in a negative fashion regarding those “false prophets“, IS yet another idea that IS misconstrued by much of the church. While the Master IS cautioning us about false teachers and their fruit, the idea DOES reflect the Way of the True teacher who IS also seen through his fruit. Jesus tells us “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15, 16). The negativity in these words has been used by the church to depict those that ARE further away from the Truth than ARE those that use this negative idea; most use it to show the heretic who teaches against the doctrines of men and, unfortunately, this idea would be applied to us as we discuss the hypocrisy of so much of the church over the last 2000 years. On the positive side this idea that “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20) has the same Power to inform men of the True nature of those who teach them and we should NOT discount here the Master’s other words on teachers as He says: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8-9). It IS this reference that should be seen in Jesus’ caution about “false prophets” as He warns of those that “draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me“. This idea of drawing nigh and honoring IS but another view of the deception of men who believe that they ARE righteous; it IS such to whom Jesus says “but their heart is far from me“. While the church puts these words from Jesus squarely on the backs of the Jews 2000 years ago, and before as Isaiah shows us, the reality IS that His words ARE intended to be the foundation of Christianity. This however IS NOT the case as the church has been “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” for many centuries. The church relies on select words, mostly from the apostles, to justify the position that they ARE teaching Truth. Among their select words IS Peter’s saying that “there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1). Here doctrines rely on the idea of “denying the Lord that bought them” as they class the whole saying in this idea. Through words like these from the New Testament the idea has become that the “false prophets” ARE those that ARE “denying the Lord that bought them” while the gist of Peter’s message IS those that “shall bring in damnable heresies” while the idea of “denying the Lord” IS an add-on phrase connected by the word even.
And the idea of heresy has taken on a Life of its own; the idea IS defined by the church to mark those that espouse opinion or doctrine at variance with the orthodox or accepted doctrine, especially of a church or religious system* as the idea of heresy IS defined today. While this IS today’s defining idea of heresy, the word had a more complex meaning in the past; it IS defined in Webster’s 1828 dictionary where we read that heresy IS: A fundamental error in religion, or an error of opinion respecting some fundamental doctrine of religion. But in countries where there is an established church, an opinion is deemed heresy, when it differs from that of the church. The Scriptures being the standard of faith, any opinion that is repugnant to its doctrines, is heresy; but as men differ in the interpretation of Scripture, an opinion deemed heretical by one body of christians, may be deemed orthodox by another. In Scripture and primitive usage, heresy meant merely sect, party, or the doctrines of a sect, as we now use denomination or persuasion, implying no reproach1. Through this more complex view of the word we should be able the see the heresy that exists within the church itself and when we attach the idea of “false prophets” to this idea we can then better understand the Master’s intent in saying “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves“. We should note here that their IS a strong affiliation between the ideas of heresy as currently understood and the use of the word blaspheme in Jesus’ day; while the technical meaning IS NOT the same, the Jews in those days and beyond called ALL who spoke of the Lord in terms that varied for their own idea of Truth as blasphemers and we should remember that the Master was frequently called a blasphemer for His espousing of the Truth and Love that IS God. Our point here IS that in the evolution of ideas the church has accommodated itself by NOT outwardly proclaiming the heresy of other denominations or sects although there ARE some exceptions to this idea in regard to Mormonism, Scientology, and many of the New Age philosophies beginning perhaps with the Christian Scientist approach; all of which teach philosophies are contrary to existing and accepted interdenominational doctrine. While this approach of acceptance of established Christian interdenominational teachings IS seemingly accepted as non-heretical, the whole of the idea puts the church at odds with the teachings of the Master and His apostles. This IS NOT seen by most ALL however because of the failure shown us in James’ words that we quote again saying “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). This deception IS become an integral part of the Christian religion over the centuries as the church, by their assumed authority, has been able to dictate what IS Christian Truth to those that follow, be these persons or nations.
Paul shows us this idea of deception as well but, again, his words ARE misapplied ONLY to those outside of the church or those that subscribe to ‘alien’ religious ideas that ARE NOT accepted interdenominational doctrine. Paul tells us to “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Galatians 6:7-8). Here we should try to see several points; first this comes after the apostle’s teaching on Love and on the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22) in the previous chapter and that these words ARE a continuation of that theme. Second, for the man that sows such Love and expresses “fruit of the Spirit” the the reward IS “life everlasting” which we should understand in the same terms as we have been discussing in previous posts where Jesus tells us of the reward to those who “hateth his life in this world” (John 12:25) and His words on the “the will of him that sent me” (John 6:40). For the man that “soweth to his flesh” however the reward IS the continuation in his “bondage of corruption” which IS “the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). We should see here the connection between lust and sowing to the flesh and try to understand the breadth of the idea of lust which the Apostle John shows us saying “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:15-17). Finally there IS the idea of deception which should be understood here in two ways; first that whatsoever a man DOES IS NOT hidden from the Lord but rather becomes a part of the Path or the path that one has chosen: his flesh or his Spirit. This includes ALL men both in and out of the church as “the lust of the flesh” afflicts most ALL men and ALL should KNOW that their ‘reward‘ IS based upon whatsoever they DO in this Life; this has both an individual and a cumulative effect. Second IS the deception that afflicts the more religious man who believes that it IS by his doctrines alone that he IS sowing “to his Spirit” while continuing to engage with “the things that are in the world” as his primary motivation in Life. It IS in this idea that we can relate Paul’s words to the Galatians with James’ words saying “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” and understand that the way for men to be sowing “to his Spirit” IS by becoming “doers of the word” which IS of course to be keeping His words.
We often discuss the dichotomy between the things of the world and the things of God and we should note that this concept IS also missed by much of the church both individually and corporately. Individually we should try to see the value of Paul’s words saying “if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Romans 8:13). These words ARE Paul’s clarification and amplification of Jesus words that we have been discussing regarding the duality of Life; we should understand that the idea that “ye shall die” IS NOT our physical death but our spiritual death. As long as men ARE motivated and engaged with “the things that are in the world” they ARE essentially spiritually dead and, again, this IS the plight of men both in and out of the church. If we could see that words such as these from Paul ARE his amplification and clarification of Jesus words on treasure, on mammon and on the ALL important admonition that we “Take no thought for your life” (Matthew 6:21, 24, 25) we could better see the message of the New Testament, a message that IS NOT accepted by the church at large. Corporately the same ideas ARE True as denominations and sects have amassed much wealth over the centuries and while their sense of giving may be virtuous, for most this giving IS but a small percentage of that wealth. ALL this IS of course contrary to the Master’s intent and the intent of His apostles. Paul also shows us the intended separation between the carnal and the spiritual in such words as “they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal[c] mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:5-7). Here we should try to see and to understand the idea of “carnally minded” as we try to grasp the reality that to be so minded IS the way of the man who IS “conformed to this world“, the man who IS NOT “transformed by the renewing of your mind“, and this IS most everyman that IS motivated and engaged with “the things that are in the world“. James paints and even darker picture of the plight of men who ARE “carnally minded” saying “know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). James tells us that such persons who ARE so “carnally minded” ARE “adulterers and adulteresses” as they look past their primary allegiance to the Lord and focus upon being “a friend of the world“. This allegiance IS based in the singular idea that as Souls everyman IS part and parcel of the Godhead and their focus upon “the things of the flesh” IS the result of that vanity into which ALL ARE born. This vanity IS defined for us by Vincent who tells us that it IS a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends4. This IS the indictment of men who ARE yet motivated and engaged with “the things that are in the world” from which the ONLY freedom comes though our striving to keep His words.
This idea of vanity IS a complex issue and one that IS acknowledged by the church at large as the sinfulness of mankind. This sinfulness IS blamed on the Genesis story of Adam and Eve and their interaction with the ‘serpent‘ which idea IS rendered from the Hebrew nachash which Strong’s defines as a snake9a. This word nachash IS a derivative of the root word nahash which has a much more descriptive definition. Strong’s tells us that nahash IS: a primitive root; properly, to hiss, i.e. whisper a (magic) spell; generally, to prognosticate:—× certainly, divine, enchanter, (use) × enchantment, learn by experience, × indeed, diligently observe9a. We should note here that the x in this defining idea for nahash denotes a rendering that results from an idiom peculiar to the Greek or Hebrew according to Strong’s Definitions Legend9a and our point here IS that much of these ideas can be better understood in terms of the vanity. Paul tells us of this vanity saying “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because expectation that the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). Here the idea of nahash can help us to understand a concept that IS obscure and which Thayer’s defines saying that the word means to: practise divination and to observe the signs or omens9. Of course it would be difficult to tell this story using such ideas so that the idea of the serpent or the snake which IS used in several more modern translations IS perhaps a better choice for the barbarous and superstitious people in Moses time. But we have NOT been in Moses time for centuries and the barbarous and superstitious nature of men has long faded in most ALL of the world. The idea of vanity takes us to a thinking realm where we CAN NOT simply blame outside forces for the ways of men in this world; the church’s reliance on Satan and on ‘original sin’ however remains as the teaching of most ALL of the church. When we can understand vanity as that condition which Vincent defines for us as a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends4, we can then take up action to overcome this condition. This idea of overcoming however must start at the time of the nurturing of children but the Christian world IS far from this goal where children ARE nurtured in the Truth of the gospels by both teaching and example rather that being nurtured ONLY into the ways of the world. Ways that include the teaching of doctrinal precepts over the Truth of the Master’s words. When ONLY nurtured in the ways of the world and the doctrines to which one’s teachers subscribe, the result IS largely what we have yet today, a result that fortunately IS steadily modified by the evolution of the race of men and the changing cultures into which children ARE born. Can we see the point here?
We must try to see that the change that IS necessary to overcome our vanity on a corporate scale relies upon the ability of individuals to overcome this vanity which IS simply the ways of men in this world. This IS the purpose of the Master’s emphasis on Repentance and the purpose revealed in the ideas behind the Greek word metanoia of which Vincent tells us: Repentance, then, has been rightly defined as “Such a virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose as begets a like virtuous change in the life and practice”4. This virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose IS what the Apostle Paul refers to in saying that men should “be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” and again we should try to understand that Repentance IS but our decision to change our focus while our Transformation IS the effect of that decision, and the like virtuous change in the life and practice IS the “the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23) when that change IS complete. It IS to this end that the Master’s words of instruction point us and while these ideas ARE among His commandments, the doctrinal approach has been void of His instruction from the beginning as men interpret His words into doctrines whose purpose has ever been to protect their ability to live according to the ways of men. The crux of Jesus’ instructions can be seen summarized for us in His Sermon on the Mount as He outlined the task for His disciples and we should understand that the ultimate goal of everyman IS to be as His disciple. In the first part of His instructions, chapter five of Matthew’s Gospel, we find the ways to blessing which IS yet another word that IS wholly misunderstood. Makarios which IS rendered as blessed has taken on the idea of happiness which, according to Vincent, was the pagan approach to the idea and which IS often cited as the idea behind the what have been called the Beatitudes; that men who do such things listed will be happy. But the idea of the word goes well beyond this even in the doctrinal church where men offer blessings to others and to the Lord. Vincent tells us that from the pagan ideas the word the idea IS: Shaking itself loose from all thoughts of outward good, it becomes the express symbol of a happiness identified with pure character. Behind it lies the clear cognition of sin as the fountain – head of all misery, and of holiness as the final and effectual cure for every woe. For knowledge as the basis of virtue, and therefore of happiness, it substitutes faith and love4. While this may not be the full intent of Jesus’ use of the word idea, it IS closer to the Truth than the doctrinal ideas presented to date; for us the idea represents the spiritual importance of each of the Master’s citations and the results should ever be understood in spiritual terms. We should add here that much of the confusion regarding such blessings IS found in the interpretations of the ideas for which one IS blessed as men DO NOT comprehend what IS meant by such ideas as they that ARE: “poor in spirit“, mourning, or being meek or a peacemaker. We will discuss the ideas of the Beatitudes in a future essay. Our point here today IS merely to show that the idea of blessing IS connected to certain spiritual accomplishments with specific but unrevealed rewards.
More important here IS the Master’s more specific instructions which ARE clearly expressed in unambiguous terms which ARE contrary to the ways of both men and their traditions. Jesus IS showing the Jews that what they interpreted from the original commandments of Moses has misplaced the original intent of the commandments and have become the doctrinal ideas of the Jews, their mitzvah if you will. Jesus emphasis IS on the reality of the commandments and while He may approach each idea saying “But I say unto you“, His words ARE NOT merely suggestions but commandments that fall under the umbrella of His words saying at the beginning of the Sermon that “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:22, 19). Then, at the end of the Sermon, the Master tells us “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” followed by His saying that “every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand” (Matthew 7:24, 26). We should understand here that practically every Christian as well as many who ARE NOT have heard “these sayings“. The gist of these sayings IS of course keeping His words and whether we see His instructions as commandments or sayings should NOT detract from our view of their importance in our striving toward Truth and Love, our striving toward His Kingdom. In Matthew’s version of the Sermon the idea of His words as commandments IS introduced and we should understand that this word idea from the Greek entole has specific meaning in scripture which Strong’s shows us as an injunction, i.e. an authoritative prescription9a and Thayer’s defines as an order, command, charge, precept9. The idea here IS clear but the result IS left as ambiguous as it IS offered in terms of ‘greatness‘. However when we read this in context we can see that it IS related to the Master’s call to righteousness which DOES have a specific meaning and the implication here should be that those that “do and teach them” ARE among the righteous and therefore able to “enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). While clearly spoken, the Master’s words regarding His sayings seems to carry less force but this IS ONLY in the doctrinal minds of men that minimize His words whensoever they can. Here the word sayings IS from the Greek logos which IS a word that IS keenly attributed to the Master by John in the prologue to his gospel. This idea of sayings then can be seen simply as His words which idea can be best illustrated insofar as intent in James words saying “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). Can we see the point here? We must understand here that Jesus manner of speaking, while NOT vague, IS reliant upon the focus of the hearer to properly comprehend His meaning, an idea that He DOES show clearly in such sayings to His disciples as “it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand” (Matthew 13:11-13). While whether or NOT these sayings reveal a mystery can be debated, the reality IS found in men’s understanding; if we DO NOT understand a thing, it IS a mystery and here a mystery that allows us access to His Kingdom. We close today with our trifecta which IS our group of sayings regarding keeping His words; these ‘sayings’ carry forward the theme of those that “do and teach” His commandments and those that “heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them” and DO contain a better view of the result, of the reward if you will. The Master tells us:
- “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).
- “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
- “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:21-24).
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
- 1 Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1828 and 1913 from https://1828.mshaffer.com/
- 2a New Testament Greek lexicon on biblestudytools.com
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
- * Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
